Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered at the Thirteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, Sunday Evening, August 25, 1878.

There is a sentence in the Book of Mormon, (p. 510) that has come to my mind, which I will read, “And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these.” This passage from the Book of Mormon is one that I do not remember having chosen as a foundation of any special remarks. It is one that applies directly to the present generation—the people that should live on the earth at the time that the Lord our God should bring forth this record, and affording them the opportunity of reading its contents. They were written by the Prophet Moroni, who was the only man of his nation—the Nephites, who was righteous; his nation having been destroyed a few years before he penned this sentence. It is true a few of his nation had deserted and gone to the opposite nation—the Lamanites, and a few had fled at the general destruction; but they were hunted by the Lamanites, and were destroyed as a people. Moroni, being a Prophet of God, would not join that nation in their wickedness and idolatry, and the only way he could preserve his life was to keep himself secreted and hidden from the knowledge of the Lamanites. While concealing himself from his enemies, he finished the record of the Book of Mormon. The latest date which he gives in the record is 420 years after the birth of Christ, according to the signs that were given on this American continent, concerning his birth. Thirty-six years prior to this time his nation was destroyed in what we term the State of New York, around about a hill, called by that people the Hill of Cumorah, when many hundreds of thousands of the Nephites—men, women and children, fell, during the greatest battle that they had had with the Lamanites. For 36 years this prophet of God kept himself hid, and wrote as he was prompted by the spirit of inspiration, and finally hid up the plates of gold, containing the records in the hill of Cumorah, with the promise which the Lord gave him that these records should come to light in the last days, that He himself would bring them forth by his own wisdom and power. And he also tells us his object, namely, to benefit the Gentiles who should occupy this American continent—the Promised Land, as they term it; and also for the benefit of other nations of Gentiles to whom the book should afterwards be sent; and when they should reject it, the Lord would cause it to be published to the remnants of the Lamanites inhabiting this country, whom we call American Indians, which shall be the means of revealing to them the history of their forefathers, and also certain promises made to them as a branch of the house of Israel, setting forth that many of their descendants should believe the record when it should be made known to them, and that they should be instructed in the things of God, and the curse, which has degenerated them to their present low condition, should be removed, and that they should lay down their weapons of war, and that they should cease to war and commit murders, and thefts and robberies, and that they should become a peaceable, and also a white and delightsome people. These are the predictions given in the Book of Mormon as some of the objects of the bringing forth of that record in the last days. And among other objects that the Lord had in view was, that he might enlighten the minds of the people in regard to the Gospel in all its plainness and fulness, with all its promises, blessings, gifts and ordinances; so that the people, the Gentiles, to whom this record should be sent, might have no excuse for rejecting it, and also that the Gospel might be established in the earth in its purity, according to ancient prophecies. Another object was, that he might build up his church among the Gentiles, if they should believe in this record and in the preaching of His servants when they should be sent forth in the last days among them, testifying to its truthfulness. In speaking of this work which the Lord is doing in the earth, we sometimes call it the Church of God, and we also speak of it as the kingdom of God. It is both, God himself being the King; not a civil power, not a civil government in the earth, for we already have established here upon this choice land a government wherein all classes of religious people may worship God as they please; but the Lord intended among these various religions and ecclesiastic denominations, to have a peculiar denomination, a peculiar people, a peculiar church, which he denominates his kingdom, and himself as the great lawgiver in this kingdom. Another object was that men might have more faith than what they had been in possession of in the former generations of apostasy and wickedness, and that the faith which the ancient Saints exercised might again dwell in the hearts of the children of men. For instance, a power of faith, through our repentance and through our obedience to the ordinances of baptism, to receive that greater and miraculous baptism of the Holy Ghost. And that this gift, this baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost which should be given to all the members of the Church of God, should put them in possession of certain gifts, which no other people on the face of the whole earth should have or know anything about, providing the members of the Church were worthy to possess them. I will name, in short, the various gifts that the Lord intended to be given to this people. In the latter days, when this record should be brought forth, he intended, in the first place, to raise up a great and mighty Prophet, to translate the divine book. This was fulfilled before the rise of the Church about 50 years ago. This Prophet who was raised up to perform this work was permitted to take these records out of the hill where Moroni had deposited them some 420 years after Christ. This Prophet was spoken of in the records, and the work that he should perform was also spoken of. And notwithstanding his youth and inexperience in regard to the learning and wisdom of the world, he proved himself a great and mighty man of God; he not only was the instrument in the hands of God of bringing to light the Book of Mormon, but also received numerous other revelations which are contained in this book called the Doctrine and Covenants, a book that contains nearly as much reading matter as the Book of Mormon; and besides these you will find that many of the revelations were given by him which are found in what is called the new edition of the Pearl of Great Price, published by the Deseret News Office, which gives a knowledge of things that took place in the creation much more fully than what is described in the book of Genesis, giving an account of a great many occurrences and events that transpired before the flood, also giving us much information of the Gospel that was taught in those early ages, and giving us some very important prophecies, reaching down to the present period of the world, and also prophecies that reach down still further, from the present day to the end of the world. These are not the only revelations, given through this great modern Prophet. The Lord brought to light sacred records from the Catacombs of Egypt. After several hundred men had wrought and toiled for many months in digging down one of these vast structures, they entered into its interior; they found a great number of mummies—the bodies of persons that had been preserved since the catacomb was built, and some eleven of these mummies, well preserved, were taken out by these men, and they finally fell into the hands of a person named M. H. Chandler. They were sent from Egypt to Ireland, where it was supposed he resided, but learning that he resided in America, they were sent to him. After receiving the mummies he began to take off some of the ancient covering or wrapping, and to his astonishment he found upon the breast of one of these mummies a record written upon ancient papyrus in plain characters, written both in black and red inks, or stains, or colors. And the mummies and the records were exhibited by Mr. Chandler, in New York, Philadelphia, and many of the Eastern States of our Union; and thousands of people saw them, and among them many learned men; and these characters were presented to them, and not infrequently was Mr. Chandler referred to “Joe” Smith as they used to term him, who, they said, pretended to have translated some records that he found in the western part of New York, and that if Mr. Chandler would go and see him perhaps he would translate those ancient characters. Many of these references were made with the intention of ridiculing Mr. Smith; but it so happened that in traveling through the country he visited Kirtland, Ohio, where the Prophet Joseph Smith resided, bringing the mummies and the ancient papyrus writings with him. Mr. C. had also obtained from learned men the best translation he could of some few characters, which however, was not a translation, but more in the shape of their ideas with regard to it, their acquaintance with the language not being sufficient to enable them to translate it literally. After some conversation with the Prophet Joseph, Mr. Chandler presented to him the ancient characters, asking him if he could translate them. The prophet took them and repaired to his room and inquired of the Lord concerning them. The Lord told him they were sacred records, containing the inspired writings of Abraham when he was in Egypt, and also those of Joseph, while he was in Egypt; and they had been deposited, with these mummies, which had been exhumed. And he also enquired of the Lord concerning some few characters which Mr. Chandler, gave him by way of a test, to see if he could translate them. The Prophet Joseph translated these characters and returned them, with the translation to Mr. Chandler; and who, in comparing it with the translation of the same few characters by learned men, that he had before obtained, found the two to agree. The Prophet Joseph having learned the value of these ancient writings was very anxious to obtain them, and expressed himself wishful to purchase them. But Mr. Chandler told him that he would not sell the writings, unless he could sell the mummies, for it would detract from the curiosity of his exhibition; Mr. Smith inquired of him the price which was a considerable sum, and finally purchased the mummies and the writing, all of which he retained in his possession for many years; and they were seen by all the Church that saw proper to visit the house of the Prophet Joseph and also by hundreds of strangers.

The Prophet translated the part of these writings which, as I have said is contained in the Pearl of Great Price, and known as the Book of Abraham. Thus you see one of the first gifts bestowed by the Lord for the benefit of His people, was that of revelation—the gift to translate, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, the gift of bringing to light old and ancient records. Have any of the other denominations got this gift among them? Go and inquire through all of Christendom and do not miss one denomination. Go and ask the oldest Christian associations that are extant; go to Italy, headquarters, and ask the man that holds the greatest power and authority in the Romish Church, “Can you translate ancient records written in a language that is lost to the knowledge of man?” “No,” he would say, “we cannot, it is out of my power to do it.” Go to Russia inquire of the heads of the church of the Greek Catholics, if they can do this; and they will give you, substantially, the same answer. Then try the later, the present day denominations, inquire of every one of them, beginning with the Lutherans and the Calvinists, and the Church of England, and then put the same question to all of the branches that have sprung from them; as well as to those that have come into existence by other means; and the universal reply of the Christian denominations, numbering some 400,000,000, would be that they have not the power to do it. Ask them if they pretend to possess supernatural power from God, to accomplish a work of this nature; and they will all tell you that God has never bestowed such power upon any of their ministers. And then, if it were possible, ask the 400,000,000 of Christians, scattered throughout Asia, Europe, America and the islands of the seas, if a man can be found among them endowed, as ancient seers were, with the gift to see, or as ancient revelators were who told future events, what should befall men and nations and their final destiny; and the universal reply will be, O, no, such things are all done away. Here then the very first gift that the Lord set in his church, is a peculiar gift so far as the religions of the world are concerned, not peculiar so far as the Church of Christ is concerned, but so far as the religious world in the four quarters of the earth is concerned, we have something which they have not got, and something that is in accordance with the Bible. What man, I would ask further, among all the religions of the earth, for the last seventeen centuries, that has possessed the Urim and Thummim, the gift that would constitute him a seer and a revelator? There may have been some seventeen thousand million of people that have passed off from our globe without such gifts being among them; and they were gifts given to the people of God before the advent of the Savior, and that were enjoyed by his servants that lived contemporary with him and with those who lived after he had performed his mission to the earth, and ascended to heaven. Then, in speaking to strangers, I would say, you must give us credit of at least professing to have these great and important gifts, gifts which all the other religions of the world do not even profess to be in possession of. Let me candidly enquire, which is the most pleasing in the sight of God, for people to obtain the great and precious things which come through the operation of the Holy Ghost, or for people to have no information, no instruction for some seventeen hundred years, only what they could glean out of the writings of some of the ancient Seers, or Prophets, or Revelators, or Apostles, who have lived and who have died centuries ago? Perhaps strangers might claim that they have the writings of those favored men of God, and that they need no more, and that all the generations of men since the days that such men of God fell asleep needed no further instruction than that which was given to former-day Saints. The strangers present will readily concede this to be the sentiment, the belief and testimony of all, or nearly all the religious people upon the face of the whole earth. You also know if you have read the history of Christendom for seventeen centuries past, that their belief and testimony in this respect have been similar to those entertained by Christianity of today. Now, I ask again, which is the more Godlike, which is the more in accordance with the Bible, for a people to enjoy the same gifts that were enjoyed by the people of God in earlier dispensations, or to be obliged to depend upon some one else’s gift who has long ago passed away? Now, any consistent religious man will give his testimony on religious affairs independent of the traditions of his fathers, and would say in his own mind, it is more consistent for us to have Revelators, Prophets, Seers and Translators inspired from heaven in our Church, it is more in accordance with the Bible to be in possession of those gifts ourselves than to depend upon Reve– lators and Seers of former ages. I do not suppose for a moment that there is any consistent person but that, if left to his own reasoning, would say that this is certainly the more reasonable and the more consistent; and especially when the Bible is referred to, in which there is nothing limiting the generations that have lived upon the earth for seventeen centuries in regard to these gifts. It is more consistent then when God should raise up a Church he should have Prophets, Seers and Revelators in that Church, inspired men, men that can receive the word of the living God, upon all subjects that should come before them which might concern the people. How many millions of questions and matters of more or less magnitude might be cited for which no instruction could be found in the Bible that would be at all suitable to the circumstances. Take any one individual among the many of the human family, and you could find thousands of things, pertaining to his individual welfare and temporal circumstances, that he could never learn out of the Bible. The Lord guides and directs the temporal as well as the spiritual affairs of his people; he always has done so. How many thousands of things does a single head of a family need to know, in regard to his own temporal circumstances, what course he should take most pleasing to the Almighty, whether to pursue this course or that branch of business, or whether to pursue some other branch of business, wherein he might do the most good; and wherein he could glorify God most; and which would be the greatest blessing for his household and family, and wherein he could please the Lord and live more uprightly and more godly, and more consistently and honestly, by pursuing one branch of business rather than that of another. All these things concern every head of a family; therefore, if he had the spirit of revelation, if he could go and inquire of the Lord, if he found it to be the whisperings of his spirit which course to pursue in temporal matters, what a great blessing it would be for him; and then not for that one person only, but for all his sons as they grow up, and for his wives, if he have a number of wives. The Lord used to give revelation not only to the head of a family, but also to a man’s wives. Read, for instance, what the Lord revealed to the wives of Jacob, how he used to reveal a great many things to Rachel, a great many things to Leah, a great many things to Bilhah, and a great many things to Zilpah. These four wives were revelators; they were prophetesses; they were individuals that could inquire of the Lord, and obtain an answer from him; and we have their revelations recorded in the Scriptures. We call their revelations the Word of God to them. What a benefit it would be for a man who had three or four or half a dozen wives, who could receive the word of the Lord in relation to their several duties; how calculated it would be to produce peace, and union, and salvation in the family and household. And what great comfort it would be for a man if he had several wives, and knew by the spirit of revelation how to deal in relation to all his domestic and temporal affairs, according to the mind and will of God. Again, how great would be the benefit to a body of people—to say nothing of households and families—located for instance, in one region of the country, a people who were united together according to the law of God, desiring to advance each other’s welfare and happiness, and each man was required to love his neighbor as himself; a people who knew how to so conduct their, temporal affairs that each man’s neighbor might be benefited as well as himself; and each one looking not only for his own welfare or that of his own household, but for the welfare of the whole community, with whom he was associated, producing at last that unity and oneness which the Lord requires in the numerous revelations which he has given.

It requires revelation then; it requires revelation for one single branch of the church located in one region of the country; how much more necessary, when there are numerous branches, and that those branches should know their duties in regard to one another, that they might not work against one another’s interests in any way or manner, but on the contrary, labor for the mutual benefit of all the branches of the Church and Kingdom of God, and thus preserve means, even as Joseph did in Egypt. Joseph was a man that sought after riches, he advised King Pharaoh to seek after riches, by building storehouses, and procuring as much of the surplus grain as he could, during the seven years of plentiful harvests which he foretold, and to store it away for future use. Some people might have supposed, if they had lived in that day, that Joseph was a great speculator, and wanted to take advantage of the people, getting rich himself at their expense. But the Lord directed this; he gave a revelation, clearly showing what would be necessary for the salvation of the Egyptians and also the children of Israel who were sojourning in the land. Hence we perceive it was necessary to get revelation in regard to temporal matters, and that without it the famine would have come upon them unawares and destroyed hundreds of thousands of people, and they would have perished over all the land. Hence by a few words of revelation given through a Prophet of God, that lived in their midst, millions of people were saved alive.

If we trace the history of the people of God we shall find it a history of revelations of God to man given for the purpose of directing them as individuals, as families, as neighborhoods, as tribes and as peoples, directing them in regard to their temporal affairs, as well as concerning the great matters that pertain to a future state of existence.

I mention this in order to refer to the text which I have taken. He that receives this record, and shall not condemn it because of imperfections that are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. That is, they shall know of greater things than what are contained in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon contains some wonderful things about the colonization of this country soon after the flood, the history of a certain nation that lived here some sixteen or seventeen centuries; then of another nation that succeeded it, and that lived here some 600 years before Christ, and down to the time that the records were hid up. Great things, historically, are revealed in this book; great things are revealed in it concerning prophecies that are yet to take place, and that have already taken place—when this record was translated. Not only this, but it contains the Gospel of the Son of God. I mean the first principles of the Gospel—the principles of faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ; repentance—turning away from sin, from all unrighteousness; baptism by immersion in water for the remission of sins; the gift and power of the Holy Ghost to be shed forth upon those who should receive this record—that is, receive its truths and obey them. It does not mean those who should read this record and not perform the things that are contained therein; the promise is not extended to them. “Whoso receiveth this record,” that is, receives the Gospel therein contained, will assuredly believe in Christ; will assuredly repent of his sins; will assuredly be baptized for the remission of his sins; and will assuredly be confirmed by the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. No man or woman that fails to comply with these things that I have named—believes and receives the record; they may pretend to believe the record, they may say it appears to be a very good record, and it speaks as if it might be true; but unless they do receive it, by obeying its ordinances, and its institutions, and complying with the principles of the Gospel, they would not be entitled to the promise recorded in the words of my text, “They shall know of greater things than these.” I would ask, if the Latter-day Saints know of anything, greater than that which is contained in the Book of Mormon. What a wonderful thing the Book of Mormon is, to be brought forth by an angel sent from heaven to be translated from the ancient languages of this country into our English language, to have the Urim and Thummim given to the translator by which the words were translated. What a great and wonderful thing the Book of Mormon is so far as its prophecies are concerned, so far as its history and its doctrine are concerned; and so far as its predictions of those things which are immediately in the future are concerned, what a great benefit it has been to us Latter-day Saints to read our own history before it comes to pass.

I might take up a whole discourse in showing how the Book of Mormon has been fulfilled since it has been translated up to the present time, in the bringing forth of the Gospel from among the Gentiles The persecutions that they should endure are predicted in the Book of Mormon. It is a great thing, it is a wonderful thing. In fact it is just what Isaiah said it would be in prophesying of the Book; he said it should be a marvelous work and a wonder. But the people who should receive this record should know of greater things. What greater things have we learned? We might have searched the Book of Mormon from beginning to end, and we never could have learned the perfect organization of the Kingdom of God upon the earth, such as we now find it in the midst of this people. We might have read in the Book of Mormon about the Melchizedek priesthood, as it existed among the Nephites; we might have read of the Aaronic priesthood such as also existed in this land; and we might, too, have read about the first principles of the Gospel and about Twelve Apostles chosen among the ancient Nephites; but do we read of the manner in which the Nephites were organized after they were baptized and received the Holy Ghost? No. Why? Because the Lord saw proper to withhold this from us, deeming it proper to reveal it through the patriarch Joseph, whom he would raise up, as something greater than the Book of Mormon should contain; showing that there were to be Twelve Apostles in our day. Did the Book of Mormon inform us that we were to have Twelve Apostles? No. The Lord therefore gave greater things to this people who believed the record that had come unto us, by revealing directly that we were to have raised up in this dispensation twelve men, called Apostles, and that they should go forth and preach his Gospel, first to the Gentile nations, and, when the times of the Gentiles should be ful– filled, they should go forth and preach His Gospel to the scattered remnants of the house of Israel. This was taught when the revelation was given soon after the last part of the Book of Mormon was translated; that the Lord would raise up a Church; that he would call twelve men and send them forth as Apostles, that he would build up his Church among the Gentiles first; that he would, when their times were fulfilled, send them to the house of Israel, to bring that people back to a knowledge of the Gospel.

Now this was new information to the people. They at first learned the Book of Mormon, and having learned it, having been taught concerning what God taught ancient Israel on this land, then the Lord revealed unto them greater things according to the promise in our text by telling them what should be done directly in our midst.

Then again, what could we learn from either the Bible or Book of Mormon in regard to three glories—the celestial, the terrestrial and the telestial glories? What did we know concerning those that should inhabit these various worlds of glory? Nothing at all. It was merely referred to in Paul’s writings, that there were three glories, “one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.” But Paul left us here; he did not tell us anything about the celestial, or anything about terrestrial, or telestial glories; he told us nothing about the inhabitants of these worlds, nor anything about the laws by which these different glorified worlds were governed, but merely referred to them in a few words and then dropped it. The people, to whom he was writing may have known all about the subject he so casually referred to, if they did, the knowledge they possessed was not handed down to us. But the Lord, on the 16th day of February, 1832, poured out His Spirit from on high while Joseph was engaged in the work of translating another record, and also upon his scribe, and they saw in vision the celestial world, and they were commanded to write a portion of the things which they saw; to write about the greatness and power and majesty and the knowledge of the people who inherit the celestial world. And they were also shown, in the same manner the terrestrial world and the inhabitants thereof and their glory, and what their condition would be in the eternal worlds; and then they descended also in their vision and beheld the lesser or telestial glory, and they saw the inhabitants that dwelt there and comprehended the laws by which they were governed. Some of these things they were commanded to write while there were things which they beheld which they were strictly commanded not to write, as the world was not worthy to receive them. Neither was the Church, at that time, prepared to receive a full knowledge concerning these things. But that portion which they were permitted to write they wrote, and it has been printed now some 40 years for the Saints and for the inhabitants of the world to learn concerning the future condition of all those that shall pass out of this state of existence behind the veil.

Here, then, were greater things made manifest than those in the Book of Mormon, or those in the Bible. Whoso receives this record and shall not condemn it because of imperfections, the same shall know of greater things. “But,” says one, “what imperfections could there be in the writings of an inspired man?” I will tell you. Imperfections may creep in through the printing press, unless there was some expert person to examine the printing of the Book. There might be imperfections creep in through the persons that recorded these things—Moroni and the various prophets that preceded him who wrote upon the plates. Imperfections might occur through the omission of some words. But one of the Prophets says, he knew of no imperfection in the record; nevertheless, the Lord knew all, therefore, he said, judge not, lest ye be judged; judge not with harsh judgment, lest ye be judged harshly—that is unrighteously. Probably the individual in reading the first edition of the Book of Mormon from the hands of the printer, knew of no error so far as the printing was concerned. But when we came to examine the first edition, and even all the editions, we found some few little imperfections that were introduced chiefly of a typographical nature. Well, those who will not condemn the work of God because of such little things, have the promise that they shall know of greater things than these. The Latter-day Saints are witnesses. You have upon your shelves the Book of Covenants and Commandments, the revelations of heaven; you also are in possession of the Pearl of Great Price, containing the vision of Moses, that great and glorious vision which he received on the mount, revealing to him the history of the creation of the world. The Lord saw proper to descend upon a certain mountain before Moses, and showed himself to him, and the glory of God rested upon Moses so that he stood in the presence of the Lord; and the Lord showed unto Moses the works of his hands in relation to the various creations that he had made. And when Moses began to inquire of the Lord, the Lord said unto him, No man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory and afterwards remain in the flesh upon the earth. Here, then, Moses began to understand that it was not for him as a mortal personage to cast his eyes forth and behold all the infinite creations of the Almighty dispersed through boundless space; but the Lord was willing that he should know in part. And Moses, when he saw the glory of God, and the things with which he was surrounded, pertaining to the planetary system, he began to wonder and marvel, as you and I would do if we had the privilege of gazing in vision upon the works of God. And while he was marveling at what he had seen, the Lord for some reason, withdrew from him, probably to try him, to see if he would be faithful to him. And when the Spirit of the Lord was taken from him, and the glory of God had withdrawn from him and the Lord himself had departed from before him, Moses was left to himself. O how weak! He fell to the earth, and for the space of many hours he did not receive his natural strength. And when in this weak, fallen condition he exclaimed, I know now that man is nothing; and he began to call upon the Lord to restore his strength. And Satan, we learn, took advantage of Moses on this occasion, while thus left to himself, and came and stood before him, and said Moses, son of man, I am the Only Begotten, worship me. Moses looked upon Satan and perceived the difference at once, between the glorious personage that had appeared to him a short time before, and the personage of Satan. And Moses in looking upon this strange visitor said, Where is thy glory that I should worship thee? Behold, I could not look upon God save his glory were upon me; but I can look upon thee in my natural state. Having said so much to him, he commanded him to depart; but being so weak his faith was not strong enough to prevail against Satan, hence he did not leave at his bidding. Moses then called upon God, and Satan began to tremble and the earth began to shake; and Satan went upon the earth, and commanded Moses, saying, I am the Only Begotten, worship me. But Moses still called upon God for strength, and the Lord heard and answered his prayers; and he then commanded Satan, in the name of the Only Begotten Son, to depart; and he was rebuked from his presence. And again Moses lifted up his voice to heaven and cried to the Lord, and the glory of God began to come upon him; and the Lord stood in his presence again, and Moses was again filled with his glory. And while he was filled with the glory of the Lord he beheld all the earth and the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a particle of the earth withheld from his vision; he saw every particle of it. He beheld it not by the natural vision, but by the Spirit of the living God.

Moses not only saw the whole of this beautiful creation in its entirety, but he doubtless beheld the laws by which every particle is governed by the law of gravitation or electricity or heat, Moses comprehended it. He was then desirous to know how the Lord created the earth, as well as other heavenly bodies; but would the Lord grant his desires in full? No; because it was not for mortal man to know so much. But Moses still plead with the Lord in this language: “Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.” He thought that if he could not behold other worlds, if he had not the privilege granted to him of looking upon more glorious creations, it would be a satisfaction for him to look upon this earth and also the heavens. But what was the Lord’s answer to him? “The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine, and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.” But, said the Lord, “I will reveal to you concerning this earth upon which thou standest, and also the heaven belonging to the earth, and you shall write the words which I speak to you.” This is the way that Moses obtained what is now called the book of Genesis, which gives an account of the creation. How did we learn of these things? By way of fulfillment of this promise, contained in the words of our text: “Whoso shall believe in this record and shall not condemn it because of its imperfection, the same shall know of greater things than these.” Here then we have come to a knowledge of the great and grand vision given to the Revelator Moses. God communicated to Moses concerning the creation of the heavens and this little earth upon which we dwell. He tells us that darkness came upon the face of the great deep, after the earth was created. What was there before this darkness came upon the face of the great deep, after the earth was created? What was there before this darkness came, can anyone tell us? A great many religious people, without any reflection, have supposed there was no light, from all eternity, until about six thousand years ago; that then the Lord created the sun, moon and stars, they really think that that was the first time from all the endless durations of past eternity that there was any light. I mean a great many ignorant people. But according to the revelation given to Moses, there was light before the foundations of this world were laid, before God caused darkness to come over this great deep; after he created the heavens and the earth, then God spake and said, let there be light and there was light. And as we are told, the evening and the morning was the first day. Why does it begin with the evening and not with the morning? Because darkness reigned, the Lord having caused darkness to reign over the whole face of the earth. How he did it, in what way he produced it is not revealed. At any rate, it is not said in the book of Genesis that the sun was permitted to shine forth, or that the moon gave its light on the first day; but that was something which was permitted to take place on the fourth day instead of on the first day. What then was it that existed before darkness came over the face of the deep? Was it sunshine? I think not. It was that probably which is connected with all creations in their first formation—self-luminous matter. Darkness was then made, but how we know not; it might have been by causing the light associated with those materials to become latent in the substance—not permitted to shine forth. How long this darkness continued is not revealed. How long it was before the Lord said again, “Let there be light; and there was light,” is not revealed.

Again, we find that the solid portions of the earth were entirely covered with water, for the Lord commanded the waters to be gathered together to one place; and commanded the dry land to appear. The dry land he called earth; the gathering together of the waters called he seas. How did he do this? He may have done it by a direct miracle, or he may have done it according to certain laws which he controlled, and which were always under his control. How easy it would be for him to take this globe of ours that was entirely covered by water, and set it in motion, and cause it to rotate upon its axis. Would not this cause the waters to be gathered together from the equatorial regions to the two polar regions—the Arctic and the antarctic seas, and in the intermediate regions, and thus leave the dry land in the equatorial regions?

Then again how easy it would be for him to compress the solid portions of the earth at the poles and cause the same to bulge out above the equator. Or in other words, to do this also by law, by causing the earth to turn more swiftly than it does at the present time, which would give a greater diameter through the equator than at the poles.

There are many things in the new translation besides the vision and revelation in regard to the creation, written by Joseph Smith, which are far greater than anything contained in the Bible, or in the Book of Mormon, or in the Doctrine and Covenants. I bring up these things in order to show you that God has fulfilled his promises to the present time, by giving us greater knowledge concerning the creation of our globe.

The Prophet Joseph Smith revealed to us that all the materials of our globe, and all the materials of the universe, are eternal in their nature, that their substance is eternal, not created out of nothing, according to the vagaries and foolish ideas of the religious world. The Lord told us that he created the earth out of materials that previously existed; he told us that these materials were eternal in their nature, and of everlasting duration. In what condition have these materials been for the last, say millions of ages—for instance, as many millions of years as there are sands upon the seashore? Have they been lying dormant without any control of law? Were there no electric principles or laws to govern them, was there no heat connected with them, or was there no latent principle called light, neither a gravitating power in connection with these materials? I have no doubt in my own mind but what there have been laws from all eternity—or if you do not wish to call them laws, call them forces, call them powers, call them by any name which may suit you—that have controlled these materials; and then again these laws or forces have also been under the control of a wise, supreme intelligence from all eternity to the present time. How many organizations the materials of our earth have undergone before they were organized according to the revelations given to Moses, are not revealed. How many worlds they had entered into prior to that time; how many conditions existed through the millions of ages of past duration are nowhere revealed. A great many learned men are beginning to see that the materials of our globe have been in existence, as they say, for millions of ages. Some of them have made calculations in regard to how many millions of years since such and such phenomena took place, in regard to certain materials of which our earth is composed; and because they have discovered some of these things, they have, in the weakness and foolishness of their minds, began to doubt the Mosaic history, concerning the creation. I presume if I had never heard of the Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or the revelations of which I am speaking, I suppose I should have been probably an infidel, so far as regards the religious sects; I could not have believed them, if I had suffered my mind to reflect. But when I come to learn and understand that God has nowhere spoken in all the revelations that he has given, that he ever made so much as one particle of this earth out of nothing; and when I found that God has never hinted or revealed any such thing; but, on the contrary, that he organized the world out of pre-existent materials that were eternal in their nature, then I could reflect back with our learned philosophers and suffer my mind to go back just as far as they dare go in their theories, and then go back to all eternity beyond that which they go, and say, these materials were in organization, and say worlds were being organized, and different conditions were taking place, and laws were being given for all these vast ages of the past, and still reconcile it with the revelations God has given in these latter times. Science and true religion never can possibly contradict each other. There never was any truth in science that would contradict any principle of revelation that God ever revealed to man. Why? Because true science is founded upon a true understanding of the laws and forces of nature. But who ordained from time to time these laws of nature in connection with the universe as we now behold them? It was the Lord whom we serve, the great Supreme Ruler of the universe, who organizes and disorganizes according to his own will and pleasure. He garnishes the heavens in his wisdom and builds the vast superstructure of the universe, as a very handiwork. He brings into life and being new worlds and disorganizes them, scattering the elements, and again brings them together by his power or by the laws he has ordained, and by his laws makes new creations, new worlds, and new universes, and inhabits them with myriads and myriads of intelligent beings. This is the work of the great Supreme Ruler of all things.

This we find out by reading the first two chapters of Genesis, as revealed anew, and many other things, of which we were profoundly ignorant, until God raised up this youth, this unlearned Prophet of the nineteenth century, to bring these things to light. By revelations given in ancient days, and renewed through this young Prophet of God, we learn that we, ourselves, did not begin to exist when we were born into this state of existence; we learn that we are of higher origin than that assigned by poor, unbelieving man. Contrast the ideas of the last few centuries with the ideas that God has revealed from heaven. They would make man look for his origin down to the very reptile and the worm that crawls upon the earth, and to the fish of the sea—as the first father, the first origin, the first oyster. Such is the reason of the learned of the last few centuries—the evolution theory; in other words, that which you learn from books, the creation of man’s folly and foolishness. But when we learn through the revelations of God that instead of man’s coming up from the poor worm of the dirt, he descended from that being who controls the universe by his power; that he descended from that being who is the fullness of all knowledge, and who sways his scepter over more planetary systems than there are sands upon the seashore. We are his offspring, we are his sons and his daughters, we are his children, he has begotten us, and we existed before the foundation of the world. Who among the wise, and the great, and those who have studied as far as human wisdom can at present reach; who among them can tell the origin of life? Who among them can tell the origin of this intelligence in man, this reasoning power, and this perceptive faculty, that enables man to grasp not only a great many things pertaining to the laws connected with their own little earth, but enables him to launch out into the regions of space for hundreds of millions of miles and find out and understand many things that govern worlds afar off. Is there no man that can tell the origin of this Intelligence? Let the trained collegiate mind, whose lifetime has been occupied in study, come forth and tell us how man obtains the first principle of knowledge, how came knowledge to be connected with matter, how came knowledge connected with flesh and bones, and blood, and skin, and sinew? That knowledge—that intelligence is Godlike; God is the author, he is father of our spirits, and we were begotten before this world rolled into existence. Once we dwelt in the presence of our Father; once we were enabled to lift our songs of praise in the celestial world, from which we emigrated; once we dwelt in the society of an innumerable convention of angels, upon a world that had passed through its stages, its ordeals, the same as this world is passing through its various mutations. That celestial world from whence we came, is more perfect than this earth, it is organized after a celestial order, a higher order and glorified by the presence of immortal, glorified, celestial beings. That is our home, from that world we came. Here is our dwelling place for a season; to that world we will return, to that being by whom we were begotten we will render an account; he who is our Father will require us to give an account of our doings in this probation. We must meet him, and behold him, in all his glory, in all his power, in all his majesty, and greatness, and superior excellency and with that infinite knowledge of which he is in possession; we must appear before him to give an account of our doings while shut out from his presence on this little world.

Here then is another thing in which the Lord has fulfilled our text. He has told us of our pre-existence; he has told us of the glory and the greatness of our ancestor, even the Supreme Being; he has told us when we existed, that it was before this world was brought into existence. Are not these greater things than are contained and explained in the Book of Mormon or the Bible? It is true the Book of Mormon barely alludes to the pre-existence of man, without explaining it. Jesus, before he appeared in the flesh, showed his spiritual form to the brother of Jared; it was not a body of flesh and bones; but a spiritual form, like the image of man. He said unto the brother of Jared, Seest thou, that thou art created after mine image? And he further says, All men in the beginning have I created after the image of the body of my Spirit; that is the spiritual form occupied by him. All men and women in the beginning were created by Him, and there never was a person, there is not anyone now living, and there never will be a man or woman, but what was in the beginning created in his image.

I do not know but what I am occupying too much time, I will briefly say, however, before closing, that certain records which God has promised to bring to light in his own due time, will far exceed anything that has been revealed through the Book of Mormon or the Bible, or that which has come to us through the Abrahamic record taken from Egyptian papyrus, or that which is contained in the vision of Moses, revealing to him the history of the creation of the world. All these will be as a drop in the bucket in comparison with the eternal knowledge that will yet flow down from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints before this generation shall pass away. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the great deep, and the things of all nations will be revealed. The records of old that were kept by the people of Asia, who have since dwindled into savages by reason of the transgressions of their fathers; and those that have been kept by the ten tribes of the north countries, where they have lived for over 25 centuries; and those records that have been kept by the people of the City of Enoch, giving an account of the dealings of God with ancient Zion, will all come forth to help fill the earth with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the great deep. And John, when upon the Isle of Patmos, saw things in vision, which were commanded to be sealed up, and they are yet to be unsealed; and in this way we shall receive knowledge upon knowledge, revelation upon revelation, concerning not only the six or seven thousand years of the earth’s temporal existence, but concerning the materials of the earth before it was made, and the elements and materials, and all things pertaining to the future earth that is to be created when the elements of this earth shall be dissolved and pass away into space. There is nothing too great to be withheld from the Saints of God in the last dispensation of the fulness of times. Hear what the Prophet Joseph Smith said, when confined in Liberty Jail. As well may the puny arm of man attempt to stop the waters of the Missouri River as to try to prevent the Almighty from pouring down knowledge upon the Latter-day Saints. It will come; it will come like a mighty flood, it will come like a mighty ocean, and there will be no mental darkness upon the whole face of the earth. The laws by which the earth is governed, by which the materials were governed, by which intelligence produces intelligence, by which one material cleaves to another, and by which all the various mechanisms are performed, will be revealed in their times and in their seasons. And then the Lord will not stop there; but he will unfold other systems and heavens that shall come into connec– tion with ours. How, I know not; in what way, I know not. There will be telescopes, microscopes and other instruments discovered in these systems, that will so far outstretch the discoveries made at the present time, that all these things will dwindle into insignificance, and when the inhabitants of one system can converse with those of another, and when there shall be communication between all the creations that God has made with the present creation we inhabit, and when the Lord shall bring forth Zion out of all the creations he has made; then, I think, we shall begin to look back in astonishment at the littleness of the discoveries of the learned of the 19th century. Amen.

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered at Logan, Sunday Afternoon, August 4th, 1878.

I have been a good deal interested in the remarks made by my brethren; and in connection with them, I am very much pleased to see you meet in this beautiful house, and in possession of the privileges you enjoy; and you have a right to enjoy them, because you have made them yourselves. And then again, you did not make them yourselves, only as God assisted you. I think there is a modern Scripture which reads: “Against none is His wrath kindled, save those who do not acknowledge his hand in all things.” And there are some other principles connected with these matters that are of a good deal of importance to us. One of the old prophets, in speaking of the people and their relationship to God, says: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is our king, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, and he shall rule over us.” If we could really place ourselves in this position, and feel that we live in God, that we move in God, and that from him we derive our being, and that he holds the issues of life, and every blessing we enjoy whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, either referring to this world or the world to come, proceeds from God. If we, as a community, could comprehend our position in regard to this grand, leading, and very important feature of our faith, we should be prepared to receive greater blessings at the hand of the Almighty, and be prepared also to magnify that great and holy priesthood which he has placed upon us. We should be prepared more understandingly to build temples, and to operate in them; we should be prepared to stand as saviors upon Mount Zion, and to operate with God and the holy angels, and with apostles and prophets who have lived before, and with the holy priesthood in the eternal worlds, as well as in this world, for the accomplishment of the purposes of God for the redemption and salvation of the living and the dead; for the salvation and exaltation of ourselves, our progenitors and our posterity. But we, need to realize and comprehend our position and relationship to the Almighty.

Some of the brethren who have addressed you have spoken upon our political rights, which is all very correct. It would be a poor thing indeed, if, after God has gathered us from among the nations of the earth to place His name upon us, and to establish and build up His kingdom upon the earth, we should be under the necessity of calling in the devil to help us to do the Lord’s work. It is one of those incongruities which the reasonably intelligent and reflective mind will necessarily disown. We are gathered here, not in the interests of any political party or any essential organization, other than that which God dictated and ordained. Why are we here today? It is because the heavens have been opened, because angels have appeared, because the revelations of God’s will have been made known to man, it is because God and the holy angels, with the eternal priesthood, have thought proper to manifest in these last days the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, which Gospel has been proclaimed to us in the different nations from whence we came. And having yielded obedience to its first principles we have gathered here. We did not come here as being associated particularly with any colonization scheme; we did not come here because of the richness or fertility of the soil; we did not come here because there was gold and silver in our mountains. We had no such idea. We came here because we believed that the Lord had restored the everlasting Gospel; because he had renewed the everlasting covenant; and because he had sent forth the proclamation, “Gather my people together, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice,” and because we had been baptized into Christ, and put on Christ. This is the reason of our being here; and, therefore, as Latter-day Saints, it becomes our first and most paramount duty to build up the church and kingdom of God upon the earth.

Now, we all believe this. And there is a number of duties that seem to devolve naturally upon us, such as to prepare buildings like this, that we may meet in to attend to the worship of God; and to build temples in which to administer the ordinances of God. Who for? The living and the dead: for ourselves, our progenitors, and our posterity. And that we might operate and cooperate with the priesthood behind the veil, in the accomplishment of his purposes toward the human family. This is the kind of labor we are engaged in. But I occasionally think we are something like the disciples who lived in the days of the apostles on the Asiatic Continent. It is said of them, that they saw in part, and prophesied in part, and of course comprehended in part. But they thought then, and we think now, that when that which is in part is done away, and that which is perfect is come—and which the Lord is trying to introduce as fast as he can—then shall we see as we are seen, and then we shall know as we are known; then we shall comprehend as God comprehends in relation to all of these subjects which we have been reflecting upon and praying about. But we only comprehend in part at the present time. We are something like our little children—when they begin to walk a little, they make awkward stumbles, often times falling down and scratching themselves. Our Father watches over us, the same as our mothers did when we were babies. You all know what watchful care a fond mother bestows upon her little child; how anxious she is about its safety and welfare. But our children frequently think they are much smarter than their parents. They would think nothing at all of taking hold of a razor and cutting their fingers with it, or running over rough and dangerous ground. We are, in many respects, a good deal like them. We see in part and comprehend in part; and some of us have been so long steeped in the superstitions and traditions of the age, and are imbued with false religions and political ideas and notions, and so inoculated by the world, that we hardly know what is right and what is wrong. We want a little of God in the kingdom of God, a little of man, and, I am sorry to say, a little of the devil in the kingdom of God, so that we might all mix up together and be hail fellows well met, God and all creation together. That is not the calculation of the Almighty. He has called us together; what to do? Let me tell you what the prophet said: “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” And what will he do with those he gets there? “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Who would give them pastors? The Lord. One of the prophets, in speaking of this time, when people should be very much better than we are today, says: “And they shall be all taught of God.” But some of us would like a little infidelity with it, a little of this world’s politics, a little of the theories of men, and a little false tradition with it; and it is difficult for us, with all our traditions and erroneous training which we have inherited from our forefathers, and which we have been brought up in from our early childhood, to divest ourselves from them, and listen to the pure word of God, and be governed by the laws of life.

We talk sometimes about the thing we call the kingdom of God. Now, if it is the kingdom of God, it is not the kingdom of man; it is not our kingdom only so far as we are subject to its laws, which are the laws of God. We have made attempts lately, under the direction of our venerable and respected President Young, who has left us and gone behind the veil, to organize the church of God, and this organization has spread, more or less, through the Territory. But it is a good deal with us as it was with the boy in Salt Lake City. A stranger, walking along, said, “Boy, are you a Mormon?” The boy answered: “No, sir, I am not, but dad is.” “Oh, he is?” “Yes, sir; but he does not potter much at it.” It is a good deal so with many of us. We have our individual affairs and our own operations, which occupy our attention, and we have little time to attend to the things of God. We have an organization of our priesthood; we have our stakes organized with President, with High Council, with Bishops and their Counselors, and Priests, Teachers and Deacons; and we have our Seventies’ quorums, our High Priests’ Quorums, and our Elders’ Quorums; all of which are in accordance with the order that exists in heaven. But how little many of us think of this. Yet we are doing pretty well, as has been remarked here. I have no feeling of complaint in my mind about the doings of the people generally. I think that you have manifested a zeal, liberality and generosity in the building of this house, that is praiseworthy and commendable; and I think you have manifested the same in the progress that is exhibited in the building of your temple here. But these are only very small parts of the duties of this priesthood which we have taken upon us; very little parts indeed. How many of our Bishops are there who do not comprehend really and truly that they hold their priesthood from God? that they administer in the cities of Zion, or ought to, by virtue of that priesthood; and therefore ought to be fathers over the people over whom they preside, having self and its interest in abeyance, laboring as good shepherds in the interests of their flocks, and thus operating in it according to their ability; but a great many do not comprehend the position of things in relation to these matters. If a man is appointed a Bishop, is it that he may aggrandize himself? No. Is it that through his position he may monopolize certain interests? No. It is expected of him that he will operate in the interest of the church of God, and more especially in the interests of the community over whom he presides. That is the way I understand this matter; and these are some leading features, by which a Bishop ought to be governed. And in our Bishop’s Courts, when cases are brought before them, they ought to be as free from partiality in their judgments as the Gods in the Eternal worlds are, and feel to administer justice and righteousness, and seek for the Spirit of God to actuate and govern them in all of their decisions. And the same spirit and feeling ought to actuate in the High Council. They are making a record of which there is a record kept in heaven; and so are the Bishops. And when you are administering in any of these offices, God will hold you to an account, and the priesthood on the earth will hold you to an account; and you are now writing a history in indelible characters that never can be erased. If for every word and secret act all men shall be brought to judgment, how much more will the public acts of public men be brought into account before God and before the holy priesthood.

Here, for instance, is the President and his Counselors, who preside over this Stake. They ought to feel interested in the welfare of every man, woman and child in the Stake, so far as they come under their observation; and these men, by virtue of their high calling, ought to be full of life and the Spirit and revelations of God, to comprehend things as they are presented to them and that, they may administer justice in righteousness, and rule over the people in that way and manner that will secure the favor and approbation of the Most High; always seeking first the interests of the kingdom of God and the flock that God has given them the oversight of.

Now I will mention some things here that my attention has been called to, in regard to union, and union of effort. We have had a great deal said about the United Order, and about our becoming one. And some people would wish—Oh, how they do wish, they could get around that principle, if they could! But you Latter-day Saints, you cannot get around it; you cannot dig around it; it will rise before you every step you take, for God is determined to carry out his purposes, and to build up his Zion; and those who will not walk into line he will move out of the way and no place will be found for them in Israel. Hear it, you Latter-day Saints for I say to you in the name of Israel’s God that it is a revelation from the Most High, and you cannot get around it. There seem to be difficulties in the way at present; but we shall surmount these. The only way for us to do now, in consideration of the weaknesses and infirmities with which we are surrounded, is to do the very best we can, and advance those interests as near as we can, practi– cally and in their spirit and essence, until we can bring about the thing that God designs, for men are not prepared for these things yet in full. But we are in part, as they of old prophesied in part, and understood in part; and by and by that which is perfect in relation to these matters will be introduced. Joseph Smith tried to introduce this order, but such was the corruption, covetousness, fraud and injustice of men, that he found it almost impossible to do it. This was the idea he conveyed, if not the precise words that he used in speaking upon this subject. We have made various attempts to do what the Prophet Joseph tried to do. In some places they are doing very well, and in other places very poorly; I can tell you this much about it, it is pretty hard work to make sheep out of goats. Did any of you ever try it? Let me quote you a passage of our Savior’s: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”—“A stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers.” And he prayed to the Father concerning them: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.” “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Or, in other words, God sent him and his people knew it and knew him, but the world believed it not; but when this oneness should be brought about, the world would know it. And when we become one in all things, our condition will be a spectacle for God, angels and men to gaze upon with delight: and the world then will know that God is with us, and that we are his Israel, and that he is our guide, our shield, our deliverer.

There are some things that Brother Lorenzo Snow is doing that are very creditable; but it is not the United Order. He is working with the people something after the same principle that our sisters teach the little ones how to walk; they stand them in a sort of chair which rolls along, and the babies appear delighted, they think they are walking. But we have not learned how to walk yet. And then there are other institutions scattered throughout the Territory, having the same laudable object in view, many of them have most excellent principles among them, and they manifest a most admirable spirit; but they only see in part, and know and comprehend in part. And you here are doing pretty well in some things; but some of you are like it was said by President Young of Brother Snow, that he had got the folks into the United Order without their knowing it. You have hardly got one foot in yet; but you are aiming at progress, and are making some little advancement. For instance, I hear you have a kind of commercial business here in connection with some other interests that you are trying to unite on. This is very proper, and it is proper that your president should dictate in such matters; it is his business to do it, and it is your duty to be governed by such principles and follow such instructions as may be given in regard to these things; and keep together, and let this individualism be held in abeyance, and let us feel that we are all holding the holy Priesthood, and that we should, as brethren, operate in the interests of the church and kingdom of God. I suppose these things could go on and increase, and everything in regard to your commercial relations could be operated with one common consent, under the proper authority and administration of the priesthood, and you all labor unitedly, with singleness of heart before God. And what would be the result? You could not be preyed upon by outsiders; you would have no middlemen living off you, and what speculations might be entered into would be in the interest of the community. And then you could operate in regard to your farming interests, and the disposing of your grain, and cattle, sheep, etc. And operating and cooperating together, you will be able to form a phalanx in this valley that will become a power in this part of the land. And then if you could go to work and manufacture your own leather and cloth, and make your own boots and shoes and harness, and your own wearing apparel, men’s and women’s wear, as they are doing in Brigham City, a great deal of remunerative employment could be furnished your own people, and it would be the means of putting trades in the hands of many of your boys; and by and by you could became a self-sustaining people. The people of the world comprehend this principle that we are striving to accomplish among ourselves. There has been quite a talk lately about something that has existed in France. You will remember that in the late war with Germany, the French nation was badly beaten, and an enormous debt was the result, which the French Government has since paid. And how? The first Napoleon, in his day, introduced what was called at that time the “Continental System,” which meant nothing more nor less than home manufacture. Every encouragement was extended to the people of that nation to raise and manufacture everything possible, that they might become independent of other nations for their sustenance. And this was the secret of their success in paying their indebtedness incurred by the late war. We have had enough talk about these things; the only thing left is to contrive in all our various settlements, to introduce such things, gradually and according to circumstances, as will subserve the interests of the people and make them self-sustaining. And then let the people throughout the Territory do the same thing, and we shall be progressing in the march of improvement, and get, by and by, to what is called the United Order. But I will tell you one thing you can never do—unless you can get the United Order in the hearts of the people, you can never plant it anywhere else; articles and constitutions amount to very little; we must have this law, which is the law of God, written in our hearts. Many men associated with these institutions do not act in good faith. I have seen men unite with them, thinking that they could get a very easy living by preying upon the people who were more confiding and honorable than themselves. Will such men be blessed? No, they will not but the curse of God will rest upon them for trying to pervert his purposes; and it would have been better for them never to have entered into such connections. These have been some of my reflections in relation to these matters.

We have here Seventies and Elders. I wish to talk a little upon some things associated with their callings, for there are a great many of them present today. I suppose the great majority of the brethren here are either Seventies, High Priests, or Elders—three prominent quorums in the church and kingdom of God. Now then, what are we called to do? What, for an instance, is the duty of an Apostle? We used to understand it to be our duty to go to the ends of the earth and preach the Gospel; and I may say we have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to accomplish that object. But some of us are getting whiteheaded. As I was saying to one of my wives a little while ago, Your head is getting a little grey, but mine is not (it is white). And it is so with many of the Twelve; they have got past that some time ago. But the Twelve went out, and were always ready to go out, and are today if required. And I will say of my brethren who are around me, I do not know of a better set of men in existence, nor could I tell where they can be found. I will bear this testimony concerning my brethren of the Twelve. They are ready to do what God requires of them at any time. Now, we have had a great many honorable men among our Seventies, our High Priests and Elders, who have gone forth with alacrity, as have the Twelve, filled with the spirit and power of their calling, feeling to rejoice all the day long, and sing, hallelujah, the Lord is our God; they have been the means of gathering the House of Israel, as they are today in these mountains. Shall they have credit among Israel? Yes, and so will they have credit before God and the holy angels. But the Presidency or the Twelve, or the Seventies, or the High Priests, or the Elders, never could have done it, unless God had been with them. They went forth in the name of God, bearing precious seed; and they returned again rejoicing, bringing many sheaves with them. And God will hold all such men in honorable remembrance in time and through all eternity. But, a great many are getting like myself, they are getting old; and we cannot expect them always to be going. But then, they have a lot of boys growing up, and we expect the boys to step forward and take the place of their fathers, and try to do something in the interests of the church and kingdom of God upon the earth.

We have been passing through quite a scene for some time past, and the world generally has, especially the European nations, since about 1873. There was, as was termed, a financial panic, and it has grown worse and worse until the present time; and trouble seems to be spreading and growing among the nations, and is permeating the nation with which we are associated. It is now workmen against employer—labor versus capital, and vice versa, instead of union, harmony, fellowship, and sympathy, which ought always to exist between man and man. And we have felt a little of the effects of the monetary crisis here. Then the grasshoppers have paid us a visit now and then; and the codling moth is among us, and some parts of our valleys have suffered considerably from winter frosts. And I have thought sometimes that if the people did not understand that God ruled, they would find out by and by; for I believe that all these things are used by the Lord to bring the people to reflection. And if I read my Bible aright, judgments are first to begin at the house of God. And if judgments are to commence at the house of God, where are the wicked and ungodly to appear? There is a terrible time approaching the nations of the earth, and also this nation, worse than has ever entered into the heart of man to conceive of—war, bloodshed and desolation, mourning and misery, pestilence, famine, and earthquakes, and all those calamities spoken of by the prophets will most assuredly be fulfilled, and they are nearer by forty years than they were forty years ago. And it is for us, Latter-day Saints, to understand the position we occupy, Among the honorable men I have referred to, there are some things that make it extremely difficult for men sometimes to perform the kind of missions that they did formerly, owing to age, infirmities, and circumstances. Yet I have frequently felt ashamed when I have seen the acts of many in these quorums to which I refer, when they have been called upon to go on missions. One has one excuse, and another, another. It was easier some twenty years ago to raise two or three hundred men than it is now among all those thousands in Israel. How do you account for this? Partly in consequence of an apathy that exists in the different organisms of the priesthood; and partly from circumstances with which we have been surrounded. We have been grappling with these difficulties in common with others; and the Lord has placed us in this position to try us to see what material we are made of. Or, to use a common saying, to see who would be found at the rack, hay or no hay. But the general feeling seems to be—and I suppose it is so with us in Salt Lake and other places—that we would rather go to the rack when there was plenty of hay. But there is such a thing as having faith in God, I will tell you how I have viewed these things. A great many have been thrown into circumstances that without distressing their families it would be extremely difficult to pick themselves up and go on missions. We did not use to think about this; but there should be in this, as in other things, a cooperation, a united order if you please. We have found, in looking over some of our affairs, that these pinching times have reached to England. And lately when our Elders have returned home after having been absent two or three years, they themselves not having the means to pay their way home, have had to give their notes for the money; and the consequence was they would return with a load of debt upon their shoulders. The Council have considered this matter, and decided to cancel such indebtedness; it amounted to some $50,000; and then we contrived with Brother Statues and the Presidency in Liverpool, to try to make such arrangements that when our brethren returned home from missions, they shall come free. How do you feel? All who are in favor say aye. [The congregation said aye.] We do not want Elders to feel pressed down or embarrassed, but, if possible, to be relieved; and we are aiming to accomplish this. And when they are away, it is not proper that they should feel worried and concerned about their families at home; and therefore we will call upon our brethren here who preside, to see that the families of the missionaries are looked after, that they may not suffer. I hear men sometimes pray God to bless and provide for the families of those on missions, and in their prayers they are ever mindful of the poor. This is all very well so far as it goes, but it does not go very far. My feelings are, never to ask the Lord to do anything I would not do myself. If I were a woman—but then I am not, you know, and I do not know much about it; but if I were a woman, the wife of one of our missionaries abroad, I would much rather have a sack of flour; a little meat, some butter and cheese, a little firewood or coal, and a little cloth for myself and family, than all the prayers you could offer up for me. And if you want to see these folks taken care of, you must see to it yourselves. And you sisters of the Relief Society, do not give your husbands any rest until these families are all provided for. And do not spare the Bishop if they are not provided for but go after him and “ding” it into him; and perhaps by your continued teasing and worrying him, he may hearken to your prayers. And I will risk it, if the sisters get after him.

Now after making excuses of that kind, we cannot excuse everybody. There are lots of able-bodied men who, if they could only have a little more faith in God, and could realize the calamities that are coming upon the earth, and the responsibilities of that priesthood that God has conferred upon them, they would be ready to break all barriers and say, Here I am, send me; I wish to benefit the human family. If Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost, let me be possessed of the same spirit. And if the Twelve, the High Priests and the Seventies, who are now aged, have done these things, let me also do it; I am willing to enter into the harness and do all that God requires at my hands. I tell you, my brethren, in the name of God, that right among the nations of Europe, where many of you have come from, there will be some of the bloodiest scenes that you ever read of; and God expects you to assist in warning the nations, and in gathering out the honest in heart. Then when you come back, having accomplished a good mission, you can say, “My garments are clean from the blood of this generation.” Many of you cannot say that now, therefore I wish to remind you of these things, that you may reflect upon them, and prepare yourselves for the work that is before you.

Another thing that has been referred to here—about our schools and education. God expects Zion to become the praise and glory of the whole earth; so that kings, hearing of her fame, will come and gaze upon her glory. God is not niggardly in his feelings towards us. He would as soon we all lived in palaces as not; but he wants us to observe his laws and fear him, and standing as messengers to go forth to the nations; clothed upon with the power of the priesthood which has been conferred upon us: seeking “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;” seeking first the welfare and happiness of our fellow men, and God will add unto us all the gold and silver and possessions and everything that may be good for us to receive. I was going to say, perhaps more than would be good for us. But all these things shall be added, for no man that forsakes father and mother, houses and lands, wives and children for God and his kingdom, but what shall receive in this world a hundred fold, and in the world to come life everlasting. This was true anciently, it is true today. This being the case, we ought to foster education and intelligence of every kind; cultivate literary tastes, and men of literary and scientific talent should improve that talent and all should magnify the gifts which God has given unto them. Educate your children, and seek for these to teach them who have faith in God and in his promises, as well as intelligence. I was talking with Bro. Maeser, who is principal of the Brigham Young Academy, in Provo. I saw the students go through their various exercises in the several classes, and I was congratulating him upon the success, when he remarked—“There is one thing, Pres. Taylor, I will guarantee, that is, that no infidels will go from my school.” He would teach them the Gospel, and inculcate its principles, which are so far advanced of infidelity, that it would have to hide its hoary head in shame before the light, glory, and intelligence that comes from God, and that exist in all his works, and that fools do not comprehend. I am pleased to know that Pres. Young made arrange– ments before his death for the endowment of a college in this neighborhood, and the brethren acting as trustees in the matter are feeling interested, and are taking steps for the accomplishment of that object. And that object is, as I understand it, to afford our own children greater facilities to become learned, and that they also have the privilege to learn trades, and agriculture, and horticulture, and become progressive, intellectual and informed in regard to all these things, and that they may comprehend the earth on which we stand, the materials of which it is composed, and the elements with which we are surrounded. And then, by having faith in God, we might stand as far above the nations in regard to the arts and sciences, politics, and every species of intelligence, as we now do in regard to religious matters. This is what we are aiming at; and if there is anything good and praiseworthy in morals, religion, science, or anything calculated to exalt and ennoble man, we are after it. But with all our getting, we want to get understanding, and that understanding which flows from God.

Bro. Smith said his time was up; mine is more than up.

Brethren and sisters, God bless you. Let us love one another; let us seek to promote one another’s welfare. And let the Bishop’s and the Relief Societies, and the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Associations, and our mechanics and manufacturers, and also our merchants, and all hands, operate in the interests of the whole for the welfare of Zion and the building up of the Kingdom of God upon the earth; and the blessings of God will begin to rest upon us, Zion will begin to arise, and the glory of God will rest upon her. Amen.

Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday, July 7, 1878.

I have been very much interested, as no doubt all of you have who have attended this Conference, in the principles that have been taught here. It is true a very great many have not been present to hear the things that have been spoken of by the Elders of Israel, and the Apostles of the Lord, during this Conference. There has been a number of reflections, no doubt, in relation to principles advanced by the various speakers; a great many plain truths have been enumerated; but we need, as has been stated, continual awakening up to a sense of our duty, and to a realization of those great responsibilities which devolve upon us.

We are living in a very important age of the world, when great events are about to transpire, and the Lord has called upon us to perform a very great work in our day and generation. He has sent forth a revelation of his will; He has restored the ancient, the everlasting Gospel; He has restored the Holy Priesthood; He has manifested himself by the opening of the heavens and communicating his will, by the ministration of angels, by the organization of his Church and kingdom, by the continuous manifestation of his Holy Spirit, daily imparting faith to the human family who are humbly and diligently seeking to observe his laws and to keep his commandments.

The Lord has a work to perform upon the earth; and the ancient Priesthood who have lived upon the earth, and who now live in heaven, have also a work to perform. And this Gospel and this kingdom has been introduced that there might be a Priesthood upon the earth to operate with God and with the Priesthood in the heavens, for the accomplishment of his purposes, for the redemption of the living, even all who desire to love the truth and work righteousness, and for the salvation and redemption of the dead; that the purposes of God from before the foundation of the world may be carried out, and that the laws, principles, rules and government as they exist in heaven, may be taught to man upon the earth; and that through the operation and cooperation of the heavenly Priesthood and the earthly Priesthood, and God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, an organization may take place, a union be formed, truth developed, and a kingdom established that the will of God may be done upon the earth as it is done in heaven. And this is what Jesus taught his disciples to pray for. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” But we cannot do the will of God as it is done in heaven, until he reveals it; we cannot know the will of God in heaven, until he reveals it to man on the earth. And then, as it requires the powers and the spirit and wisdom of God to manage and direct and control the affairs in the heavenly worlds, and to regulate his kingdom there, so it requires the same power, the same wisdom, the same light and intelligence to carry on his purposes here, and to establish his kingdom on the earth. And hence, for this very purpose, he has commenced to reveal himself to the human family, and also for the purpose of organizing the everlasting Priesthood. Do we know what that means? A Priesthood that administers in time and through all eternity; a Priesthood that is under the guidance, direction and control of the Almighty; a Priesthood to whom he will communicate his will, make known his designs, through whom he will accomplish his purposes, build up his Zion and establish the kingdom of God on the earth. And it is for this purpose that the kingdom of God is established; it is for this purpose that the various organizations of the Priesthood are put in order; it is for this purpose that men are ordained and set apart to fulfill the various duties and responsibilities devolving upon them, at home or abroad as the case may be. It is not to seek after our own gain, or interest, or emolument, or to satisfy the devices and desires of our hearts; we are here as Jesus was here, not to do our own will, but the will of him who sent us—not to speak our own words, but the words of life, under the inspiration of the Most High, so that Zion may be instructed in the principles of righteousness, and that she may comprehend the laws of life, and be able to fulfill her destiny on the earth.

Ye Latter-day Saints, this is why this Church was organized; this is why the Priesthood was organized; this is why messengers have been sent, and are now being sent, and will continue to be sent more abundantly to the nations of the earth. And it is proper and right, in our Conferences, to reflect upon these things, and upon the duties and responsibilities devolving upon us, and to ask ourselves, Are we fulfilling the requirements of the great Eloheim? It has been asked here by brother Brigham, who has just spoken, whether this kingdom will fail. I tell you in the name of Israel’s God it will not fail. I tell you in the name of Israel’s God it will roll forth, and that the things spoken of by the holy Prophets in relation to it will receive their fulfillment. But in connection with this I will tell you another thing: A great many of the Latter-day Saints will fail, a great many of them are not now and never have been living up to their privileges, and magnifying their callings and their Priesthood, and God will have a reckoning with such people, unless they speedily repent. There is a carelessness, a deadness, an apathy, a listlessness that exists to a great extent among the Latter-day Saints, and there never was a stronger proof of this than that which was exhibited here yesterday. I asked myself, as I looked over the empty benches, Where are all the Bishops? Have they not time to attend the Quarterly Conference? Oh, shame on such men! Are they worthy to hold a place in the Bishopric, and associate with the Holy Priesthood of God? They are desecrating the holy principles by which they ought to be governed. Where are their Counselors, I asked myself, and where are the Priests and Teachers and Deacons? Is there no interest manifested in the Church and kingdom of God, or in the Zion he is about to establish? Not much with many of them. Where were these thousands of Seventies and High Priests and Elders? The great majority of them were not here; but today they are, and I thought I would talk to them while here, and not when absent. Are the things of God of so small importance—are the issues of life, the destinies of the world, and the salvation of the living and the dead of so small importance, that we cannot afford time to spend a day once a quarter in attending to the duties of our office, in representing our different districts, and in fulfilling the duties of our priesthood and the obligations God has placed upon us? I tell you, ye Elders of Israel, who neglect these things and who shirk your duties, God will remove your candlestick out of its place, and that speedily, unless you repent. And I say so to the Bishops, and I say so to all Israel who hold the Priesthood. We are not here to do our own will, but the will of our Heavenly Father who sent us. God has placed an important mission upon us; he expects us to fulfill it. If we treat it lightly and neglect our duties, he will remove us and others will take our crown. But he is not going to allow His kingdom to be overthrown, for it will roll forth and spread and increase until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ and he will rule forever and ever.

I was reminded, yesterday, of a parable made use of by the Savior in his day.

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

“And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

“They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.”

I thought that part of it was pretty nearly fulfilled; for very nearly all of the people belonging to this stake were caught napping. By and by, or to quote the words of the text:

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut;” and the others did not, and—that’s all. And there is another Scripture to which I will refer. Jesus says: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” And there are many other peculiar Scriptures in relation to this matter. I will refer to another one. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Or in other words, Depart from me, I never approved of you. Who, my brethren and sisters, do you think these Scriptures refer to? Some will say to the Gentiles; but I have quite another opinion about it. There are men before me today who have prophesied in the name of God, who have cast out devils in the name of God, who have healed the sick in the name of God, and done many wonderful works in the name of God; but they are not keeping his commandments, nor magnifying their priesthood; they are tampering with sacred things, and God will hold them to an account for it; and if they expect they can serve mammon, the world and the devil, at the same time, they are making a grand mistake. God will say to them, “I never knew you.” Now I shall be there, and you will be there; and I warn you, in the name of Jesus, to repent of your sins, and humble yourselves, and from henceforth magnify your priesthood and honor your God.

How is it with our various quorums and authorities, and how is it with many of the Bishops? They do not care much about things whichever way they go. They have time to attend to their merchandising and trading and business operations and pleasures, but they have not time to attend to the cause of God nor the interests of the flock, over whom he has placed them. But if they cannot find time, God will find a people that will find time to attend to his affairs. We have been engaged for years, but more especially of late years, in organizing the church more perfectly. And we have been ordain– ing men in the various quorums for the last 40 years; and what for? Merely to give them a place and position and the priesthood? No, I tell you nay; but that holding the holy priesthood you may magnify it and become the saviors of men. But is it not the case with a great many of our Elders and Seventies, that they are trying how little they can do to save themselves and preserve a standing in the church; instead of how much they can do? Why, all the heavens are waiting for our operations; the Gods in the eternal worlds and the fathers of the departed spirits—the holy priesthood behind the veil, are all waiting for our operations, to see what we will do. And we are found slumbering and careless and indifferent, willing that anybody should perform the work of the Lord, if we will be left out. I tell you, in the name of God, that he will give you your wish; he will leave you out, unless you speedily repent. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” But what are the duties of these Seventies, so many of whom are before me today? As I read it, it is to be under the direction of the Twelve, and to be on hand to go to the nations of the earth, as messengers, and to prepare themselves for that purpose. We sometimes talk about the work we have done. A very few men, comparatively, have done this work, and the great majority have done next to nothing. How many nations are yet unwarned, and know nothing about the principles of salvation? Our fathers are anxious about them, looking to us to carry the word to them. O shame upon the Elders of Israel, especially upon the Seventies who are called specially to this work. I received a letter from one of our Elders a short time ago, who is out laboring in the ministry, faithfully and diligently, in which he writes something like this: “If you can send me two or three Elders here, I shall be very much obliged; if the Seventies or Elders would not consider it too much trouble to come here.” What? Too much trouble for the Elders of Israel to proclaim the words of life and salvation to their fellow men, and to magnify their calling and priesthood? O shame on such Elders and such Seventies and such High Priests; shame on them. God, I tell you in the name of God, will hold you responsible for these things. And yet that man’s statement was pretty nearly true. If a man goes on a mission, he thinks he is accomplishing a wonderful thing. We used, in former years, to think it our duty, regarding it as one of the things which God required at our hands. We held ourselves in readiness all the time. And some of us who have never been abroad will begin to talk of the great work we have performed. How we apples swim, don’t we? To tell what we have done, when perhaps hundreds and thousands of brethren who have never been abroad on a mission in their lifetime would consider it a great calamity to be called to go on a foreign mission.

I am talking plainly, but it is true before God, and you know it is true, and I know it is true. And I say to you Seventies and you Elders, Awaken up! God has placed the priesthood upon you, and he expects you to magnify it, and not be all the day long, and year after year, singing, “Lullaby baby on the tree top, When the wind blows the cradle will rock.” we want something else; we want some manhood, and some priesthood and power of God to be manifested in Israel, and the Spirit of God to be poured out upon Israel and upon the Elders thereof. And I pray God, the Eternal Father, to waken up these Elders, that the spirit of their mission may rest upon them, and that they may comprehend their true position before God.

Now, I would not have said these things before a public congregation, if I had not said them before you frequently in your priesthood meetings. But it is time we were waking up to a sense of the position we occupy before God; for the day is not far distant when we will hear of wars and rumors of wars; not only rumors of wars, but wars themselves—nation arrayed against nation and seizing one another by the throat, and blood will flow, and general carnage will spread through the lands, and if you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty. How many of you can say, My garments are clean from the blood of this generation? I speak in behalf of the nations and the people thereof, and the honest in heart who are ignorant of God and his laws. He has called upon us to enlighten them, and to spread forth the truth, and send forth the principles of the Gospel, and point out the way of life. And it is for us to attend to these things, that we may secure the smiles and approbation of God.

But we are careless and thoughtless; and, as has been already remarked, we pay very little attention to the Sabbath day. Some would rather go on these Sunday excursions, and take their families with them, leading them in the paths that lead to death, then they would bring them to the house of God. But let me say to all such, that as sure as you do these things you will have to feel, and that keenly too, the result of your acts, and they will follow you in time and all eternity. And I call upon you, ye Latter-day Saints, to repent of your iniquities, and keep the Sabbath day holy, set it aside as a day of rest, a day to meet together to perform your sacraments and listen to the words of life, and thus be found keeping the commandments, and setting a good example before your children. Let us do that which is right, honor our God and magnify our calling, and the Spirit and blessing of God will rest upon us. But if we do not these things, his Spirit will depart from us, and we be left to ourselves. God will not be mocked by his people, or by any other people; but we shall reap the reward of our doings.

We talk about being a good people. Well, we are when compared with the rest of the world; but we ought to be twenty times better than we are today. And if we, as Latter-day Saints, were to strictly observe the Sabbath day, and pay our tithes and offerings, and meet our engagements, and be less worldly minded, be united in temporal and spiritual things, Zion would arise and shine, and the glory of God would rest upon her. And it would not be long before all nations would call us blessed. But we are slothful and careless and indifferent, and we neglect our duty and the responsibilities that devolve upon us.

I pray that God may enlighten our minds, and lead us in the paths of life; and that we may honor our calling and our God; that we may be found worthy to be associated with the just on the earth, and with them obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Joseph F. Smith, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 7, 1878.

I naturally shrink from the task of addressing a congregation in this house, feeling as I do my inability to make myself heard.

I have been interested this morn– ing in listening to the remarks of Brother Cannon. We cannot but be delighted with the testimony that has been given in our hearing, and that we are continually receiv– ing from many sources, which go to prove that the world can do nothing against, but for us. Even their attempts to slander and misrepresent us, and their unrighteous attacks on the principles of our religion have ever tended to excite inquiry and investigation into the facts, which cannot but result beneficially to us as a people. I say, the efforts of our enemies against us have ever had a tendency to cause people who desire to arrive at the truth, to inquire into the real condition of things. The more people interest themselves in this direction, the more truth they will learn, and we court such investigation, for there is certainly nothing connected with us, as a religious community, in consonance with the gospel we preach, that we should be ashamed of, or that should not be known by all men. It makes no difference with the truth how much we are wrongfully accused; nor will it permanently injure us. If we sustain injury or suffer loss by the misrepresentations and evils maliciously promulgated about us by our enemies, it can only be such injury and less as will be temporary, for when the facts do come out, and people learn the truth, so much the more good will be accomplished in our favor, and so much greater injury to those who are the authors of the falsehoods concerning us. We want nothing hidden or covered up neither can we respect any principle or individual that will not bear the day light and the most careful investigation. Since 1830 the Elders of this church have been faithfully endeavoring to promulgate the gospel which we have received to every nation and people, without distinction as to race or color that would receive them; in other words they have diligently sought to “expose ‘Mormonism’” to the world.

We are not ashamed of our domestic relations, so far, at least, as they exist in accordance with the principles of the Gospel, nor does any right-minded man or woman feel in his or her heart to shrink in any manner from the most rigid exposition of correct views in relation thereto. It is true that in common with mankind generally, we do not like our faults made public, we shrink from that, and it is natural that we should. It is very proper that we should feel a reluctance to have our weaknesses and imperfections exposed to the world, or even to our neighbors. This feeling is a very proper incentive to us to continue in the work of self-improvement, until we shall overcome the weaknesses we have inherited, living nearer to the principles of life and salvation which we have received. But the errors of man affect not in the least the principles of the Gospel of the Son of God. You show me a man who has embraced the Gospel in its entirety, in faith and practice, and I can then point to a man who has overcome the tallies and weaknesses of the flesh; or show me a man who is trying to live according to these principles, and I will show you a man who is trying to overcome his weaknesses. Hence there can be no blame attached to the doctrines of our faith, because of the infirmities and shortcomings of mankind; but we should rather attribute such weaknesses to their proper source—the defectiveness of man, or to his failure, at least, to comply with those principles which are calculated to correct every evil, and to establish man in righteousness. It is perhaps a difficult thing for us, under the circumstances in which we are placed, the traditions of the fathers clinging to us, the practices of the world before us, and the temptations to evil so continually surrounding us, at all times to live the religion of Jesus Christ as perfectly as we should or otherwise might. It is no doubt difficult for us to overcome our follies, to forsake the traditions of the fathers, to eschew the practice of sin, to be patient in suffering, to endure privations and trials of our feelings, while we possess so little, as we do, of the Spirit of the Lord, and the knowledge of the truth. But we need not be discouraged because of this, nor because we see faults in each other, for no man is perfect; all men have, more or less, the shortcomings incident to humanity. We need not falter or be discouraged because of this, for perhaps it would not be possible for one who was perfect in all good to remain in the midst of this corrupt, and perverse generation. Still it would seem good if we had a few among us who were really perfect, whose example we could see, whose precept we could learn, and whose footsteps we might follow. We might then be the better able to perfect ourselves. Still we will do well to emulate the good that are in our midst, and to observe those great truths we have already received in part, which in their fulness are able to save us unto the uttermost. We shall not be cast off, my brethren and sisters, for those sins which we ignorantly commit, which are the results of misunderstanding in all honesty before the Lord. The difficulty does not lie here; the danger lies in our failing to live up to that which we do know to be right and proper. For this we will be held responsible before the Lord, for this we will be judged and condemned unless we repent and forsake our follies, and our unwillingness to obey the light and the knowledge which we have received. There are some plain, simple truths which we do know, but which we do not observe. Herein lies our great sin. The condemnation of the world, when the Savior commenced his mission among men, was that light had come into the world, but they loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. This principle applies with equal force to us in this dispensation. If we had remained without the Gospel, we would not be under condemnation. But now that light has come into the world; now that truth and the authority of God have been restored, we cannot longer remain without sin, unless we obey this Gospel so revealed, and practice our profession.

There is a great deal said about our plural marriage by the outside world, and sometimes it is referred to by the Latter-day Saints at home. I fancy sometimes that not only is the world without knowledge in relation to this principle, but many of those who profess to be Latter-day Saints are far from possessing a correct understanding of it.

In the first place, it is a principle that savors of life unto life, or of death unto death; therefore it is well for those who have embraced the Gospel to obtain a knowledge in relation to this matter. It is a principle that pertains to eternal life, in other words, to endless lives, or eternal increase. It is a law of the Gospel pertaining to the celestial kingdom, applicable to all gospel dispensations, when commanded and not otherwise, and neither acceptable to God or binding on man unless given by commandment, not only so given in this dispensation, but particularly adapted to the conditions and necessities thereof, and to the circumstances, responsibilities, and personal, as well as vicarious duties of the people of God in this age of the world. God has revealed it as a principle particu– larly suited to the nature of the work we are called to perform, that it might be hastened to its consummation. It is a righteous principle not an unrighteous one. It is a pure and holy principle; and, therefore, persons, either male or female, who have not the desire in their hearts to become pure and righteous, have no business to practice it, for it cannot be practiced acceptably before God on any other principle than that of purity and righteousness, therefore no wicked unjust or impure person can enter into the law of celestial or plural marriage without incurring the displeasure of the Almighty and his own condemnation before the Lord, unless he speedily repent of all his impure motives and designs. A man that is not honest in his heart, who does not desire to be just and impartial, even as God is just and impartial, has no business in plural marriage; and before he enters into the practice of that principle he needs to repent, to learn wisdom, to get the Spirit of God, to get understanding in relation to the purpose God has in view in regard to this principle; that he may go into the practice of it understandingly, that his heart and mind may be set upon practicing it in righteousness. It is a difficult matter, I am aware, to distinguish between the actions of a man and the principles in which he professes to believe. A corrupt ungodly hypocrite can do more injury in the midst of a people, in a given length of time, correspondingly, than a host of upright men can do good. Send an Elder to preach the Gospel among the nations, and let him degrade himself, dishonor his priesthood and calling, and he will bring more reproach upon the cause misrepresented by him, than twenty good men could remove. Because people generally look at the man. To judge him by his acts would be right– eous judgment: but to condemn the Gospel or the Saints, because of his acts, would be unjust; yet the cause he misrepresents suffers wrong because of his connection with it. A man’s acts may justly be considered as resulting from his principles. We judge a tree by its fruits. The fruits of the Gospel are good; he that has actually embraced the Gospel will do good, only so far as he may err, or depart therefrom. Hence, it is difficult to separate a man’s actions from his principles.

There is no difficulty, however, in this matter to those who always bear in mind, that evil and corrupt practices are not the results of obedience to the Gospel, but of disobedience, and of the perversion of the truth. If we would keep this in our minds we would not cast blame upon the principles themselves when we see or hear of men, who should represent them, do wrong; but we would rather say, the man has departed from his principles and gone into error. It is he that is defective, through not practicing what he professes; the principles are good and holy, and he himself would become so too, if he would but practice them.

It is precisely so in relation to our domestic relations. We see trouble in families occasionally, not any more so in plural than in single families. There is no reason why there should be any difference between the husband and wife, or husband and wives, in the midst of this people, if all are disposed to obey the principles and doctrines of the Gospel. It is only by the practice of these principles that we can avoid the disturbances that occur in families, or among mankind. We must learn and obey correct principle, or we will ever be in turmoil and confusion, and in antagonism one towards another. Where differences exist in families they are traceable directly to some cause. I want to impress upon the minds of my hearers that the cause of such evils it not traceable to the practice of any principle which God has revealed touching these matters, but to the nonobservance of them; and this is true in relation to every principle of the Gospel. Sometimes it is the fault of the man, sometimes of the woman, and oftener of both, but never the fault of the principle. The principle is correct, great, ennobling and calculated to bring joy, satisfaction and peace, if we would but observe and practice it as we should. But in order to do this we must get wisdom and understanding. These, by many, are acquired only through long experience. We begin as children, we have to learn precept by precept, line after line, here a little and there a little, which is good, provided we profit by that which we learn. Men must be just, so also must women, in relation to these matters. All must be just one towards another; also forbearing and patient, cultivating largely that Christian attribute called Charity, in order to get along peaceably with our neighbors, our brethren and sisters, as well as with our wives, husbands and children. We are all imperfect, we have to learn by littles as we pass along, profiting oft times by that which we suffer, yet often repeating the same errors. When we find ourselves overcome in a fault, that should be set down as an example for future time, if possible, never allowing ourselves to be caught in the same predicament again. Thus profiting by the experience we gain.

Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a sort of superfluity, or nonessential to the salvation or exaltation of mankind. In other words, some of the Saints have said, and believe, that a man with one wife, sealed to him by the authority of the Priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exaltation as great and glorious, if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than one. I want here to enter my solemn protest against this idea, for I know it is false. There is no blessing promised except upon conditions, and no blessing can be obtained by mankind except by faithful compliance with the conditions, or law, upon which the same is promised. The marriage of one woman to a man for time and eternity by the sealing power, according to the law of God, is a fulfillment of the celestial law of marriage in part—and is good so far as it goes—and so far as a man abides these conditions of the law, he will receive his reward therefore, and this reward, or blessing, he could not obtain on any other grounds or conditions. But this is only the beginning of the law, not the whole of it. Therefore, whoever has imagined that he could obtain the fullness of the blessings pertaining to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its conditions, has deceived himself. He cannot do it. When that principle was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, he very naturally shrank, in his feelings, from the responsibilities thereby imposed upon him; foreseeing, as he did in part, the apparently insurmountable difficulties in the way of establishing it, in the face of popular opinion, the traditions and customs of many generations, the frowns, ridicule, slander, opposition and persecution of the world. Yes, this man of God, who dared to meet the opposition of the whole world with bold and fearless front, who dared to dispute the religious authority and accumulated learning and wisdom of the age—who dared everything for the truth, and shrank not even from the sacrifice of his own life in testimony of his divine mission, shrank, in his feelings, from the weight of the responsibility of inaugurating and establishing this new innovation upon the established customs of the world. But he did not falter, although it was not until an angel of God, with a drawn sword, stood before him and commanded that he should enter into the practice of that principle, or he should be utterly destroyed, or rejected, that he moved forward to reveal and establish that doctrine.

To put this matter more correctly before you, I here declare that the principle of plural marriage was not first revealed on the 12th day of July, 1843. It was written for the first time on that date, but it had been revealed to the Prophet many years before that, perhaps as early as 1832. About this time, or subsequently, Joseph, the Prophet, entrusted this fact to Oliver Cowdery; he abused the confidence imposed in him, and brought reproach upon himself, and thereby upon the church by “running before he was sent,” and “taking liberties without license,” so to speak, hence the publication, by O. Cowdery, about this time, of an article on marriage, which was carefully worded, and afterwards found its way into the Doctrine and Covenants without authority. This article explains itself to those who understand the facts, and is an indisputable evidence of the early existence of the knowledge of the principle of patriarchal marriage by the Prophet Joseph, and also by Oliver Cowdery.

When the revelation was written, in 1843, it was for a special purpose, by the request of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and was not then designed to go forth to the church or to the world. It is most probable that had it been then written with a view to its going out as a doctrine of the church, it would have been presented in a somewhat different form. There are personalities contained in a part of it which are not relevant to the principle itself, but rather to the circumstances which necessitated its being written at that time. Joseph Smith, on the day it was written, expressly declared that there was a great deal more connected with the doctrine which would be revealed in due time, but this was sufficient for the occasion, and was made to suffice for the time. And, indeed, I think it much more than many are prepared to live up to even now. When the time came to introduce this doctrine to those who were worthy in the church, God commanded the Prophet and he obeyed. He taught it as he was commanded to such as were prepared to receive and obey it, and they were commanded to enter into it, or they were threatened that the keys would be turned against them, and they would be cut off by the Almighty. It need scarcely be said that the Prophet found no one any more willing to lead out in this matter in righteousness than he was himself. Many could see it—nearly all to whom he revealed it believed it, and received the witness of the Holy Spirit that it was of God; but none excelled, or even matched the courage of the Prophet himself.

If, then, this principle was of such great importance that the Prophet himself was threatened with destruction, and the best men in the Church with being excluded from the favor of the Almighty, if they did not enter into and establish the practice of it upon the earth, it is useless to tell me that there is no blessing attached to obedience to the law, or that a man with only one wife can obtain as great a reward, glory or kingdom as he can with more than one, being equally faithful.

Patriarchal marriage involves conditions, responsibilities and obligations which do not exist in monogamy, and there are blessings attached to the faithful observance of that law, if viewed only upon natural principles, which must so far exceed those of monogamy as the conditions responsibilities and power of increase are greater. This is my view and testimony in relation to this matter. I believe it is a doctrine that should be taught and understood.

The benefits derived from the righteous observance of this order of marriage do not accrue solely to the husband, but are shared equally by the wives; not only is this true upon the grounds of obedience to a divine law, but upon physiological and scientific principles. In the latter view, the wives are even more benefited, if possible, than the husband physically. But, indeed, the benefits naturally accruing to both sexes, and particularly to their offspring, in time, say nothing of eternity, are immensely greater in the righteous practice of patriarchal marriage than in monogamy, even admitting the eternity of the monogamic marriage covenant.

Man may receive great reward, exaltation and glory by entering into the bond of the new and everlasting covenant, if he continue faithful according to his knowledge, but he cannot receive the fullness of the blessings unless he fulfills the law, any more than he can claim the gift of the Holy Ghost after he is baptized without the laying on of hands by the proper authority, or the remission of sins without baptism, though he may repent in sackcloth and ashes.

“But,” says one, “how will it be with good men who believe the doc– trine, but are prevented, or cannot enter into the practice of it?” I reply that every man and woman will receive all that they are worthy of, and something thrown in perhaps, on the score of the boundless charity of God. But who can justly expect to obtain more than they merit? All the judgments of God are not given unto man. What we do not learn relative to the salvation of our souls which are our bodies and spirits, in this probation we will have to learn in the eternity which lies before us, for we cannot be saved without knowledge. “But what if we never get knowledge?” Then we never will be saved.

Suppose we live and die without knowledge? Then, if we ever obtain salvation we will have to get it in the next world, as the Antediluvians did, who rejected the Gospel as preached unto them by Noah and were destroyed by the flood, sent to the prison house to be punished for their disobedience and other wickedness, and in the meridian of time received knowledge by the proclamation of the Gospel, as preached unto them by the Savior while his body slept in the tomb, without which they would forever have remained ignorant of God, his government and laws, in a lost condition. All men must obtain salvation upon their own merits, for by our works shall we be judged, and by them justified or condemned.

It is a glorious privilege to be permitted to go into a Temple of God to be united as man and wife in the bonds of holy wedlock for time and all eternity by the Authority of the Holy Priesthood, which is the power of God, for they who are thus joined together “no man can put asunder,” for God hath joined them. It is an additional privilege for that same man and wife to reenter the Temple of God to receive another wife in like manner if they are worthy. But if he remain faithful with only the one wife, observing the conditions of so much of the law as pertains to the eternity of the marriage covenant, he will receive his reward, but the benefits, blessings and power appertaining to the second or more faithful and fuller observance of the law, he never will receive, for he cannot. As before stated no man can obtain the benefits of one law by the observance of another, however faithful he may be in that which he does, nor can he secure to himself the fullness of any blessing without he fulfills the law upon which it is predicated, but he will receive the benefit of the law he obeys. This is just and righteous. If this is not correct doctrine then I am in error, and if I am in error I want to be corrected.

I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that. But what will become of him that cannot abide it? Says the Lord, “whoso having knowledge have I not commanded to repent, and he that hath not understanding, it remaineth with me to do according as it is written.” In other words he that is without understanding is not under the law and it remains for God to deal with him according to his own wisdom. If a man acknowledges that he is incapable, or disqualified by a lack of knowledge, wisdom or understanding to obey this law, when it remains with God to deal with him according to those principles of justice which are written, or are yet to be revealed it is not likely however, that he will take his seat with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or share in their promised blessings.

This law is in force upon the inhabitants of Zion, and he that is qualified to obey it cannot neglect or disregard it with impunity. But it must be observed in righteousness. The commandment is “be ye righteous as your Father in heaven is righteous; be ye holy as he is holy.

Why did the Son of God make this requirement of his disciples, seeing that it is so universally believed by the world, that man cannot be righteous at all? Did Jesus require anything inconsistent or impossible? No, he did nothing of that kind. All that he commanded us to do, we can accomplish by the help of the Holy Spirit; but we cannot do it ourselves. Therefore if we will seek for the Holy Spirit, the gift of wisdom and understanding from God, we may practice these principles of righteousness, and they will make us righteous even as God is righteous, in the sphere in which we are called to act. We will fulfil the law, and receive the blessing, exaltation and reward which will follow; if we do not, we will fail of the reward.

This is very simple reasoning, I admit. Critics would say, these are axioms that need not to be told. If we do wickedly we will be punished; if we do righteously, we then receive blessings at the hands of God.

May God bless you, and keep us all in the path of righteousness, and enable us to live the religion we have received from Him, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 7, 1878.

It is with much pleasure I meet with the Latter-day Saints this morning; it was a great pleasure to me yesterday to sit and listen to the remarks which were made by the brethren who spoke, and to the testimonies which they bore; and I trust that the same spirit which rested upon them while addressing us yesterday, will be upon us, speakers and hearers, today.

I can appreciate the privilege we enjoy in meeting in these quarterly conferences, perhaps more so because of my lengthened absence from home, than I could were I constantly in your midst. After a person has been deprived of food, many of you know how good it is to sit down to a well-spread table. I do not know that the Latter-day Saints are exactly in this condition. There are privileges we need and which we can enjoy, even when away from the body of the Church, which enable those who are thus separated to rejoice in their religion and its blessings. It has been a rule of my life, since I was old enough to comprehend the truth, to so live that the Spirit of the Lord would be my companion, and thus to have peace, to have joy and to have satisfaction of mind; and this I can testify I have had. But still absence from the society of the Latter-day Saints is a great deprivation; at least it is to me.

With regard to our condition politically, I do not think it would be inappropriate for me to allude to it casually, although it is Sunday. There probably never was a time since we have been in these mountains when we were in a better political position than we are today. Notwithstanding all the efforts which are being made against us to destroy our liberties, to embarrass us in our progress and to malign us, the people who reside in these mountains have gained and are gaining a credit which in many respects is very gratifying to those who love the truth. It is a difficult thing to condemn an entire people, and make the world believe that those who manage a Territory such as ours, the affairs of which are so well managed, and are in so healthy and thrifty a condition, are a wicked people. And so far as my observation has extended, I think we are being better understood. There is one thing particularly that I have noticed, that where men and women have visited this Territory, with scarcely any exception, they speak favorably of what they have seen. I have endeavored to urge men of national standing, men who hold high positions in the Government, to visit Utah. And I may say that some of the warmest friends we have, while they do not sympathize particularly with our religious views, but are tolerant and desirous that we should have our rights in common with other people, are those who have visited this Territory and have seen us in our homes, and have had opportunities of witnessing the changes that have been effected in this desert land by our residence and labors.

As to the time when we shall become a state, concerning which considerable is said by outside parties, as well as by ourselves, it is difficult at the present time to say anything definite respecting it. I believe, however, the time will come, and that too before long, when certain exigencies of a political character will arise that will make the vote of Utah necessary in deciding national questions, and under those circumstances it would be important to have Utah as a state. In fact it is already acknowledged that had Utah been admitted as a state when Colorado was, that all this difficulty which has occurred connected with the presidential election would have been entirely settled; indeed it would not have arisen. This is now conceded. But this experience comes too late to be of any benefit in correcting the injustice which we suffered, and to be of any avail in the presidential contest which is now past; but it may have some effect in the future. There are many, a great many men of both political parties who have said to me that they would vote for Utah’s admission whenever the question should be brought up, provided they had a voice in the matter. However, as far as this is concerned I think sometimes it is a matter of comparatively small moment. It is true we have looked to our admission to statehood as likely to greatly relieve us, and to bring about a better condition of affairs throughout our Territory. But the conviction has grown upon me in watching the progress of events, that our being kept in a territorial condition to the present time has been attended with great advantage to us as a people. The experience we have gained under this condition of affairs is an experience that is necessary to us, and without which we could not so well, in my opinion, fulfill the destiny assigned to us. I believe there is an overruling Providence in all these affairs; I believe the Lord is watching over this people, and that he is controlling and shaping events and circumstances, and managing everything connected with the affairs of this nation, and our affairs as part of the nation, with a view to accomplish his great designs and purposes. And whenever it shall be wisdom in his sight that we should have our political condition changed and our Territory become a State, it will be effected. And it will come, too, as easily as other changes that have been wrought out and that at one time seemed exceedingly improbable. So that it is not necessary that we should become excited or impatient or indulge in too much anxiety concerning such things, but leave them in the hands of Him who has up to the present time controlled all things for the good of his people and for the bringing to pass of his own purposes.

I consider our condition today in these mountains the best condition that we can occupy. When I travel through the States and converse with gentlemen who are familiar with the affairs of the nation through its length and breadth, I never arise from such conversation without feeling impressed more than ever with the excellence of the circumstances which surround us. It is true we have a desert land, that it is a land requiring excessive toil to make it fruitful and habitable for those who live in it. The grass does not clothe our hills spontaneously; our Territory is not favored with the rains of heaven to make it green with verdure: our fields would be barren indeed, if it were not for the labor of irrigation and the constant efforts of the husbandman. In this respect our country differs very much from every other place east of us. In traveling through the broad prairies of Illinois, with the continuous fields of grain; and through Iowa and Nebraska, so far as Nebraska is settled, and contrasting the ease with which those lands are cultivated, compared with the toil required in this mountain region, I could not help thinking that if we were permitted to live in so goodly a land, under favorable circumstances, we would soon convert it into an Eden. But in the providences of the Almighty we were driven out and led to this land, and the Lord has showed unto us, and is showing to the inhabitants of the earth, that when a people will do that which He requires of them, that he is abundantly able to sustain them and make their labors successful. He has done this in leading us to this country, and in sustaining us since we came here. Our condition in many respects is far superior to those who live in those favored localities to which I have referred. We have a healthy land; we have a land that the Lord has blessed and made fruitful as the result of our labors. It is a land in which men cannot, from the very nature of things, monopolize large bodies of land to the exclusion of their poorer neighbors. This is an advantage to the people of this country. The nature of our surroundings compels us to occupy small holdings and the result is our land is better cultivated, there is a more widespread ownership of the soil than you will find in any part of these United States; that is, there are more men holding land and owning and occupying it, in this country, in proportion to the entire population, than you can find elsewhere. The result, is a condition of independence you cannot find elsewhere. At the present time, in the western States especially, men are greatly concerned about the element known as Communism, which has taken possession of the minds of a numerous class of the people. The working classes are becoming very dissatisfied, and men are trembling for fear of what will come upon the nation. One of the strongest arguments that was made in favor of keeping up the United States army up to its present numbers was, that there would probably be riots in large cities and in populous centers, which would require the presence of the military acting as police to quell. And had it not been for this evil the army would have been cut down. But a good many men were anxious to have it increased, deeming it necessary for the preservation of life and property. When we reflect upon this it shows how changed have become the affairs of our nation, when it is deemed necessary to appeal to military power to maintain good order in the Republic. There can be no surer sign of the decay of a republic than when human life and property and liberty cannot be sustained by the masses of the people, and the military power, the ranks of which are filled with hired soldiers, has to be appealed to sustain good order in the midst of the people. Let such a state of things continue and there would soon be an end of true republicanism.

In this respect we also have our difficulties. The business of furnishing employment for our poor people, so that our streets shall not be filled with idle men and boys, has no doubt pressed, and will continue to press itself upon the minds of the leading men of this Territory. But in comparison with the magnitude of this question elsewhere, it seems to sink into insignificance here. It is a matter of small moment, comparatively speaking, in this Territory; because the great bulk of the people have employment, and can easily furnish themselves with employment. However, this is a matter that should receive attention and from those, too, who care for the people and have their welfare at heart. No doubt everything will be done that should be to preserve good government throughout this Territory, and throughout all these valleys which are inhabited by the Latter-day Saints. The fact is, the time will come, concerning which there has been so much said in the past, when it will devolve upon the people of these mountains to maintain good government, to uphold constitutional rights; and we are receiving the training necessary to fit and prepare us for that great and glorious destiny. I have no doubt that the day will come, and come speedily, when Utah will be looked to, as an example of good government, and that the condition of affairs in this Territory will be pointed to as an example for other communities and other societies to imitate with advantage to themselves and the country at large. There is every inducement therefore for us, as Latter-day Saints, to continue to persevere in the direction in which we are going.

I have no doubt many of you would be surprised if you knew the interest that is being taken, outside of our Territory, in our affairs. When the news of the death of President Young reached the east, there was, I might say, a general expectation that rival claimants to the power he wielded would arise, that dissensions would ensue and that the work of disintegration would commence and the speedy overthrow of the system soon follow. I suppose I have been spoken to hundreds of times upon this point; and men seem surprised that this has not been the result. Many have said to me, “Your affairs seem to go on prosperously, notwithstanding the death of your great leader.” Yes. “Well, we scarcely expected this would be the case; we have heard so much said through the newspapers concerning the probability of dissensions in your midst and quarrels over the leadership, that we were expecting you would have trouble.” I have told them invariably that President Young had all his lifetime acknowledged that the qualities and powers he possessed he owed to what the world call “Mormonism;” that he was not the creator of “Mormonism,” but he himself was the product of it, and that this would continue to increase, no matter how many leaders might die or pass away. The results which have followed the decease of President Young have given to thinking men a higher idea of the strength and power of this system. It assumes a different position in their minds. The idea now begins to prevail that it is not entirely dependent upon the life or the ability of any single individual; and I think the death of President Young has had the effect also to cause men to pause, and to look upon the work a little differently. He was the target at which every arrow was aimed, he was the object of every plot and scheme; every combination for evil had for its object, his destruction or his embarrassment. His withdrawal from the scene spoiled these combinations, and brought these plots to naught. To this I attribute the quiet of the past season. Although I have often been at Washington for the past 20 years, and have spent a considerable portion of my time there for a number of years past, I have never seen less of the disposition on the part of public men to take adverse measures against the people of Utah Territory than there has been this season. The feeling has been to let us alone for the present; and although there were emissaries sent down from here who labored very diligently to stir up feeling and to secure action against the people of Utah, their efforts scarcely created a ripple upon the surface of political affairs, and they attracted no attention outside of the committees, to whom they addressed themselves. Though it is unpleasant upon some accounts to have men there who are circulating all manner of falsehood about the people of Utah to gain their ends, they have their uses. They create discussion. They stir one up, and their presence and opposition furnish opportunities to talk to committees and members about Utah affairs, which otherwise the Delegate would not have. Such discussions made things lively in the committee rooms, but, outside of the committees there was not a feeling that I could discover particularly hostile to Utah. This is a remarkable condition of affairs; and I attribute it in part to the effect that the death of President Young has had upon the public mind throughout the entire country.

I do not think there is any less hostility against the truth; I do not think that Belial has lost any of his hatred to the Lord; but the Lord in his wisdom has permitted a feeling of this kind to grow up, and is overruling it for his own purpose.

I have said the eyes of the people are upon us; they are watching us and great hopes are entertained concerning us by many people who are not of us. We are looked upon as the pioneers in many reforms. The ladies, as you are aware, have lately been agitating in Congress their question—Woman’s Rights. Among other ladies who argued their cause before the general committees of the Senate and the House, was a sister of the Rev. Henry Ward Bencher—Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker, a lady of character and great ability. It was most gratifying to me to hear the tribute that these ladies paid to the women of Utah; not that they sympathized with plural marriage, for they disavowed their sympathy with it; but they begin to recognize, as they never have until quite recently, the true position that the men and women of this Territory occupy upon this question. Indeed, I heard more than one say, and among them was one very prominent lady, that if there had to be a choice, she would prefer plural marriage than to have the condition of affairs which exists in their communities. There seems to have been a good deal of light thrown upon this subject: and our sisters here, through their publication, the “Woman’s Exponent,” as well as other channels of communication, have greatly aided in this matter. Their efforts are commendable, and are already beginning to have their good effects in the States among their sisters; and I am pleased to be able to bear this testimony. When the question of legislation for Utah was argued, the committee rooms were thronged to listen to my argument upon the subject; and on one occasion two ladies took part in the discussion against the bills urged by our enemies and in favor of the rights of the women of Utah. A knowledge of the true condition of affairs in this Territory is gradually growing, and although it may be but slowly, it is of faster growth than we generally imagine. This is especially true of that much abused principle called plural marriage. It is becoming recognized in its true light, and people are beginning, as I never heard them before in my experience, to talk about it and reflect upon it, often alluding to it in a way that shows that a better understanding of the subject is steadily spreading among the people. And there is a reason for this: this question has been so much agitated. It is a remarkable fact that every publication against this doctrine of the Latter-day Saints has the effect to spread the knowledge of it among the people and it makes men and women reflect upon it. Our efforts alone would not be attended with the results that are now witnessed. But every man that has published articles against it, or lectured or written books or made any effort against it, has helped to propagate the knowledge of it; they have been missionaries in its favor. And no true doctrine need ever fear being assailed and denounced; for it will emerge from the conflict brighter and better understood than it otherwise would appear. Every man who has gone down to Washington from here to fight us has made men in Congress think about us and talk about us, and has made editors write about us. They have, without designing it, helped to disseminate a knowledge of our cause. The more the “Mormon” question, as it is termed, is agitated, the better it is for us; the more it is fought, the more it is written against and talked about, the more that Congress is stirred up to take steps against it, the better the principles of our faith are understood; because there are some men and some women who reflect upon these things, and who will contrast that which they hear of us, with that which exists in their midst. And when they see a man stand up boldly and say, “We believe in plural marriage; we do not believe in prostitution; we do not suffer women to become the slaves of men’s lusts; but believe they ought to become honored wives and mothers, and that children ought to be educated and provided for and called by the name of their father, and at their father’s death his property be equally divided among them even though their mothers should be plural wives.” When they hear this, they cannot help thinking about such a condition of affairs; and they say, there is a moral courage which these people evince in this matter that is admirable. I have had it said to me often times, by both sexes, that it is better that we should live as we do, than such practices as exist elsewhere should come in our midst.

So that, as has often been said, everything done against us is overruled for the good and spread of the work of God.

The subject of plural marriage is always an interesting subject, and it is made still more so by the constant attacks made upon it, and the misrepresentations made concerning it. Whenever people meet with a Latter-day Saint, it is almost sure to be the first topic broached. The opinion which some entertain who take their views from the slanderous reports published about us, is that we are a licentious people, who take wives to gratify lust. Such persons, if reasonably honest, are soon made to reflect and to modify their views by asking them a few questions. A prominent gentleman with whom I recently conversed, entertained that opinion. I said to him, after conversing a little while: Sir, you believe the people of Utah are bad and licentious, and that they degrade women by their system of plural marriage. Let me ask you, if their purposes were only sensual, have they any occasion in this day to marry women? Could they not accomplish sensual ends much easier, cheaper, and without creating any especial remark by not marrying women and not caring for and educating and legitimatizing their children? There are practices which prevail in society, and which are not unpopular if a certain degree of secrecy be observed which a licentious people could avail themselves of, without the trouble, care, expense and responsibility of marriage. What is the crime of which the people of Utah are accused? It is that of marrying women! It is not that of seducing or debauching them. All the pains and penalties inserted in bills before Congress for the punishment of the “Mormon” people are affixed to the marriage of women. This is made a crime, and because of it, it is proposed to punish men. Not one word of condemnation, nor penalty of any character, is proposed for the seducer, or the vile betrayer of female innocence; he is to walk up to the polls and vote unchallenged; but the man who marries women, and maintains them honorably and virtuously, sustaining family and parental relations in all purity and sacredness, is to be disfranchised and visited with other pains and penalties! You will perceive, therefore that the “Mormon” people are either not a licentious people or they are the most foolish in the world. No one ever charges them with a lack of shrewdness or prudence. Such a charge would be utterly at variance with all their known characteristics. If they were not a conscientious people, with strong moral and religious convictions, they would not risk becoming martyrs, as they do, for the sake of marrying women, when, if they followed the usual practice of the age, they could get them without marrying.

He frankly acknowledged that what I had said had given him a new view of the case, and he admitted that if the gratification of sensual desires were our object, we could reach that without marriage and without exciting any particular odium. The fact is, illicit connections are winked at and overlooked by very many people in the world while they are kept from public knowledge; they only excite scandal and unfavorable comment when the parties to them are so unfortunate as to become known.

A reply of Bro. Hooper and myself, which we are credited as having made to inquirers who were curious to know respecting our domestic relations, is often quoted and created some amusement in Washington City. Both of us have doubtless made remarks similar to that quoted; the reply, however, is not original with us, but with Bro. Horace S. Eldredge. Upon one occasion, while purchasing machinery in the East, he called upon a firm in Providence, Rhode Island, to whom he brought a letter of introduction. One of the members of the firm, after carrying him in his carriage to see the various objects of interest in the city, brought him back to his place of business and introduced him to his partner. This gentleman had a number of inquiries to make respecting Utah and its people, and soon learned that Bro. Eldredge was a “Mormon.” After stating that he understood that the “Mormons” believed in marrying more than one wife, to which bro. Eldredge replied in the affirmative, he asked if he himself had more than one, to which he again responded affirmatively. He then asked how many he had. To this bro. Eldredge replied: “I have such a plenty of my own that I have no occasion to trouble my neighbors’; and that is more than a great many in the land of steady habits can say.” This was a home shot. His partner laughed heartily. Knowing the other’s character, he could appreciate its applicability to him. After getting his reply, the gentleman had no more questions to ask, and soon made an excuse to go out. Many who have heard of this reply, think the idea embodied in it a capital one, for it is not uncommon in many places for other men’s wives to receive attentions which should be only tendered to them by their husbands.

I desire greatly to see this people prosper and increase in everything which will make them the favored people of God. I want to see us be come a strong people, strong in our virtues; looking after our children, and bringing them up in the fear of God, and teaching them good morals and good precepts; whilst we endeavor to put down those evil practices that are creeping in, such as smoking and chewing tobacco, using the name of the Lord in vain, and also profane and improper language, and to see that our boys and girls are educated in everything that will make them great and noble. It is the great desire of my life to see this people become all that the Lord desires us to be. But when I saw how few there were in this Tabernacle yesterday, few compared to the attendance this morning, I felt the reproofs that were made by brothers Pratt and Woodruff were well-timed, and ought to be taken to heart by all of us, and the disposition be encouraged to be more attentive to our duties.

That the Lord may bless you, and bless all who belong to His Israel, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 23, 1878.

I will call the attention of the congregation to a portion of a prophecy by Malachi, which will be found in the last chapter of the Old Testament.

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

“And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes un– der the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.”

On arising, and on opening the Bible, I happened to open to the words which I have just read, which were spoken through Malachi, one of the last of the ancient Prophets. They are words very familiar to the Latter-day Saints, for their attention has been often called to them. In reading the prophecies of the holy Prophets, we expect that that portion of them which has not already been fulfilled, will take place in its time and in its season. We do not read the Scriptures as most of the inhabitants of the earth do, thinking that they must be spiritualized. There are scarcely any of the prophecies but what this generation, as well as some of the past generations, interpret as meaning something altogether different from the reading of them. They look upon inspired men as saying one thing and meaning another, and the only way to ascertain what meaning they really wish to convey is to get an uninspired man to give some other meaning entirely different from the literal construction of the words of the inspired writer. There are but few individuals, comparatively speaking, among the nations of Christendom, who differ from the prevalent belief, namely, that the Bible is a book to be understood only by the learning and wisdom of man, that the uninspired preacher, who may be highly educated after the manner of men, is a great deal better qualified to interpret the things of God, than he or they through whom they were spoken. The Latter-day Saints, who may have been similarly trained, were more or less disposed to entertain such views; but when they embraced the everlasting Gospel, and received of the Holy Ghost, even that Spirit by which the Scriptures were written, they were corrected in their judgments, and learned that the word of God would all be fulfilled, which have not already come to pass, and that they are to be understood in the same light, and in the same sense as we would understand the writings of uninspired individuals, when plainly and clearly written upon any special subject. This is something that every ordinarily intelligent man, without any book learning whatever, is abundantly able to do, especially when simple language, easy of comprehension, is used. For instance, when we get letters and communications from our friends abroad, we never think of putting a different construction upon their sentences, and claim that they did not mean what they had written. When, therefore, the ancient Prophets predicted that “the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven,” and that “the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch”—we must believe that the Prophet meant precisely what he said. When we read in the Book of Genesis about the rains which fell from the heavens, causing a flood of waters to deluge the earth, in fulfillment of a certain warning message which had previously been preached to the people then living, by which they were swept away and drowned, we must believe that the inspired writer who penned the words, described the event as it occurred, so far at least as the general facts are concerned, and that the flood spoken of was a literal body of water, and that it did prevail upon all portions of the earth. I do not say that the flood did prevail, at the same moment, upon all the face of the earth; but before the floods abated, every part of the solid portions of the earth that were habitable, were covered by the waters. How this was accomplished is not given by the inspired writer, but is left for us to conjecture. The Lord has a great many ways and means by which he could bring about an event of this nature. For instance, how easy it would be to drown all the inhabitants of the temperate and arctic regions, by just merely stopping the earth from rotating on its axis. Unless there should be another miracle performed to prevent the waters that are heaped up around the equatorial regions from flowing to the polar regions, they would necessarily, as the earth began to cease or rotate more slowly in its axial revolutions, cause the waters of the equatorial region to flow towards the two polar regions. It is an easy matter for a mathematician to demonstrate the depth of the waters in any part or latitude of our globe, should such an event take place or happen. The waters in receding from the great equatorial region would cover up the great mountains on our east, and we, in this altitude, would be buried under water at least over a mile in depth. I do not say that this was the manner which the Lord took in “breaking up the fountains of the great deep.” There may have been other causes unknown to us; but to say there never was such an event is something entirely unwarranted. Still, it may be said, this would not cover all the solid portion of the earth, but leave the equatorial land still further elevated above the ocean, and if all the lands of the earth were to be under water, how could that be accounted for? Very easily. Cause the earth to rotate on its axis more swiftly than what it now does, say for instance, in one-half the time—in 12 hours instead of 24—and you would bury up all the equatorial lands of our globe. How easy a matter it would be for the Lord to cause the earth to rotate more swiftly, and then again to rotate more tardily, and produce the effects ascribed to the flood.

When therefore, we read that the earth was once depopulated, except a few individuals, who were saved in the ark, why should it be thought a thing incredible that the Lord should again depopulate our globe, not by a flood, but by devouring fire. It may be said that we cannot see how a universal fire can prevail over all the face of the earth. There are various ways by which this could be accomplished. How did the Lord cause fire in ancient times to break out among the children of Israel, when they transgressed his holy laws, and when they murmured and complained against God? Fire was sent forth from his presence we are told, and rested upon the tabernacle; he was in the tabernacle, and his cloud was over the tabernacle; and fire went forth from this center, or the place where the Lord chose to manifest and show forth his glory, and it destroyed many of the people. You may say, “But this was a supernatural fire that proceeded from the presence of God, from the tabernacle, consuming thousands of transgressors.” I would ask, cannot the same Being who was able to produce this destruction by fire upon a few thousand individuals cause it to be more extensive and more universal in its operation? Has he not the same power to produce a supernatural fire over all the earth; even to the consuming of “all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly;” burning them up literally, their bodies becoming as “ashes,” as a farmer would set fire to and burn up the stubble of his fields? Well, you say, “If we admit that the first was supernatural, that God did actually burn the transgressors among Israel by fire, we are willing to admit that the same Being that could do this upon a small scale, could perform a similar work on a universal scale.” That is very reasonable to admit. But then, perhaps the Lord may not see proper to do this work of burning in the latter days altogether upon a supernatural principle; he may, perhaps, bring it about by certain physical forces or laws, by certain changes that may be wrought upon our elements; for the Lord holds in his own hands all the elements, and not only those of this little globe of ours, but all the elements that compose the universe; they are in his hands, he can give instructions and they are made subservient in the accomplishing of his great and wise purposes. Now, there is in the very air which we breathe, and which all animated beings, more or less, breathe, and by which they live—a principle of heat; and when this heat in its latent form is evolved, or comes forth from the constituents of the atmosphere, would there not be a sufficient amount to produce this revolution upon the earth? Is there not sufficient heat not only to burn up the wicked and the proud, but to cause the very elements of our globe to melt by its intensity? thus fulfilling another prophecy which says, “the hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord;” and yet another prophecy, which says, the mountains shall flow down at His presence like melted substance; run like rivers, in consequence of the intensity of the heat, connected with the elements of which our atmosphere and mountains are composed.

Again, independently of the latent heat which is connected with the atmosphere of our globe, is He not able to cause the great center of our system, the sun, to give forth more heat, sufficient to consume the wicked and melt the earth by its intensity? Yes. I recollect reading in one of the prophecies of Isaiah, in relation to this matter. I recollect reading too in the revelations of St. John that men should be scorched with great heat. Rev. chap. 16, verse 8. It was to be one of the great judgments of the latter days, as seen by that inspired man. And Isaiah, in speaking on this subject, says, “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,” etc. Suppose the heat should be increased in the same proportion that the light is increased; or, in other words, supposing that our thermometers, when standing at a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, should be increased to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, what would be the effect? A general conflagration over the whole face of the globe would be produced, thereby fulfilling ancient as well as modern prophecy.

But we will pass on. It is not for us, unless we have some definite instructions by the word of God, to tell how He is going to accomplish His great purposes. It is sufficient for us to know that he will do it. We are told this burning is to be universal, so far as all the proud, and all that do wickedly are concerned. It seems, then, it is to be one of the last destructions of the wicked. Prior to this there will be numerous destructions, by way of earthquakes, plagues, hailstorms, wars, etc., that will prevail and that will sweep away millions from the face of our globe. But the great judgment that is to cleanse the earth from all sin, is to be by the element of fire, “But,” inquires one, “do you think there will be many in that day, that will be proud and wicked? Will they not be mostly converted, and consequently escape this great conflagration, as Noah escaped being drowned?” I will answer this by repeating another prophecy, that now occurs to my mind, recorded in the 24th chapter of Isaiah. This man of God saw the period of time when the earth should reel to and fro like a drunken man; and he saw that glorious day when the Lord of Hosts shall be about to reign in Zion and Jerusalem. And among other things he saw in vision was that the earth became defiled under the inhabitants thereof; “because,” says the Prophet, “they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” Plainly showing that they were to be a corrupt, people; a people who, for instance, would change the ordinance of baptism, from immersion to sprinkling or pouring, or doing it away altogether, and in the same manner changing the various ordinances of the Gospel from the original form in which the Lord revealed them. He says, through the mouth of His Prophet, that the people who should be guilty of this great wickedness should be visited with fire; “the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” This is a little more definite. We learned through Malachi, that they should be destroyed both root and branch—no branch of wickedness, no roots of wickedness left; but it does not give us the proportion, between the righteous and the wicked. But Isaiah gives us a little further clue to this matter. To the query, how many are to be overtaken by this last great and overwhelming judgment, Isaiah would answer, “the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” What, only a few persons to be converted, only a few to receive the true Gospel, and be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom; only a few people to escape this awful desolation? So says the Prophet Isaiah; that is, few in comparison to the great and numerous population of our globe. Even some few millions would be few compared with the twelve hundred millions that inhabit the earth. Isaiah, in the same chapter, in describing the glory of his personal reign on the earth, says that “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed,” because of the superior light that will attend the presence of the being who is to reign in Zion and Jerusalem. The Lord causes the natural light of the sun and the heat thereof; he causes the natural light of the other luminaries that twinkle in yonder heavens, and also the heat which proceeds from their bodies. Now, if he can produce such intense heat by such bodies as our sun; if he can cause the surrounding worlds to be heated and to receive a certain temperature by the radiation of light and heat; if the sun can produce such a high temperature upon our earth, existing some 90 millions of miles away, why not the Lord be able to produce a greater light and heat if necessary, to sweep off the wicked, and to cause the earth in a moment, as it were, to feel the power of that heat, even to its melting like wax before his presence? But, you may ask, why not this heat destroy the righteous, as well as the wicked? Have not the righteous often times been burned at the stake? have they not been consumed to ashes, by the power of the wicked? And why should this intense heat, of which you are speaking, which is to destroy the wicked root and branch, not affect the righteous as well?” Let us explain. Before this day of burning, there will be no righteous on the earth. Not one? No, not one. “What is to become of them?” The Apostle Paul informs us that, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” It seems, then, that the righteous that sleep in their graves are to arise at this time, to be caught up with those living on the earth, who will be sufficiently righteous. Now, suppose they should not ascend to meet the Lord, but should remain on the earth, and he saw proper to preserve them from this devouring fire, could he do it? Certainly, and on the same principle as he preserved the three Hebrew children in the midst of fire. We are told, in connection with this remarkable preservation of life, that there was not so much as the smell of fire on their garments, neither was a hair of their heads injured, while some of the wicked, when they were in the act of casting these young men into the furnace, which had been heated seven times hotter than was usual for them, were devoured themselves. Yet the righteous were spared, receiving no harm whatever. Now, that same God who did preserve the three Hebrew children in the midst of the most terrible ordeal which they passed through, could preserve the righteous on the earth if he saw proper to do so. But he will take them up into the cloud, and they will be with him when he comes. But, you may say, “Have you not said that when he comes the sun will hide his face in shame, etc., therefore will not that glory which surrounds the personage of the Savior consume the righteous after they are taken up? Not at all; they will not be subject to the devouring element of fire, even though they have not as yet been changed to immortality; for the time for the righteous who remain alive, to be changed, will be as much as a thousand years after they descend upon the earth; after there shall have been generation upon generation here upon the earth; then, at the sound of the last trump the Apostle Paul informs us, that those who are righteous shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye. They are not to undergo this change, when Jesus comes at the beginning of the thousand years’ reign, but after the thousand years are ended at the sound of the last trump, which shall awaken and call forth the sleeping nations of the wicked from their graves, then the righteous, who remain in the flesh, will be changed in a moment; and after that time there will be no more mortality upon the earth. “But,” you may say again, “we can hardly believe these great miracles will take place as you say, according to prophecy.” Supposing you cannot, does your unbelief make the predictions of the servants of God without effect? Supposing, for instance, we should disbelieve excepting eight souls, as was the case with the antediluvian world, would our unbelief subvert the word of God. No. The Lord is a God of miracles, or in other words, he is a God of power and he operates upon the materials of our globe, according to his own good will and pleasure. When he burns up the wicked, when he causes the elements to melt with fervent heat, when he causes the mountains to flow down and melt like wax before his presence, all this does not destroy one particle of matter, but only changes matter from one condition to another. There is not a particle of the materials of our globe that will be annihilated, they will all exist; and although the time should come that the intense heat should be such as to disperse the materials of our solid globe and convert the great and mighty deep into gaseous substances, and separate the elements, and the water should cease to exist as either steam or water; although the time should come when the hydrogen and the oxygen, which possess the great bulk of the water upon our globe, should become gasses, yet the Lord could reorganize these elements, so scattered in space, by his power, bringing them together again by his law and by his word, making a new world, and creating a new heaven, and a new earth, wherein, says the Apostle Peter, shall dwell righteousness. This new earth, which is to be created, is not to be inhabited by the disobedient and wicked, as is now the case with the present world; there will be an entire change in the condition of the earth, and also in the condition of the human family, the curses of the fall will not be found in either, and consequently there will be no more mortality upon the new creation, neither sorrow, nor weeping; neither will there be any more death; for the former things will have passed away, and all things will become new. There will be but one government, not several hundred different forms of government, but one form will prevail upon the new creation, inhabited by immortal beings. All these changes are what the Latter-day Saints are looking for. We do not read these prophecies and then undertake to change them, and tell our hearers that they must be understood to mean something else, in some spiritual sense. We do not tell them that this day of burning is a day in which wickedness is to be cleansed from the earth by the purifying influence of the Spirit of God, and that all the people are to be converted, and therefore, the earth will be inhabited by none except the righteous; and that that portion of the Scriptures referring to the wicked becoming ashes under the feet of the righteous, means something entirely different from the literal reading, and that their sins will all be consumed, and that they will be righteous and will all walk upon the new earth free from sin. No, but when we speak of devouring fire burning as an oven, we expect it will be fire; we expect it will be intense heat; and when he says it will consume all the proud and all that do wickedly, we do not expect there will be a wicked man or woman left upon the whole earth; and when it says there shall neither be root nor branch left of them, we do not expect there will be found a vestige of wickedness in any corner of the earth however remote; but that all will be consumed and none but the righteous left.

Our modern Prophet, Joseph Smith, when he delivered his prophecies the Lord spoke through him, and we do not need any uninspired man to get up and tell what the Lord meant, when He spoke through him. For instance, our Prophet spoke of this same day of burning; it is referred to by him in many places in the Doctrine and Covenants, which book I hold in my hand. Has the Lord undertaken to spiritualize, in giving these new revelations? No; but he has told us the facts in the case. For instance, in one place speaking of the Lord’s coming, it says the wicked shall be destroyed out of the earth, and that the righteous shall be caught up, in the same manner as the New Testament describes it. And then it speaks of the righteous also coming down after the wicked are destroyed. There is a promise made to the Latter-day Saints as well as to the former-day Saints. The Lord said, in 1831, to the Prophet Joseph, in a revelation given before a general conference, and written by a scribe in presence of the conference, that among other great things that should take place, the Saints should possess the earth for their inheritance in this our day, and that all wickedness should cease. I make a promise, saith the Lord, and this is my covenant with you, and your children after you, that you shall have a certain land that I will give unto you, for an inheritance, and you shall possess it in time, while the earth shall stand, and shall possess it again in eternity, never more to pass away. If the Latter-day Saints want to know where this promise is found, let them read the revelation given on the 2nd of January, 1831. It was a revelation given when we were but a small people, before there was any gathering of the Saints; and in fact, when there were only a few individuals gathered in the house of Father Whitmer, the place where the Lord first organized His Church. There, we were informed, that the Lord intended to give a certain portion of this continent to the Latter-day Saints, and to their children after them, for an everlasting inheritance. This was contrary to our former faith, when we were Methodists and Baptists, and when we were Presbyterians and professors of the different denominations, before we came into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; we were taught then, that our home was away in yonder heavens away in some distant part of the universe, beyond the bounds of space, if anybody can comprehend where that is; I never could. And yet enlightened Christians sing about it. Before I became connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I often attended the meetings of the Methodists, the Baptists and the Presbyterians; and I well remember that this sentiment was embodied in one of the favorite hymns sung by the Methodists. They had a very good tune to the words, and being but a boy at the time, I could not but think it the very best kind of religion. I never mistrusted the truthfulness of the sentiment, because I too had entertained the belief that we were going to take an everlasting farewell to earth, and that we were going to be wafted and wafted until we got beyond the bounds of space, there to find a heavenly place, adapted to our heavenly condition. But when I commenced to reflect and search the Scriptures for myself, I found that although the tune was sweet and the singing was beautiful, yet there was no truth in it; I found that the “Saints’ secure abode” was not beyond space, but that it was on this our earth. And for how long? For all eternity. But the earth has to under– go numerous changes. A partial change will take place when Jesus comes, at the beginning of the thousand years’ rest; then a still further change, after the Millennium should pass, when the great last trump should sound, awaking the nations of the wicked from their sleeping graves. I then read in the Scriptures of truth that God would create a new heaven, and a new earth, and that on this new creation should dwell righteousness. I also read of a holy city, called the New Jerusalem, which should come down upon this new earth, and that God himself should be among those righteous people who should inhabit that holy city. And I also read that the former things should pass away, and that all things should become new. I read, too, that not only the New Jerusalem should descend on this earth, but another city called the Holy Jerusalem, whose dimensions and architecture are described, and that because of the glory that should exist there, the inhabitants thereof should not have need of the light of the sun, nor of that of the moon, nor of the stars; for God himself should dwell there with them, and he would be their light and their glory. And that those two great cities which are to descend upon this new earth are to be the great capitals of this new creation, inhabited by immortal beings—the Saints of God that have lived in the various dispensations of this world. This was something new to us; and it was contrary to our sectarian notions and views, and the sectarian teachings about the future condition of man, and the earth we live in. Yet, when we come to compare the new doctrine of the new revelation, with that laid down in the Old and New Testament, we find a perfect agreement. For instance, let our minds revert back to the days of the Patriarchs, and we find Abra– ham, after leaving his native country, in obedience to a direct command of God, dwelling in a new land called Canaan, now known as Palestine; and while there, we learn of the Lord conversing with him, and promising him and his seed “the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.” What does this all mean? Did Abraham ever inherit any of that land? Not a foot of it. He did buy a place—a burying place for himself and kindred; but he did not realize this promise, the possession of the land of Canaan, but on the contrary, he counted himself a stranger and pilgrim in that very land. And not only Abraham, but his descendants have failed to realize this promise. The martyr Stephen, who lived many centuries afterward, just prior to his death, in bearing testimony to the people who stood before him, concerning Abraham, said, referring to this promise of the Lord, that he did not receive so much as to set his foot on, during his lifetime. Nevertheless, the Lord promised him the whole of the land, to be for an everlasting inheritance, for himself and his seed after him. The Apostle Paul, speaking of the same thing, says, that “they all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.” How far? Thousands of years after they should sleep in the tomb. They looked forward in faith to the vast futurity, being persuaded of the truth of the promise; but they saw that before they could inherit the promised land, they would have to seek a city, that was in the heavens, and there to dwell, until the due time of the Lord should bring them in possession of their inheritance. The Prophet Ezekiel saw the way in which they should come in possession of it, as is recorded in the 37th chapter of his prophecy. The Spirit of the Lord took him into the midst of a valley—a great cemetery, as it were, where he saw a vast quantity of bones which were very dry, the flesh having crumbled to dust. And the question was put to him, no doubt to try his faith, “Son of man can these bones live?” Ezekiel was not an infidel, he did not say it was impossible, nor that there could be no such miracle, but he said, “O, Lord God, thou knowest.” He was willing the Lord should know all about it, and that he should display his power provided he saw proper to do so. Then the Lord commanded him to prophesy, using these words: “Prophesy unto these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” And after he had thus spoken, the Prophet tells us that “there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” They did not make any mistake, such as one bone belonging to a certain tabernacle uniting with that of another; but each bone joined its fellow bone, and sinews and flesh and skin covered them, and thus the tabernacles were formed. But there was as yet no life in them. Therefore he was commanded to prophesy again, and say to the wind: “Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” He did so “and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” This was a vision of the resurrection—the resurrection of the ancient patriarchs prophets of God, and all the righteous of Israel.

It seems from the record, that the Jews, in the days of Ezekiel, had formed an idea very similar to that of many of our Christian friends now living—they had got rather infidel in their views; they had begun to say in their hearts, referring to their fathers, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts;” or, in other words, our forefather, whose children we are, and whose names are held in sacred remembrance by us, are all dead. The promises have not been fulfilled and we are cut off from the part of our inheritance, and how is it possible now that they can come to pass? They were of similar mind to the Sadducees—they did not believe in the resurrection. But the Lord, in order to encourage them in the belief that it would be fulfilled, gives the interpretation of this vision. I have heard the Methodists give their version of this vision. Whenever there was a revival among them, I have seen them get down on their knees and exclaim, O Lord, make a shaking among these dry bones; believing that the sinners were the bones, and the resurrection, the conversion of sinners. The same interpretation is given by a great many of the Christian sects of the day. But hearken, O Latter-day Saints, to the Lord’s interpretation, and judge between them: “Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” What can be plainer than that? And which is the better of the two, the Lord’s interpretation or that of the sects of the day?

This promise will most assuredly be fulfilled, the patriarchs, and their seed who are worthy, will come into possession of the inheritance. But, when? It will be about the time, or a little after, this great day of burning. The graves of the Saints will be open just before the fire sweeps over the nations to consume the proud, and all they that do wickedly; and they will be opened at the sound of the trump by the Archangel. And the Saints will come forth; for then the face of the Lord will be unveiled, then the heavens will be parted as a scroll, then will be seen the prophets of God, and all the righteous who have not yet arisen from their graves, and they will appear in the clouds of heaven with the Savior. Abraham will be there, Isaac and Jacob will be there, and all the ancients of whom the children of Israel, in Ezekiel’s days, said, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost,” will all be there, ready to enter into the possession of the earth as their inheritance. “Blessed are the meek,” says our Lord in his sermon on the mount. And what is the peculiar blessing of the meek? “For they shall inherit the earth.” Did they formerly inherit the earth? No; they wandered about, in the days of the Apostles, in sheepskins and goatskins, finding shelter from the inclemency of the weather, and concealment from their persecutors in the solitary dens and caves of the mountains. A great many infidels and sectarians cannot believe that this promise can ever be literally fulfilled, because they did not realize it in the day of their mortality. But Jesus says, they shall “inherit the earth;” this includes too, all the Gentile Saints that have, and that will embrace the gospel, among all peoples, and nations, and kindreds and tongues, for all such become Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. What promise? The promise made to Abraham. To inherit the earth. Hence all people who are baptized into Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, and who are true and faithful to him, have Abraham for their father; and they, with him and the patriarchs, will inherit the earth, when wickedness ceases to exist.

It is then that the enmity of the beasts of the field as well as that of all flesh will cease; no more one beast of prey devouring and feasting upon another that is more harmless in its nature; no more will this enmity be found in the fish of the sea, or in the birds of the air. This change will be wrought upon all flesh when Jesus comes; not a change to immortality, but a change sufficient to alter the ferocious nature of beasts, birds and fishes. In those days the lion will eat straw like the ox; he will no more be the terror of the forest, but will be perfectly harmless, and gentleness will characterize all the wild and ferocious animals, as well as the venomous serpents, so much so that the little child might lead them and play with them, and nothing should hurt or destroy in all the holy mountain of the Lord; all things becoming, in some measure, as when they were first created. For it will be remembered that animals did not devour one another until after the fall, neither was there any death, until after the fall. What did they eat, then? The Lord said, “To every beast of the field, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat.” The grass, and the herbs, and every green thing were their food. And Adam and Eve ate fruits and vegetables, not animal flesh. The whole earth will be restored; and man will be restored; and not only upon man, but upon all flesh the Spirit of God will be poured out and they will eventually be restored to all that was lost by the fall of our first parents. Then the knowledge of God will cover the whole earth, as the waters cover the great deep. And then the animal creation will manifest more intelligence and more knowledge than they do now, in their fallen condition. Indeed, we have a declaration, by John the Revelator, that when this time shall come, they will even know how to praise God. He says, “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” What? The animal creation endowed with language? Yes, a language of praise, saying something concerning the Lamb that was slain, and about his glory and excellency. What a beautiful creation this will be when all these things are fulfilled. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered at the Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning April 7, 1878.

It is somewhat unexpected to myself that I have the opportunity, this morning, of appearing in your midst. Important business demanded my return to this city for a short time; but in consequence of certain responsibilities devolving upon me at Washington, it seemed imprudent for me to leave and come here. A week ago last Friday morning I scarcely thought it possible that I could get away; but during the day I was favored in making such arrangements that I felt I could leave with safety, for a few days at least. And I immediately started for this city by way of Philadelphia.

I am glad to have the opportunity of meeting with so many of my brethren and sisters, of beholding your faces, of listening to the instructions which have been given, and in sharing in the spirit that has been and will be poured out upon us. It is a great relief to one who has been absent for any length of time, mingling with the world, to have the opportunity of associating with you, my brethren and sisters; at least I esteem it as such. I never turn my face homewards without experiencing joy and gladness at the thought of once more being reunited with you.

I never in my life have had a deeper interest in the welfare, in the prosperity and in the advancement of the cause with which we are identified, than at the present time. This feeling has rested with great weight upon my mind; I feel we are living in a most important era of time. I feel that the mission assigned unto us is one that we, at the present time, scarcely begin to comprehend. The most important results that are to flow from it have scarcely begun to dawn upon our minds. At least personally this is my feeling. When I contemplate the immensity of the field of labor that lies before us, the evils and wrongs that have to be corrected, as I believe, through the agency of this people, as also the reforms that have to be effected and to be carried out successfully, it seems to me that as the days roll around, I begrudge the passing hours; I feel as though the days are entirely too short, and that I should like to live for a millennium to help those with whom I am associated to bring to pass the great, the important, the soul-saving as well as body-redeeming plans that are to be carried out in order to bring to pass the designs of Providence in relation to man and the earth.

Already the Latter-day Saints can see that the leaven that has been planted by the Gospel has been doing a gradual work in effecting important changes. It may be thought of a people confined to these mountains, numbering no more than we do, that our influence must be necessarily very limited, and that we can accomplish but very little. But the ideas that have been propagated by the Latter-day Saints, though they have not converted as many to our faith as they should have done, have had a most wonderful influence upon the religious, the philosophic and the scientific world. Ideas that men now believe in and receive readily, Joseph Smith was persecuted and denounced for proclaiming. And while there are millions who do not believe that he was a Prophet of God, or that the principles he taught were revealed from God, there is no mistaking the fact that his teachings, that the truths he advanced, and the ideas which he dissemi– nated, have had a wonderful effect upon the human mind throughout Christendom. If those of you who have had experience in the world, who have arrived at middle age, will let your minds revert to the time when you first heard these principles, and will compare the condition of human thought at that time with the condition of human thought today, I doubt not you will agree with me in saying that, although men and women have not become Latter-day Saints, nor have the mass of mankind received the religious truths in their entirety, as they were taught by Joseph, and as they have been taught by those who succeeded him, yet there has been a very visible and a marked advancement by men and women all over the world wherever the Elders of this Church have traveled. So that it is not in the baptism of people, it is not in the gathering of the people together alone that we are accomplishing great results; but it is in teaching the world the principles that God has revealed to us, and gradually indoctrinating the mind of mankind, to some extent at least, uplifting them from the prejudices and the darkness and the ignorance in which they have been enshrouded to a higher plane, to breathe a purer and a freer spirit of inquiry in religious and scientific thought. Much, however, remains to be done, and it devolves upon us, as a people, to discharge our duty, each one of us, as though the entire responsibility devolved upon us. And herein, probably, there is as much fault to be found with us as upon any other point—a non-recognition by the Latter-day Saints of the fact that God holds us, each one of us, individually responsible; for there is assigned unto every man and every woman an individual labor which he and she must per– form. For myself, I know that the influence of one man rightly exercised is potent for good; or, if improperly exercised, for evil, upon his fellow man. Each man’s life, each man’s conversation, each man’s deportment and walk before his fellow man, wields an influence that he most probably does not begin to comprehend, or understand. And if we all understood this, and acted accordingly, living up to the light and knowledge we possess, just think of the influence that we, as a united body, could wield among the inhabitants of our land, and in fact among the inhabitants of the whole earth.

I look upon our position, politically, as one that is most important, far more important than that of any other community with which I am acquainted. Today it is conceded upon all sides, and the fact is not disputed by intelligent persons, that the Latter-day Saints, or, to speak more properly, the people of Utah Territory, occupy a position superior to that of any other Territory within the confines of the Union. This is conceded. And for temperance, for frugality, for economy, for good government and for submission to the law (if I may except that relating to plural marriage, which is in violation of the constitution, and which was passed as a blow at our religion), for the honest administration of financial and governmental affairs, for the preservation of good order and the maintenance of peace, and for the promotion of education; on all of these points, it is conceded if we are not superior, at least we are the equals, of any other people of our Republic. While the eastern states are burdened with debt and groaning under local taxation, with failures of no mean magnitude occurring continually, and men not knowing what to do to redeem them– selves from their financial difficulties, Utah Territory occupies, it may truly be said, the unique position of being out of debt: no Territorial debt to speak of, no county debts. Notwithstanding the innumerable temptations that have existed, and that our officers might have succumbed to, we are, I am happy to say, free from debt, and also the most lightly taxed community now within the confines of the government. When I mentioned these facts to President Hayes, he remarked: “Your position is certainly an enviable and unique one.” This is conceded upon all hands. In our own neighboring territories, take, for instance, Wyoming, the people of which are justly proud of their position, because they have comparatively little debt; yet their taxes are 2 1/2 higher than ours; and so with all our neighboring territories. Our percentage of illiteracy is lower than that of any of the territories, and also than many of the states; not but that the illiteracy of Utah ought to be lower still, for there is room for great improvement in matters of education. We have 1200 miles of telegraph line owned in this Territory; we have upwards of 300 miles of local railroad, not counting the Union and Central Pacific railroads. This is the condition of this Territory. If we take the statement of the last Federal census respecting our population, and apply the ratio of increase during the previous decade—that is the increase from 1860 to 1870—to the last eight years, it will be seen that Utah has a population of at least 150,000. But our ratio of increase has been greater during the last eight years than the previous ten. The States are divided into Congressional districts, at the present time, with a population numbering about 135,000; that is to say, a district having a population of that number is entitled to a member of Congress. In this Territory our population is in excess of that number. No Territory has ever applied for admission into the Union with so many advantages as ours. In 1789 the Federal Constitution was adopted, and we became a consolidated Republic. This was 89 years ago. We have lived in this country upwards of one-third of that time. It might be thought, then, that with such a lengthened experience and advantages, with such capacity for self-government, with such a developed and lightly taxed Territory, with such good order and freedom from debt, that Utah would be welcomed into the union of states. Why are we not? Because we are “Mormons.” That embodies the whole reason. If we were split up into factions, if we were fighting, party against party, if drinking saloons and houses of ill fame were through all our settlements, and if we were heavily in debt, not having even the requisite population, and were not “Mormons,” we would be admitted into the union of states. What is the reason assigned for it? “We do not want to countenance polygamy. If we admit Utah, we sanction, to a certain extent, polygamy.” This is the reason assigned. Suppose, for instance, that one man of every ten among these “Mormons” is a polygamist, are there any more than that? If there are I do not know it. I have never taken the census, but in the range of my personal acquaintance, as I have scanned them I think that there are not one-tenth of the men in this Territory who have attained their majority who are polygamists. And we will say there are 150,000 people in the Territory, how many of them are men? If we apply the same rule of ascertaining this that we do to other communities—and it will not apply to ours because our children are in excess; but as it is, we will apply the same rule and divide 150,000 by five; how many does it leave? Thirty thousand. We will say there are thirty thousand men in Utah Territory who have attained their majority, and one-tenth of this number are polygamists, What do we have left? Three thousand men. And for three thousand men the Congress of the United States say that the bulk of the people shall not have their political rights. Does it not seem as though by the action of Congress in this respect, that they are uplifting a doctrine comparatively obscure, when you take into consideration the forty millions of people that live under the flag of the United States—and giving it national importance? This is one of the most extraordinary instances of fatuity that I ever recollect reading of in any history; yet such a thing is done, and this is the only reason that can be truthfully and correctly assigned for the refusal, on the part of the nation, of admitting Utah as a State. In spite of all we can say and do, there seems to be a determination to give this doctrine of plural marriage a national and a worldwide importance, like everything else connected with this people. It has been advertised and talked of as though it might be the practice of twenty millions of people, instead of that of three or four thousand men.

Now, I say that we have to teach the world a lesson in this direction. A people patiently pursuing their course, without murmuring, without rebelling, without rising in riotings, when receiving a denial of their legitimate and constitutional rights. Such a spectacle as this is worthy of admiration, especially when it is understood that not an officer within the confines of our Territory can hold an office of Federal appointment, if it be known that he is a “Mormon,” or scarcely if it be known that he is even favorable to the “Mormons.” As soon as the office of Postmaster becomes worth holding, the Mormon Postmaster, who may have held it when it did not pay him for his labor, is turned out and somebody else is put in. The Marshal, the Secretary, the Governor, and Judges and all of the Federal officials were appointed during the last administration from those who were known to have no sympathy with the “Mormons.” It was as much as our present Governor could recently do to retain his position, because he was accused of favoring the “Mormons,” because it was believed that he favored a people he was sent to govern. This is most extraordinary when you think of it; but the most surprising thing connected with it is, that the people thus imposed upon should bear it with the forbearance and equanimity that the Latter-day Saints manifest, under these circumstances.

You remember our last Governor. He started out thinking he had been sent here to govern this Territory and the people of the Territory as his fellow citizens. He was disposed not to know the difference between a Mormon and a non-Mormon; he was disposed to travel through the Territory and mingle with the people, attend their public gatherings, and talk to them, as he would were he in any other place. This he did, and it was brought against him as a crime, as a reason why he should not continue to hold office. And an important official no less a person then the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, was sent to find out whether these things were really true. And this officer of the government, a gentlemen, who is acknowledged to be efficient, and who had served three terms in Congress with credit to himself and his constituency; and who is looked upon as a man of national reputation, and who, in his private life, is considered most exemplary, for no other reason than that he was mingling with the “Mormon” people, treating them as his fellow citizens, was removed from office.

I allude to these things not to find fault particularly, not to embitter your feelings because of treatment you have received, this is not my motive; but to call to your attention the fact that among other things we have to teach this nation and show to the whole world is that, although largely in the majority in this Territory, we have learned the great and most important lesson that a citizen can and should learn, namely, that of obedience. I am glad that this is the case. I am glad to know that the Latter-day Saints are setting an example to their fellow citizens all through the union in this respect. Will this continue? Shall we continue to live as we are living today—denied rights to which we are entitled? We shall, doubtless, for a time, until, in the Providence of the Almighty, we shall be enabled to assume the position that rightfully belongs to us, and receive those rights to which we are fully entitled. The time will come, and it is not far distant—although we may occasionally get tired waiting, and may ask ourselves, how long will it be delayed—but let me say to you that the signs of the times portend for us a much greater degree of liberty than we possess today, or even than we have dared to anticipate. And as I have said often—for I have never failed to declare it—that the Latter-day Saints or “Mormons” as we are called, expect it to be their destiny to uphold constitutional liberty on this continent, and to preserve our government and the forms thereof from overthrow and destruction. I have been taught from my boyhood that this was to be the destiny of the Latter-day Saints, and this people have been trained in the same belief, and we train our children to look forward to it, and to cherish the love of civil and religious liberty in their hearts, toleration for all men of every creed, of every nation, of every language and of every color, that all the sons and daughters of Adam, without exception, who dwell upon this broad land, may enjoy the inestimable blessing of liberty, and that it will be our favored and honored destiny, in the course of human events, unlikely as it may appear today to be the case, to preserve constitutional liberty in this land, which God has said shall be a land of liberty to all those who are righteous who dwell thereon. I have said, and I firmly believe, that the day will most assuredly come when the people of these mountains will become a great factor in the settlement of differences, in the preservation of human rights in the future, in the great contests which seem ready to burst upon us at any moment. You contemplate the condition of the East today! The elements of destruction are widespread in society, and instead of being smothered and allayed, they are more or less fostered and harbored, and are fast maturing; and when certain contingencies arise, they are likely to burst forth, and that, too, to the death and misery of many souls. Think of the feeling that existed thirteen months ago, when it was not known who would be the President of the United States, or whether we would have another President or not. That was a time when the memories of the late war were forced upon the attention of earnest and thoughtful men. They remembered the blood and sacrifices and dreadful horrors of that struggle, and they shrank from the bare thought of their repetition. Had it not been that the great civil war had been so recent, and the recollection of its horrors was so vivid, especially among the Southern people, undoubtedly there would have been a conflict of arms before the President could have been seated in the presidential chair. But men shrank from the dreadful arbitrament of war and they preferred to submit even to what they believed to be wrong, agreeing to a compromise as being better than war.

Our position, as a people, in many respects, is one for which we can be exceedingly thankful. We can congratulate ourselves that we are in these mountains, a land of liberty, a land of freedom. No man, that is a man, can breathe this air and be a slave. When he looks upon those towering mountains, lifting their grand and lofty peaks to heaven, and he breathes the pure air of freedom, and his lungs expand with it, he feels as though he never could bow to slavery, nor his children after him. There is a race springing up in these mountains whose influence and power, sooner or later, must be felt in shaping the future of this nation. There need be no fear about this. Let us pursue the course marked out for us, submitting, if necessary, to wrong, but never failing to protest and contend, nevertheless against it; let our continued protest go forth, that we understand our rights, and that we are disposed to maintain them, as far as we can without violence. Let us continue to pursue our course patiently and unitedly, presenting an unbroken front to the enemy, having no traitors within, no factions, no strifes or bickerings, burying our little piques and feelings, having the one great and grand object to accomplish, namely, the establishment of truth and righteousness upon the earth, that eventu– ally a place and people may be found worthy of Him who will come, and whose right it is to reign. And in pursuing faithfully and diligently the course which God has marked out, you may depend upon it that the day star will arise, and the dawn of that glorious day will be witnessed by all that share and engage in this labor. But how many labors devolve upon us, and how they accumulate and crowd upon us. The labor of lifting up the people and uniting them, furnishing suitable work for the unemployed and for our sons and daughters, that there may be no idleness in our land, that there may be no need of any Union societies to be organized, arraying labor against capital. How necessary it is that we should listen to the words of wisdom and instruction which have been given, counseling us to so organize ourselves and arrange our temporal affairs, that there may not be a single individual throughout our land, who desires to work, go unemployed, but that all may have this blessed privilege, for when men labor they keep out of mischief. You remember the old proverb—“An idle man’s brain is the devil’s workshop.” We want to banish idleness, how shall we do it? By organizing, and every President of Stake and every Bishop making it the study and object of his life to furnish employment to every man under his immediate presidency who may desire it. And thus we will preserve ourselves, and our sons will find employment at home, instead of scattering abroad, going hither and thither: and our daughters, too, will then find husbands who will be in a position to maintain them honorably and properly, and thus marriage be promoted in the land. Our boys, when they arrive at years of maturity and can take earn of a wife, should get married, and there should not be a lot of young men growing up in our midst who ought to be, but are not married. While I do not make the remark to apply to individual cases, I am firmly of the opinion that a large number of unmarried men, over the age of twenty-four years, is a dangerous element in any community, and an element upon which society should look with a jealous eye. For every man knowing himself, knows how his fellow man is constituted; and if men do not marry, they are too apt to do something worse. Then, brethren, encourage our young men to marry, and see that they are furnished employment, so that they can marry.

And then there is the education of our children. O, that we could bestow upon them, in every sense of the word, a proper education, so that they might become the peers of any people. Our children are noted for their brightness of intellect. Teachers say, who come from the east and the west, they never saw children receive knowledge with more ease than the children of these mountains do. We should take all the pains in our power to educate our children, furnishing them the best facilities, that our daughters and sons may be educated and accomplished. And at the same time teach them to labor. I tell my daughters that I want them to learn to wash, and sew, and cook, and become the best of housewives; and that I do not care then how much else they may know about music and other accomplishments, that they may be fitted to mingle with and feel at home in the best society. Girls as well as boys ought to be so trained as to confer dignity upon labor; and the idea, prevalent among some people, that because girls are accomplished they are spoiled and unfitted for labor, or to do housework, ought to be frowned down.

Let us think of these things after we separate and go to our homes; and let us endeavor to carry in our breasts the spirit of this Conference, and diffuse the same among the people not present. And let us so live that the desire may continually well up in our hearts, not how can we aggrandize ourselves, but how can we enrich this community, how can we benefit and bless this people, how can we elevate them and make these multitudes of children growing up in our midst more useful, so that they can be ornaments to society?

I pray the Lord to bless us and preserve us in the truth, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference, on Sunday Afternoon, April 6, 1878.

The speaker read from the Doctrine and Covenants (new edition), commencing at the 24th paragraph, and ending at the 33rd paragraph, of section 58.

This is a great people, and if anything would be likely to appall a man and make him feel his own nothingness, it is to stand up before such an audience as is here assembled, to attempt to speak to them and to instruct them. We have, however, something besides our own strength to rely on; if it were not so, I should not be here. The promise of the Lord is that when we assemble together as we have this day, and as we are now assembled, he will give unto us that portion of his word and his counsel as shall be suited to our circumstances, so that every soul shall eat of the bread of life and go away satisfied, and rejoice in the privilege he may have had of coming together as we now are.

This work in which we are engaged embraces more and more. The older I grow the more I become acquainted with its magnitude, with the responsibilities that are connected with it, and especially the responsibilities which rest down upon those who are the chosen leaders of the people.

We know, as was testified to this morning, that this is the work of God, that God has laid its foundation, that God has chosen the men who are associated with it and who are in authority connected with the work, to fill the situations which they occupy. We know also that he has restored the authority that was once enjoyed by man, by which men are enabled to act in the midst of the people in Christ’s stead. And knowing these things we are encouraged as a people and as individuals to press forward and to help establish that cause which he has revealed to the earth. But there are many things connected with this work, with its advancement, with the binding of the people together, with the carrying out of the great designs which God has revealed for the salvation of the children of men; which press upon our attention and cause us to exercise every faculty of our minds in thinking, in pondering upon and in giving shape to measures that shall result in the greatest good to this great people.

The principles of the Gospel we are all familiar with, as a people; we have studied the lesson from the beginning and have become familiar with it in almost all its details. We have traveled, we have preached, we have borne testimony to this work; we have helped to gather the people together, organizing them, before doing so, into branches, into conferences, into missions, and then have organized them into companies to travel by sea, to travel by land, to bring them to the gathering places which have been appointed. With these labors the Elders of this church have obtained great familiarity; they have become experts in preaching spiritual salvation, in preaching the first principles of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; in telling the people how they shall be saved from their sins, and what they shall do to obtain the promises of God connected with obedience to this Gospel. And we have, in coming to these mountains, obtained considerable knowledge concerning other matters. Probably today a man would not be open to the charge of egotism, of being vain concerning the people, were he to say that, to take the Latter-day Saints, the men of this church, and in no other body of men of the same numbers will you find men of such experience in preaching, in traveling, as missionaries, as Elders, in organizing the people, in handling companies of large bodies of men and women and laying the foundation of settlements, in building cities, in developing countries, and in organizing systems of government in those countries. I do not know that I am open to the charge of being vain concerning the Latter-day Saints when I make this statement—that in all the earth, among all the inhabitants of the earth, you cannot find so large a body of principal men familiar with spiritual things, familiar with tem– poral things, familiar with the handling of large bodies of people and organizing them and dictating their labors and planning for their temporal salvation, and for their good government, as you will find in the midst of these mountains and numbered in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And yet, after making this statement, we stand, as it were, at the very threshold of our work, just at the door of it; we have scarcely accomplished anything compared to what remains to be done connected with the work devolving upon us. We have made a beginning, it is true, we have solved some problems; but there is an immense amount of work to be done by us as a people, and especially by those who act in our midst in the capacity of leaders. The highest qualities of statesmanship are needed and called for; the highest qualities that men and women possess that make them capable of planning for nations devising schemes and plans that will not only save a town or a small community of people, but that will extend to nations the means of saving them from national peril and from evils that menace the existence of every power that now exists upon the face of the earth.

You look abroad today among the inhabitants of the earth and see their condition, see the evils with which they are afflicted and which threaten the downfall and the overthrow of nations and we need not to go beyond our own land to gain experience in this matter, and to ascertain the danger which besets this republic, the most glorious nation, and the most glorious form of government that exists upon the habitable globe. How many times it is said that this republic cannot stand, that evils are working and undermining the fabric of government, and which threatens its speedy overthrow. You can scarcely talk with a thinking man upon these subjects, a man who takes in, to the extent of his vision, all the evils which threaten our nation, without having him acknowledge that the future, in many respects, looks exceedingly dark, and that it is somewhat doubtful whether the republic can be preserved as it is at the present.

With all these facts, then, before us, it is well for us today, assembled as we are in this general Conference, to take into some consideration our own condition, the circumstances which surround us, and examine them in the light of intelligence and wisdom, as He has given it to us, and whether we should not take steps to preserve our existence, and not only preserve, but perpetuate it, and to increase our power, and to cause that work with which we are identified to continue to progress and to fulfil its high and glorious destiny.

There is one principle which I think in mentioning everyone will see the power of, and that is union. It is a trite saying, often repeated, that union is strength. Certainly we have proved the truth of this saying through the long or short period, as it may be, of our existence as a people. There is no people today with whom I am acquainted who has proved so satisfactorily as we have throughout our past experience, the value of union. It is that which makes us, numerically a weak people, a strong people; it is that which makes us one hundred and fifty or one hundred and sixty thousand, or perhaps two hundred thousand people throughout these mountains north and south, a power in the land; and a power certainly which there is more said about than any other power, probably, in existence. Divide us up, segregate us into denominations, into factions, and what would we amount to? Nothing; our strength would be dissipated, we would be enfeebled, and nothing particularly would be said about us more than is said about thousands and millions of others from whom we are separated. It was the union of the Latter-day Saints which in the beginning created opposition against us, brought it to the surface, and made it moving when there were but fifty or less members of the church. The very fact that a new principle of union, had been brought to light, through which these fifty men and women were united as the heart of one, was sufficient to arouse opposition and create to a certain extent, fear. Sectarian influence was brought to bear against us. “Our creed is in danger, our sect is in danger, our place is in danger, if this people with this union should gain a foothold among us.” Alarm was felt in the ranks of the various sects, and they felt that, although a power insignificant and weak, as it were, it should be fought and its existence extirpated, if possible from off the earth. Hence the opposition it met with in the beginning A few weeks old, like a little trembling, puny infant not able to walk, not able to speak or make itself felt. Yet the very existence of the infant aroused fear, as great fear as that which animated Herod of old when he issued an edict for all the firstborn male children of Israel to be slain. It created terror in the land; and all because a certain babe of Bethlehem had been born, and he hoped, in issuing this cruel edict, to destroy this man-child and with him the power which he feared. So it was in the beginning of this work, when it was weak and feeble it created in the minds of those who watched its birth and its aftergrowth a feeling of fear, and they were determined to destroy it from off the earth, if they could.

When the church moved to Kirtland and the people began to gather together to go to that place to settle, you will see by reading the history, the fear that was produced. And you read the history of the settlement of the people in Jackson County and you will see the same manifestations, only more violent, until such a spirit was engendered that the mob succeeded in driving the people from the county. You can trace it through all the history of this people to the present time. It has been the union of the Latter-day Saints that, as I have before said, aroused opposition, crystallized it and made it as effective as it has been against us. Had we been a divided people, had we been quarrelling among ourselves, had there been factions among us and jealousies among our leading men, you would not have seen this opposition neither would you have seen the credit that has been given to us, nor the power that this people have wielded in the earth to the present time. You would not have seen this spectacle—this inspiriting spectacle of 12,000 people assembled under one roof to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences and the revelations of God, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper, as we are today. You would not have seen these valleys peopled from Idaho in the north to Mexico in the south with settlements of people of one faith, of one belief, worshipping God in the same manner and calling upon him unitedly to bestow upon them the same blessings, and laboring for the same objects. The value, therefore, of union we, as a people, have demonstrated as no other people now living have. And I leave you to your own reflections to imagine what we would be without it. Everyone can think for himself, or herself, upon this subject, and can draw his or her own conclusions. But as we are united and have been spiritually, it is not the design of God, as is clearly manifest in his revelations, plainly spoken through his word, and deeply impressed by his Holy Spirit upon every heart belonging to this church, that this alone is not the object of our organization as a people. It was not for spiritual salvation alone that the word of the Lord came to us to gather out of Babylon; it was not for spiritual salvation alone that the Elders of this Church traversed sea and land for so long a period, gathering the people together at such an expense of time and means; it was not for spiritual salvation alone that we have suffered the attacks and the violence of mobs, that we left our homes in the east—the pleasant places that many left, and crossed these dreary wastes, and planted ourselves in these mountains. There was something more than this embodied in the idea; there was something more than this embodied in the effort. There was temporal salvation also connected with the spiritual salvation that had been extended to us. I use the term “temporal salvation,” because it is better understood probably than any other term I could use. My training has led me to blend the two, it being difficult for me to draw the line of demarcation between the temporal and spiritual; but in many minds there is a distinction. I use the phrase, therefore, that those who are familiar with it will understand my meaning. Temporal salvation is as necessary, according to the faith of the Latter-day Saints, in its time and season, as spiritual salvation. Of course spiritual salvation occupies the first, and ought to be foremost within every heart; but we cannot accom– plish our spiritual salvation and the destiny of our Father and Creator without also connecting with it temporal salvation, temporal acts, the performance of temporal labor. Hence, as I have said, it should occupy some portion of our thoughts, it should be considered by us; and as I have remarked, we have not come out of our present location for purely spiritual performances, but to lay the foundation of a system that should stand forever, that should be connected with man’s existence here upon the earth, both his spiritual and his temporal existence; a work that should affect everything connected with man and his relationship to his fellow man.

A great many of the Latter-day Saints have failed, as I have sometimes thought, to grasp this idea, to grasp the idea that the Lord was founding a great nationality—if I may use such a limited phrase as that; it limits the idea to call it a nationality. The Lord is gathering out from every nation, kindred, tongue and people a community, out of which he intends to form for himself a kingdom, not an earthly kingdom, but a kingdom over which he will preside in the heavens; a kingdom that should be based upon purely republican principles upon the earth; and therefore not a kingdom in the strict sense of the word, so far as its earthly location is concerned; but a republic. And for this purpose, as the Latter-day Saints have believed from the beginning, the Lord raised up the founders of our nation and inspired them—George Washington and others—to do the work that they accomplished, in laying the foundation of a form of government upon this land under which that kingdom that he should establish should grow and flourish and extend itself without interfering in the least degree with the genius of the government. And this is the work in which we are engaged; this is the labor that should occupy our attention, and as I have said, we should take warning by that which we see around us on every hand—the decay, the disintegration of the various governments and powers, and organize ourselves so that we can preserve ourselves, and grow and increase and add to the power we already possess. I believe our people are beginning to take higher views of the organization with which they are connected, and consequently higher views of their own individual responsibility and the labor that devolves upon each one as an individual. We see more of this spirit manifested. The Elders have ever evinced a willingness to go forth at the call of the proper authorities to preach the Gospel and perform labors of this character for the public good; but it has been a difficult lesson for us to learn that it was equally binding upon us, as servants of God, that we should labor in temporal matters with the same devotion trod the spirit of self-abnegation that we did in laboring to preach the Gospel. There seemed to be a higher calling in the mind of man associated with spiritual matters; it seemed to be more dignified; it has seemed to be more worthy of men’s gratuitous labor, than to labor with their hands or brain for the temporal advancement of the work and for the temporal salvation of the people. I believe that you will all have noticed that there is a change taking place in many minds in regard to this, and many men are beginning to take a different view—in fact they have done for years; probably some never had any other view, but a great many who have had different views, who have imagined that it was their duty to look at these temporal matters, are beginning to take different views, to take a higher concep– tion of their responsibility in this direction. It is right and proper that we should do so. There is no good reason why a man should imagine that he has fulfilled the requirements more acceptably, more approvedly in preaching this Gospel, than in laboring, after the people have been gathered home, for their salvation in temporal things.

There is a subject that has occupied a great amount of thought, and has been dwelt upon very frequently in our public assemblies for the past few years; I refer to that of the United Order. There have been some attempts, in fact I may say many attempts at organization with a view to its more complete carrying out. There is another principle connected with this that has been in force also upon our attention for many years past, namely, the system of cooperation in temporal matters. We have felt to a very great extent the importance of this; I believe the spirit, of it has rested upon the Latter-day Saints. When you look back a few years, by way of contrasting our condition then with our condition today, you will perceive, doubtless, there has been a great change effected among us in regard to this matter. There has been considerable thought among the people concerning it; a great many have reasoned upon it for themselves, and have become thoroughly convinced of the importance of the principle. In this a good work has been done, because it is an exceedingly difficult thing to leaven the whole mass of people, like this people who inhabit these valleys, to leaven them with correct ideas and have them understand them. If the First Presidency of the Church comprehend a principle, and the Twelve comprehend it, but the people fail to comprehend it, you can readily understand how difficult it would be to make that principle practical and operative. The leading men, then, have carried the whole people upon their shoulders, so to speak; if under those circumstances anything has to be done it is to be done upon their faith and influence alone. But when you can get the thinking men and women throughout our community to understand and realize the importance of the principle, the victory is won, the work then is comparatively easy of accomplishment. And this has been a subject of congratulation to me in my feelings, that notwithstanding the many errors, notwithstanding the many failures, notwithstanding the lack of success in many directions, the principle of cooperation, the principle of uniting ourselves together in the United Order has been reflected upon, has been cogitated and discussed in all the circles of this people and at their firesides, until it may be said an understanding of it permeates the entire mass of the people, as a people; and there is scarcely an argument needed in talking about it now to convince those who are the most stubborn and reluctant in giving adherence to the principle. When you hear any opponent to the principle express himself nowadays, it is in this way: “It is an excellent principle, if we could only carry it out properly.” The principle is conceded, its correctness is assented to; it only remains now for us to carry it out properly, in order for us to gain the confidence and the support of those who are doubtful upon that point. And I think this a great work accomplished. It seems to me that the Latter-day Saints today are in this position: Tell us what to do and how to do it. You leading men, tell us how we can operate, how we can unite together. Devise the plan, suggest how it can be carried out successfully, and we are on hand to carry it out.” I do not know from your expressions, whether I state your feelings correctly or not on this point; but I state that which I believe, that which I am impressed with in connection with my brethren and sisters, wherever I meet them, and whenever this subject or topic comes up for discussion or mention. There is one thing, brethren and sisters, that must strike us all as being right and proper; and that is to throw our efforts in one channel, to make our influence felt as an entire body and not as I have remarked, to divide ourselves and scatter our influence so that it will be unfelt.

I have endeavored to describe to you the influence we wield because of our union in spiritual matters. The same remark will apply exactly to our union in temporal matters. Let this people be united in temporal matters; let it be known that we work together for one another’s good, that we labor, as a people to benefit the whole and not the individual, and that our influence is in this direction; and I tell you that the same influence, the same power, that wield now as a spiritual organization will be felt in our temporal affairs, in our financial affairs, in all the affairs in fact which attract our attention.

One great object we should aim to reach, that we should aim to accomplish, is to make ourselves independent in regard to manufactures. We have had, the last week, considerable conversation with leading men from various parts of this Territory concerning this principle of cooperation. Notwithstanding some differences of opinion upon some points, upon this one point that I have endeavored to set before you in my last few sentences, there has been an unanimity of feeling and opinion, that is of the imperative necessity of our being united in our business matters, in our financial matters and work to sustain each other and build each other up. I am persuaded that a great amount of good will result from these interviews and from the measures that will be adopted. I have felt that it will be a most excellent thing for us to have a permanent organization of our best business men, and the most practical men, from all parts of our Territory, acting in the capacity of a board of trade, whose duty shall be to look after our manufacturing, mercantile and other interests; and should there at any time be anything wrong in our systems of doing business, tending in the least to prevent perfect union, that the necessary measures might be devised to remedy these things and bring about a concert of action upon all hands. Now you have heard it stated frequently that those who are engaged in home manufactures do not receive the patronage that they should do, that our home manufactories were not treated properly, that those engaged in them did not receive the sympathy of business men, and that the masses of the people were not disposed to patronize then, I think there is at the present time but little cause for statements of this kind; in fact I have not heard of them of late. But if we had such an organization as this—and I understand that Pres. Taylor is thinking seriously of having it a permanent organization—then if there were anything of this character that needed correction, if there was a struggling institution that needed help, by making a requisition to this Board of Trade, it perhaps could receive the support it needed, and be placed upon a firm footing in our midst, and perhaps be able to sustain itself and live.

Already the stockholders of Z. C. M. I. as it is called—Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution, met, and a report was made by the President and Secretary of that Institution, which I think was most gratifying to all present upon that occasion. I have been familiar with the institution since its inception. I think I can truly say that at no period since its organization was it ever in so good condition, having so few liabilities to meet as it has today. It is in a sounder, healthier and more prosperous condition than it has ever been. I allude to this because it is called the Parent Institution. In Box Elder County where Brother Snow presides, he took the profits of their mercantile business to start the branches of manufacture that are now in successful running order. Our institution has done much in a similar direction. It has carried many a struggling enterprise; it has been the beast of burden for almost every institution and every establishment and railroad almost in the country. It has accomplished an immense amount of good, far more than the mere paying of dividends, although it has done this to a surprising extent. Those who invested their means seem to have become the most discouraged. Therefore, in alluding to it in this manner, it is in justice to it, and in justice to those especially who have all the time, over and again, kept their shoulders to the Institution, sustaining it and bearing it up to the best of their ability. You all know, who have attended conferences in past times, how much President Young was interested in this matter; not so much in the sale of merchandise as in the principle of cooperation. And he and others have stepped forward repeatedly, and have sustained it in the midst of the people, when otherwise it would have gone down. I allude to this because it comes in the line of my remarks, in the thread of my argument, so to speak. To be successful we ought, instead of dividing asunder and drawing one from another, to cling closer together; it is of the utmost importance that all our financial matters should be conducted in a way to contribute to the influence of the whole people; it is of the utmost importance that we should take steps to develop in our midst something of a home character. Steps have already been taken, as some of you know, in the establishment of a tannery, and in connection with it a shoe manufactory I was exceedingly gratified to learn from the report that nearly $100,000 of home manufactured goods, besides a large list of small articles, the value of which was not estimated, had been sold during the last half year by the Cooperative Institution. I am informed that this was the purchase price, the price at which they were sold would of course amount to still more. This speaks well for home manufactures, sold by one institution.

It is an easy thing to tear down; any man no matter what his knowledge, no matter what his experience can pull down; a fool could set fire to a building; a few fools could set fire to a city and consume the works of man that had cost hundred of years of labor. It requires no wisdom for a man to criticize the acts of another man. It is even said that a fool can ask questions that could not be answered by the wisest men. Unwise people can criticize plans and schemes the creation of wise and experienced heads; that is a comparatively easy matter for parsons to do. But it requires great wisdom to organize; it requires great wisdom to create measures that will bind a people of diversified interests together; of varieties of views, dissimilar habits and to some extent of training, and to bring them together, and bind them together, and make one people of them, it requires the highest qualities of wisdom, and it is this we are endeavoring to do. Can it be found fault with? Undoubtedly there are many things in our organizations that are defective; but it is our duty, if there be faults, to correct them. If there be wise men among us let them come forward; let us see their wisdom, and not retain it to benefit one, but let it be used to benefit the whole. There was not any more obligation upon President Young, when he was alive, or upon the Prophet Joseph when he lived, than there is upon us individually; that is looking at it in one light. You and I all expect to share if faithful, the same glory that they will attain to. Every man and every woman in this audience comprising this body of Latter-day Saints, expect, if found faithful, to share with those who have gone before—the righteous and holy, and become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; that is, attain to the very highest glory. If this be our aspiration, our hope and anticipation, we should work for that, we should labor for it. In the words of the revelation I have read in your hearing, “He is a slothful servant that waits to be commanded.” A man may do, and he should do many things of his own free will in the exercise of his agency. And if there be wisdom in the breast of any man that has not been brought to light, let it come forth to the light that we may have the benefit of it in causing to be effected a more perfect organization of this people. For I tell you we have a perfect organization in view, and nothing short of it will satisfy us. The Twelve have all had it at heart, and they are bound by the covenants of the Holy Priesthood and by the responsibility which rests upon them, and upon him, who is the President of the Twelve and of the Church. I say we are bound by these covenants and these signs of re– sponsibility, and to labor today, and labor tomorrow, and labor continuously until eternity shall dawn upon us for the more perfect organization of this people in their temporal affairs. And as for division, we want it not; disunion, we want it not. We do not want to see the Elders of Israel fall asunder, dividing this people and leading them away from the union that should characterize us. We say that any man that does it is not of God; the man that does it is not inspired by the Spirit of God, and has not the love and prosperity of this work at heart.

We are struggling now, the elements are chaotic. In some respects we are endeavoring to gather together. Dealing in merchandise is a small matter, and yet it lies to a certain extent at the foundation of our business; therefore we talk about it; but merchandising is a small matter compared with the work of organizing the people to get them to manufacture and to furnish labor, that there may be no idle among us, that every boy and every girl, and every man and every woman in this community shall find employment; and that measures may be devised to use their labor and talent and ingenuity for the welfare and prosperity of this people for the elevation of the whole; not for the elevation of a few individuals, but for the uplifting of the entire community, and the whole human race out of ignorance, out of vice and from vicious habits, and everything degrading, lift us up, until we shall stand as man and woman could in the divine presence, filled with that divinity which we inherit from our Heavenly Father; and govern and control the elements with which this earth is so abundantly endowed, for our happiness, for the happiness of our posterity, for the happiness of the entire human family as far as they reach—from the north to the south, from east to west, until we shall comprehend the whole family of God our Heavenly Father, gradually diffusing the blessings we enjoy in these valleys throughout the entire earth, until the whole earth shall be benefited and blessed by our organization and by our existence upon it.

These are some of the responsibilities that devolve upon us as a people. Shall I live for myself? God forbid that I should live to spend my time and exercise the talent I may possess for my personal benefit, or for the benefit of my family alone. Why? It is unworthy of any man or any woman to live for self alone; to pile up our benefits and comforts for our own luxury and aggrandizement. God forbid that we whom God has chosen, we whom he has called and inspired by his Holy Spirit, and blessed with the everlasting Gospel, and upon whom he has placed his Holy Priesthood, and called us to be saviors of men, I say God forbid that we should do this, that we should settle down and think entirely of self and build up self, and let our sphere of usefulness be limited to our own family, extend not an inch beyond our own household and our own family circle. God did not choose us for any such purpose, he did not reveal himself to us for any such object; but he has chosen us to be his missionaries in the earth, to be the pioneers in laying the foundation of that great work that shall stand forever, that shall swallow up all the works and powers of man, all the organizations of man, shall swallow all up and comprehend them all within itself. He has called us to this high and holy calling; and it should be your aim and it ought to be my aim to labor for the general good. To starve ourselves? No. Neglect ourselves? No. Let our families go uncared for? No. This is not necessary, that is the other extreme. I have no right to have a family and neglect them; but on the other hand I am under obligation to look after them, to treat them properly and give them every advantage in my power. When I became a father I took upon myself that responsibility, and it is a serious one, that is, I should educate my children and train them up in a proper manner, and see that they do not go hungry or naked. But I have another duty, a duty that reaches out beyond the family circle, a duty I owe to my fellow creatures. It is my duty to use my surplus strength and surplus means for their good, to endeavor to make them better for my existence; because I have been born that the earth will be better for it, that men and women will be better because I have lived. And it should be that the world will be better, because this Church has been organized, that the world will be better for our existence as an organization. And it should be the aim of every man in this Church, of every Bishop and every President of Stake and every Counselor and officer of whatever name or calling; it should be his aim to labor for the salvation of the people. And the Apostles above all, it devolves upon us, it is the covenant, as I have said, of the priesthood we have received; and it rests upon us, and it requires us to labor to combine and unite the interests of this people. And we beseech you, in Christ’s stead, brethren and sisters, be ye united, put away bickerings, put away strifes, put away all those causes of division whether they are real or imaginary, and be united as a people, and I tell you in the name of Jesus, as one of his Apostles if you do this, the heavens will be open to you and the blessings of God will descend upon you, in your basket and in your store, in your fields and in your flocks, and herds, in your wives and children, in your husbands, in your fathers and mothers, in your brothers and sisters and all your organizations; the blessings of God will descend, like the dew distilled from heaven, and rest upon you, and all that bless you will imbibe and cherish the same spirit. Now, these things are pressing upon us. We have everything against us, the whole world it may be said, are ready to pass judgment upon us; but yet there are many who oppose the work of God who do so because they have not understood it, and such people, many of them will yet be gathered in and numbered among us. This work is not for this little handful of people, it is for the whole earth and all the inhabitants thereof and the day will come when the lessons taught by the Latter-day Saints will be approved by those who are not Latter-day Saints. When the good government maintained in the midst, of the people of God will be copied after, and we will be looked to as exemplary.

I pray God to bless you, to pour out his Spirit upon this Conference and upon all who shall speak and all who shall hear and all who are kept, away from the Conference that the same spirit may run through every heart; for I tell you, my brethren and sisters, it is in vain we labor, unless God is with us, in vain we assemble unless his Spirit is poured upon the people to make them to comprehend and to soften their hearts. It is a need greatly to be desired that God’s Spirit will descend upon the Latter-day Saints. Oh, that it might, be poured out in power and break and rend asunder the darkness that beclouds our minds, that we may see the things of God as they really are, and sense fully the responsibilities we are under as individuals before him. And I believe that it will be poured out more and more, and the blessings that we have yearned for and which we have prayed for and that we have so much desired in our hearts, and for which we have built Temples, these blessings will descend upon us, and the angels will be nearer to us, and the heavens will be more open to our cries and to our supplications to bestow upon us the blessings there of. We approach nearer to heaven correspondingly as we live the Gospel revealed to us. It is a precious Gospel, it is a Gospel in which there is contained every requisite to make men and women happy, and to produce a heaven upon earth; and if we will obey it and carry it out there will be more blessings conferred upon us. And that this may be the case, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.