Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, January 9th, 1881.

I made some remarks yesterday afternoon, in answer to certain questions which have been put to me in relation to the principle of Tithing, and I thought this morning that I would make a few additional remarks on the same subject, and perhaps touch upon some other matters.

I read over yesterday certain questions which have been asked me pertaining to this matter; and I thought I would take the liberty of answering these questions to this Conference. Perhaps there may be some here today who were not here yesterday, and there may be some here today who do not read the Doctrine and Covenants, and who are not acquainted with some of the principles relating to this subject. Therefore I will read again that which was read yesterday afternoon, which will be found on the 418th page of the Doctrine and Covenants, new edition. There may be some who have not this edition, and I will say therefore that the same revelation will be found in section 107 of the old edition.

“Revelation given at Far West Missouri, July 8th, 1838, in answer to the question, O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of the people for a tithing.

“Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, For the building of mine house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church. And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.

“Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.

“And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you. And this shall be an example unto all the stakes of Zion. Even so. Amen.”

The scriptures say that we shall receive line upon line and precept upon precept; and therefore it is necessary sometimes, to carry out these ideas in order that, where a people have been misinformed or have not judged or heard correctly, they may be put right in relation to all general leading principles. A feeling has more or less prevailed among the people that Tithing is a matter to be decided on exclusively by the individual paying it, and that if he pays it, all right; if he does not pay his Tithing, it is not quite so right, but it makes not so much difference. A good Saint perhaps, may be honorable and upright and honest in dealing; may be a tolerably good neighbor; he may be zealous to a certain extent, according to his ideas and notions in regard to the propagation of the word of truth; he may be active and energetic in many things, but if he does right in the main, Tithing is a matter of very little importance; it is only a temporary idea, it does not concern us much, it is only meant to meet the financial affairs associated with the Church—and that is a matter of very little importance.

Now it is proper that we should be correctly informed in relation to these matters, and as I stated yesterday, there is a great diversity of opinion existing among men, and even men in authority in the Church, say, Bishops and probably Presidents of Stakes and others, in relation to the principle of Tithing. Now, it is proper that we should have a correct view and a proper understanding of this principle. We are here to carry out the purposes and designs of God, and as I under– stand it we have been gathered together according to certain revelations which have been given for the establishment of His Church upon the earth, and that we, as a people, profess to be the Lord’s people, and under His guidance and direction. Each one, if he is living his religion, is supposed to have the spirit of light, of truth and intelligence within himself, the spirit of revelation, the Holy Ghost given unto him by the laying on of hands which, if he follows in all its guidings and dictates will lead him into all truth. Each man and each woman is placed in the position that they can draw nigh unto God through Jesus Christ: to have the light and intelligence of the Spirit of God imparted unto them; but because of the weakness of man, because of our many infirmities, and because of the powers of darkness and of the many influences that have been at work from the commencement of the world until the present time seeking to destroy, to uproot and to overturn the principles of eternal truth, and to lead men into error, darkness, confusion, and death, and because it is the way and order of God, He has ordained a holy Priesthood for the guidance, for the direction, and for the instruction of His people.

We are told that in ancient days God placed “in the church first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers;” and again, “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” For what? “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” That was the teaching of one of the old Apostles. Furthermore, the Lord has instituted in the Church in these last days the same Priesthood that formerly existed, and for the same purpose. We have, say, a First Presidency; then we have the Twelve; then we have High Priests; then we have Seventies; then we have High Councils, and Bishops and their Counselors; then we have Presidents of Stakes, each Stake in its form a compact body, with a President and his two Counselors, and Bishops operating in their place and presiding over their various Wards, and the High Councils operating in their place, with the Priests, Teachers and Deacons operating in theirs, all working and operating together. Then we have Relief Societies, and Mutual Improvement Societies, and our Sunday Schools, and Primary Associations, and all the various organizations and institutions which are organized for the instruction of the rising generation, male and female. Thus we have the various officers in the Church performing their several duties with honor, integrity and truthfulness before God, looking after the interest, the welfare and the happiness of those that are associated with and that are under their jurisdiction. Then these various Stakes, in their organizations, with their Presidents, are subject to the presiding authorities, and the Presidents thereof have to render an account to the Presidency of the Church; and the Presidency of the Church ought to be able at all times to render an account to their Heavenly Father.

This is an order, as I understand it, that is introduced by the Almighty, and by Him alone. It is not of man, nor did it proceed from man, neither can it progress nor be perfected by man without the direction of the Almighty. In fact, with all these helps, with all these organizations, with all these principles, owing to the weakness and infirmities of man, we find it difficult to preserve in purity those sacred institutions that God has given unto us, and we continually need the greatest care, humility, self-denial, perseverance, watchfulness and reliance upon God. We talk sometimes about free will; is that a correct principle? Yes; and it is a principle that has always existed, and proceeded from God, our Heavenly Father. When God revealed Himself to Joseph Smith it was optional whether he obeyed His counsel or not; I suppose, however, looking at things as they exist, and as they are in truth, God understood that he would do it, he having been selected for that purpose a long, long time ago; and that the Lord knew that he would adhere to those principles and would carry out the designs of Heaven as they should be communicated unto and required of him. We received the Gospel; was anyone forced to obey it? Was there any coercion in any possible way manifested toward us? Not that I know of. Was Oliver Cowdery, who was the second Elder in the Church, obliged to receive this Gospel? No, he was not. Was Hyrum Smith obliged to receive it? No, he was not. Were any of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon—the Whitmers and others? No. And after they did identify themselves with this Church, were they com– pelled to stay in it? No. Have any of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventies, the High Priests, or the members of the High Councils, or the Presidents of the Seventies, or any class of men in this Church, been compelled to occupy the position to which they have been called? I do not know of any, do you? I know there was no coercion used with me further than the force of truth recommending itself to my mind, neither was there with you further than the power of truth operating upon your minds. And after you received the Gospel were you compelled to leave your homes to come here? No, you were not. In fact, it was your desire to come here, and you could not be kept back from coming, because you were impelled by the spirit which the Latter-day Gospel inspires to come to the land of Zion. If this is called compulsion, it is not the compulsion of man, but the operation of the Spirit of God, which you received through obedience to the Gospel.

We may here ask, in acting under the dominion or control of the Priesthood are any of you forced to do anything you do not want to? If you think you are in any possible way, I absolve you from it today, every one of you. These are my ideas about the rights of men. It is “all free grace and all free will,” as the poet has it. We have not been coerced to come into the Church, we are not coerced to remain in it. But we have taken upon ourselves a profession of faith in God, and as Latter-day Saints we believe that God has spoken, that the heavens have been opened, that the everlasting Gospel has been restored to man, and we believe that God has organized His Church by revelation, through his servant, Joseph Smith, in the form that we now have it. This is our faith. We cannot help that faith. I cannot help my faith, neither can you help yours. There was from the first, scriptural evidence adduced and a certain kind of reasoning used to enlighten our minds. We believed, after hearing the preaching of the Gospel, that it was our duty to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of our sins, and to have hands laid upon our heads for the reception of the Holy Ghost. And when we received that Holy Ghost, which takes of the things of God, it showed them unto us; and then we were placed upon another footing from what we were before; and that Spirit has enlightened our minds in regard to those things of which I have spoken, as well as in regard to many others. If God has revealed unto us certain things can we help our faith in them, and can we help knowing this to be the Church and Kingdom of God? No. Can I? No. Can you? No. What would men have to do to deprive me of this faith? They would have to cut off my head, or in some other way to kill me; and then they could not change my faith, that would be impossible. If a man knows a thing, he knows it, and he cannot unknow it. There is one way whereby we can unknow these things, and that is by giving way to evil influences, to the powers of darkness, and by departing from the light of God; and then the light within us becomes darkness, and then “how great is that darkness.” But when you talk about controlling a man’s faith, it cannot be done; and I would say to people who are bent upon having me change my faith, all you have to do is to cut off my head, and even that would not do it, because I would still be myself entertaining the same faith in the next world. And there– fore, all that men could do toward accomplishing this object would be to destroy the body, but that principle which God has implanted in our hearts it would be impossible to destroy; hence says Jesus, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Now, speaking again of the organization which I have referred to, connected with it are laws which are calculated to lead us on from strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge, and from intelligence to intelligence, until we shall all see as we are seen and know as we are known. And hence God has given for this purpose the various offices that exist in the Church and Kingdom of God. I would further ask, What is this Priesthood given us for? That we may be enabled to build up the Zion of our God. What for? To put down wrong and corruption, lasciviousness, lying, thieving, dishonesty and covetousness, with every kind of evil, and also to encourage faith, meekness, charity, purity, brotherly kindness, truthfulness, integrity, honesty, and everything that is calculated to exalt and ennoble mankind, that we may be the true and proper representatives of God our Father here upon the earth, that we may learn to know His will and do it; that His will may be done on earth as in heaven. And hence, Zion is spoken of as being the pure in heart.

When the disciples of our Lord asked Him to teach them how to pray, what did He say? “When you pray say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we for– give our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Besides other things they were taught to pray that God’s kingdom might come. Why? That the earth might be delivered from oppression, cruelty, tyranny, from corruptions, infamy, licentiousness, debauchery, and all the evils that afflict humanity, and which have been introduced by the powers of darkness for the overthrow and destruction of the human family. Jesus stands forth as the great propitiator between God and man. He came here as the representative of His heavenly Father, He is our great High Priest, and he lives to intercede for us before the throne of God, who is also our Father, Jesus being our elder brother.

Now, then, God has gathered us together for a purpose, and that purpose is to build up Zion and to establish His kingdom on the earth and He could not do it in any other way that I know of than the way in which He is doing it; He may however have some other way, but if He has I am not acquainted with it. It is sufficient for us to know that He has chosen this way. Very well. We are taking hold and are doing a great many good things. I feel very much interested in the labors which are being performed. My heart is drawn out in many instances to many peoples and organizations that are engaged in trying to teach the people the ways of life. When I see the Twelve thus engaged, traveling about from place to place teaching the pure principles of the Gospel of peace, I feel like saying in my heart, God bless you, and God sustain you; and all Israel ought to have the same feeling. Then when I see our missionaries doing the same thing not only in our midst but elsewhere, seeking to promote the benefit of men, to introduce correct principles and to expose error, and to lead men to the truth and to gather them to Zion, I feel to say, God bless you in all your operations, and may the Spirit and blessing and power of God be with you; and all Israel ought to sustain such men who are engaged in such beneficial labors. Then when I see our Sunday Schools in operation, with our young men and women, and in many instances the aged men and aged women taking an interest in our youth and trying to train up the rising generations in the paths of life, I say to all such, God bless you and may His peace and blessing be upon all who are interested in the welfare of Israel. And again when I see our young men and young women associating themselves together for mutual instruction and edification, learning to comprehend correct principles and educating themselves to become efficient laborers in the work, the great, the important, the eternal work of God which He has committed to us—when I see our young men and women engaged in that way, I say to such, God bless you, and may the peace and the blessing of God be with you. And when I see our juveniles who are organized as Primary Associations, brought together and taught to sing the praises of God, and to comprehend the principles of the Gospel—and in many instances their parents scarcely sense the responsibility God placed upon them when He placed these precious jewels in their care, making them the fathers and mothers of lives—when I see our brethren and sisters engaged teaching these children to lisp the praises of God, and to honor and obey their parents and to do that which is right, I say God bless them. And when I see our Bishops engaged in doing the will of God, and exerting themselves to promote the welfare of His people over whom they preside, and seeking counsel from God and other sources, and doing all they can to build up Zion unselfishly, with pure hearts and clean hands, I say, God bless you and may the spirit and power of your office rest upon you, that you may magnify it and honor your God. And when I see the Seventies and Elders go among the nations of the earth, as many have done before, trying to benefit mankind, trying to snatch them from the fearful calamity that is near at hand, but people do not know it, when I see men going forth to accomplish the purposes of God and gather out His elect, I say to such, God bless you; and I feel desirous and hopeful that these men may be able to present the eternal truths of heaven in such a way that the honest in heart may see and admire them, and participate in the blessings resulting from obedience thereto.

We are here, then, to build up Zion. We have a temple going up here, and we have others in course of erection in other places. Now, while we have no disrespect for the world, no disrespect for the nations in which we live, or for the authorities thereof, if they act wisely, well; if they do not act wisely it is not so well. No matter about that; we can trust them in the hands of God. We are the friends of all men, and are the friends of this nation; we are the friends and supporters of the Constitution of this nation, we are the friends of right, of freedom and of good administration and good men everywhere, and that on the principle of which I spoke a while ago—on the principle of freedom, liberty, believe, and let believe, worship, and let others worship, worship as you please according to the dictates of conscience, and let others do the same. It is for us to be governed by correct principles, and as far as it lies in our power to extend to all men this right, and then maintain, on correct principles, our own rights, the rights of others and the rights of God. These are my feelings in relation to this matter. But the world do not comprehend our principles; they cannot. But we can afford to teach them the Gospel even if we are abused for doing it; we can deal justly with them, and then suffer their abuse. No matter. We can do all this and a good deal more, and also advocate the rights of men, look after our own interests and welfare, and the interest of the community we are associated with and sustain all just laws and correct principles. And then we can leave those men who violate correct principles in the hands of God. But they cannot comprehend these things, they do not possess that spirit which alone enables men to fulfil those principles, which are given by the Almighty for the benefit of the human family. We do understand them, I mean, those who are faithful to their profession, as Latter-day Saints; but some of us possess the spirit by which they are actuated, and I am sorry when I see it. But as a people we are not of the spirit of the world; we are here not to pattern after the follies of the world, but to build up Zion, the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth; and God has given unto us a portion of His Spirit, that we may seek after Him, and seek to carry out His will, and He will continue to enlighten our mind, and we shall grow and increase, and our path will be as that of the just, growing brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Do the world understand anything of the religion we have received? No. It is nothing new to say this; this was understood long, long ago.

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither indeed can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned;” and when they do not possess the spirit of truth, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, by which alone they are understood, how can they comprehend them? Well, having said so much, let me come back to the question of Tithing.

The people were anxious at the time the revelation was given in Far West, to know what the Lord required as a Tithing from His Saints. I was there at the time; it was in 1838—quite a little time to look back to. Some time, however, before this revelation was given, God had revealed the principle of the United Order, which, as you know, the people could not abide; and when we come to think about it, it could hardly be expected that they could do so, they having been in the Church but a short time, taken out of the world, with all the prejudices and weaknesses that you and I have. But the time will come when we will obey these things as they are given by the revelations of God, and it will not be a hardship either; it will be a pleasure to those who are under the influence of the Lord. But like all other things, it will be “free will and free grace.”

Now, then, we come to this. Here is a command given; who to? Not to outsiders, not to men of the world, not to people who do not believe in God nor in His laws; but it is given directly to us who profess to have faith in Him, in His laws, and in His Priesthood. The question then is, what is our duty, as we have not obeyed the other law? I will remark here, incidentally, that when this law of Tithing was given, a great many people were gathering up to Far West and to that district of country, as we are to this country; but it would apply more to our early settlements than at the present time. This people thus gathering to Far West, were told that it was required of them to give their surplus property—I will read it.

“I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, For the building of mine house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church. And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.” What then? “And those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.”

Now, here is a people, of whom we form a part, who met together to ask the Prophet of the Lord to inquire for them the will of the Lord concerning this matter of Tithing; and He gives it in these words:

“And this shall be a standing law unto them forever.”

I will ask, has the Lord ever annulled this? No. Then it stands in full force today to this people. Then again:

“Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.”

That is very plain talk. Is there any compulsion about it? No; but if they do not do it they shall not be considered worthy to abide among you. What are we to make of it? As I said yesterday, I did not make it; President Young did not make it, neither did Joseph Smith make it; but by the request of the people he asked the Lord what His will was, and this was the answer; and this was given in 1838. And does it not seem strange that we do not comprehend it? I think it does sometimes. Here we have had the Doctrine and Covenants in our hands, which contain this revelation, since the year 1838; that is nearly forty-two years ago. We have had forty-two years to study this doctrine, and it is as plain as you can make it, and yet it would seem that we cannot understand it. Do we want to understand the laws of God? If we do, and will read these things under the influence of that spirit which I have referred to, I think that we will understand our duties without much trouble.

Now then, if Zion—we were talking about building up Zion—I am not going to enter into the whys and wherefores of these things, but will say it is a test to the people of God, or for us who profess to be, that we may know whether people will observe a certain specific law given by the Almighty or not, and thus have a proof of their fidelity and obedience. Now, if we abide this, all well and good; if not, it is written, “They shall not be found worthy to abide among you.” What will you do with them? I often think that there are a great many people who are not worthy to abide among us; don’t you? And then if God were to put judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, most of us would be in a very poor fix. I will tell you what I think should be done, and that is why I am treating upon this subject today. I think the people ought to be instructed in these things, and then if they do not live up to them you will not then be held responsible to the authorities that preside over you. The Lord tells us that they shall not be worthy of a place among us. Do we want to alter that? Not one iota. Would I wish to be harsh to men that are ignorant? No, I would not; I would bear with them, and teach them and instruct them. And if I were a Bishop I should instruct my Teachers to do it; and then by and by, after they were fully informed, and had every opportunity to become acquainted with things, we might take final action in relation to their standing. I would not wish to enforce that law at present, until men were thoroughly informed. For instance, the case I referred to yesterday. There were two men; one paid $100 in tithing, the other paid $25 in tithing. Both of them owned about the same amount of property; but the first paid his tithing, the other did not. The second, however, paid some $75 in donations; but he did not pay his tithing, he only paid a quarter of it. That now may have arisen from ignorance with regard to the law. The last paid out as much money as the first; and he may have been wrongly taught. Some of the Bishops do not understand these things, and yet we have had this doctrine given unto us for forty-two years. Has a man a right to turn and change things as he pleases? I have not, and I do not believe any other man has. And if any Bishop or a President of a Stake or anybody else tells you that you can do as you please about the disposition you make of the means you pay, as long as you pay a certain amount, or you may pay it on Tithing or not, as you please, I tell you that he teaches false doctrine. But should we be hard with such people? No. If they have been under influences of this nature and been wrongly taught, I will say, as a certain party said to me who had been doing these things, “I will switch off and pay my Tithing according to the law.” You, Bishops and Presidents of Stakes, switch off and get the people to do things right. There is no commandment about donations, but there is about Tithing; and I am not at liberty to change this, neither any other man.

I will follow this subject a little further. We are talking about building up Zion. Here is where the thing applies itself with great force to me as well as to you, when you comprehend it as it exists and see it by the light of the Spirit of Truth. For it is written: “And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.” Well, we are talking about building up the land of Zion, which is one of the things we are here for. And God has said that if we do not obey this law, it shall not be a land of Zion unto us. Does this apply to us? I will read a little further: “And this shall be an ensample unto all the stakes of Zion.” Now, I speak these things for your information. I will go a little farther upon the subject. A person wrote me a letter, stating that a young man had applied to a certain Bishop for a recommend to get married. He asked him if he had paid his Tithing. He answered, No. “Well,” said the Bishop, “We are instructed not to give recommends to those who do not pay their Tithing.” “But,” said the young man, my father I suppose paid my Tithing for me.” If this was so, that would be very proper, especially in farming districts, where the grown sons assist in cultivating the farm, and the daughters, perhaps, assist in making the butter and cheese, etc. When the Tithing on the whole is paid, that is all straight enough, because what is made is the proceeds of the united labor of the family, and the family are all, of course, represented until they come to age. And then what? Why then comes another state of things. “Have you paid your Tithing since you left your father?” the young man was asked. No. Why? I have been careless and indifferent and I have not done what was right. Well, if you haven’t paid your Tithing, and you seem to have forgotten God, why is it that you want to get married according to the laws of God? Why not get married in some other way, seeing that you observe not the laws of God? Well, in the first place, my father and mother wish me to be married according to the laws of God; and then my intended wife’s father and mother want us to be married in that way; and again, the girl has told me that she will not have me unless we get married in that way. I will here remark, I think this very sensible and creditable on the part of the young lady; I think she acted very wisely, and I wish all our young sisters felt the same, and they ought to on a matter of such importance to them. Says the young man further: “I have a desire to keep the laws of God, for I was born in the Church, and I have grown up with such feelings, but I was not man enough to practice them. But if you give me the recommend I will try and do it in the future.” But the question is, under these circumstances, should the recommend be given? I could not do it, unless there was some visible manifestation on his part to mend his ways and to make up the thing he had been deficient in. “Why,” it may be asked, “Is it not better to have our sons married in the right way and be kind to them, than to see them go elsewhere to be married.” As I said yesterday, as I say today, if it were a son of mine I could not give him the recommend; and other men’s sons under the same circumstances are no better than mine. It is principle we are to be governed by. I am not here, you are not here to carry out our own designs, and feelings, and purposes. Why, Jesus himself did not come to do that. According to His own words, He came not to do his own will, but the will of his Father who sent Him. And we are here not to do our own will, but the will of the Father who also sent us, and who has called us to our holy and exalted calling. And what shall be done? Unless this young man could convince me, if I were a Bishop, that he was sincere in his heart and made some satisfactory attempt at fulfilling this law, I would not give him a recommend. What? Would Elders of Israel take men into the House of God, would you, because God has revealed some of the greatest blessings that can be conferred upon humanity, blessings which thousands and tens of thousands of good men sang about and prayed about and longed to receive, but who died without enjoying them, should we take a man, a man whom this Book says, shall not be worthy to abide amongst you, should we, I say, take him through the House of the Lord and confer and seal upon him blessings and lives eternal, and thrones and principalities and powers and dominions, and introduce him into the society of the highest intelligences that exist in the eternal worlds? I forbid you to do it in the name of the Lord. We cannot do it, we are not at liberty to do it, neither are we at liberty to use our judgment in regard to it either. If we bear with men in their weakness and infirmity and are obliged to carry a lot of men like so many automatons, the time will come and it must come when they will be shut out, they will not be found worthy to abide among you; they are not worthy now. But we have to bear with them until they are better informed; but until then they must do the best they can, for they cannot go into the House of the Lord, they cannot be sealed up to eternal lives, they cannot have part in the blessings which God has conferred upon us until they bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

I will take it in another point of view. We pay our Tithing and we pay Temple donations, we attend to the duties of the House of the Lord; we go forth and proclaim the Gospel of peace to the nations of the earth; we convert people, under the blessing of God, and they come to a knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, and we continue our labors to build up Zion; looking at it in this light, would it be just, after we have laid out our means, would it be in accordance with the principles of equity to grant this privilege to such men, a privilege which we have earned and, in a certain sense, paid for? It is generally the case that they are the first to rush forward and want certain blessings without earning them. Jesus said in His day that the “kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” These are some of that class who crowd in where they are not worthy to tread. These temporal matters they assume are of very little importance, they are of very little importance judging from the way that many of us labor; but they are of very great importance when weighed in the balances of truth, the principles of eternal life which God has revealed are of the utmost importance to the Saints, both to the living and the dead, to the myriads of men that have lived and that may live, these things are of vast importance.

I thought I would talk a little upon this subject this morning. I will now offer a few remarks upon another subject. We talk sometimes about justice; and I have noticed the spirit manifested among us sometimes, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This is something that really does not belong to us. We are full of infirmities. We pray to the Father to forgive our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. How often do we sin against God? Many times, and ask His forgiveness. How often should I forgive my brother? I hear people say, “here is such and such a man, he has wronged me, and I cannot forgive him.” Then you have not the true spirit of the Gospel. “But he has acted so meanly towards me, he has injured my reputation, and he sought to do it.” Bless your soul, he cannot injure your reputation if it is good; on the contrary, by taking a correct course, according to the spirit of the Gospel, he that has traduced you will respect you and will be the sufferer, not you. It is our duty to forgive our brother seven times, yes, seventy times seven, when he turns to you and seeks your forgiveness; and we should forgive men in our hearts whether they ask our forgiveness or not. And what about our enemies? What shall we do with them? Offer them peace and forgive them the first time. And what then? Go again the second time and forgive them? Yes, if they ask forgiveness. And the third time? Yes; but the fourth time the Lord says thine enemy is in thine hand, do with him as seemeth thee good. You have then fulfilled the law; and even then, if you are merciful, it is said it shall be accounted to you for righteousness. This is the law of the Gospel.

I am desirous to see the people observe this law of Tithing, because it is a plain and direct command to us. Not that I care anything personally whether people pay their Tithing or not, and I do not think the Lord cares much himself. The gold and the silver are His, and so are the cattle upon a thousand hills; and to Him belongs power to command all things. And what we do possess of this world’s goods is given unto us to make a wise use of, because we cannot take them with us when we shall be called hence. It is for us, as Saints of the Most High, to be honest and upright and take a correct course, to be full of integrity and maintain correct principles everywhere and at all times. If our enemies cannot afford to treat us aright, we can afford to treat them aright. But we will not barter away our rights, but leave ourselves in the hands of God, and seek to Him for His guidance; and if we keep His commandments, God’s blessing will rest upon us. Therefore, in regard to this, it is not a matter of pecuniary interest that prompts me to speak to you; it is a test of faith which God has given unto us, and which affects us all and that for some reason known to God. But speaking of ourselves, it is positively stated, as before referred to, that those who do not observe this law shall not be considered worthy to abide among us; and further, that this shall be a standing law unto all the Stakes of Zion. Again, the Lord says: “If my people observe not this law, etc., it shall not be a land of Zion unto them.”

We have to build up Zion, and make it the praise of the whole earth; but to do this acceptably to God, we must be governed by the principles of purity and honesty; truthfulness and integrity and all the sterling virtues which God has pointed out for man to be governed by. And when the Saints arrive at this state of perfection, thus fulfilling this scripture with regard to the greatness and splendor of Zion, God will make His people not only the richest of all people in spiritual things, but also in temporal things.

God bless you, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Discourse by President George Q. Cannon, delivered at Tooele City, on Sunday, October 31, 1880.

We profess as a people, to be led by revelation, and I hope our professions are not in vain; in fact I know they are not. I know that this people, called Latter-day Saints, do have revelations, that they have the word of God given unto them as they need it, according to their faith and their diligence and their good desires before the Lord. And those who speak unto the Latter-day Saints are different in this respect from every other class of ministers that I know anything about. We do not cogitate in our private apartments or in our libraries or in our studies what shall be said to the people, and to frame discourses to deliver to them. It is right and proper that the Elders of this Church should try to inform themselves respecting the principles of the Gospel; but it would not be right, neither is it right for them to prepare their discourses and arrange before hand what they say to the people. We might tickle your ears, we might say pleasing things to you, we might give utterance to fine moral sentiments which you would think very beautiful; but they might not be what the people need. It requires the inspiration of the Almighty to take of the things of God to impart to the people. Without that I know it is useless for any Elder in this Church to attempt to teach, and that if he taught his teachings could not result in any possible good to those who listened.

President Taylor, Brother Lyman and myself were conversing yesterday upon the subject which this bears reference to, about the abundance of good things there is in the world which are pleasing to the inhabitants of the earth. I was reminded myself on going upon one occasion when upon a mission in England, at the invitation and earnest persuasion of some friends, to listen to a very eloquent man who was a Church of England minister, who had a great reputation for eloquence and ability. I never heard anything more beautiful than his lecture; it was full of moral sentiment and beautiful ideas, and was very interesting indeed to listen to. And one would have thought that a man with such sentiments would be capable of leading the people and teaching them and making them much better than they were. The world is full of such ideas and sentiments. You read books which are written by men who are not of this Church, and you many times find in them sentiments which you cannot help but admire; they are charming and they are true; you feel when you are reading them, that there is a great deal of truth in their doctrines, and then they are set forth so convincingly. If you visit their churches, doubtless, you will find men who are able to deliver sentiments of this character to the people. You take such a man as Henry Ward Beecher; he is noted for his eloquence and the good sense which characterizes many of his discourses. He is able to talk to the people in a most sensible way about a great many things. Such men you may sit and listen to, and be really pleased with many of their ideas. There are other noted men, who are also able to deliver moral truths in a charming manner; but what does this amount to? Does it make the world any better? To some extent it does. But there is something that all these men lack, and which the world lacks, that is the Priesthood of the Son of God and the power of God. There have been Elders of this Church who could not read, who have gone forth to preach; but they had in them the power of God, they had the inspiration of the Almighty, they had the everlasting Priesthood, by authority of which they were authorized and empowered to declare unto the people the principles of life and salvation. These men, although ignorant and unlearned, and not capable of teaching by their own wisdom, have been the means of bringing salvation to hundreds and thousands of souls, and of bringing them into the Church of Christ, and into a condition where they could receive the Holy Ghost.

This is the difference between this Church and the churches of men. It is not that they do not believe in good moral sentiments, and are not capable of teaching them; it is not that they are ignorant, for they have a great deal of what is called worldly wisdom; but it is that they are destitute of the power of God, the inspiration of the Almighty, and the gift of the Holy Ghost; therefore their teachings do not bring people to a knowledge of the truth.

I was very much impressed this morning when I arose. It was cold, but we were comfortably housed, in good quarters; we had good beds to sleep on. We were visitors here; and I could not help contrasting the feelings we have for one another, and the feelings which exist in the world. We are strangers to each other in some respects; we are not blood connections; in fact, there were but very few of us who were not strangers to each other, yet I certainly feel that I am among my brethren and sisters.

I do not suppose there are any Latter-day Saints in this house who would not share what they had, if they possessed but little, with the Elders who come in their midst. And if they had a good, comfortable place, they would prefer giving it to the brethren who visit them, than taking it themselves. There is that feeling of love begotten in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints that the world knows nothing about. And yet we are selfish, and have yet much to learn in this respect. But that love which we have for each other and for God and His cause, He has begotten in our hearts. We are united together through the love of the Gospel and the love of truth. We are united together as no other people in the world are. What is this done by—by preaching moral sentiments? By fine discourses? By dwelling upon thoughts which men have framed and put together in their private studies, by their own wisdom? No. All the books in the world could not have brought about such a condition of things as we witness in our midst and experience in our hearts. We might have read all the books which have been written by the learned of the world, if it were possible to do so, and then taken the Bible which is said to be the word of God, and read that, and we might have heard all of the wise men talk about these things, and about the wisdom and the sublimity of knowledge and the attractiveness of truth, and everything of this character, and what would it have amounted to? We see what it all amounts to in the world. They have texts, they have knowledge, they have wisdom, they have schools, they have colleges, they have access to all human knowledge there is, ancient and modern, and what does it amount to? They are divided up, they are split asunder, and are really ignorant concerning God. They are full of differences concerning points of doctrine; they contend over the smallest things, and difficulties which are irreconcilable are begotten in their minds. A man who has the spirit of God given unto him through obedience to the Gospel, and who is ordained to minister in the things of God, even if he can scarcely read, as I have said, goes forth among the people accompanied by the power of God, and searches out the honest in heart. He does not use flowery words, he does not deliver great swelling discourses; but he preaches the truth in simplicity, in meekness, he tells people what to do to be saved, and he has the authority from the Lord to administer the ordinances of salvation to the people; and when they repent humbly before God, and confess their sins, he baptizes them for the remission of their sins, and lays his hands upon their heads for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and they become new creatures. A change takes place; they become new creatures in Christ Jesus. They put away the old man and his deeds, and they become new; they receive of the Spirit which unites them together and makes them one; and all those beautiful thoughts, and those glorious truths, and those delightful moral sentiments which they hear and have heard outside this Church, they can understand and they can see which is true and which is untrue; they can distinguish between the two; and they are knit together in love one to the other.

This is the marvelous work, and a wonder concerning which Isaiah spoke. The Lord said, through that Prophet: “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men: Therefore, behold, I proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” The wisdom of the wise has perished in the presence of the Gospel declared by the Elders of this Church, and we, as a people, have been gathered out as a standing protest against the folly of the creeds of men, and as a standing protest against that which is called the wisdom of man. And the Lord has shown by the building up of this Church that he is able to do his own work in his own way. And he chooses his own instruments, through whom to accomplish it; and when we shall have finished our work, none of us will be able to take any glory to ourselves; no single son or daughter of Adam will be able to claim the least degree of credit to himself or herself when the work shall be accomplished. The Lord is determined that he shall have the glory; that his name will be praised for all that has been done, and that shall be done. If we were the learned, if we had the wisdom of the world, and if we were to accomplish these results through worldly wisdom or power, there might be an opportunity given unto us to take glory to ourselves; we might under such circumstances say, it was by our wisdom and by our ability that these things were accomplished. But as it is we cannot do that; and if we attempt it and continue to indulge in such a belief, the Spirit of God will leave us to ourselves, and our weakness will be made apparent not only to ourselves but unto all men with whom we associate. But God will have a tried and peculiar people. We have been tried to some extent, but not to the extent which we probably will be; there are many things in which we will be greatly tried before we get through. Every Latter-day Saint who gains a celestial glory will be tried to the very uttermost. If there is a point in our character that is weak and tender, you may depend upon it that the Lord will reach after that, and we will be tried at that spot, for the Lord will test us to the utmost before we can get through and receive that glory and exaltation which He has in store for us as a people. When we think about the character of the exaltation promised unto us, we can understand why this should be the case. What are we striving for? What are we aiming to obtains? Our constant prayer to God is that we may be considered worthy to receive celestial glory. That is the prayer of every one who belongs to the Church. Every man and every woman who prays unto the Father, who is in the habit of doing so, ex– presses that desire in his or her prayer—that we may be counted worthy to receive celestial glory and exaltation in the presence of God and the Lamb. What a great thing to ask! Do we take in, as a people and as individuals, the full purport of this request! When we talk about celestial glory, we talk of the condition of endless increase; if we obtain celestial glory in the fullest sense of the word, then we have wives and children in eternity, we have the power of endless lives granted unto us, the power of propagation that will endure through all eternity, all being fathers and mothers in eternity; fathers of fathers, and mothers of mothers, kings and queens, priests and priestesses, and shall I say more? Yes, all becoming gods. For this is the power of God; it is the power by which God presides over the universe, and fills the universe with power, and which we pray unto Him to bestow upon us. This being the case, do you think that we are going to attain unto these things without we show ourselves perfect before the Lord? Do you expect that God will save you and me and exalt us, and give unto us this inestimable, this indescribable glory, if we are full of sin, if we yield to temptation, and are not tested and are not tried in all these things? Do you imagine that God will do all this for us; can you conceive of such a result if we are imperfect and full of frailty, and continue to yield to temptation, and doing those things that are contrary to the mind and will of God? I cannot; I do not look upon God in that light. I think that He is a perfect and holy being, and that the words of Jesus which he spoke unto his disciples are intended for us: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” We, as a people and as individuals, should seek to attain to that perfection, to be as perfect in our sphere as God our Eternal Father is in His; and we cannot attain to that exaltation and glory which He has promised unto us, unless we are thus perfect.

I do not have any other view than this of the character of the salvation and exaltation that God has promised unto us; and I therefore do not expect that any man will ever enter into the Celestial kingdom of our God, until he is tested and proved in all things. Some men think they can slip around—I have heard such men talk—they think they are going to get into the celestial kingdom without obeying the law of celestial marriage. I do not have any such ideas about exaltation; and yet I am perfectly satisfied there are men who will be counted worthy of that glory who never had a wife; there are men probably in this world now, who will receive exaltation, who never had a wife at all, or probably had but one. But what is necessary for such a case? It must be perfection before God, and a proof of willingness on their part, if they had the opportunity. I will instance the case of a man whom you perhaps know by reputation, namely that of Elder Lorenzo D. Barnes. He was a faithful man in the Church, a man of zeal, a man of integrity, a man who did all in his power to magnify his holy Priesthood, and he died when upon a foreign mission before he had one wife. The Lord will judge that man, as he will all others, according to his works and the desires of his heart, because had he lived, and had had the opportunity, I am fully satisfied he would have obeyed that law. I do not doubt that he will receive exaltation in the presence of God. We have young men who die before they have had the opportunity to obey that law, and they will, doubtless, receive also, inasmuch as they were worthy; for the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, understanding the worth of all men, will mete out to them accordingly. But if we live in the flesh, you may depend upon it we shall be tried in all things. If I have an appetite, if I have a passion, if I have an inclination which is in conflict with the law of God, if I do not subdue it and bring it into complete subjection to His law, I do not see how I can enter into celestial glory. I cannot conceive, with my views respecting God, and His wisdom and justice, and all His holy attributes, that I could ever enter into the celestial kingdom whilst in that condition. I must bring every appetite. I must bring every passion, I must bring every desire of my being into complete subjection to the will and mind and law of God, or I cannot receive the exaltation He has promised unto His faithful children. I say, I cannot, and I cannot see that anyone can. If there is anything about us—if there is selfishness in us, if there is a disposition in our hearts not to yield upon a certain point, or to have our own way and own will; and carry that will into effect in opposition to the will of God, we cannot in that condition receive exaltation at His right hand. And if we die in that condition, we will have in some other state of existence, to get rid of it, or we cannot get exaltation. That is my idea. If I value my life more than I do the will of God; if I value my wives or children more, or my earthly substance more than I do the will of God, then I am not in the condition to receive exaltation and glory. I will tell you what I think about these things, and the manner in which I view the life which is to come. If there is anything that stands between me and the will of God which would prevent me from doing that will perfectly as He requires of me, if there is anything which I love more than God, I am not in a condition to receive that glory. If I think more of my own life, if I think more of my own will, if I think more of a wife or child, or of all my wives and children, or of my property, or of my time, or of anything over which I have control or which belongs to me, and is part of me, than I do of God, then I am not in the condition to receive the exaltation; I am not worthy to receive it; I am not willing to bring everything I have or which belongs to me into complete subjection to Him, and to what He requires of me. When He says, Go, to go; when he says, Come, to come; to do that which he requires, or to refrain from doing so, as He may require; and to do this not only when He, himself, tells me I must do it; but to do it also through the voice of those whom He has chosen to hold control. For God has His mouthpiece on the earth; He has always had one when He has had a Church. He chooses one man who holds the keys of His kingdom; He chooses one man as revelator to His Church, to teach His people the mind and will of God concerning them, and His word through him is binding upon the people. Then he chooses others as helps, and they too have the power to counsel. “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him who sent me,” as Jesus said, “If they receive you they receive me; if they receive you and me, they receive my Father who sent me.” This is the doctrine. And God has chosen His servants to minister to the people, to teach them and instruct them upon all those points, so that they may receive salvation and exaltation under the leadership of that Priesthood which He has restored, and which will bring us into the celestial kingdom. And as I said, it is not the wisdom of man; it is not the power of man; it is not the learning of man which does these things; it is not the learning of man which has gathered this people together, for the wisdom of the world combined would have failed to have gathered this people as they have been from nearly all of the civilized nations, and if all the combined wisdom of earth had tried to build up the Church which the Latter-day Saints have, their endeavors would have failed; they could not have done it. There is no power of man which could have reached you at your firesides and dwelling places and gathered you to Zion, as you were gathered. It required the power of God, and that power manifested through humble men—men despised by the world; nevertheless it accomplished the result. And that same Priesthood which has brought us here, and through the power of which we were inducted into this Church, and through the power of which we have been nourished and guided in the Church, that same Priesthood will continue to teach and direct us, until we shall be brought back into the presence of God our Father. It will be through the ordinances of that Priesthood administered to us, that these results will be accomplished—by binding wife to husband, children to parents, parents to parents—until the whole shall be bound together, from our father Adam to the last one born to the earth, and all the links be welded. It will be done by the sealing ordinance which God has restored, and if we ever get the full benefit of these things, we will have to do it in the way I have endeavored to describe.

I say to my sisters, you expect to receive exaltation in the presence of God. Will you obtain it if you do not bring your will into subjection to the will of God? No. Will you be cast off? If you do certain things, you will. But I think the women of this Church would have to do a great many bad things before their God would cast them off entirely. The Lord may feel after them, He will bring them through circumstances such as will eventually purify them. But no woman can enter into the celestial kingdom any more than a man whose will is in opposition to the will of God. When God speaks all must submit to it. It may not be pleasant to us; it may come in conflict with our traditions; it may not be that which will suit us if we had the choosing. There are a great many things which would not suit us if we had the choosing, according to our natural feelings, for these are often far from correct. But whatever feelings we may have which may be the result of tradition and false education, we must get rid of and be willing to do that which God requires at our hands. And it is the experience of the women of this Church who have done that—I speak now of plural marriage, for that is one of the most trying things—those who have submitted to this order, have reached a point where they enjoy true happiness, because in sacrificing their own will they have the consciousness of knowing that they have done the will of God; and in their supplications to Him they can ask Him in confidence for such blessings as they stand in need of. Where is the man or the woman who has been diligent in observing the requirements of God, who has failed upon any point upon which he has sought earnestly to God? If there are any, there must be something lacking, they have not that claim upon God which they would have if they had submitted perfectly to the requirements made of them.

Another point connected with our religion, which is trying to some people, is their fondness of carrying out their own will in relation to temporal affairs. “I want to manage my own affairs in my own way; I want to do that which is pleasing to me.” Is there a vein of selfishness running through our nature upon these points? I think to myself that that must be entirely conquered before we can receive that glory to which I have alluded. If I have property, it is my duty to take care of it; if I have means, it is my duty to husband it, and carefully use it in a way that shall be beneficial to others as well as myself. But there is still a higher duty devolving upon me and upon every member in this Church, and that is to do as we are told by the servants of God. For instance, if I am in business, if I am in the midst of some enterprise which requires my personal attention which the withdrawal of my personal supervision would cause to result in failure, and the servants of God should call upon me to let that drop, to go here or there, even if it should be at the sacrifice of all my worldly interests, it would be my duty as a Latter-day Saint, as one who is struggling for an exaltation in the presence of God and the Lamb, to drop that at the moment I am required, and to do as I am told. Or, if I have property that is needed for the work of God, for the establishment of the principles of the Gospel, it is my duty to give that which I shall be required to do, in order that the law of God, so far as that is concerned, shall be complied with. If I should not be willing to do this, then how can I witness to my Father that I am desirous of receiving celestial glory? You feel as I do, that it is necessary for our salvation and exaltation, that the men who hold the Apostleship should administer unto us the ordinances, in order that we may derive the full benefits which flow from them. If these men have a right to do this, and we recognize their power in administering these ordinances unto us, considering that if they administer them they will be bound and recorded in heaven, and that we shall have the benefit of them in the morning of the resurrection; if these are our feelings, shall we say that this same authority shall not dictate us in regard to these perishable things by which we are surrounded? It would be very unreasonable, indeed, for us to take a different view. Therefore, it follows, in my mind, as a natural consequence, that we must hold ourselves entirely subject to that authority which God has placed in this Church to lead and guide us. The steps we have already made to our present condition have taught us this. We have been led gradually from the waters of baptism until today, under the guidance of the holy Priesthood; and from the waters of baptism to the present time all the blessings we enjoy have come to us through the holy Priesthood, and the power which God has bestowed upon His humble servants; there is not a blessing which is of any value which we have not received through that medium. This being the case, it is a natural consequence that that Priesthood shall continue to exercise a power in dictating us as to what we shall do.

There was considerable said yesterday, about what a good lot of people you are; and while I would not like to mar the pleasure you may derive from the representations given of you, there is this to be said about Salt Lake City Temple District, of which you form a part, that there is not that disposition to build Temples, and forward the work of God, by the use and donation of means, which is observable in other Stakes, and in other Temple districts.

I tell you another thing we discovered upon examination of these things—for we examined them somewhat, but not so thoroughly as we might have done—we found that those who have paid the largest amount on Tithing in proportion to the number of souls, have done the most towards building Temples. We found that in St. George, where the people are all poor, that they paid more Tithing and more Temple donations in proportion to each soul than any other part of the Territory. We found that in Cache Valley, where the people are building a Temple, that they not only paid a good tithing but also a larger proportion of donations than any other part; showing that those who give the largest donations to Temple building are able to pay the most Tithing. These are facts which should be understood by us. The Lord has told us from the beginning, in all which has been spoken to us by his servants, and by that which has been written in the revelations, that he will bless those who are liberal in sustaining and supporting His work, that His blessings will rest down upon those who manifest faith. You look for instance—I do not know that it would be wrong for me to allude to the Twelve—you look to them, you see the way they have labored, in going here and there according to the directions of the servants of God who have presided over them; they have not stopped to inquire whether or not it would suit their worldly circumstances to take such a mission or to do such a work; they have never stopped to consider a moment whether their individual interests would be affected by their going; they have always been ready and on hand to go at call, and has not the Lord blessed them? Has He not opened up their way before them? Has he not given unto them his holy spirit, witnessing to them that their course has been pleasing in his sight? He certainly has, according to my view; and so he has all the faithful Elders of the body of the Priesthood. You look at the men who have been the most faithful in doing that which the Lord required at their hands, and you will agree with me that they are the men who have been blessed; and you look at the men who have paid their Tithing the most diligently, and you look at the women who have stood by and sustained their husbands’ hands under these circumstances, whether upon missions, making donations, on otherwise contributing to the forwarding of this work, and you will find that if they are not so well off, in a worldly sense, they are rich in faith, and as a rule they are better off in worldly circumstances than those who have been more selfish and niggardly in their labors and donations to the Church of God. You, sisters—and there are some I see in this congregation whom I have known abroad when preaching the Gospel—let me ask if you have not been blessed when you have entertained the Elders and been kind and liberal to them, as many of you have been? Have you not felt abundantly rewarded for it in the increase of the Holy Spirit, and the pleasure and peace and joy which have filled your hearts when you have taken this course? So with you, brethren, when you have done your duty towards the work. When you have helped the Elders, have you not felt a blessing come from God, and rest down upon you which has more than satisfied you? Certainly you have, and those who have been at home who have been liberal in parting with their means to assist in forwarding the interests of this work, have you not been blessed? Has not the Spirit of God witnessed to you that this is the course you should have taken? Certainly, this is the testimony of every faithful Latter-day Saint. God requires that we should be liberal in relation to these matters, for great essential blessings depend upon the building of Temples in our midst. We cannot have our dead redeemed, we cannot ourselves be prepared for the exaltation that awaits us unless we attend to these matters in accordance with the law of God respecting them. There are generations to be looked after. For 1,400 years, the people on this Continent were without the Gospel, and the power of the Priesthood, and, indeed, so far as that is concerned, it is nearly 1,800 years since the Priesthood was upon the earth; and the salvation of the unnumbered millions of people who have lived since that period will have to be cared for. Trace, if you can, your own genealogy back only for a few generations, and see how it spreads out on every point. For instance, for one mother we have two grandmothers, four great-grandmothers, and eight great-great-grandmothers, etc. And thus it spreads out like the branches of a tree, until all of the inhabitants of the earth will be brought in. God has chosen us from the various nations for this purpose. There are men in this Church from almost every race of men, and if representatives from all the races are not now, they will be in. God scattered the seed of Israel through all of the nations of the earth, so that in the great gathering of the last days He might be able to get representatives of all the families of men. And we are chosen for this purpose. The seed has been scattered among the nations; and when the descendants of Israel here, heard the sound of the Gospel, it was indeed the glad tidings of salvation to them. They knew the voice of the shepherd, it was like telling them something they had forgotten but always knew; they felt that it was something they had been waiting for, the sound thereof was most delightful to the soul. The reason that the sound of the Gospel had such an effect upon us was, because we were chosen from before the foundation of the world, for the express purpose of coming forth in this day to receive it and well may it be said that your lives have been hid with Christ. You have come forth in these last days to be instruments in His hands of bringing souls to a knowledge of the truth as his in Christ Jesus. In the Temples that shall be built, you will have the opportunity of standing therein, as saviors, upon Mount Zion. That is your calling; and it is your privilege to be saviors on Mount Zion. God is giving you the means and ability in order that you may have it in your power to accomplish these things—to build Temples. It is a great labor devolving upon us. God sent the Gospel to you and gathered you out from the nations of the earth by His wonderful power; even by bestowing the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way upon you. Through its influence you knew the truth when the Elder came to you, you knew the voice of the shepherd, you knew it to be the voice of glad tidings for which you had been waiting, and you obeyed it gladly, and have been gathered with the Saints of God. It is your duty now to rise up, all of you, and trace your genealogies, and begin to exercise the powers which belong to saviors of men, and when you do this in earnest, you will begin to comprehend how widespread, how numerous your ancestors are for whom Temple work has to be performed, in order that they may be brought into the fold; and when you get stopped, the Lord will reveal further information to you; and in this way the work of salvation and redemption will be accomplished, even from Father Adam down to the last one; or to speak more properly, down to the Prophet Joseph, who was the first of this dispensation. From Father Adam down to him, all being linked together by the sealing ordinances which God has restored, and the powers of which will be exercised in the Temples of God, all being united together as brethren and sisters, for we are all begotten of God. We are related to each other; we may not have the same blood in our veins now, but it will be found when we trace it back, that we are of the same family; hence it is that we love one another as we do, at least, that is one reason for it. It is true we have been scattered among Gentile nations, and are called Gentiles, but nevertheless we are of the pure seed, having come through Gentile lineage that we may be the means of saving them, and through our faithfulness we shall stand at their head. This is the blessing which rests upon us as descendants of Abraham.

It is a great privilege we have to take of our means and to put it in the Temples which we are building. It is a great privilege in this great latter-day dispensation which God has given us, a peculiar privilege; but when we are digging and delving and struggling with poverty and get our minds filled with darkness and unbelief, we forget it all and think our lot is hard, and the Priesthood is making hard requirements. When you are asked to pay Tithing, it is said that some want to know what is done with the Tithing. If such folks were to come into the council they would soon find out; they would find at any rate that the Apostles do not eat it nor consume it, they would find that it is handled with as much care as it is possible to handle such things, and that they feel accountable to God for the responsibility which rests upon them. But when the Saints get their minds engrossed with the cares of the world, they forget the blessings which God has bestowed upon them, and what he designs to do with them, and things which they ought not to think about come up in their minds. I look upon our condition as one of peculiar blessedness. I think all of us should be thankful that we are counted worthy to be members of this Church. To be a member of this Church is a great thing. I am very thankful to have my name numbered with the Latter-day Saints, to be a sharer in the blessings God has bestowed and promised unto us. We have the holy Priesthood, we have wives and children given unto us, and husbands, wives and children are sealed together by the eternal power of the holy Priesthood, the binding power which connects them together for time and eternity. When you think that you are chosen to be saviors to the children of men, to stand as a medium through whom salvation shall flow unto unnumbered thousands, what manner of people ought we to be? They pray for you today in the spirit world, as they have been no doubt from the beginning praying for their descendants, that they may be faithful to the truth. You cannot tell the interest felt in eternity for you, my brethren and sisters, by those of our dead who have gone before us. Their hearts yearn after us, their constant desire being that we may be faithful and maintain our integrity and be prepared to bring salvation to them, and redeem them by going forth and obeying every ordinance which God has established in the Church for the salvation of the living and the dead. You cannot be made perfect without them, neither can they be made perfect without you. It is for us, being in the flesh, to perform this work, and to educate our children the same way, that our young men and young women may feel that in laboring to build up Zion they are establishing the work of God, and, at the same time, laying a foundation for their own exaltation, in His presence, and for those of their ancestry and posterity. This is the feeling we should have. Instead of being oppressed in our feelings, and permitting ourselves to believe that these things are hard upon us, that it is hard to pay our Tithing, or to make donations, or to do this or that which may be required of us, we ought to feel it is a plea– sure and honor and a great privilege to be counted worthy to have the opportunity to do this. There are men in this Church who have felt that they could traverse the earth to get to see a servant of God who could baptize them. I have heard men say that they would have undertaken the labor of walking around the earth, if they, by doing so, would have been sure to meet a man of that kind. You have met men of that kind, men who have had authority to baptize you for the remission of sins, and by being baptized by such men your sins have been remitted in the sight of God, and of angels. You came forth from the waters of baptism clean and pure so far as these old sins are concerned, and you had the Holy Ghost sealed upon you by authority of the holy Priesthood, and you have been inducted into the kingdom. And yet some of us forget that we have been made the recipients of these blessings, our minds become darkened, and we forget all that God has done for us. Here we have men among us, through whom we can have the word of God when we want it; just think of it; men dwelling, as it were, so near to God, that you can have the counsel of Jehovah given to you about this matter and the other matter you may choose to hear about. This is within your reach. Who appreciates it? We begrudge a little Tithing or a little donation, and think it a wonderful sacrifice to fulfil such minor duties. If we were to devote our entire time, the labor of our bodies and spirits to the interests of this work, what would it be in view of what God has done for us? Is there a blessing you have desired of Him that he has not bestowed upon you when you have sought for it properly?

Brethren of Tooele, I said some plain things to you last evening. I hope they will be borne in mind; I hope that you will endeavor to so live that your prayers will avail with God, and so as to have a conscience void of offense before God and man. Why should we not have a heavenly influence dwelling upon us? Is there anything to be compared to it? Nothing. And God has placed it within our reach. It is like the drinking fountains we see in the city, you can drink at them until you are satisfied, and it matters not how thirsty you may be, and your drinking will not prevent my drinking, and your being filled will not prevent my getting filled. God has opened this fountain to us, the fountain of peace, the fountain of joy, the fountain of happiness, the fountain from which all can drink and all be filled, and it will not deprive anybody else from the same. Did you ever have anything to equal it? Did you ever taste anything that equals the taste of the Spirit of God—the sweetness, the heavenly joy and the peace which it brings to the soul? You who have partaken of it know that there is nothing so sweet. Honey to the natural taste is not to be compared to the sweetness of the Holy Spirit to the spirit of man. God has spread out this feast before us, and invites us to partake of it, to fill ourselves until we are perfectly satisfied. And He warns us against evil, and beseeches us to forsake sin. He wants us to be pure, he wants our young men to be pure and to have His Holy Spirit. He is willing to bestow His gifts upon us, but He will be sought unto in prayer and faith for His blessings. I am not talking about something theoretical, but something you know for yourselves. You had it after you joined the Church; you felt then as you never experienced before. Have you cherished that Spirit from that time to the present? If you have, the Gospel is indeed the power of God to you, and the sound thereof is full of glad tidings, and great joy, and the testimony of peace reigns in your hearts.

I pray God to bless you and fill you with His Spirit, that we may be full to overflowing, and that it may enable you to conquer every evil desire and bring all of your appetites into complete subjection to his mind and will, which is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in the General Conference, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Oct. 10th, 1880.

I will make a few remarks while the Sacrament is being administered. It is gratifying to me to be able to state that now all the various organizations of the Church are provided for. For some time the Twelve have been operating in the capacity of a First Presidency, and it was very proper that they should have acted in that capacity. As you heard Brother Pratt state this morning, in referring to this subject, this was the course adopted at the time when the Prophet Joseph Smith left us. The Twelve then stepped forward into the position of the First Presidency, and operated for about three years in that capacity. And when President Young left us it was thought proper that the same course should be pursued. The Twelve, I believe, have in this respect magnified their calling and taken a course that is approved by the Lord, and I think also by the brethren, judging from the vote given here today.

Had it not been our duty to have the Church organized fully and completely in all its departments, I should have much preferred to have continued with the brethren of the Twelve, speaking of it merely as a matter of personal feeling. But there are questions arising in regard to these matters that are not for us to say how they shall be, or what course shall be pursued. When God has given us an order and has appointed an organization in his Church, with the various quorums of Priesthood as presented to us by revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, I do not think that either the First Presidency, the Twelve, the High Priests, the Seventies, the Bishops, or anybody else, have a right to change or alter that plan which the Lord has introduced and established. And as you heard Brother Pratt state this morning, one duty devolving upon the Twelve is to see that the churches are organized correctly. And I think they are now thus organized throughout the land of Zion. The Churches generally are organized with Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, with High Councils, with Bishops and their Counselors, and with the Lesser Priesthood, according to the order that is given us.

Then we have the High Priests, Seventies and Elders occupying their places according to their Priesthood, position, and standing in the Church. And the First Presidency seemed to be the only quorum that was deficient. And it is impossible for men acquainted with the order of the Holy Priesthood to ignore this quorum, as it is one of the principal councils of the Church. While the Twelve stand as a bulwark ready to protect, defend and maintain, to step forward and carry out the order of God’s Kingdom in times of necessity, such as above referred to, yet when everything is adjusted and matters assume their normal condition, then it is proper that the Quorum of the First Presidency, as well as all other quorums, should occupy the place assigned it by the Almighty.

These were the suggestions of the Spirit of the Lord to me. I expressed my feelings to the Twelve, who coincided with me, and, indeed, several of them had had the same feelings as those with which I was actuated. It is not with us, or ought not to be, a matter of place, position, or honor, although it is a great honor to be a servant of God; it is a great honor to hold the Priesthood of God; but while it is an honor to be God’s servants, holding His Priesthood, it is not honorable for any man or any set of men to seek for position in the Holy Priesthood. Jesus said, Ye have not called me, but I have called you. And as I said before, had I consulted my own personal feelings, I would have said, things are going on very pleasantly, smoothly and agreeably; and I have a number of good associates whom I respect and esteem, as my brethren, and I rejoice in their counsels. Let things remain as they are. But it is not for me to say, it is not for you to say, what we would individually prefer, but it is for us holding the Holy Priesthood; to see that all the organizations of that Priesthood are pre– served intact, and that everything in the Church and kingdom of God is organized according to the plan which He has revealed; therefore we have taken the course which you have been called upon to sanction by your votes today.

I would further remark that I have examined very carefully for some time past some of those principles you heard read over in the Priesthood meeting, and which were referred to in part, by Brother Pratt, this morning. And there are other principles associated with the Priesthood that we wish and hope to have thoroughly defined; so that every man will know his true position and the nature of the calling and responsibility and Priesthood with which he is endowed. It is very proper and very important that we should comprehend these things; every man in his place, and every woman in her place; but I more particularly refer to the Holy Priesthood, that every man may feel and realize the duties and responsibilities which rest upon him.

It is gratifying to me, and it is no doubt satisfactory to you, to see the unanimity and oneness of feeling and the united sentiment which have been manifested in our votes. Those votes being taken first in their quorum capacity, each quorum having voted affirmatively, then by the vote of the Presidents of the several quorums united, and afterwards by the vote of the quorums and people combined, men and women, among the many thousands assembled who have participated in this vote, having a full and free opportunity, uncontrolled by any influence other than the Spirit of God, to express their wishes and desires, there has not been, from all that we could discover, one dissenting vote.

You could not find the same unanimity anywhere upon the earth. Union is a principle that exists in the heavens, and so far as we manifest this feeling in all sincerity, so far do we exhibit our faith in God, in His Priesthood, and in His law as revealed to us. For our religion, our Priesthood and all the blessings and ordinances that we possess were not given us by any man or any combination of men; it was the Lord who revealed all of these things or we could not have been in possession of them. We have had an example here today of the unanimity which characterizes those possessed of the Spirit of the Gospel, and it ought to be a pattern for us in all of our affairs.

And now let me refer with pride to my brethren of the Twelve here, which I do by saying that while they as a quorum held the right by the vote of the people to act in the capacity of the First Presidency, yet when they found, as Brother Pratt expressed it this morning, that they had performed their work, they were willing to withdraw from that Presidency, and put it in the position that God had directed, and fall back into the place that they have always held, as the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I say it is with pride that I refer to this action and the feeling that prompted it. I very much question whether you could find the same personal exhibition of disinterested motives and self-abnegation, and the like readiness to renounce place and position in deference to principle, among the same number of men in any other place. They saw the necessity of this action; a motion was made in that Council; and the vote was unanimously adopted that the First Presidency be reorganized, and after– wards the brethren to fill this quorum, were selected. The next step was to present the matter to the Church, and it was laid before the Priesthood at a meeting, when there were present a representation of all the important authorities of the Church in the different Stakes in Zion. After having done that, lest some difficulty might exist somewhere, it was thought proper to pursue the course taken today—that each organization of the Priesthood, embracing all the quorums, should be seated in a quorum capacity by themselves, and separately have the opportunity of voting freely and fully without control of any kind, and of expressing their feelings, and finally, that the whole congregation should have the same opportunity. This is emphatically the voice of God, and the voice of the people; and this is the order that the Lord has instituted in Zion, as it was in former times among Israel. God gave his commandments; they were delivered by His Prophet to the people and submitted to them, and all Israel said, Amen. You have all done this by your votes; which vote, so far as we can learn, has been without a dissenting voice either among the separate quorums, or in the vote of the combined quorums and people. Now, continue to be united in everything as you are in this thing, and God will stand by you from this time henceforth and forever. And any man who opposes principles of this kind is an enemy of God, an enemy of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, an enemy to the people of God, and an enemy to the freedom and rights of man. The Lord has selected a Priesthood that He might among all Israel make known His mind and will through them, and that they might be His representatives upon the earth. And while He does this He does not wish men to be coerced or forced to do things contrary to their will. But where the Spirit of God is, there is union, harmony and liberty, and where it is not there is strife, confusion and bondage. Let us then seek to be one, honor our God, honor our religion, and keep the commandments of God, and seek to know His will, and then to do it.

I do not know but that I have spoken as long as I ought to. God bless you; God bless the Twelve; and God bless the Presidents of Stakes and their associates, and the Seventies and the High Priests, and the Elders, and the Bishops, and the Lesser Priesthood. And God bless the Relief Societies, and the Young People’s Mutual Improvement Associations, and all who love and fear God and keep his commandments. And may God bless the Sunday Schools and the Primary Associations and the educational interests, and all interested in the welfare of Zion, as well as all the good and virtuous, the honorable and high-minded everywhere, who are seeking to promote purity, holiness, and virtue on the earth. And God bless our singers and all who make music for us; and may the peace and blessing of God rest upon all Israel. And when you go to your homes, carry out the principles you have voted for, and God will bless you and your generations after you; and you shall be blessed in time, and through all eternity. And I bless you by virtue of the holy Priesthood, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, Oct. 10th, 1880.

I have been asked by President Taylor to address the congregation this morning on a particular subject, in which we are all interested, namely, the divine authority of the Priesthood, divine callings, ordinances, etc.

We have in this Church several thousand male members who hold authority and power which they say is from heaven. If it be from heaven, as we testify, and have testified ever since the rise of the Church, then the Lord our God has manifested His power, and in His mercy has once more bestowed authority upon the children of men to administer His holy ordinances, and to occupy the positions to which we have severally been called. On the other hand, if the views of the world are correct—they do not consider us to have any authority—we are then on the same ground and platform with the rest of the religious world, there is no authority upon the earth. One or the other is true.

There never was a principle more clearly proven than that the inhabitants of the earth are destitute of all divine authority, among all religious denominations, whether Pagan, Mahometan or so-called Christian; the authority cannot be found throughout all the various denominations that have existed through the long period of time called the dark ages, until the Lord, in His mercy, has organized His Church again on the earth and bestowed that authority, and if He has not done it, as the world say He has not, there are no persons upon this whole earth that have any authority from the heavens; and therefore we are just as well off as the balance of them.

We are not indebted to man for the various authorities in this Church; this is our testimony. Man did not commence this work, man is not the originator of this work, neither is he the origin of the authority by which we administer. The Lord did not see proper to organize the authority of this Church all at once in all the various councils and authorities that, from time to time, have been ordained among this people; it was a gradual work. Authority was bestowed before there was any Church. First (not the authority of the Priesthood) but the authority to bring forth the plates of the Book of Mormon, and to translate them by the Urim and Thummim, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This was the first authority conferred upon the one whom the Lord chose to commence this great work. The authority of the Priesthood was not conferred upon him at that time, but He revealed unto him concerning the everlasting Gospel contained in the ancient records kept by the Nephites, or Israelites, upon this great Western Continent.

Joseph Smith, when he translated these records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, had not yet received any Priesthood, so far as his temporal existence was concerned. But now, do not misunderstand me in regard to this position. He did hold the Priesthood before he came here upon the earth. I remarked that Joseph, so far as any ordination here in the flesh was concerned, held no Priesthood at the time that he brought forth the plates of the Book of Mormon and translated them; but he did hold the Priesthood, which was conferred upon him in the councils of eternity, before this world was formed. You will find this recorded in a sermon delivered by the Prophet Joseph, showing that not only he, but also all of the faithful that have received the Priesthood here in this life, were ordained before the foundation of the world. Consequently, they had the ordination; that ordination was after the order of Him who is from all eternity to all eternity, an everlasting Priesthood, without father, without mother, without beginning, without end; having been handed down from all eternity. That Priesthood was conferred upon Joseph Smith before he came here; he was among those that are spoken of in “The Pearl of Great Price,” whom the ancient Prophets saw in heaven. Moses saw them, and Abraham saw them, namely, the spirits that existed before the world was made; and they saw that among that vast number of spirits there were some choice ones, some that were noble in the sight of God, probably because of their integrity and steadfastness in upholding truth; among those noble ones were those whom the Lord chose before the foundation of the world to come forth upon the earth in their second estate, and to hold authority and power in the various dispensations, and to administer the plan of salvation to the human family. Abraham was among that number. The High Priests that lived from the days of Adam down to the flood were among that number, who were then chosen and then ordained, according to the foreknowledge of God. It is recorded in the Book of Alma regarding the Priesthood, that the ordinances of the Priesthood and the calling to the Priesthood were without beginning or end. There may be a beginning to the person who is called, but that Priesthood existed before that person was called, and there was no beginning to the calling, no beginning to the ordinances of the Priesthood, no beginning to the Priesthood itself, being handed down from all eternity, being in existence in all of the worlds that were worthy of having the Priesthood and authority from God. The reason for my making this observation is to clear up one point which may perhaps trouble the minds of some of the Latter-day Saints.

You have read in the revelation given on the 22nd day of September, 1832, that without the Priesthood and the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is not manifested unto men in the flesh. You have also read in that same revelation, that without the ordinances of that Priesthood and the power thereof to administer to the children of men no man could see the face of God the Father and live. When you read this plain saying your minds may have reverted back to the days when there was no Priesthood so far as ordination was concerned, on this earth, I mean the ordination that took place here. You find a little boy, Joseph Smith, calling upon the name of the Lord, in the spring of the year 1820, before he was not yet fifteen years of age; and the result of his calling upon the name of the Lord was that a pillar of fire appeared in the heavens above him, and it continued to descend and grow brighter and brighter, until it reached the top of the trees that were growing around about where he was praying; and so great was the glory of this light that this lad, this youth, this boy, seemed to feel almost fearful lest the trees themselves would be consumed by it. But it continued to descend until it rested upon this lad and immediately his mind was caught away from the surrounding objects, was swallowed up in a heavenly vision, in which he saw two glorious per– sonages, one was the Father, the other was the Son.

“No man without the Priesthood, can behold the face of the Father and live.”

Now, this has troubled the minds of some of the Latter-day Saints. “How is it, (say they) that Joseph lived, after having seen the face of the Father, after having heard the words of His mouth, after the Father had said unto him, ‘He is my beloved Son, hear ye him.’”

If you had thought upon this other subject, namely, that Joseph had been already ordained before this world was made—to what Priesthood? To the Priesthood after the Order of an Endless Life, a Priesthood that is everlasting, a Priesthood handed down, that had no beginning, a Priesthood after the holiest Order of God, a Priesthood that was after the Order of His Only Begotten Son. If you had only reflected that that same Priesthood had been conferred upon him in the councils of the holy ones before the world was made, and that he was ordained to come forth in this dispensation of the fulness of times to hold the keys of authority and power of that high and holy Priesthood—that he was ordained to come forth and perform the work that God intended to accomplish in the latter times, then the mystery would have been cleared up to your minds. He was not without the Priesthood in reality; but was a man chosen, a man ordained, a man appointed from before the foundation of this world, to come forth in the fulness of times to introduce the last dispensation among the children of men; to come in order to organize that kingdom, that was predicted by the ancient Prophets, that should stand forever; to come to fulfil the great and glorious work of preparation for the coming of the Son of God to reign in righteousness upon the earth; he could see the face of God the Father and live. But after having received this heavenly vision, after having brought forth the Book of Mormon, and translated it (the Lord having prepared a way by which the book could be printed), and having received the command of the Almighty to organize the Church, and having received the Priesthood reconfirmed upon him by Peter, James, and John, and prior to that having received the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, on the 15th day of May, 1829—having all these preparations here in the flesh as well as having been preordained to this mission, he was prepared to begin the work that should be everlasting, or in other words, the establishment of the kingdom of God that should never again be taken away from the earth.

The Apostleship being conferred—the Aaronic Priesthood having been previously conferred—all the powers of the Priesthood rested upon this man, and he had the right to the authority to administer, not only in the introductory principles of the Gospel of the Son of God, by which people might be born into the kingdom, but also had the authority and the power from the heavens to administer in all the sacred ordinances of this kingdom, at least so far as the building up of the Church was concerned, and of officiating in the various offices of the Priesthood. After having conferred this authority and power, the Lord was prepared to give little by little, one portion or degree of Priesthood after another, until by and by, in accordance with the revelation given in June, 1829, He called twelve men to be Apostles, some three or four years after the revelation was given, when it was predicted that such should be the case. What did we know about the callings and duties of this council of the Twelve? Nothing, only as God revealed it through His servant Joseph.

After this Apostleship was given, some were faithful therein, others were not; some lost the authority of the Priesthood, others retained it, and the blessings of God were upon those that were faithful in their calling, while the curse of an offended God followed those who abused this sacred trust, and their Priesthood was taken from them and conferred upon others that were worthy of it. The Lord also, about the same time that He called the Twelve Apostles, was prepared to call Seventies to minister under the direction of the Twelve; and many were ordained to this Apostleship, and they were men who had proven themselves faithful before the Lord: and others were perhaps ordained who had not been fully proven, and therefore the opportunity was afforded them, acting upon the agency they had in common with all men, of proving themselves before God. Some of them were faithful, others were unfaithful; those that were unfaithful apostatized eventually and left the Church, while those that were faithful continued in their office and calling until many of them passed down to the tomb; and having magnified the good office and calling that had been conferred upon them, they will claim, in the eternal worlds the blessings appertaining to their several offices.

And what did we know about these Seventies and their particular calling? Were there specified duties assigned to that body of men anciently, whose call by the Savior is recorded in the New Testament? No, we were ignorant. The Prophet himself, the Twelve and all that had been called, knew nothing in relation to the duties of these Seventies until the Lord revealed what they were, and at the same time He pointed out the duties of the Presidency of the Seventies, both the duties of the seven men constituting the Presidency of all the Seventies, and also those of the seven men that were to preside over each Council of the Seventies. The Lord made manifest these things not all at once, but from time to time, as the people progressed and were counted worthy in His sight to receive further knowledge upon these things. You may ask, why it was that the Lord did not give the whole pattern at once, why He did not unfold everything all in a moment? It was because we were as little children then, and indeed I am of the opinion that many of us are little children still—and we could not bear all things at once; therefore He revealed unto us enough from time to time to set our minds reflecting; He revealed sufficient to cause us to be stirred up in our minds to pray unto Him; and when we prayed unto Him about any of the duties of the Priesthood, then He would reveal it. But He would be sought unto by His people before He would reveal a fulness of knowledge upon these important subjects. This seeking unto the Lord to obtain little by little, and precept by precept in the knowledge of the things of God, is just the way a wise parent would instruct his own sons. Our parents would not tell us all about the various branches of education when we were two or three, or four years old; but they taught us as children, giving us line upon line until we could understand more fully those things that pertained to a good education. So the Lord dealt with His people, as a wise, judicious, kindhearted parent, imparting just according to the faith of the Latter-day Saints, and according to His own mind and will, and good pleasure.

By and by, after the Church was organized and there being no Bishops the Lord saw that it was necessary to introduce some kind of a plan in relation to the property of His people in the State of New York. What did the Lord say to us under those circumstances, when we were not fully organized? Said He to the Church in the State of New York, in the General Conference, through the mouth of His servant Joseph, in a revelation given on the 2nd day of January, 1831, He said, Let my Church in this land flee out from the State of New York; let them go westward to the land of Kirtland, and join my people in the State of Ohio; let them do this immediately, lest their enemies come upon them, etc. The Lord understood what was in the hearts of the enemies of His people; He understood what they were doing in their secret councils, in their secret chambers to bring to pass the destruction of the Latter-day Saints that were in the States of New York and Pennsylvania. How shall this work be done? No Bishop to take charge of the properties. The Lord said, Let certain men among you in the State of New York be appointed to take charge of the properties of my people, that which you cannot dispose of or sell in time to flee out; let them have charge of it to sell it in after times for the benefit of the Church. Here, then, was a revelation appointing certain men without ordination, without the Bishopric, to handle properties, to do that which Bishops were afterwards required to perform. Now, here is a lesson for us. Because the Lord does one thing in the year 1831, and points out certain men according to the circumstances in which people are placed, that is no evidence that He will always continue the same order. The Lord deals with the children of men according to circumstances, and afterwards varies from that plan according to His own good will and pleasure. When these men had fulfilled their duties in relation to the properties of the Saints, and the Saints had gathered out from New York and Pennsylvania to the land of Kirtland, then it became necessary for a regular Bishop to be called and ordained, also his Counselors. Did the Lord point out that these Bishops should be taken from the High Priesthood? No.

“And again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge; and I give a commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop unto the church.” And with regard to choosing his Counselors, the Lord said they should be selected from the Elders of his Church. Why did He say the Elders? Because the High Priests at that time had not been ordained; that is, they had not been ordained under that name. Although the Apostleship had been conferred upon Joseph and Oliver, even they were called Elders; the word High Priest was not known among them to be understood and comprehended until a long time after Bishops were called; and that is the reason why the Lord said to Bishop Partridge, “select from the Elders of my Church.” “But,” says one who has read the Doctrine and Covenants, “you will find in the revelation given on the 6th of April, 1830, something about Bishops, High Priests, etc.”

[The speaker was here stopped that an important notice might be given out.]

I was saying that at the time that Bishop Partridge was called and ordained a Bishop, on the 4th of February, 1831, that at that time there were no High Priests, they were not known under that name, but were known under the name of the Apostleship, etc., and hence Elders were specified to be called as Counselors. I was also saying that in the revelation given on the 6th day of April, 1830, there was nothing said about High Priests at the time the revelation was given; neither about Bishops. But you will find two paragraphs in that revelation which mention them, which paragraphs were placed there several years after the revelation was given, which the Lord had a perfect right to do; and if it were necessary we might quote examples from Scripture to show that the Lord adds to any revelation when He sees proper, in order to make it more fully understood. For instance, you recollect that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah a lengthy revelation regarding the king of Israel and the house of Israel. And that when the revelation was given to the king of Israel and after he “had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed.” Did the Lord give it over again? Yes, “and,” says the Scripture, “there were added besides unto them many like words,” not in the former revelation. If the Lord took that method in the days of Jeremiah, was there anything inconsistent in the Prophet Joseph, in years afterwards, adding the words, “Bishops and High Priests,” in order that the people might more fully understand? My motive in mentioning these things is that the people may understand the ways of the Lord. His ways are not as the ways of man, neither are His thoughts limited by our limited thoughts or conceptions. But He does as He pleases.

By and by the time came when the Lord saw proper to make manifest something in relation to the name and the authority and the power of this High Priesthood; showing us that it was after the order of His Only Begotten Son, that it holds the keys to power, etc., on the earth.

Well, after the first Bishop had been chosen, and two Elders selected by him to operate with him, his duties began to be more fully made manifest. I shall not have time on this occasion to point out the various duties that were assigned to Bishop Edward Partridge, in the land of Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, and other duties devolving upon him while he yet remained at Kirtland. Perhaps it might be well enough, however, to just briefly touch upon his duties, that were more fully made manifest when he was required to go out from Kirtland about a day’s journey to the southeast, and organize the Colesville branch in the town of Thompson. The Lord told him how to organize the people, and that there was a man in the Church whose name was Leman Copley, who had a large tract of land, and he covenanted before God that if the Colesville Branch would go upon his land, they might have their inheritances, etc., and that they might enter into the Order of God, as should be pointed out by the voice of the Prophet. And when the Prophet Joseph went out to Thompson and undertook to organize the Branch according to this promise and covenant that was made, Bishop Par– tridge was there, and he had it pointed out to him how he should deal with that particular organization, that they should all be made equal, and should receive their stewardships, and should consecrate all of their property into the hands of the Bishop; and that was made a sample for all other churches throughout the Lord’s vineyard. You may judge whether we have kept it or not. And his duties were also made manifest in the latter part of the summer of 1831. And many of the first Elders were commanded to go west of Kirtland about one thousand miles; and the promise was that the land which the Lord intended to give to His people should be made known, and it should be told them where the city should be built. In the months of July and August of that year, the Lord pointed out more fully the duties of Bishop Partridge in regard to dividing the land, that is, the land that, had been purchased by the Church, dividing it out among the various families of the Saints. The first families, with the exception of some that had been baptized in that land, were faithful ones among the Colesville branch, one of the earliest organizations of the Church. They were commanded to flee from the town of Thompson, because this rich man had broken his covenant. They went up to Jackson County, and Bishop Partridge was commanded to divide off to them inheritances by the law of consecration.

Here then was a Bishop whose duties were made known and specified, and which were very different in their nature in many respects from our Ward Bishops. Can you not see the difference between these duties assigned to Edward Partridge, and the duties assigned to the several Ward Bishops of our Church? So far as the Ward Bishops’ duties go, they coincide perfectly with the duties that were assigned to this general Bishop. But there were a great many things required of him that are not required of Ward Bishops; quite different in their duties and in their callings.

In December, 1831, the Lord saw proper again to give another Bishop, his name was Newel K. Whitney. Was he merely a Bishop of a Ward, whose jurisdiction was limited to a little spot of ground that might be termed a place for the residence of a Ward Bishop? No; he was another general Bishop. Bishop Partridge having general jurisdiction in Jackson County, and in the regions round about; while the duties of Newel K. Whitney extended to the State of Ohio and the States of Pennsylvania and New York, and throughout all the Eastern countries, wherever the Church of God was organized.

Here were two Bishops, then, one having jurisdiction in the West, a thousand miles from the other; the other having jurisdiction in the East. Their duties were pointed out, but neither of them was a Presiding Bishop. But what were they? As was clearly shown by President Taylor at the Priesthood meeting on last evening, they were general Bishops. By and by, after the Church of God was driven from the State of Missouri, it became necessary to have a Presiding Bishop; and the Lord gave a revelation, saying:

“Let my servant Vinson Knight, and my servant Shadrach Roundy, and my servant Samuel H. Smith, be appointed as Presidents over the bishopric of my church.”

Here, then, is the first intimation that we have of a Presiding Bishop. Neither Bishop Partridge nor Newel K. Whitney at that time was a pre– siding Bishop, but each one held distinct jurisdiction, presiding in a distinct locality, neither presiding over the other. But when Vinson Knight, in years afterwards, was called, it was his duty to preside over all of the Bishops that were then appointed. Was there any general Bishop after the death of Bishop Partridge? Yes:

“Let my servant, George Miller, receive the bishopric which was conferred upon Edward Partridge, to receive the consecrations of my people,” etc.

He was ordained to the same calling, and called to the same Bishopric; not to the Presiding Bishopric, but to the same Bishopric conferred upon Edward Partridge, to receive the consecrations of the Lord’s Church, to administer to the poor and needy, etc. Here, then, were two distinct orders of Bishops, so far as their duties, jurisdiction and responsibilities were concerned, but as Bishops they held the same calling as others. By and by, in the process of time, as the Church increased and multiplied upon the earth, it became necessary that there should be local Bishops; hence arose Bishops over this town and over that town, not general Bishops, but Ward Bishops, the same as you have throughout your respective Stakes.

Now the duties of these three distinct callings of those that are termed Bishops are very different, so far as their duties are concerned. The jurisdiction of a Ward Bishop does not go beyond his Ward, unless he be particularly called to do so. He must be selected, must be appointed, and must be sent to some other place in order to have jurisdiction outside of his Ward in the capacity of a Bishop. The office of the Presiding Bishop still continues, but for some reason we have not at the present time, so far as I am aware, any traveling or general Bishop like Bishop Ed. Partridge, and like Bishop Newel K. Whitney, who afterwards did become a Presiding Bishop. A traveling Bishop in his jurisdiction would not be limited to a Ward; it would be his duty if so called and appointed to travel through the various Stakes of Zion to exhort the people to do their duty, to look after the temporal interests of the Church, to humble the rich and the proud and lift up the low and the meek of the earth.

There is another class of Bishops. We find in every Stake of Zion what is termed a Bishop’s Agent. Does he hold the Bishopric? He should have that office conferred upon him. Why? Because it is his duty to administer in temporal things. Does his jurisdiction extend beyond that of a Ward Bishop? It does. Why? By appointment, by selection, by being sent by the Presidency of the High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek to administer in the special duties of his office in any or in all the Stakes of Zion, as the case may be according to the nature of his appointment, and by the authority of the Presiding Bishop. There are a great many things to be taken into consideration when we strive to understand the Book of Covenants according to the revelations that are therein given. Because God confined His servants to certain duties in the early rise of this Church, that is no proof or evidence that He will always work in the same channel. He will enlarge the borders of this kingdom; He will stretch forth the curtains of Zion; He will lengthen her cords and strengthen her Stakes and will multiply them not only throughout this mountain Territory, but throughout the United States, this land of Joseph: and they will be called the Stakes of the great City of Zion.

Let me here take the liberty to say to this congregation that the City of Zion when it is built in Jackson County, will not be called a Stake. We can find no mention in all the revelations that God has given, that the City of Zion is to be the Center Stake of Zion; the Lord never called it a Stake in any revelation that has been given. It is to be the headquarters, it is to be the place where the Son of Man will come and dwell, where He will have a Temple, in which Temple there will be a throne prepared where Jesus will dwell in the midst of His people; it will be the great central city, and the outward branches will be called Stakes wherever they shall be organized as such.

We cannot suppose, as I was saying, that when the Lord shall thus enlarge the borders of Zion and multiply her Stakes, that He will be obliged to confine Himself to those circumstances and that condition of things that existed when we were a little handful of people. We are swelling out, we are becoming numerous upon the face of the land; and the day will come when Isaiah’s prophecy, as contained in the 60th chapter, will be literally fulfilled, that is, a little one shall not only become a thousand, but the small one a strong nation. Are we then to be governed in all respects by those limited things that we were governed by in our childhood? Will there be no change of circumstances? Yes, as there is in the growth of grain, we have first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear, but these will all be in accordance with the development made by the progress of the kingdom as is explained in the blade, the ear and the full corn in the ear, and let me here prophesy on the strength of the revelations that were given through the Prophet Joseph, and through all the ancient Prophets, that the time will come when the Lord our God will so manifest His power that every soul upon the face of this great Western Continent that will not believe the Book of Mormon, that will not repent of his sins, that will not turn away from his iniquities, and that will not hearken to the voice of His Son, that it will be with such a one as Moses said, he shall be cut off from among the people. Do you believe it? It will be the case. And when that day comes that the Lord shall cut off such people, when the day comes that he will fulfil the revelations of Isaiah, as well as many other revelations that have been given, Zion will have to go forth in her strength and power, and the inhabitants of the nations that are afar off will say, “Surely, Zion is the city of our God, for the Lord is there, and His glory is there, and the power and the might of His terror is there,”—terror to the wicked, terror to those who commit sin: and many people will say “Come, let us be subject to her laws.” That will be after the Lord has broken up the nations, after He has destroyed and wasted them away, so far as the wicked portions are concerned. Those who are left will gladly acknowledge Zion, will acknowledge God and His people, and will acknowledge the laws that will be literally sent forth from Zion to the nations of the earth. Must we then be limited in all respects as we were limited in the early rise of the Church? No. New circumstances require new power, new knowledge, new additions, new strength and new Quorums; not to do away with the old, but additional in their na– ture. Men will hold authority and power to carry forth the laws of Zion to the remnants of this nation, and to foreign nations—ministers, or plenipotentiaries, if you please, to use a political term, will go forth to the nations of the earth with the laws of God. Now, this is a prophecy of my own, but it is a prophecy according to that which is written, according to that which God gave to His ancient and His modern Prophets.

I find that I shall not be able to continue my remarks as they present themselves to my mind, for there are numerous branches pertaining to this subject of the Priesthood, besides that of the Bishopric, and blessings pertaining to the two Priesthoods, upon which it would be very pleasing to my mind to dwell, that is, if I had the time and the strength of body to do so.

I would say, however, that in regard to the organization of the First Presidency, it was done soon after the rise of the Church. The Lord exhibited to us, by revelation, the order of things as it existed in former days, away back in the dispensation before the flood—the dispensation of the antediluvian Patriarchs and their order of government; and also the dispensation of the Patriarchs after the flood and their order of government, and which I dwelt upon some two or three days since. I say that in relation to these matters much might be said, and much might be said in regard to our privileges, the privileges of those holding these two Priesthoods. And much might be said of the First Presidency, which quorum presides over all the Church of God; and much might be said in relation to the duties of the Twelve, not only as a traveling High Council, but in regard to the setting in order of the various offices in Zion. We might talk a great deal about that. We, as the Twelve, have been fulfilling both of these duties, traveling abroad and sending abroad, and also setting in order the councils of the Priesthood in the midst of Zion, as the revelation required of us. In so doing, we have acted for a short time as a Presiding Council in the midst of the Church of God. We did so upon the death of the Prophet Joseph. The Spirit of God wrought upon his servants, that during our administration for some three or four years after the death of Brother Joseph, the First Presidency was not organized. Did the Council of the Twelve forget it? No. Did they ignore it? No; they all the time had their minds fixed upon the revelation which God had given showing that the Council of the First Presidency was the supreme Council and authority in the Church, and that the Twelve could not act in that supreme authority and power only as the First Presidency was made vacant. This Quorum was reorganized some three or four years after the death of the Prophet, and it continued organized until the year 1877, and upon the death of President Young, who was the President in the First Presidency, it then fell again upon the Twelve as formerly, and they have continued some three years and upwards occupying that position. Have they done right? Yes; they have done as they were required to do during the time being. And now, after having performed their duties, they still keep in mind the necessity of this First Quorum of all Quorums of the Church again being filled up, so that the revelations of God may be honored and we fulfil their requirements. Hence, the Council of the Apostles has taken into conside– ration this subject, and the question in our minds was, Have we sufficiently, as the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, magnified our office and calling, in setting in order the Church of the living God, in organizing the various Councils, or is there something lacking? Every time we thought upon the subject we saw that one Council, the most important of all, was still vacant. Could we ignore it? No. We therefore considered the propriety of organizing it at the present Conference; and Brother John Taylor, by the voice of his brethren, the Twelve, being the person holding the legal right to that office, as the President of the Twelve Apostles, was selected to occupy the position of the President of the whole Church. And he, according to the right and authority given to him, suggested his own Counselors. They were sanctioned by the Twelve Apostles; hence, the First Presidency again, so far as the Council of the Twelve is concerned, has been reorganized. We have fulfilled our duties, then, in relation to that revelation which says, it is given unto the Twelve Apostles to set in order all those offices that are named in that revelation, we, I say, have done it. And we have laid the subject before the Priesthood of all the various Quorums, as they were assembled in general council on last evening, and they with us have had the privilege of sanctioning this action, that that quorum be filled up and be complete. It now remains with the body of the people to give their sanction, males and females, as well as the Priesthood. And in order that this may be done according to the pattern which God has given through His servant Joseph, the Priesthood will be organized this afternoon in their respective Quorums, and this subject will be brought before them to be voted upon by each Quorum separately; and then the whole congregation will be called upon to sanction the same.

I would state that this change made a vacancy of three in the Quorum of the Apostles, and persons have been selected to fill this vacancy thus made; or, rather, two persons have been selected from among the High Priesthood to partially fill that vacancy in the Council of the Apostles. The third one has not yet been chosen to completely fill the vacancy in the Apostles’ Quorum; we, however, may be prepared to act on that today, and we may not.

Having said so much, in a very scattered manner, in regard to the Priesthood, and the dealings of God with us from time to time, I would state to my brethren and sisters, to the Latter-day Saints, I rejoice that the time has again come when our Quorums in the Church of God will be completed as given in the Doctrine and Covenants. I feel to rejoice in seeing this order carried out. There never has been a time, from the commencement of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the organization has been so complete as during the last two or three years. I trust that His great purposes will be carried out and fulfilled, until Zion shall become, as it is written in the Book of Mormon, in the parable of the vineyard, shall become one body and its branches shall be equal. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Erastus Snow, delivered at Paris, Bear Lake, Saturday Afternoon, August 7th, 1880.

President Taylor referred in his remarks this morning to myself as coming from the far South, and as traveling extensively through the country; and I feel led in my feelings to make some remarks on the south country, and also the north, and perhaps on some other portions of the country through which I have traveled.

Two years ago this summer I visited the greater portion of the Territory of Arizona; that is, I, with others, passed through the northwestern portions of the Territory, along near the eastern boundaries, southward to the extreme southeastern portions of the Territory, returning through Tucson; crossed the desert to the Gila, then crossed Salt River and up through the Tonta Basin and over the Nookhoon to the Little Colorado, and obtained a very general understanding of the country and the condition and facilities of the Territory; and also the western portions of New Mexico. Last summer I also visited the south part of Colorado; I passed along the line of railroads from Ogden to Cheyenne, thence passing south through Colorado, on the east side of the mountains to Denver, and thence to Pueblo, on the Arkansas; thence southeast to the Rio Grande Del Norte, and down that stream to the New Mexico line. It is in contemplation that myself and a few other brethren will visit, during the coming fall, the southeastern counties of this Territory—those new counties, Emery and San Juan, which have been recently organized, and the lower valleys on Grand River, and from Grand River to the San Juan and its tributaries, and the settlements which our people are forming upon those streams, and probably we shall extend our travels further into New Mexico, and visit our new settlements on the head waters of the Little Colorado, and the tributaries of the Gila, along the borders of New Mexico and Arizona.

The chief object of our visits is to learn the facilities of the country, and to look after the flock of Christ, and also to hunt after any that might have strayed away, and when found to try to gather them to some fold, where we can place some shepherd over them who will endeavor to feed them with the bread of life, and keep them from being entirely lost, or torn by wolves. We shall visit the new settlements as fast as practicable, and the older ones also, to labor among the people according to our calling, to teach the people their duty, and to organize them as shall be necessary, and to set in order all things necessary for their development and growth, and to maintain the union and fellowship of the Saints, and respect for the Gospel and the order and government of His Church and Kingdom.

There seems to be a necessity for the Latter-day Saints to gather together, and then to scatter a little, and then to gather a little, and so on; in other words, something after the fashion of the bees: they go out of the hive empty and return with their legs and wings laden with honey and bee bread. Now, if all can do this, we shall continue to thrive in the hive of Deseret; but if, on the other hand, we scatter and waste and destroy the good we have, we had better remain in the hive until we shall have learned our duty better.

There is a tendency with some to want to get away from the restraint of the Priesthood and the earnest teachings and admonitions of the Gospel and the wholesome government that is maintained among the Saints, in order to enjoy greater liberties, not greater liberties to serve the Lord, for there is nobody in anywise restricted. Some are desirous of greater liberties than they think they enjoy among us in occupying the country and getting possession of the land and accumulating stock, and desire a greater range. Now, this feeling ought not to take possession of us too much, because if we indulge it too much we are liable to become darkened in our mind measurably, and lose the spirit of the Gospel. But when we are called and sent out to labor, either to preach the Gospel in foreign countries, or to gather the poor from distant lands, or sent to locate in any distant place with a view of helping to establish towns and villages and settlements, and building up and organizing and helping to maintain good order and wholesome government, and to extend the spirit of the Gospel—when we are called upon to assist in establishing these new settlements, it is right that we should respond; it is as legitimate labor as any other branch of labor in building the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth. But we ought to guard against a restless spirit of changing locality merely for its own sake, and moving to and fro in search of something better. This restless feeling is not good, nor will it tend as a rule to happiness and permanent good and prosperity to those who possess it. We are not all alike. Some become attached to whatever place they call their home; wherever they labor and build up a home they gather around them the comforts of life, and feel settled in that place, and attached to their surroundings; while others seem hard to settle down and make any place seem like home for any length of time. To me this spirit has always appeared strange, so contrary to my nature and disposition. Notwithstanding, as has been remarked, I travel among the people as much as, or more than any of my brethren of the Apostles of late years—perhaps for the last twenty years—still my home has been in St. George. Having had the care of the churches in the southern part of the Territory, to a great extent, I have been obliged to travel a great deal; but this has been from a sense of duty, and not because I have felt tired of home and wanted to move about from place to place. And I may add, that in all my travels, the thought of seeking a new or better place for myself or family has never entered my heart, no matter how many good places I may find; it is for others and not myself; it is to search out places where we can plant colonies of Latter-day Saints, where the sons and daughters of the Saints who are growing up in the older settlements, and who desire soon to spread out where they can make homes and form new settlements, where we can plant nurseries of Latter-day Saints. But it is not, as I said, to seek locations for myself or for my own family, only such portions of them as ought to go out and begin to operate for themselves, and make themselves homes. I am not one of that shifting sort of men. The lot that was assigned to me in Salt Lake City at the time the pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley, I retained until I was sent to St. George, and then I transferred it back to Pres. Young from whom I received it. I have never felt to change since I located in St. George; and if I had been located upon a barren rock, I would have packed soil enough to make a beautiful home of it. And, by the way, I believe the home I have made has cost me as much labor as if I had hauled the earth on to it. I have had to manufacture a great deal of what is now there; and so I may say it has been so with the greater part of our town and “Dixie” County. Naturally to look at it, it was a very forbidding country when we first settled there. We were not allured to that region by the green fields, the fine extensive meadows such as you have here. The grass which we see upon the surrounding hills, inviting the flocks and herds to eat, and the flowing crystal streams of pure water which make music, sweet and enchanting to the ear, as they wend their way through your valleys to the lake beyond, is in marked contrast to the natural facilities of our southern home. Why, if I were to tell you half the truth, the most of you would never want to go south to live; but we are not in the habit of picturing the unpleasant features of the country, but rather of speaking the best we can about it, feeling that we have need to do it. And there are some who have had faith enough and stamina enough in them to speak well of the country, and nothing short of faith and Mormon grit could do it; while we were doing this we did not forget to ask the blessing of God upon the land, and I need hardly say that it has been through His blessing that we have been prospered and enabled to make beautiful homes out of the once forbidding, sterile wastes.

We were sent there to raise cotton when our nation was thrown into anarchy through a civil war, and when it had become a question with all Israel, “Shirts or no shirts?” It was shirts we were after; we went to make cotton farms, and it was anything else but an inviting cotton region. As I have said, no extensive fields made the eye glad, but everything looked as though the whole country had been thrown together in an irregular broken manner. The water had to be raised from the low channels in which it flowed, in quicksand bottoms by means of long and expensive canals, in order to get it upon the bench lands. But now through the blessing of the Lord, and hard knocks, we have a very fine city, inhabited by a pretty good people. I will say, however, that the country is not so very much changed from what it was when we went there, excepting in a few places where the people have made inviting homes; but the homes which have been made are the more precious because of the labor it has cost to make them; and they are prized more highly on that account than they otherwise would be. You may ask me, if I am beating up for volunteers for that country? No, not at all; and yet the southern people would welcome most heartily any of the brethren and sisters from Bear Lake or any other section of the country who may feel desirous of locating among us, to share with us the rocks and sands and the cactus and lizards. I say, we shall welcome them most heartily; and then while they would have to take their share, and maybe more, of this natural product of our southern climate, they would also share with those who labor for their kindred and friends and their own exaltation, in the Temple which our Father has graciously and in His indescribable providence located among us, and permitted us to build, with the help of the Saints generally throughout the Territory. We feel that there is a wise providence overruling this. It is in such a country that the wicked have no desire for what they see around. They have passed through it, and as a general thing are satisfied not to come back again, there being nothing to induce them to do so. And this being the case St. George is a peaceful home of the Saints, and as a rule a very good spirit prevails there. Sometimes a little too much of the spirit of wine because the grape is a staple article among us, and foolish persons some– times indulge too freely in the wine which is manufactured from that fruit. And it is one of the labors that we have upon us, to teach the people how to use the things which God gives us in a proper way and not abuse them, to control their appetites, and not allow wine to bring evil into the community. And we feel in this labor that we have succeeded to a goodly degree, there being much less of this kind of indulgence practiced among the people now than there has been since we settled and improved the country.

Now, touching the climate and soil and general facilities of the country through which I have traveled in Arizona, and along the borders of New Mexico, when compared with this region of country, it is a desert; that is, the facilities for agricultural purposes are far less than in Utah, and you know pretty well what they are in Utah. It is more of a grazing region. There is a lack of mountain streams, for the hills are generally low; they do not tower up in the clouds, and are not capped with snow as they are in this northern country. The main range of the Rocky Mountains falls off about the time you reach the New Mexican line, and the hills then become lower, and the streams are not so numerous. The facilities most attractive to my mind are along the continental divide, in the eastern portion of Arizona and the western portion of New Mexico. The northeastern portion of Arizona is watered by the Little Colorado and its tributaries, and the farming region is on the head waters of this stream, but it is not extensive; there are, however, facilities for small settlements, and extensive ranges for sheep and cattle. The garden of Arizona, so far as agricultural facilities are concerned, is on Salt River, after it emerges from the mountains and where our people are locating, at Mesa City and Jonesville. The country along Salt River is being occupied by people from various parts of the world, who are not of us. These two settlements of our people are doing very well, so I understand and there are facilities for many more in the same region. The climate is warm; the summer is long, scarcely any winter at all, and scarcely any frosts. But in that immediate vicinity there is not range for stock; that is, there is not very extensive growth of grass. The range is mostly in the hills, in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the Territory, on the headwaters of the Gila and its tributaries, the San Pedro and Black and White rivers; and also are many facilities for small agricultural settlements. The climate generally is milder than this, and consequently more pleasant. The eastern and northern portions are temperate, neither very hot nor very cold. In the southern portion, as I have said, the summer is long and warm; it is decidedly a hot and a dry country.

The country I visited last summer, further to the east and northeast, the upper valleys, or valleys on the Rio Grand del Norte, which are in Southern Colorado, and run into New Mexico, is a fine agricultural and grazing country. Fine mountain streams come out of the foothills to the broad valleys and open plains. This region affords facilities for flourishing settlements, as well as for flocks and herds; and the climate is as cool as that of Bear Lake and the other elevated valleys of Utah, and if not so severe winters as in Cache and Bear Lake valleys, at least something approaching them. There are facilities for many fine, flourishing settlements in that region of country; and we are establishing some colonies in that, consisting mostly of emigrants from the Southern States, with a few from Utah, to counsel and instruct them in the art of irrigating the soil and establishing settlements after the order of Zion. We find ourselves under the necessity of sending a few more to that region, and a few others to different localities, to assist in establishing and maintaining our new settlements.

But now, I return to this lovely valley of Bear Lake—lovely indeed it has seemed to me whenever I have visited it; but it must be remembered that I have never visited it only when it was covered with green. Still, I understand that the country is covered for many months in the year with the white mantle, and for this reason many of you complain of the long winters. But if it were not for the hard, cold winters and the melted snows, you would not have these beautiful meadows and green hills; you certainly have to thank the snows for this blessing. But I have no doubt you will say, that you could do with a little less snow and a little shorter winters and take a little less grain and meadow. Well, I think I would do so too. If I had the choosing of climates, I should not choose that in which I should have to cut hay three months in the summer, and be six or eight months feeding it out in the winter. I think with you I could get along with a little less snow, if I had to sacrifice a little of the rich meadow, and at the same time, correspondingly less mosquitoes and flies. And talking about flies, you cannot begin to show flies like we can in St. George; and they are not this common horse fly, they are the pesky house fly that is ever ready to contend with you for your meal.

Now, if I lived in Bear Lake valley, I believe I should look upon it as a very choice place to make my home; and if once I settled down, I should not think of moving away, or speaking of it as a very bad country to live in. I have made it a rule never to forsake old friends in order to take up with new ones; or to lay aside an old wife for the sake of getting a new one. The same rule would apply to my living in this northern country; once I settled down I should not think of moving away unless duty called me, and in that case of course I should drop everything and go without a whimper. I see on this stand an old friend in Brother John Nebeker, who moved down to our “Dixie” country, and after living there some time, returned to Bear Lake. I do not know how he feels about it, whether or not he is ready to make his home with us again in St. George. [Bro. Nebeker: Not yet, Bro. Snow. Laughter.] I would say to you who are doing well, let well enough alone, go on and stick to what you have got. I think I can see a chance to make some beautiful places where you have not more than half done it. It is now some fourteen years since I was here; some of you will remember it was when President Young came here, accompanied by General Chetlain and others. I took in the situation at that time; I mapped it out in my mind, and I have retained a pretty good understanding of the region of country. It may not become me to suggest to you who have had fifteen or twenty years’ experience here, but it strikes me that your faith has not been fully developed; I am inclined to think that you can do something besides raising calves, hay, wheat, oats and potatoes, and making butter and cheese—and here let me not forget to give you the credit of filling up the country with young men and women, which is a noticeable feature of the growth and wealth of the people. You have a big country here; so much, in fact, that you hardly know what to do with it. You try to enrich it all, and you skim it over, but you may depend that you have facilities here for a much heavier population than you have got; and upon the whole it is a healthy region. There may be some diseases peculiar to this cold region, and some feel, and that truly, that a warmer climate might tend to lengthen out their days, as well as add to their bodily comfort. I believe there is no objection on the part of anybody that such persons should try a warmer climate as may feel inclined to do it. There is no disposition to chain or fasten anybody to this country who may feel that they crave, and their health and comfort require a warmer climate. If there be such, I can assure them I have traveled through many other regions where there are facilities for making nice, comfortable, happy homes, and where the climate is milder; in fact, a person may suit himself with almost any climate he may choose between here and the Mexican line—in Southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. But as I remarked in the beginning, we ought to study contentment, and not indulge in a restless spirit, for change for its own sake, without having a good and sufficient reason, or without having some duty assigned to us where we may labor with better advantage to accomplish greater good in the building up of Zion, or in extending our borders and establishing and maintaining righteousness in the earth; and wherever our lot is cast, whether it be in Cache Valley, or Bear Lake Valley, whether in a warm or a cold climate, or whether in a hot climate, we should as much as possible try to content ourselves and adapt ourselves to the surrounding circumstances, always doing the most good we can.

Respecting the relative conveniences of St. George, for instance, and the surroundings of that country, as compared with this northern country, I have this to say, and I speak sincerely as I view it, and verily believe it, that in our efforts to subdue the country, and having to contend with difficulties and hardships, in order to plant our settlements there, making our roads and getting building material, and controlling the waters and the quicksands, and in having to meet and overcome obstacles which are peculiar to that country, we have worn out a great many good people, a great many good men have succumbed under the hardships we have had to endure; and I was counting up the number of families in the little city of St. George, whose husband and father had passed away under these circumstances, and I found that there were no less than between thirty and forty widows there, besides quite a number who have left and returned North, having buried their husbands down there. This is not the result of any contagion, or violent sickness, or any special disease, for we have had none; we have no prevailing disease, and it is not naturally an unhealthy country by any means. There is here and there a locality where they, having neglected common sanitary rules, have perhaps suffered from chills and fever, or ague. Diseases of this kind, which are incident to hot climates, have been experienced where they have allowed water to stand in pools. In St. George, however we have not been troubled with it. Washington and Santa Clara have, but it has arisen from defective sanitary measures. Naturally, I think our Southern country is quite as healthy as the general average of places in Utah. And when I speak of the number of men who have worn themselves out in helping to subdue the barrenness of the land, I might have said they have been mostly hale, hearty men, who went there in their prime, that wore themselves out with constant work in making homes for themselves and families. They have fallen a prey to exposure and labor both summer and winter, and to poor fare. But after saying this, I am happy to say also, that I think we have passed the crisis in this respect. We have learned wisdom by the things we have suffered: the comforts of life are being increased around us, and we are making up our minds now not to kill ourselves trying to live as fast as we have done in times past.

Now, I have said on different occasions, which it is as well for the youth of our large towns, our railroad towns and cities, where emigrants are dropped by the shipload, and where there is a redundancy of labor and surplus workmen, who are seeking for something to do and cannot find it, and are idling away their time and are waiting for something to turn up, and waiting for some easy chair, some clerkship, some place to make a living without working much—and I may say this class of people are abounding among us, and they receive an unfavorable education, and are contracting habits which are not good; I have said, and do say, that it is better for such to enter into swarms and form material for new colonies, to help to establish new places, and make new roads to the timber, get out farms, build mills, and subdue the elements, as their fathers did when they first settled this country. But in saying this to the surplus population of our older towns and railroad centers, we do not wish to apply it to these regions, where you have an abundance of room, needing, in fact, a much heavier population. I am persuaded that the people of this valley will be healthier, happier, and will enjoy more facilities and comforts when their population is treble to what it is today. Three times the population you now have can handle the facilities which you do much easier than the present population can handle them, and to better advantage and to better profit to all. And you will have better roads, and better farms, and better houses, and better mills, and better schools, your cities will be much better built up and improved, and your property more valuable, and everything will conduce to your comfort and growth, than under existing circumstances.

I was favorably struck with Garden City as I passed through it; I was favorably impressed with St. Charles as I passed through it. These are beautiful locations. I was particularly pleased with one thing I saw in Garden City, which was the long canal from Swan Creek. In this cold climate, where the seasons are short, it is important in irrigating, that the water should run slow and as long as possible before it is put on to the land, in order that it might get warmed, because it has a much more salutary effect on young crops than where it is cold and chilly direct from the canyon; and I am persuaded that a good deal of your small grain is injured in this way. Brother Thatcher took it upon himself to speak a little upon this practical question, and you will pardon me for doing the same. Though you farmers may think you know more than I do about it, you will all agree with me in this, that any suggestion I may make will not harm you, as you can do as you please about adopting it. But I know the difference between the effect of cold and warm water in agriculture in making things to grow; when you wish to rush the growth of your plants or crops in warm weather, the one is far preferable to the other. And if you wish to raise fruits and plants which are delicate and tender, of course you can get on to your warm, gravelly soil, and there put on your manure; and if you can use warm water, and have the benefit of the canyon breezes to prevent frost, you can raise a great deal of fruit. You now raise a great deal of small fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries; and what is there to hinder you raising plums and many varieties of choice apples, such as we cannot grow in St. George? That country is really too hot for growing apples. I raise apples, but they are not as good as the same variety raised in Salt Lake City. I am persuaded that this Northern region could beat us on apples, but we could beat you on pears and peaches, apricots and some other fruits. I should advise you to keep trying, and if your trees kill down once in a while, keep replacing them, and make the land as warm as possible, and put on the water warm, but not when the plants can stand it without; and then, do not leave it on late in the fall, thus keeping the plant growing late in the season, for when this is done the first severe frost that comes generally takes them off. I will leave this subject to Brother John Nebeker, who is abundantly able to continue it, and who, by doing so, might greatly benefit the people of this Northern country.

I would like to offer a little advice to your board of trade. You have one I suppose? (A voice: Yes, sir) Of course, in giving you my reflections in this as in other matters you are at liberty to please yourself about accepting it. You are here in a comparatively solid position, you can have things about your own way, that is, if you choose to be united. You are not mixed up as they are in Salt Lake City and in Ogden, you can control the trade of this whole region of country, not only in marketing your own produce but in the buying of your merchandise, wagons, carriages, machinery, and everything you have to import which you could get from first hands and at first cost and thereby save to yourselves the profits now made by middlemen. And in marketing your produce you can do likewise, but then you would have to control the business among yourselves, and give it your hearty support, and be resolved that you will operate together. Now, you are enriching men every year by your trade, and you are doing it by being divided, every man being for himself undertaking to market his own produce and to buy his own plows, rakes, mowers and reapers, and hauling his own produce to market and then doing the largest part of his trading with stores in which he is not interested, and his own cooperative store doing but a small languishing business. The great bulk of the business of this Territory is handled by outsiders at a distance from your settlements both as to importations and as to marketing your produce. You haul to market your butter and eggs, and the merchants dictate to you the price which they will pay, and you cannot help yourselves. In this way they grow rich on the profits, while you remain poor comparatively speaking, that is, you do not enjoy the benefits of your own labor and produce to the extent you might, if you were properly united. Your board of trade and cooperative stores throughout the county ought to work together and enter upon a system to handle your own produce in bulk; and then in buying wagons and agricultural machinery, etc.; instead of every man buying a single wagon or farming implement, this organization would deal direct with the manufacturers by the carload, at manufacturers’ prices, having them shipped to Evanston, the nearest point, instead of Salt Lake. I think the same also in relation to your stock. I understand you were making some efforts in this direction—the handling of your stock and marketing it. Every step you take in this direction will tend to consolidate the interests of the people and increase your common comforts, and will at the same time have the tendency to keep at arms length Jews and Gentiles, who may be hunting chances to pick up what little money you have to spare, or to make what money they can out of you. The more you concentrate your business relations and the greater degree of confidence you beget one for another, thereby having and increasing a desire to build each other up, the less you will be troubled with sharpers who thrust themselves into your towns and neighborhoods wherever there is evidence of the existence of money. I feel that this is our duty as a people, to adopt this cooperative manner of doing our business, in order to protect ourselves against the spirit of greed, and our children to a great degree from the contaminating influences that Gentiles, as a general thing, carry with them wherever they have located among our people. We have been taught for years to sustain Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution: and our local merchants should buy of them. But in all probability, if you were combined in this valley in your business relations, instead of every little store in every settlement in this valley being obliged to send to Salt Lake or Ogden for supplies of merchandise, it would be a matter of necessity to have a center here such as they have in Ogden and Logan, only on a smaller scale, in which you might do your wholesale business direct, and so arrange it that the parent co-op will ship to you most of the articles you need direct, which you need only go to the city to “sort up,” instead of going for all of your supplies. I think this would naturally come to be the result of a thorough union and combination of labor and interests in this valley; and I think too, that your isolated position eminently fits you for building up such home trade.

I am pleased to learn of the goodly degree of fellowship which prevails in your settlements, and that there are but little apostasy and opposing influences to contend with. You have been highly favored of the Lord in that which you have enjoyed, from the early settlement of this valley, the presence and counsels and labors of President Charles C. Rich, whom I regard as one of the wisest and most prudent counselors in Israel, a father indeed in the midst of his people; and the blessing of God has attended his ministrations among you, as is evidenced in the condition of the people generally.

My heart feels to bless the people, and to invoke the blessing of the Lord upon the land and upon the elements, that they may be made to conduce to your happiness and comfort; and that while you reap the fruits of the Father’s mercy and goodness, your hearts may be ever found to acknowledge Him as our benefactor and friend, and to appreciate His blessings. I trust that President Taylor and the brethren who are with you may be able to impart such words of counsel and consolation as your circumstances require; and that soon you will have in your midst again President Budge—that is, if we succeed in getting our mind upon the right man to take his place. He has been doing an excellent work in Europe, and we do not want to release him until we can replace him with a suitable man.

Your local Priesthood in your several wards and settlements, I doubt not, are earnestly seeking to learn their duty and to qualify themselves to magnify their callings; and if the people give them their faith and prayers and confidence and support, you will steadily advance in good works, in faith and wisdom; and I trust you will improve also in your educational interests. I suspect what is common in our new settlements, that you may seem behind in this respect, or at least you are not as far advanced in the condition of your schools as is desirable; and for the reason that there are more or less of the people who are so much absorbed in the cares of life, in making themselves homes, in order to be able to withstand the rigors of the climate, that they cannot bestow the attention and care to the training of their children which they ought to. I suppose they are willing to build schoolhouses, however, because they serve a triple purpose; first, for dancing; second, for school purposes; and third, for religious worship. Perhaps I ought to reverse it, but you can if you choose. People are willing to help to build schoolhouses for triple purposes. And when they have done this, they think that the Trustees should find teachers for them to teach their children who are not large enough to work; and these are often sent to school to be kept out of the way.

Now brethren and sisters, I do not mean, in making these remarks, to charge any of you harshly; and it may be I do not give you the credit which you are entitled to. I only speak what I find to be quite common in our new settlements throughout the country where I travel, and I feel the necessity of appealing to the good sense of the fathers and mothers; and to say to the Bishops and the Elders and Trustees particularly—and here let me say, that our Trustees should be chosen from our most energetic men—men who will fill the office, who will give it their most earnest consideration, who will seek to make everything comfortable around the schoolroom, men who will take an interest in the welfare of the children, and who will look to the wants and encouragement of the teachers, and who will also see that good and suitable books are provided, especially the Bible and Book of Mormon. Now, do not be afraid to see the good books which God has given unto us in the hands of your school children; do not be afraid of the teacher who will open school by prayer, and who will encourage faith in God, and morality, and everything that makes people good citizens. And I beseech the people generally to encourage the combined efforts of the County Superintendent and the Trustees and schoolteachers in establishing good schools in your midst; and that you will also sustain all the other good institutions, such as the Relief Society, the Mutual Improvement Associations, and your Sabbath Schools, and also those who act as Superintendents and Teachers in the Sabbath School. And do not, my brethren and sisters, consider it a little calling to act as a Sunday School Teacher; for when faithfully acting in this capacity you are sowing seeds in the minds of the youth which must sooner or later produce the natural fruit; and thus prepare men and women to carry on the work which their fathers have begun, and in which some of them have worn themselves out.

That God may bless the people of these valleys, and that their children may grow up to perpetuate their names with honor to themselves and glory to God, is my earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Apostle George Q. Cannon, delivered in the 14th Ward Meetinghouse, Sunday Evening, July 25, 1880.

While I was sitting here today, a portion of the record of Alma suggested itself to my mind, which I will read, as found recorded in the 4th chapter of the Book of Alma—(new edition).

[The speaker then read the greater portion of the 4th chap.] Continuing he said:

I should not attempt to get on my feet to speak to you my own thoughts, or my own feelings, or that which my own spirit would suggest. I have had sufficient experience in my life to know that for a man to impart profitable instruction unto his fellow creatures in the capacity of a teacher of the things of God, he must have the aid of the Spirit of God. Without that he cannot impart that which will be of permanent profit to anyone. I know it is the privilege of a people situated as we are to know the mind and will of the Lord concerning us, and also when we come into an assemblage of this character to receive the instruction which is adapted to the circumstances of each particular individual, and that is the office of the spirit. I cannot tell your feelings. I do not know your hearts. There may be secret sorrows, there may be griefs, there may be doubts, there may be many things that oppress you in your feelings, of which I am entirely ignorant. But the Spirit knoweth the things of God. God knoweth our hearts and his all-piercing eye can penetrate the inmost recesses of our hearts, and every thought, every secret is known to him, and he can, through the aid of his Holy Spirit, impart to each one that portion of strength, of comfort, of light which each soul may need to strengthen it on its onward journey in the path which God our Father has marked out for us to pursue, and unless a meeting of this kind is attended, with these effects, to me it is exceedingly unsatisfactory. When I go as a listener, I desire to go to meeting to be fed, to go away from the meeting with a feeling that I have received that which will be a benefit to me in my life, in the acts of my life, and so also if I speak.

The position of the Latter-day Saints in this respect is different from that of every other people which I know of on the face of the earth. We profess to serve God. We profess to have received from him blessings as the result of our obedience to his commandments. We profess to live by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God, and we believe that this is a time when God speaks in various ways to his children, manifesting his mind and will to them, and that it is not with us as with other people who are dependent upon that which is written, dependent upon the Bible for the food and nutriment necessary to strengthen them. We depend upon the revelations of God to us. In this respect our position is different from that of every other people which I am acquainted with, and of course, this being our position, it is of the utmost importance to carry out the principles which we believe in, that we should live in such a manner as to have the mind and will of the Lord made manifest to us. How is this mind and will communicated? By what means is the mind and will of the Father made manifest unto the children of men? There are various ways. One is—he has placed in his Church officers whose duty it is to instruct the Church. Yet this does not relieve the members of the Church from their responsibility. It is for the members of the Church also to so live that when they are taught and counseled, when instruction is given unto them, that they shall be able to know whether that instruction and counsel be from God or not. This is the privilege of every individual, and there is no person, however humble, who is a member of the Church, who should be destitute of this spirit of which I speak, this light and this intelligence. God our Eternal Father is the Father of us all. The relationship which exists between us and him is not confined to a small portion of the human family, but it is the same with all of us; every individual who is within the walls of this house tonight, occupies I may say precisely the same relationship to our Father in one sense. Not that all have the same responsibility, not that all are required to perform the same duties; but all occupy the same position of children, and our Father in heaven is our father, the Being whom we worship. As God is the father of us all, we trace our descent from him, our children trace their descent from him, they are as much his children as we are his children, and I often think in my association with my own children that I would just as soon hurt the feelings of a grown person as I would one of my children. I think in one respect they are my equal, though I occupy the relationship of father to them; and so I feel towards all. Now, the Gospel produces this sense of equality. There could be no slavery where the Gospel is taught in its fullness and in its perfection. There could be no distinction where the Gospel is practiced. You read here—or rather I have read for you—in this record which has come down to us, that when the principles of the Gospel were practiced among the people of this land, they were equal to a very great extent; but when they began to violate the principles of the Gospel, their inequality manifested itself. Some were lifted up in pride, some looked with scorn upon their poor brethren and sisters. Classifications arose in society which had their origin not in virtue, not in holiness, not in purity, not in any superiority arising from intelligence, but because some were richer than others, some could dress better than others, some could have better surroundings than others, doubtless dwelt in finer houses, better furnished, and they were better clad, and had probably finer and nicer food. Distinctions of this kind grew up not out of the Gospel, but out of the violation of the principles of the Gospel. Wherever the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is taught, it produces, as I have said, this sense of equality, it makes the man who may know and understand the things of God feel that he is no better than his fellow man, and the woman who understands the things of God feel that she is no better than her sister. If this sentiment were practiced among us, it would produce the results we find that Alma sought to produce among the people, and which he did produce by the preaching of the word, as recorded in the subsequent verses to those which I read. He went forth preaching the word as he found it the most effectual means, as described by the historian, of checking the evils that were growing among the people. It would be so among us in a while if it were not for the preaching of the word of God, and with the preaching of the word, with all the faith, all the zeal, and all the power which our leaders are capable of exercising, it needs it all to repress these inclinations and these tendencies. There is something in the human heart of that character that when human beings are prospering they are apt to be lifted up in pride and to forget the cause or the source of their prosperity; they are apt to forget God, who is the fountain of all their blessings, and to give glory to themselves. It requires a constant preaching of the word of God, a constant pleading with the people, a constant outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the people to bring them to a true sense of their real condition. With all the experience the Latter-day Saints have had, who is there among us that cannot perceive this tendency? Why, it is constantly bringing itself into notice. It becomes in some instances quite offensive, because those who are humble feel the effects of it. Those who are poor, needy and destitute, not gifted with ability to accumulate the things of this world, feel it, and very frequently their hearts are grieved because of it. There is this tendency we have to contend with as a people and as individuals, and it is something we should constantly bear in mind, that God has sent us here and given unto us a mission on the earth, not to accumulate riches, not to become worldly-minded, not to pile up the things of this world which are perishable, to the injury of ourselves or to our detriment in our progress in the things of the kingdom of God. Is it right that we should take care of ourselves as a people and as individuals? Certainly. Is it right that we should be prudent, that we should take care of those gifts and blessings which God has given unto us, that we should husband our resources, that we should be economical, and not extravagant? Certainly; this is right, this is proper, we should be culpable if we were not so. But with this there is also something else required, and that is, to keep constantly in view that the management and care of these things is not the object that God had in sending us here, that is not the object of our probation. God has shown unto this people repeatedly—and there is scarcely an individual member of the Church who has not had experience in it—that he can give and he can take away. I have in my mind now many instances where men of wealth —comparatively wealthy at least—have joined this Church, and it seemed as though there was a succession of events after they joined the Church, to deprive them of all they had, to test their faith apparently, but to show them that God did not give men means for the purpose of placing their affections upon them, and then, after they were stripped, he has, in many instances, begun to bless them again, and allowed them to have means in greater abundance than ever they had before. He has done so with this people. We have been stripped of our property, reduced to the last extremity for food and for other necessary comforts, and yet God has multiplied upon us these blessings when he has sent us food, and we have had abundance. But the happiness of a people does not consist in the abundance of worldly things, that is, the abundance of food or of raiment, or of houses, carriages, horses, and costly apparel. It is true that if we are relieved from the pressure of want, if we have the wherewith to supply our necessities, we feel better, we feel a relief that we do not feel when ground down by poverty. But happiness is not entirely dependent upon these circumstances, as doubtless many of my brethren and sisters have proved. I have proved it myself to my entire satisfaction. I have been in reduced circumstances; been on missions when I did not know where to get a mouthful to eat; turned away by the people who dare not entertain me because of the anger that was kindled against us. I could stand by and weep, being a boy and away from all my friends. But I, nevertheless, was happy. I never enjoyed myself in my life as I did then. I know that happiness does not consist in the possession of worldly things. Still it is a great relief when people can have the means necessary for the support of themselves and families. If they possess these things and the Spirit of God with them, they are blessed. But the Lord requires of us different things in this day to what he did in ancient days. I often think of it.

There is a great deal of inequality among us as a people, not so great as described by the writer in the book of Alma, but still there is a great deal of inequality among us, a great deal of pride and more disunion than there should be. This people are not united as they should be. There are many things existing among us that should be uprooted and not have an existence in our midst. And what is the reason that these things exist? The reason is to be found in our neglect of the principles we have espoused. The Lord requires all his people in these days to bring unto him a sacrifice. In olden times, before the coming of the Lord Jesus, we read in the Bible that the people brought their offerings of oxen, of sheep, of fowls of various kinds. These were burnt offerings, they were sacrifices, the blood of animals flowed, and the sins of the people apparently were remitted by their obedience to these requirements. But the Lord has said respecting us, that the offering he requires at our hands is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Let me ask you—and in asking you—I ask myself—do you, when you go unto the Lord, bring this offering, or do you go to God without asking him in this spirit and in this manner? If you go to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he will show to you all your faults, and all your weaknesses, he will bring plainly before you wherein you have come short in doing his will, and when you see yourself in the light of that spirit instead of being filled with pride, you will feel to abase yourselves and bring yourselves down in the very dust of humility; your own unworthiness will be so plain before you, that if pride should come into your heart at any time, you will almost be shocked at it, and you will feel to put it away from you. It is in this way that we as Latter-day Saints should live. There is enough taught to us in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and by our leaders from time to time, to guide us into the presence of God Our Heavenly Father. We should be the most humble people on the face of the earth. Why? Because God in communicating to us the knowledge of our weakness and faults, will give us humility. We should be the most thankful people upon the earth. Why? Because owing to the abundance of God’s goodness and mercy to us, and realizing it as we should do, it will fill us with a thankfulness that words could not express; our hearts would overflow with extreme gratitude to the Lord our God for the blessings that we enjoy. Under these circumstances should there be any murmuring? Not any. Should we find fault with our condition and our circumstances? Certainly not, if we are living the religion which God has revealed to us. Should there be any quarrelling or faultfinding? No; because where the Spirit of God exists there is no disposition of this character. There is a manifestation to suffer wrong rather than to do wrong; not to revile, not to prosecute, not to assail back when we are assailed. If a brother comes up to me, he is in a bad temper, he says something that is annoying, and I lose my temper and reply in the same spirit, do I do right? Certainly not. However much the provocation may be, it is not my duty as a Latter-day Saint, as a professed follower of Jesus Christ, to indulge in any such feeling or expression. Well, but one may ask, have we to submit to abuse? Yes, that is one of the requirements of the Gospel, that you shall submit to abuse. Have we to submit to wrong? Yes, if somebody attempts to wrong you, it is your duty as professed followers of Jesus Christ to submit to that. Supposing I am struck, must I submit to a blow? Yes, I must, or else I am not carrying out the principles of my religion. Well, but suppose a person tells falsehoods concerning me, assails me and reviles me, must I submit to this? Yes. Why? Because the requirements of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ are that we should do so, that we should not quarrel, that we should suffer evil and wrong and pray for the person who does these things to us. This is a hard lesson I know. Some men would think their children cowards unless they would fight when they were struck. They teach their children to strike back when struck, to resent attacks upon them. Then, again, if one man calls another a liar, the first thing we know the man is knocked down, and as a result of training he would be considered unmanly if he did not resent the insult in this way. I am very glad, however, that a change has taken place in this respect. There must be changes of this kind among us. If a man forgets himself so far as to call his brother a liar, or any other offensive name, there should be enough of the Spirit of God and the spirit of patience and the spirit of self-respect left in the brother to bear the insult without resenting in the same spirit. Would this make us pusillanimous? Would this make us a people devoid of spirit? Certainly not; there is plenty of room for the exercising of all the spirit we have in coping with the difficulties we have in life without exercising it in that manner, without expending it in senseless quarrels. If we have this spirit to which I have alluded, this meek, humble, broken and contrite spirit, will it not produce union? Yes, it will, it will produce union and love, and I wish to say to all who are here tonight, that it is the duty of every man and woman in this Church to live at peace with him and herself, and then to live at peace with everybody else, husbands with wives, wives with husbands, parents with children, children with parents, brothers with sisters and sisters with brothers; this is the duty that God requires at our hands. I am speaking now of something which is not an abstract theory, that cannot be carried out; I am speaking of that which can be carried out, which every one of us can carry out, and of results which can be accomplished in the midst of this people.

The feeling has grown upon me, and is growing upon me every day, that as a people we do not live up to our privileges. We do not have the knowledge of the things of God that we should have. There is not that amount of revelation enjoyed by us which there should be. The gifts of the spirit are not manifest to the extent they should be. Is there revelation? Yes, I know that and can testify of it. Are there gifts, are there blessings enjoyed by the people? Yes, I am convinced of it. Are there manifestations of the goodness and the power of God among this people? I am satisfied that there are manifestations of this kind. The sick are healed. The mind and will of the Lord is communicated to the people, but it is not to that extent that it should be considering our circumstances, and considering the length of time the Church has been organized. Who is there that is not conscious of this. Ask yourselves, each of you, “Have I the knowledge of the things of God that I should have? Does the Spirit of God bear testimony to me and warn me and teach me as it should do?” Let each one ask himself and herself this question. Now, if we live as we should, there is no event of any importance that could occur but we would have some intimation respecting it; we would be prepared for it, we would be prepared for every public event that affected us, every private event, everything of this character that could occur to us that would affect us in the least degree would be known by us at the very time. The Spirit of God with its monitions would say to us, “If you pursue that path there is danger, you may lose your life, you may meet with some accident.” Mothers would have the teachings of the spirit respecting their children, and how to take care of them, and fathers also respecting their families. I am not talking about something which is entirely beyond our reach and is impossible for us to receive. I am speaking of something which is within the reach of all of us to a greater or less extent. Some are gifted in one direction and some in another. But all who belong to this Church and have taken the course which God has pointed out, and have humbled themselves in obedience to the commandments of God, and endeavored to carry out these commandments, have this promise made unto them, that they will be taught of the Lord.

If there is one desire that I have as an individual greater than ano– ther, it is that I may so live as to have the blessing, and next that you, this Church, this people, may so live as to have the same. I would not have those gifts unless somebody else had them, for I have learned in my life that when one man is blessed more than his fellows, temptation comes in, prides comes in, and the adversary is apt to suggest to him that he is so much better than his fellow men. Therefore, if I wanted to have any great gifts from the Lord, I never have felt—and I do not think I ever shall, I certainly will not with my present state of feeling—to have these myself, I would like somebody else to have them also. I would not want to be the richest man in the community; I would not want to be the most gifted, the most prominent or the most honored in any respect. I would want others to share in these blessings. Then I would have less fear concerning the effect of them upon myself. When I am blessed I want to see the Latter-day Saints blessed, I want to see the people of God receive the gifts of God, and enjoy them so that we shall all grow, increase and develop together.

I noticed when I was very young in the Church, that men who were greatly gifted of the Lord and had many manifestations, were the men who apostatized; with the exception of the Prophet Joseph Smith, nearly every one was overthrown. I suppose the reason of it was that they were lifted up in pride and allowed the adversary to take advantage of them. I would like well enough to see these gifts and blessings multiplied among us and upon us, that as a people we should have dreams and visions and manifestations of the Spirit; but there is one thing that we have all got to be very careful about, and that is this: I have seen Elders in my experience that when they got their own spirit moved very much they imagined that it was the Spirit of God, and it was difficult in some instances to tell the difference between the suggestions of their own spirit and the voice of the spirit of God. This is a gift of itself, to be able to distinguish that which suggests itself to our own hearts and that which comes from God. And we are misled sometimes by our own feeling, because of our inability to distinguish between the voice of the Spirit of God and the suggestions of our own spirit. There is a still, small voice in the heart of every human being. There is an influence comes with every son and daughter of Adam that is born into the world. What! Outside of the Latter-day Saints? Certainly, I told you in the beginning that we are all the children of God. There is an influence born with every person that to a certain extent is a spirit of revelation. Hence you will frequently find it the case—probably some of you adults have experienced it, when you joined the Church, that this influence told you what proved to be true. Brother Woodruff, here, I have heard him tell, in his experience, how he was led before he joined the Church by this influence, how it operated upon his mind until it was brought in contact with the truth. I have heard a number of others relate the same thing, and if they received the truth this influence increased with them, but if they rejected the truth, if they refused to receive the testimony of the servants of God, the light that was in them became darkness, and as the Savior said, how great is that darkness! I proclaim it as a truth, that when a man or a woman enters into this Church and is baptized, repents of his or her sins, humbles himself and herself in the depth of humility before the Lord, determined with His help to forsake their sins, to put them away from them, I say, when a man or a woman comes to the Lord in that spirit and lives so that the Holy Ghost will rest upon them, that there will be no event of any importance from that time forward but what they will have some intimation respecting it, some premonition, and they will walk in the light, some to a greater extent than others, because some are more gifted than others, some live in such a manner as to have this developed within them to a greater extent. But if they continue to cultivate this spirit, to live in the light of it, it will become a principle of unfailing revelation to them.

Is this your privilege? Certainly it is. It is also the privilege of children, boys and girls, young men and young women, middle-aged and aged to enjoy this. It is not confined to anyone in particular, to any sex, to any particular position in life, but it is extended to all. It is the design of God that it should be so. But it is dim within us because of the generations of unbelief and wickedness of heart which have existed. We have inherited a great amount of unbelief from our fathers; it has come down to us. The heavens have been as brass over the heads of the people, and there has been a spirit of unbelief which has excluded the revelations of Jesus and the manifestations of the Spirit of God.

Fifty years ago this Church was organized. There are men and women who have been fifty years in the Church, some who have been forty years, a great many thirty years, a still greater number twenty years. Is it not time, then, after all we have heard, and all we know concerning these things, that some of this unbelief should disappear and more of that love be exhibited which draws us nearer to God and places us in closer communion with Him? Is it not time that this should be the case with our children? Why, it seems to me so, and I have no doubt it is so. And yet there is much room for improvement in these things.

There is one thing above all others which strikes me with astonishment when I think about it among our people. A great many years ago, the Lord gave what is called the “Word of Wisdom” to us as a people. It is a thing I very rarely allude to. I never drank tea or coffee in my life, I never drank liquor, I never used tobacco, and I have endeavored to keep the Word of Wisdom. It is no credit to me, my parents instilled it into me. I never allude to it in public speaking. I never allude to it in my family. I have set the example and allowed them to follow it, and they have done so, most of them. But when I think about it, when I see our people, after what God has said upon this subject, after the plain manner in which he has spoken to us and told us what would be the result of the observance of certain laws, deliberately day after day flying in the face of the counsel which God has given unto us in that Word of Wisdom, I get exceedingly amazed and I wonder how it is that God bears with us. It is a grievous thing to trifle with that promise, and with the many promises which are connected with that promise and with the many promises which are connected with the Word of Wisdom. We see young men learning to drink liquor, to smoke and chew tobacco, and acquiring this habit and the other habit which is expressly forbidden, or at least that counsel is given respecting, which ought to be more binding because it comes with an appeal to us—it appeals to our sense of right that a commandment does not, because a commandment comes with strict injunctions which leaves no alternative but to obey; but this is a word of counsel by a kind father, and He tells us that if we will observe it, we shall have health, the destroyer shall not have power over us, nor over our families, and that we shall have treasures of knowledge and wisdom given to us. Supposing here are a good many young men that belong to this Church, some of whom are very eager for knowledge—reading books, studying, going to the University, imagining that is the most direct and easy way to obtain it, and at the same time these same young men, members of the Church, drinking their tea and coffee and smoking their cigarettes. Does it not seem like a great inconsistency for men and women to do these things? I proclaim to you Latter-day Saints, that the Word of Wisdom is the word of God, that those who obey it will receive every blessing which is promised in the revelation, that they will have health, and that they will have power and blessings which they cannot conceive of until they try it. It is a simple thing, yet it shows how neglectful we are as a people. I believe the time is not far distant when we shall have to be very different from what we are in these respects. I with tell you what I have sometimes thought: that the Lord is going to deal with us as he did with the Israelites. They hardened their hearts against the Lord, became careless and disobedient, and finally the Lord, in His wrath, decreed that none of them, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, should enter the promised land. The words that are used are very expressive. Their carcasses were to fall in the wilderness, all over a certain age. But the Lord spared the little ones. He raised up a new generation and led them to the promised land. We have the same promise that some will be left to go back to the promised land, and I feel satisfied it will be fulfilled. But would it not be better for us all to exercise faith and do right, that we might all receive the fulfillment of this promise? Certainly. There were times in our lives when we felt that we would do anything for the sake of the spirit we had received. Is there any person in this Church, in this room tonight who has not seen the time in his or her life—if they have had any experience—when they would sacrifice anything to be in possession of the Spirit of God. Every one who has joined this Church of any age and experience knows this to be the case. There is a sweetness to be experienced in receiving the Spirit of God, that is preferable to everything else in life. Everyone should be in possession of this spirit. If you do not have it, let me say to you, do not rest till you get it. I do not believe in the sectarian style of doing things, neither do you; but there are some things exceedingly necessary for all to do whether they belong to this Church or not, and that is to look at their lives and examine and see wherein they have come short, and repent and humble themselves before the Lord, and get a renewal of His Holy Spirit. Of course people who do not belong to this Church are not likely to take this course; yet in the sectarian world they feel the necessity of revival. As a people we should live day by day so as to have the spirit of God resting upon us.

I have great pleasure in testifying to you of my own experience in these matters. I have been away now for some eight or ten years, more than half of my time from the Church; alone, so to speak; I have not had the advantages of other Elders, because they are visiting among the various branches. I therefore can appreciate these things which I perhaps would not appreciate if I had been constantly in the society of the Saints. I sometimes regret this; I feel that I have not the advantages my brethren have; but I have no doubt the Lord makes up for it in other ways. I have proved to my entire satisfaction, that God is willing to reveal Himself to His servants under all circumstances, to make his mind and will plain to them, and I have had to live in that way while I have been gone. Circumstances have sometimes been of such a nature that I could not see what to do by my own wisdom; but I have never yet—and I do not say this from vanity at all, I say it to encourage you; I do not say it because I consider myself blessed above you, but I say it because it is your privilege and because I would like to stir you up to faith that you may receive those blessings of God—I say there never has been a moment when I have been absent, but what I have had shown to me what to do, what steps to take, what to say and what not to say. It gives me great joy to bear testimony to these things; and if there is one thing that I feel more thankful for than another, it is that God has restored His Church, and that I have the privilege of being a member of it. When Brother Erastus Snow was speaking today, and when Brother Woodruff was speaking yesterday, I could scarcely control myself. You heard how the Lord led the brethren across these plains, and how when President Young saw this valley, he said to Brother Woodruff, and afterwards to the brethren of the camp: “Here is the place.” Was there any doubt in his mind? No; the Lord had revealed the place to him, he knew it for himself. I remember on one occasion telling President Young, the first year we were here—I was then quite a boy—that if we could only get bread and water I should feel satisfied if we could only have peace. Well, we had peace. We were not harassed; indeed a more peaceful time than we had when we came into these valleys never was enjoyed by any people on the face of the earth. President Young knew what the Lord would do. The Lord had revealed it to him, and described many things which have not yet occurred. Is not this precious?—to have the word of the Lord, to know we are led by the inspiration of the Almighty. It is one of the greatest blessings that a people can enjoy. Ever since the Church was organized, we have been led by revelation. And who has been misled by it? People have always prospered who have listened to the voice of the Shepherd. It was so in the days of Joseph, it was so in the days of President Young, it is so today under President Taylor, and it will be so to the end. The Lord has stretched forth his hand to accomplish his purposes, and it will not be withdrawn until all is fulfilled. We shall not be destitute of the voice of revelation. We may do a great many things contrary to the mind and will of God, for which he will chastise us and scourge us, if necessary; but he will not withdraw His Priesthood from us, and his voice will not cease to be heard; it will be given unto those of his servants who live for it, and they will know the mind and will of God for this people. Persecution may go on. People may say we have not the gifts; but the Lord will not leave us; he has not left us; he will make of this people a great nation; and there is no power upon the face of the earth that can arrest the progress of “Mormonism,” as it is called by the world, but which is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will grow, increase and spread abroad as the Prophet Daniel saw it, until it fills the whole earth. Some of you may get discouraged and say the Lord delayeth His coming, and begin to get weak in faith because of drunkenness and gambling in our midst, and say Zion is not going to be redeemed because our enemies have got such power. But will that prevent the redemption of Zion? No. The Lord is bringing us through these circumstances. There was a time when we were driven by mobs, and our faith was tried in various ways. It is necessary that there should still be trials to test the faith of this people. There are no mobs now, we do not have our houses burnt down now, or our cattle shot down. But shall we be without trials? No. Why? Because it is necessary—at least I accept it as necessary in the providence of God—that there should be liquor saloons, etc., so that Latter-day Saints who make so many professions can, if they want to drink beer and get drunk, or go in and play billiards and gamble, or go to other places that are worse—can do so. “But,” says one, “I thought in coming to Zion I was coming to a place of purity where none of these things existed.” If that had been the case how would you have been tried? It is necessary you should be tried for a while in order to develop your strength. We have to be brought in contact with the world, and we have to show the world that there is something connected with our religion which is enduring. Yet all these things have been a source of strength to us. Why, says one, how can that be? Well, now, I am in a position to know the feeling towards us. Our enemies have been trying to get legislation against us. But some say, “what is the use of legislating against the Mormons? If you will only let them alone, it will come all right. The Catholics, the Episcopalians, the Methodists, the Baptists, the infidels, have their meetinghouses, schoolhouses, and newspapers, and have brothels, gambling houses, drinking saloons, and milliner’s shops, and you cannot imagine what a great work these things are doing among the Mormons! The young people are growing up and they do not want more wives than one. Why, it is as much as they can do to keep one. The girls want fine millinery, fine dresses, fine furniture. What is the use of resorting to unjust legislation when these things are going on? When they get rid of their polygamy they will be a good people.” I have sometimes thought that in the providence of God he suffers such things. At the same time it is operating upon our own people. Our young men are led on to smoke, to drink, and to do wrong. At the same time, trials are necessary; we must be tested, and when we emerge from these trials we will feel better and stronger. Has the Lord forgotten Zion? Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can you mothers forget your nursing babies? When you do, which is not very likely, then the Lord may forget Zion. His eye is upon Zion. His hand is over this people. His hand has overruled all things for the good of this people and their salvation. Will Zion be redeemed? Yes. Will you be redeemed? That is for you to say. Will I be redeemed? That is for me to say. We need have no fear about the welfare of this work; we need not tremble and think there is danger. Congress may pass laws, attempts may be made to overthrow this work; but we need have no fears: Zion will be redeemed. Many will fall by the wayside, many will lose their faith, many will be led away by false and seducing spirits; but there will be those who will be saved and exalted, and all of us who are here tonight have this privilege if we will accept of it; we can be saved each of us and crowned with glory in the presence of God and the Lamb. There is no provision to exclude us; we are not predestined for damnation; we are predestined to be saved if we will accept of the salvation offered. Therefore, in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are not saved we cannot look up and charge God with having done anything to prevent us, we will have no one to blame but ourselves, and that will be our hell.

I pray the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ, that we may all be saved and exalted in the celestial kingdom. Let us live our religion, this precious and holy religion, and let me say to you that if you have not had the happiness of it lately, get the happiness that it produces, and you will not exchange it for anything else in the world. It ought to be a pearl of great price to all of us, and we ought to cherish it more than we do our lives. Amen.

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in The Tabernacle, Ogden City, Sunday Morning, July 18, 1880.

I am pleased this morning to have the opportunity of meeting with the Saints in this place. If you will try to be still, I will endeavor to lay before you a few principles on the subject, concerning which your President enquired of me a few days ago. It seems that there have been, somewhere in this Stake, difficulties existing between the Bishop of a Ward and certain members of his Ward. Failing to arrive at an amicable settlement, the parties appealed, against the Bishop, to the High Council. President Peery sent a telegram desiring my answer to the question—“Whether a High Council had authority to try a Bishop.” I could have answered yes, and I could have answered no, to that question; but it was a matter that would require some explanation, and on which the brethren, in many instances, are not very well informed. I knew it would be almost useless to give an answer of that kind, without making some little explanation thereto, because there are some things with which more than one truth is connected.

If you were to ask me whether I am dressed in woolen clothes or cotton, I could not give you an answer, in the simple words yes or no, because part of them are woolen, part of them cotton, and part of them linen; and I should need time to explain.

There are many questions pertaining to the Priesthood, which cannot be answered categorically without further explanation, and as this is a conference, I wish to make a few remarks concerning some of them; but I do not propose to enter into all the details of these matters; there would not be time, nor half time, nor a quarter time. I simply propose to make a few remarks in regard to the question which was asked me by your President.

I will here read on this subject a passage which people take up sometimes, without understanding it, and, consequently, when they do so, they are apt to make quite a number of mistakes. The passage to which I will refer you, is the 22nd verse of the 68th section, in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. After reading it, you would think you had got the whole answer, but then you might not have it, although you might think you had.

“And again, no bishop or high priest who shall be set apart for this ministry shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the First Presidency of the church.”

Now, does not that look very plain? It does, when apart from the context, and if we do not exam– ine the other parts associated therewith. I will further read some more pertaining to this matter, which will be found in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, page 249, section 68.

“Ver. 14. There remain hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other bishops to be set apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first;

“15. Wherefore they shall be high priests who are worthy, and they shall be appointed by the First Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood, except they be literal descendants of Aaron.

“16. And if they be literal descendants of Aaron, they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are the firstborn among the sons of Aaron;

“17. For the firstborn holds the right of the presidency over this priesthood, and the keys or authority of the same.”

Now, I desire to draw your attention to one thing very distinctly, that you may comprehend—“For the firstborn holds the right of presidency over this Priesthood.” Over what Priesthood? The Bishopric. There is a Presidency in that Priesthood; and this firstborn of the literal descendants of Aaron would have a legal right to that Presidency. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this Priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron, and the firstborn among his sons. Then, he would have a legal right to it. I could tell you the reason why, but it would take too long a time; and these things will be spoken of hereafter more fully. But I wish to speak of one or two leading principles pertaining to this subject; and as a High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offi– ces, he may officiate in the office of Bishop, when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, and it is stated, “And they shall be set apart under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.” To what authority? To what power? To what calling? To what Bishopric? To the Presiding Bishopric. This is what is here referred to:

“Ver. 20. And a literal descendant of Aaron, also, must be designated by this Presidency, and found worthy, and anointed, and ordained under the hands of this Presidency, otherwise they are not legally authorized to officiate in their Priesthood.

“21. But, by virtue of the decree concerning their right of the priesthood descending from father to son, they may claim their anointing if at any time they can prove their lineage, or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the hands of the above named Presidency.”

Without that the Presiding Bishop could not be set apart, because there is where the authority is placed.

“22. And again, no bishop or high priest who shall be set apart for this ministry shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the First Presidency of the church;”

In regard to what ministry? Why the Presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood. That is what is here spoken of.

“23. And inasmuch as he is found guilty before this Presidency, by testimony which cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned;

“24. And if he repent he shall be forgiven, according to the covenants and commandments of the church.”

Now, then, I will read you something more on the same subject, which will be found in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, page 383, section 107.

“Verse 1. There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.

“2. Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great High Priest.

“3. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

“4. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

“5. All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood.

“6. But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood.

“7. The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek.

“8. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.”

Now here is a principle developed that I wish to call your attention to, and that is, that it is the especial prerogative of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has been “in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things,” and to have the right of presidency in those things.

But then, here is another distinction that I wish to call your attention to, at the same time, which is found in the next verse:

“9. The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the Church”—spiritual or temporal.

But there is a difference between the general authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood and the one that is designated, which presides over them all: and that which presides over the whole has the right to administer in all things. The Aaronic Priesthood is an appendage unto the Melchizedek Priesthood, and is under its direction

I mention these things that you Bishops, and you Seventies, and you High Priests, and you Elders, and you High Councilors, and you Presidents of Stakes and Councilors, may comprehend the position of things, as here indicated; and, as was said formerly, I think it was by Paul, “that you may be able to rightly divide the word of truth, and give to every man his portion in due season.” These principles are written here, and are very plain, if they are understood, but if not understood, then they are mysterious, and it is required of us to make ourselves acquainted with the principles inculcated and herein developed. The things which I have mentioned are plain to the minds of all intelligent Latter-day Saints, who have studied the Doctrine and Covenants on these points.

“Verse 10. High priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering spiritual things, and also in the office of an elder, priest (of the Levitical order), teacher, deacon, and member.”

That is the reason why, as soon as they possess this Priesthood and right, if they are appointed to any particular office in the Church, they have a right to administer in that office.

I will now speak a little upon the High Priesthood. This High Priesthood, we are told, has held the right of Presidency in all ages of the world. But there is a difference between the general powers of the Priesthood, and the particular office and calling to which men are set apart; and you, when I tell you, will understand it very easily. For instance the Presidency of the Priesthood, or the Presidency of the Church, are High Priests. The Twelve are High Priests. The Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, the High Council of a Stake, and of all the Stakes, are High Priests. The Bishops are ordained and set apart through the High Priesthood, and stand in the same capacity; and thus Bishops and their Counselors are High Priests. Now, these things you all know. There is nothing mysterious about them.

There is another question associated with this matter. Because a man is a High Priest, is he an Apostle? No. Because a man is a High Priest, is he the President of a Stake, or the Counselor to the President of a Stake? No. Because he is a High Priest, is he a Bishop? No, not by any means. And so on, in all the various offices. The High Priesthood holds the authority to administer in those ordinances, offices, and places, when they are appointed by the proper authorities, and at no other time; and while they are sustained also by the people. Now these are the distinctions which I wish to draw, simply to classify them. And when there is anything said about a High Priest, you say, “I am High Priest, and if such a man has authority, I have it!” You have if you have been appointed to it, or you have not if you have not. You have it if you are appointed to fill the office, and are properly called and set apart to that office; but unless you are, you have not got that office, but still you are a High Priest; and “High Priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate in their own standing under the direction of the Presidency, in administering spiritual things;” but they must be under that direction or Presidency. Now here is where the question comes in. Is it not plain when you look at it? To me it is very distinct and pointed, and it is to you who are intelligent and have studied these things. It is not because a man holds a certain class of Priesthood that he is to administer in all the offices of that Priesthood. He administers in them only as he is called and set apart for that purpose. Hence, as you are organized here, you have a Presidency. They were presented here for you to vote upon, and after that they were set apart to administer in that office. But supporting Brother Peery and his counselors had not been called and set apart, would they have a right to administer in the office of the Presidency? No, they would not; and you can all see it when you reflect upon it.

Now, then, as we have read, a High Priest, after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, has the right to administer under the direction of the Presidency, in all spiritual things, and also in the office of an Elder, Priest, Teacher, Deacon, and member. And in the following verses we read that:

“11. An elder has a right to officiate in his stead when the high priest is not present.

“12. The high priest and elder are to administer in spiritual things, agreeable to the covenants and com– mandments of the church; and they have a right to officiate in all these offices of the church when there are no higher authorities present.

“13. The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations.

“14. Why it is called the lesser priesthood is because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances.

“15. The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, and holds the keys or authority of the same.” We will read a little further:

“16. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron.”

That is, he has no legal right; but in regard to certain conditions pertaining to this right, I do not propose to enter into an investigation this morning.

“Verse 17. But as a high priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.”

To what power? To hold the keys of this Priesthood, and to preside over the Aaronic Priesthood.

“Verse 18. The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—

“19. To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.

“20. The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.

“21. Of necessity there are presidents, or presiding officers growing out of, or appointed of or from among those who are ordained to the several offices in these two priesthoods.

“22. Of the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church.

“23. The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world— thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

“24. And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three presidents previously mentioned.

“25. The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

“26. And they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named.

“27. And every decision made by either of these quorums, must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other—

“28. A majority may form a quorum when circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise—

“29. Unless this is the case, their decisions are not entitled to the same blessings which the decisions of a quorum of three presidents were anciently, who were ordained after the order of Melchizedek, and were righteous and holy men.

“30. The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity;

“31. Because the promise is, if these things abound in them they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord.”

Again, we read in the same section, page 389:

“Verse 60. Verily, I say unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts, there must needs be presiding elders to preside over those who are of the office of an elder;

“61. And also priests to preside over those who are of the office of a priest;

“62. And also teachers to preside over those who are of the office of a teacher, in like manner, and also the deacons—

“63. Wherefore, from deacon to teacher, and from teacher to priest, and from priest to elder, severally as they are appointed, according to the covenants and commandments of the church.

“64. Then comes the High Priesthood, which is the greatest of all.

“65. Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the High Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of the Church;

“66. Or, in other words, the Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church.

“67. From the same comes the administering of ordinances and blessings upon the church, by the laying on of the hands.

“68. Wherefore, the office of a bishop is not equal unto it; for the office of a bishop is in administering all temporal things;

“69. Nevertheless a bishop must be chosen from the High Priesthood, unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron;

“70. For unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron he cannot hold the keys of that priesthood.”

You see the keys of this Priesthood are specifically mentioned whenever the Presidency is mentioned; and whenever the rights of the literal descendants of Aaron are mentioned, it is to hold the keys of this Priesthood.

“Ver. 71. Nevertheless, a high priest, that is, after the order of Melchizedek, may be set apart unto the ministering of temporal things, having a knowledge of them by the Spirit of truth;

“72. And also to be a judge in Israel, to do the business of the church, to sit in judgment upon transgressors upon testimony as it shall be laid before him according to the laws, by the assistance of his counselors, whom he has chosen or will choose among the elders of the church.

“73. This is the duty of a bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aaron, but has been ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

“74. Thus shall he be a judge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a stake of Zion, or in any branch of the church where he shall be set apart unto this ministry, until the borders of Zion are enlarged and it becomes necessary to have other bishops or judges in Zion or elsewhere.

“75. And inasmuch as there are other bishops appointed they shall act in the same office.

“76. But a literal descendant of Aaron has a legal right to the presidency of this priesthood, to the keys of this ministry, to act in the office of bishop independently, without counselors, except in a case where a President of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek is tried, to sit as a judge in Israel.

“77. And the decision of either of these councils, agreeable to the commandment, which says:

“78. Again, verily, I say unto you, the most important business of the church, and the most difficult cases of the church, inasmuch as there is not satisfaction upon the decision of the bishop or judges, it shall be handed over and carried up unto the council of the church, before the Presidency of the High Priesthood.”

“79. And the Presidency of the council of the High Priesthood shall have power to call other high priests, even twelve, to assist as counselors; and thus the Presidency of the High Priesthood and its counselors shall have power to decide upon testimony according to the laws of the church.”

“80. And after this decision it shall be had in remembrance no more before the Lord; for this is the highest council of the church of God, and a final decision upon controversies in spiritual matters.”

“81. There is not any person belonging to the church who is exempt from this council of the church.”

“82. And inasmuch as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, who shall be assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood;

“83. And their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him.”

“84. Thus, none shall be exempted from the justice and the laws of God, that all things may be done in order and in solemnity before him, according to truth and righteousness.”

I will read you a little more on this subject:

(Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 124, page 431.)

“Ver. 20. And again, verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile; he may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart; and for the love which he has to my testimony I, the Lord, love him.

“21. I therefore say unto you, I seal upon his head the office of a bishopric, like unto my servant Edward Partridge, that he may receive the consecrations of mine house, that he may administer blessings upon the heads of the poor of my people, saith the Lord. Let no man despise my servant George, for he shall honor me.”

I would remark here that Edward Partridge was the first Bishop of the Church, and that he was appointed at an early day to go to the land of Zion, and to preside over the Bishopric in that district of country. He was to purchase lands for the people that should gather there; he was to receive the consecrations of the people when they should present themselves to him; he was to divide up the inheritances for the people, and to sit as a common judge in Israel and hence he held charge, not as the Bishops do here, over a particular Ward, but over the whole of that district of country in the land of Zion. I would remark, again, that Bishop Whitney was chosen and set apart as a Bishop, to manage the affairs in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, and not only there, but to preside over all affairs associated with that Bishopric in all of that country, and occupied the position of a general Bishop, presiding over a large district of country, the same as Edward Partridge did in Zion. But these are not what we call presiding Bishops. In the same revelation that George Miller was called to occupy the place of Edward Partridge, and to hold the same kind of Bishopric that he held, we find that there was a Presiding Bishopric appointed.

“141. And again, I say unto you, I give unto you Vinson Knight, Samuel H. Smith, and Shadrach Roundy, if he will receive it, to preside over the bishopric.”

Now, I have briefly laid before you some ideas pertaining to these matters. I will explain them a little further. I will say that the Bishopric is a good deal like the High Priesthood in the position that it occupies. There have been men who, under the Bishopric, have been appointed to fill various offices in the Church, and at different times. I have told you, already, the nature of the office which Bishop Partridge held, the nature of the office which Bishop Whitney held; and then there were other men who did not hold the same kind of Bish– opric that they did. For instance, there was Bishop Alanson Ripley, whom many of you know, who lived back in Nauvoo; and other Bishops were appointed in some Stakes that were then organized. And as it requires the direction of the Presidency of the Church to regulate these general Bishoprics, such as Brother Partridge held, and such as Brother Whitney held, and also being appointed by the Presidency, they have a right to be tried and have a hearing before them. But that does not apply to all Bishops, or to all men who may be placed under different circumstances. For instance, you have here in this Stake of Zion, quite a number of Bishops. How far does their authority extend? It extends to the boundary of each of their respective Bishoprics. No further. You all know that—over their Wards where they preside, and not over somebody else’s, unless they are appointed to it, which would be another thing. But without some special appointment, they are simply appointed to preside over their several Wards, and no one else’s. That is the extent of their authority in the Bishopric. But a person holding a general Bishopric, the same as Bishop Whitney did, is different. He had that appointed unto him by revelation, and under the direction of the Presidency of the Church; and the appointment that Bishop Partridge held—that was under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church; and these Bishops would have the right to be tried by the same power that appointed them and set them apart. Still, how is it with other Bishops in Stakes; are they under the same direction? To a certain extent all are under the direction of the First Presidency; but unless the First Presidency shall otherwise decide, there is authority held by the Presidency in those several Stakes, to try those Bishops who are under their jurisdiction in their Stakes and for the High Council, with the Presidency of the Stake presiding, to call them before them to have a hearing, and adjudicate those matters. Thus the presidency of Stakes occupy the same position to their Stakes as Joseph Smith did to the Stake in Kirtland, the difference being in this, that Joseph Smith, while he presided over that Stake in a Stake capacity, presided also over all Stakes and Churches throughout the world, while the Presidents of Stakes only preside over their several Stakes, and their jurisdiction does not extend to any others. But if the First Presidency should see it necessary to interfere, and say, in a case of that kind, that the case was of such a nature as to require another tribunal; they have a right to dictate, and manage those matters. But if Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors and the Bishops fulfil their duties, and all act in harmony with the First Presidency, then everything goes on smoothly, and all men can be judged according to the principles laid down here in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.

And there are some few things pertaining to these matters that I will now speak about; and as this is a conference, it is as good a time to talk about these doctrinal matters as we shall have. There are a great many things mixed up with these subjects. Suffice it, however, to say, that it requires the Presidency of the Church to seek after God in all of their administrations. Then it behooves the Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors to be feeling after God, and after the First Presidency, and be in harmony with them, and to feel that there is union and harmony and the principles of peace and order prevailing everywhere. And where these things are carried out on correct principles, there is harmony throughout all Israel. If these things are departed from, then come disorders, difficulty and hard feeling. Now we ought not to allow our feeling to have any place in these matters. No man has a right to use his priesthood to carry on his own peculiar ideas, or to set himself up as a standard, with the exception of the First Presidency, and they have no right to do it unless God be with them, and sustain them, and they are upheld by the people. And then it is for Presidents of Stakes to follow after their spirit, and carry that out just as they would follow after God, and seek for and obtain light and the spirit of revelation from Him, and thus be prepared to bless the High Priests, the Bishops, and all men under their charge.

What is the High Priesthood? Why are you organized as a High Priesthood? Read the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. What does it say? It says (Sec. 124, verse 134) “Which ordinance is instituted for the purpose of qualifying those who shall be appointed standing presidents or servants over different stakes scattered abroad.” It is a kind of normal school, where they may be taught lessons in the Presidency, and be prepared to judge and act in the various places which they may be called to. Do the Priesthood fulfil their calling? No, they do not. When the Stakes were being organized, we had to call upon Seventies and Elders, and all classes of men to hold positions which High Priests should have held. But there are some who talk about being great big High Priests, who, when they should have been called upon to be Bishops, or Bishops’ Counselors, were found to be incompetent because they had not prepared themselves to occupy these offices associated with their calling, and been dabbling with the world and had been led by its influence, instead of being wide awake and full of the life and power and revelations of God. If they had magnified their Priesthood, then God would have been with them, and they would have been selected, until all those places would have been filled. Then, how is it in regard to the Seventies? Just the same. According to your statistical report, which has been read, you have in this Stake 360 Seventies; and how many of them, if they were called today, are prepared to go to the nations of the earth to preach the Gospel? You are not prepared to do it any more than the High Priests were prepared to magnify their calling. The Twelve are commanded first to call upon the Seventies, but when they do so they frequently find they with one consent begin to make excuses. I know it is so, if you do not. Very well, what then? As there are other appendages to the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Twelve are obliged to call upon the Elders, and High Priests, and others, to go and perform duties which should be performed by the Seventies, but which they neglect to do. I speak of this, shall I say to your shame? I do not like to use hard words, they do not do any good. I would rather say five hundred pleasant things than one harsh one; but I want to state truths as they exist, so that you can comprehend. Now, notwithstanding this being the case, the work of God cannot stand still. The nations must be warned. The word of God must go forth, or the Twelve would be held responsible, if these things were not done; and we have to keep doing it, doing it!

Now, as a sample of the excuses that men make who are called to go on missions, I will tell you what people tell me. One man says, “I have been building a house, and have not got the roof on it.” Another comes, and says, “I have just been entering some land, and I am afraid I shall be placed in difficulty, if I go; I pray you have me excused.” And one man said he was so engaged in merchandising, and he was so much interested in the people’s welfare, that he was afraid they would suffer very materially in their temporal interests, if he ceased to keep store that it would not be well to take him away. Another has bought five yokes of oxen, and is proving them, and prays to be excused. And another has married a wife and he cannot go. I will tell you what I once had to say to President Joseph Young. He had been calling upon a number of people to go forth on missions. He being the presiding officer over the First Presidents of Seventies was the party for us to apply to; but in selecting missionaries they had employed a system of what might be properly called machine work, as you would go to work and pick out horses or cattle by their teeth. They had selected them generally according to age, etc., without inquiring as to their qualifications, circumstances, etc. Now, we want the spirit and power attending all of these matters, that we may find out the true position of things before we can call men. After he had received a great number of names from the said presidents, there came in a perfect, stream of excuses to me. They wanted to be excused; and Joseph himself came to me and said, “how are you getting along with the Seventies?” I said, “If you don’t hurry up and get the balance in, they will all be gone. You had better hurry up.” Well, it is rather a lamentable story to tell. Yet, while we hold this important Priesthood, it is a sorry way of treating it.

Now, it is for us to look after these things; and they are beginning to work up into a little order—to do a great deal better; and men are beginning to realize the importance of their office and calling, and express a greater desire to magnify it; thus things are beginning to look a little brighter on that score, as the Twelve have been attending to these things.

Now, the idea is not that one or a dozen men have to bear off this kingdom. For what is the Priesthood conferred upon you? Is it to follow the “devices and desires of your own hearts,” as I used to hear them say in the Church of England when I was a boy? Is it to do that? I think not. Or were we enlisted to God for time and eternity? I think we were; and we want to wake up to the responsibilities which devolve upon us, and honor our calling and magnify our Priesthood. There are a great many more things which I could talk about in this connection, but this may suffice at present.

We have a variety of institutions. We have the sisters’ societies. I attended a meeting of one of these a short time before I came here, and set apart Sisters Eliza R. Snow, Zina D. Young, and Elizabeth Ann Whitney. We set some of these same sisters apart in Nauvoo, under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, about forty years ago; and they are doing a good work, and it is for them and their associates to continue to do right and pursue a proper and correct course. We want the Relief Societies and the Young Mens’ Mutual Improvement Societies to take hold with a hearty good will. I was pleased to hear the remarks which were made in relation to the course they are pursuing in trying to keep the Word of Wisdom. Now, I am not very strenuous about urging any particular point, but that is a good thing for them to attend to. We must try to live our religion. We are on the eve of important events. There are troublous times in advance of us and the world—such times as the world has not taken it into their hearts to conceive of. And we need to be united and to operate together in all of our affairs. Be united as one; and, “if you are not one you are not mine,” saith the Lord. Men who are influenced by Gentiles, and every corruption that prevails, are not fit to be the Saints of God. You want to pay your tithing honestly and squarely, or you will find yourselves outside of the pale of the Church of the Living God. We have to lay aside our covetousness and our pride, and our ideas which are wrong, and be united in our political affairs, in our temporal affairs, under the direction of the Holy Priesthood, and act as a mighty phalanx under God, in carrying out His purposes here upon the earth. And all Israel ought to do the same. And then we have our Cooperative Institutions, and other useful institutions among us. Well, what shall we do? Sustain them? Yes; and fulfil our covenants with them as we expect them to fulfil their covenants with us; and let us be one and act together upon correct principles. Whoever violate their contracts before God and the Priesthood have to be dealt with for that, no matter who they are, nor what position they occupy. We have to act under the direction of the Almighty. I know it is not popular to serve God, But God has called us to be one; and he expects us to be one and carry out his purposes, and be obedient to the laws of Heaven.

May God bless you, and lead you in the paths of life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by President George Q. Cannon, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 27, 1880.

If I were to consult my natural feelings today, it would afford me much greater pleasure to sit still and listen and look at the faces of this congregation than attempt to speak. But this, doubtless, would be a disappointment to very many, and might not be understood. Therefore, I arise this afternoon to make a few remarks—such as may suggest themselves to me—to my brethren and sisters who are present. I shall not attempt to describe to you the emotions, the feelings which I have in being once more reunited with you, for you have heard them expressed by others so frequently, and also by myself, and many of you have experienced them yourselves, that I am relieved from the necessity of restating them in your hearing. I may say, however, that I am exceedingly thankful for the opportunity of returning once more to our home and finding circumstances and surroundings so favorable to the people of these valleys as they are at the present time, and also that I can, to a certain extent, return as the bearer of good tidings; that I can speak favorably concerning our present and our future prospects; that is, so far as my information extends.

When I left here last November, it seemed to me that the elements were charged with threatenings to us as a people and to our liberties. I have had some experience, of several years’ duration, in public affairs; that is, political affairs, and have had occasion to notice the signs of the times; but I can say now that at no time did affairs appear more threatening to us than they did when I went to Washington the latter end of last November, or beginning of December. You probably can recollect the circumstances which existed at that time.

The greatest enemies we have had to contend with for many years have been those who should, from their intimacy with us, from their knowledge of our labors, from their familiarity with our proceedings, have been our friends—those who reside in our midst. It has been the case for several years that all the excitement, all the ill-feeling, all the manifestations of hatred which have come to the surface or been exhibited outside of the Territory of Utah concerning the people called Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons,” have had their origin in this Territory, and have been stirred up by those who reside here. There has not been in Congress, there has not been throughout the country on the part of the public press, or on the part of public men generally, much of a disposition to take or to adopt harsh measures against the people of these mountains. But there have been those residing in this Territory who have seemed to be uneasy lest we should be treated too kindly, or be viewed too favorably by those who are outside of the Territory, and there has been apparently a great dread on the part of a few individuals, lest there should be a disposition manifested by Congress and by those in authority to recognize us as fellow citizens, and to extend to us those rights and privileges to which we are entitled—I mean our rights to become a State, to be admitted into the Union, to receive recognition, the recognition of our numbers, of the good government of this Territory that has been maintained for thirty-three years; of the peace which has prevailed and the developments which have been made, all of which have entitled us to recognition and to admission into the Union as one of the States, and because this fear has seemed to exist in the minds of some individuals, they have done all in their power to misrepresent the people of this Territory, that is, the majority of the people, circulating all manner of falsehoods, representing the people as disloyal, as not being fit to be entrusted with the full powers of citizenship; they have endeavored to create the impression throughout the Union that if the Territory of Utah should be admitted as a State, it would be impossible for any person but a “Mormon” to live within its confines; that property would be unsafe, that life would be in jeopardy; that there would be an unbearable condition of affairs here; the “Mor– mon” Priesthood, as they say, would have such extraordinary power, and wield it so despotically and so much in the interest of their own people and to build up their hierarchy, that it would be impossible for any person of independent views, who did not act with them, to reside in this Territory in peace. These views have been so industriously circulated that a great many people have almost thought that this would be the case. However, I may say in relation to this that these statements do not receive the credence they once did. It is not a new thing for these misrepresentations to be circulated; they have been harped upon for many years. There is one thing, however, that has helped to show their falsity, and that is this great railroad that has been constructed across the continent, which has facilitated intercourse with the world, which has enabled hundreds and thousands of the people of the East and West to visit our Territory and see for themselves. This has been one of the best means of educating the public mind correctly in relation to Utah and its people that I know of; it has done more to dissipate this cloud of misrepresentation that has overshadowed us for so long a period than anything else I know of. It is more difficult at the present time, in consequence of this, that is, this speedy means of intercourse, to circulate those falsehoods and have them receive credence than in past years. I am thankful that this is the case, I have done all in my power to urge public men to visit Utah. I have said to them, Come; Come to Utah, come to Salt Lake. If you are going to California, don’t miss visiting Salt Lake City. I have known that the effects of such visits have been beneficial to the parties who make them, as they tend to enlighten their views concerning us, beneficial to us, as they are the means of informing intelligent men and removing a vast amount of prejudice which exists regarding this people. And I have this to say, that I do not know today a public man in either branch of Congress, who has visited Utah Territory, who is not—that is, so far as the rights of the people are concerned—the friend of Utah. This is saying a great deal, it is a broad statement, but I make it without scarcely hinting at a qualification, for it is true. During this past session—and it has been the case for several sessions—measures have been introduced by men who apparently have a monomania concerning “Mormons” and “Mormonism.” Measures have been introduced by persons of this kind, who have been anxious, apparently, to make that a hobby, hoping, I have thought, that they would gain favor with their constituents by doing this. When such measures have been introduced, and I have needed assistance respecting them, the men to whom I have gone in the Senate and in the House, have been men who have been in Utah Territory, have come down by the railroad to Salt Lake City, and have seen the city and the people. They have not been converted to “Mormonism.” They have not gone away believing that it is right for a man to have more wives than one. That does not follow as a consequence of their visit. But they have seen a people who—notwithstanding that they may consider them mistaken in some of their religious views and practices—are honest, industrious, persevering and orderly, and who behave themselves as good citizens should, and their sympathies have been aroused in behalf of the people, the more so because of the previous misrepresentations which have been made respecting them. They have been so thoroughly undeceived by their visit, that it has had a reactionary effect in many instances upon them, because of the statements that had been made to them previous to coming here. Therefore, you can see that I am warranted in saying as I do so frequently to my friends in Washington, Come; come West; and if you do come West, be sure and stop at Salt Lake City. It is not such a country as California. We have not so many attractions in Utah as you will find in California, but your trip will be incomplete without you visit Utah, and see Salt Lake City and its surroundings.

Of course, there are those who are ready to attribute all sorts of bad motives to those who come here and who are disposed to be favorable after their visit. I have stated this to officers. There have been a number of gentlemen appointed to offices here, with whom I was on very familiar terms in Washington. We could visit, we could meet together, we could associate together, and nobody would wonder at it or attribute any bad motives to either party. But I have said to these gentlemen when they have been appointed to office in Utah Territory—Now, I shall continue to be familiar with you as I am here if you wish it, but let me say to you that as soon as you get inside of the limits of our Territory, if you and I are very familiar, somebody will raise the story that the “Mormons” have bought you, that they have got you in their hands, and it would hurt your influence. Is not this a strange condition of affairs, that in a Territory of the United States citizens cannot associate together without a lot of mis– erable creatures here raising the story that there must be some corrupt motive in this association? And they have endeavored in this way to deter public men from doing their duty when they have come here. I remember one friend who came here, and in riding around he was seen in the presence of President Young. He came here as one of a committee going further West, and he was opposed in the public press here, till he became so indignant that he got copies of all the papers and mailed them to President Grant, to show him the assaults made upon public men, when they come to Utah, by a certain class who are here.

We have these things to contend with; we shall probably have them to contend with. We have lived through them so far, and we shall continue to prosper and live through them in the future. I have no doubt about that. I merely refer to these things to show the character of the opposition that is manifested towards us, and towards those who are friendly to us. But, as I have said, there is a better understanding gaining ground everywhere respecting this people called Latter-day Saints, and I expect it will continue to be the case, until we are known and understood in our true light; and it is a remarkable fact that those who have fought against us, and sought in the manner to which I have made allusion to heap all kinds of obloquy upon us, have not succeeded at that business, they have not succeeded, it has not paid them. They may have thought while doing this that it would injure us; but it has not injured us, it has advertised us, it has made us more widely known. There are public men whom I have met in my life who would rather have evil spoken about them than not be no– ticed at all. They would rather have newspapers attack them and tell that which is not true concerning them than to maintain silence about them and their movements. In this way we have certainly had the benefit of advertising now for a great many years, and people have known us either for good or for evil in a great many quarters of the earth where, if it had not been for this publicity, we might not have been known. It has been of great advantage to our missionaries in foreign lands. For instance, I have been very much pleased to hear by letter and otherwise through our missionaries in Europe, concerning the effect of Secretary Evarts’ circular which he sent abroad respecting emigration to Utah Territory. I do not suppose that he would have given that circular the publicity he did, or even written it at all, if he had been conscious at the time that it would have been so good an advertising power for the “Mormon” missionaries as it has proved. I am told that a great many journalists and public men of various kinds have had their attention drawn to us and to our doctrines, and to this organization in these mountains, in consequence of that circular, who probably would not otherwise have known anything about us. So that, as we have been taught, all things work together for good to all the people who serve the Lord. Everything is overruled for good. We have been told this afternoon, by Elder Cummings, respecting the wonderful organization that sprang up immediately upon the death of the Prophet, in New England. It had only been a very short time before this that the doctrine we believe in—the vicarious submission of the people to the ordinances of life and salvation had been taught.

Well, in all these things we behold the hand of God, and in witnessing His hand acknowledge it. It is the great strength—as I have, I think, told you very frequently—of the Latter-day Saints. We believe in God. We believe in Him as He is. We believe that He is a Being who hears and answers prayer, and who protects and blesses those who put their trust in Him. If I did not have that faith, you would not find me go to Washington as your representative. I would not go there for all that could be piled up as an inducement. But I go there, not strong in my own strength, but strong in the strength of that God whom we worship, and whom we know controls all the affairs and all the destinies of the children of men to suit His own purpose and to bring to pass His own designs. I know further, that the prayers of this people here, and of the thousands of others who live throughout all these mountains, which ascend every night and morning unto the God of Sabbaoth, from the humble habitations and from the humble hearts of the people, are heard of God, and are answered, according to the faith and good desires of the people who offer them. What else is there that could have sustained or preserved us, or could have delivered us as we have been so wonderfully delivered up to the present period? Is there any other power that could have done it? I am satisfied that there is no power beneath the heavens—no power of man, no combination of men, no wisdom or shrewdness or cunning of men, could have effected such great deliverances as have been wrought out for this people called Latter-day Saints; nothing of this kind could have been brought to pass but by the power of God. He who created the heavens and the earth, and who placed man upon the earth, and who sent His son Jesus in the meridian of time to die for man, the Redeemer and the Savior of man—no power but His could have brought about that which we witness and preserved to us that liberty which we now enjoy and for which as a people we should feel so thankful. Take the entire history of this people from the inception of the Church, its first organization, until today; you trace it from its beginning at Fayette, Seneca County, in the State of New York, and through its travels, through the journeyings, the mobbings, drivings, and persecutions to which the people have been subjected: you trace it through until this day of grace, June 27th, 1880, the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Joseph, and his brother Hyrum, and if a man can do so and not acknowledge that there is a God in heaven that overrules the affairs of the children of men, then he is in a worse condition than I can conceive it possible for a thinking man, who has ever had any of the light of truth in his heart to be in.

Let others then do as they please concerning these matters. Let others say that there is no God, that the universe is governed by unalterable laws, that there are no special interpositions of Providence among the children of men, that God governs the universe, governs the earth and the inhabitants of the earth by great unalterable laws, that there is no variation in these laws, that God does not operate to deliver men except they do it by their own wisdom and by their own management, that every man reaps the fruit of that which he does, and that his fate is unalterably fixed, and a great many have that idea—let others, I say, think as they please concerning these matters; but let us, as a peo– ple, cling to the old faith, to the old doctrine that has come down to us through the Bible, that God is, that He is today as much as He ever was, and put our trust in Him. Let us train up our children to the faith that He is a God who hears and answers prayer, so that they will have faith in Him, that in times of trial, in times of difficulty, when they are encircled by danger and it would seem as though there were no possible way of escape from the danger with which they are threatened, they can humble themselves and call upon God with a faith that cannot be overcome, to deliver them and to give unto them those blessings which they need. It is the greatest comfort that a human being can have to be in close communion with his Father in heaven or her Father in heaven. If children grow up with that sort of faith, you will find many of the things Elder Cummings has alluded to, such as the healing of the sick, and the works that were done in ancient days by that same sort of faith, will be done, as they are done, in our households and in our communities.

I have given expression to a few of my feelings. I am thankful to find you in such favorable circumstances. I say to you, live the doctrines that you profess. Be Latter-day Saints, not in name, but in word and in deed. Be an example in your lives. Live the religion you profess. Be meek, be gentle, be kind. If others revile you, revile not again. How easy it is to revile back when a man calls you something that is vile and low; how natural it is to say something equally sarcastic, equally severe, in return. Let us study to control our tongues in our households. Let no father give utterance to any word that he would blush to have any person of the world hear. Let no mother do such a thing. Let every child be taught to respect and reverence not only their parents, but old age. Let us endeavor to raise up a generation who will respect age. One of the great and growing evils that exists today in our land is the disrespect that is manifested by the young to age. Let us train our children to be respectful and to honor the gray hairs of the aged, to honor their parents that the great promise that was made in olden times may be bestowed upon them, namely: that their days may be long in the land.

I pray God, my brethren and sisters, to bless you and let the peace of heaven descend upon and abide with you in your homes and in your habitations, which I ask in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Remarks by President John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon June 27, 1880.

I am pleased to have the opportunity of listening to our brethren who have just returned. It is always interesting to hear from those who have been absent, with whom we have been acquainted for years. It is pleasing to listen to their views and ideas pertaining to us as a peo– ple, as contrasted with those of others. In regard to the opinions of men, I would say, however, although we are desirous of pursuing a proper and correct course—it is to us a matter of very little moment what their opinions may be concerning us. The truths of God in every age of the world have been opposed by a certain class of men. That they should be so at the present time is nothing remarkable or strange. And furthermore our trust is not in man but in the Lord. It is to Him that we are indebted for any light, any truth, any intelligence that has been communicated unto us. We have not received our religion, the doctrines that we profess, the ordinances that we administer in, nor any knowledge that we have of God, or the things of God, from the world, neither from its divines, its scientists, its philosophers, nor from any class of men in existence. We have received them not of man, nor by man, but through the revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently we are dependent upon Him for our guidance and direction; and while we wish to treat all men with respect, all authorities and all men holding positions under government, at the same time we feel that our strength, our power, our might, and our sustenance does not exist with them, but the Lord, and that we are dependent upon Him alone.

In speaking of our Priesthood, we knew nothing about it till God revealed it. In speaking of our doctrines we knew nothing about them till God revealed them. And furthermore, in speaking of the ordinances we administer in, whether for the living or the dead, we knew nothing about them till God revealed them; nor did the world, nor do they today. Concerning our temples, what do the world know about them? Nothing. If they had them built today for them they do not know how to administer in them, nor what they are for. The world generally is in darkness. God has revealed the Gospel to enlighten the world, and He has sent us forth not to be taught of the world, but to be their teachers and to show them the paths of light and life, and for this purpose He has organized His Church, His kingdom and His Priesthood; for this purpose He has stretched out His hand to protect us in the valleys of the mountains.

In regard to the position in which we are situated here, what have the world had to do with it? What have those people had to do with it that are so very much interested in our welfare as Brother Cannon has remarked? If they think they can benefit the world, it is very wise that they should go and try as we have done, show the same zeal, interest and welfare for mankind that we have done, travel the thousands and hundreds of thousands of miles without purse or scrip for the benefit of mankind that we have done, and then we will believe them a little quicker. But there are a great many men who think it much easier to tear down than to build up; much easier to oppose good principles than it is to establish and maintain them. All this, however, makes very little difference to us. We care very little about such things. We are engaged in a work in which God has set his hand, and we shall continue to do it, and another thing, there are no persons on this side of heaven or hell that can prevent it. They have tried and they will try, but will be frustrated, for God has set his hand to accomplish a certain work, and that work will be done, and by the help of the Lord, we will try and help Him to do it. The main thing we have to attend to is ourselves, to our morals, to our religion, to the training of our children, to the cultivation of our lots, to making our homes pleasant and agreeable, to promoting the welfare of the human family, that is, all that will permit us to do so. Whom do we interfere with? Whom do we calumniate? Whose religious rights are interfered with by us? They have their churches here. They are not molested; I hope not; I do not hear of it; I hope they are not, for our opinion is that we ought to treat all men aright, believing that matters of religion are matters of conscience. Our opinion is that we ought to treat our government aright, and be loyal, patriotic, just, honorable and law-abiding, honoring all good principles, sustaining all honorable men, and thus endeavor to promote peace, union, and happiness among mankind. Our motto is, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will to– ward men.” If people do not offer us that, we cannot help it. It is because they do not know any better. In the meantime, however, we will pursue the even tenor of our way. Let us be virtuous, honest, true and faithful. Let us treat one another aright, and God will bless us. We will serve the Lord and obey his laws, and Zion will roll forth, the kingdom of God will progress and no power can stop it. The things that have been spoken of by the Prophets will all be fulfilled. The knowledge of God will grow and increase, while the wicked will be rooted out, until “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever,” when liars, hypocrites, deceivers and corrupt men will be destroyed and swept away as with a besom of destruction.

May God help us to be faithful and true to our trust, that we may be saved in His kingdom, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder C. W. Penrose, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 1st, 1880.

We have met this afternoon, my brethren and sisters and friends, to worship God the Eternal Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, I trust under the influence of His Holy Spirit, and I pray that that Spirit may rest upon this entire congregation, and that I may be enlightened by its influence so as to be able to say something this after– noon which will edify and instruct the congregation. Having been called upon to speak to you I hope I shall have your attention and the benefit of your faith and your prayers, so that such subjects may be presented to my mind as will be profitable for us to ponder upon on this occasion.

We are partaking of the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. We do this in remembrance of him, in remembrance of the atonement which he wrought for us and for all mankind who will listen to his voice and obey his commandments, and also to direct our thoughts to another great event in connection with the history of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is yet to take place. We take this sacrament this afternoon not only in remembrance of the past but to direct our minds to the future. We partake of it to witness that we believe in the atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Calvary, and also that we expect his reappearance on the earth. We expect that he will come again, not the next time as the babe of Bethlehem, not the next time to be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but as the Lord of life and glory, as the King of Israel to sit upon the throne of his father David, to rule from the rivers to the ends of the earth; not to be brought unto the subjection of men, but to have all things made subject to him; not to bear his cross up the side of Calvary, but to come as a monarch, as a ruler of men, as the rightful Lord and King of this earth upon which we live. In partaking of these emblems this afternoon, then, our minds are carried back to the past, and carried forward to the future, and when we hold a piece of bread, blessed by the servants of God, in our hands, we take it in token and witness to God that we believe in him of whom this piece of bread is a representative. This bread is to us a representation of the body of Christ broken for us. When we drink of the cup we do so in remembrance of his blood and as a witness to God and to each other, that we believe in Jesus Christ. Not only that, but we also bear testimony before the heavens and one another, that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, and remember him, and keep the commandments which he has given unto us. So that in our public assemblies on Sunday afternoon—or the Sabbath day if you please to call it so—we come together to renew our covenants, to make manifest before God and one another our feelings and desires in relation to these matters, to witness to the heavens and the earth that we are called to be Saints, that we have come out of the world, that we have separated ourselves from that which is evil, and dedicated and consecrated ourselves to the service of God, to carry out his purposes on the earth, to be guided by his Spirit, to be prompted by the same motives that actuated our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when he was a man among men, to renew our covenants before God, that we will serve him in all things, and that we will prefer the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, that we will prefer the Kingdom of God as He has set it up on the earth in the latter days above all other things; that we will place in our estimation first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness with the hope and belief that if we do this all other things shall be added unto us as we need them.

This, then, is a solemn occasion, and although we have the privilege of meeting as we do this afternoon every Lord’s Day, yet it is none the less sacred, and should be none the less solemn to us, and we should endeavor on this occasion to call in our scattered thoughts, to refrain from thinking upon the things of this world, our cares, our business, the affairs that belong outside of the Tabernacle, and concentrate our thoughts and our feelings and our desires towards God, and the things of God, so that his Spirit may brood over us, and that we may be refreshed thereby; that we may be spiritually nourished and fed; that when we leave our meeting place, we may go away strengthened and prepared to battle with the ills of life and with the evils of this world. I sometimes think that if we were deprived for a little season of the privilege of meeting together, and partaking of those sacred emblems, we would attach more importance to our meetings and to the ordinances of the Lord’s House. If we were deprived of the privilege of listening to the voice of the servants of God instructing us in our duties for a time, perhaps we would value their teachings more than we do. The absence of the music this afternoon from our large organ puts me in mind of this. I am sorry we cannot have music from the organ today. I like to hear the tones which come from that fine instrument, an organ built by the handiwork of the people of God, of this community, when played upon by a good musician. Perhaps if we are deprived of the use of that organ for a little while we will value it the more after the repairs are completed. So it is with our public gatherings; so it is with the various means of grace which are so abundantly bestowed upon us as the children of God. God has been very merciful to us in affording us so many privileges of instruction. All the time there is a voice saying, ‘this is the way, walk ye in it.’ There is no need for any man or any woman among the Latter-day Saints to go astray for the lack of instruction. We have our public meetings in our settlements on the Sabbath day, where the people come together to worship the Father in the name of the Son, where they can receive the outpourings of the Spirit in a collective capacity, as a congregation. We have our Sunday Schools to which we can send our little children that they may be taught in the way of life, and in the paths of holiness and virtue before the Lord. We have our Ward Meetings on Sunday evenings, where we can meet together in a ward capacity, and bear our testimony to the truth, or receive instructions from our Bishops and from the missionaries, who may visit us from time to time. And during the week we have many opportunities of assembling together, to hear the word of life, to talk to one another of the things of God, and be instructed in our various duties, both temporal and spiritual. Then we have the great privilege given us of God, that all the time we may draw near unto the throne of grace and receive for ourselves, individually as well as collectively, the power of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us in regard to the purposes of God, to strengthen us against sin, to enable us to cultivate the good that is in us, and grow up unto him who is our living head in all things, even the Lord Jesus.

This is the greatest boon that could be conferred upon mortals while dwelling in the flesh, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the spirit of truth, which reveals unto men the things of the Father and of the Son, which is a spiritual light to the inward being, which is the same to the spiritual nature of man as the light that streams from the sun is to the physical nature of man. As we are able to see the various physical objects of creation by the light of the sun, or as we call it, natural light, so by the aid of this spiritual light we can discern the things of God, and they can be made just as plain to our spiritual eyesight by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the things of the earth are made plain to our natural eyes by the power of the natural light that comes from the sun, or any artificial means which we may use or discover. The light which comes from God to enlighten the mind of man, to some degree is universally diffused like the light of the glorious sun. It is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. There is no person born into this world who breathes the breath of life, but who at the same time receives a portion of this divine spirit, this divine illumination. This blessing is not confined to people who are called “Christian,” it is not continued to any particular branch of the human family. All people who live and move and have a being on the face of the earth are enlightened measurably, by this Spirit of truth which comes from God. It is the light and the life of the world at the same time. Just as we read in the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. Speaking in regard to Jesus, who is there called the Word, we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” * * * “That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” This is that spirit of intelligence spoken of in the Book of Job. We read there that “There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” If we have any understanding at all, any intelligence at all, any natural intelligence born with us into the world, it is the gift of God. He that created the heavens and the earth, the seas and the fountains of waters; He that made the sun and his light thereof—He lighteth every man that cometh into the world. This is the same spirit which is called the Comforter, although it does not operate in the same degree as that spirit which is called the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we read about in the New Testament, in the promises of Jesus Christ to his disciples and to those who would keep his commandments; but all people born into the world receive a portion of divine light, and if they would grow up under the influence of that light and be actuated and guided by its whisperings all through their earthly career, it would lead them gradually up to the fountain of light, to “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning;” it would lead gradually to God, so that they could commune with God while they remain in the flesh; they would grow up nearer and nearer to Him, for they would choose the good and refuse the evil; they would take into their nature that which would lead them towards God, and they would repel from them that which would lead downward, they would discern the strait and narrow path that leadeth unto life, and they would avoid the broad road which leadeth unto destruction, in which so many of the human family have walked from the beginning. It is because the people that dwell on the earth do not listen to the “still small voice” of that natural light which is born with them into the world, that they do not receive the things of God. It is because they love that which savors of darkness and of evil that they do not comprehend the things of God as they are in him, and that they are shut out from that communication which all people might have if they would walk in the right way.

We are placed here in a world of opposites. Just as it was symbolized in the Garden of Eden with regard to the tree of life and the tree of death, or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so it is here. All through the ages that are past, God has placed before his children good on the one hand and evil on the other, and it is the privilege of all men to choose the good or the evil, which they please. Their agency is free. God will force no man to heaven; he will allow no man to be forced to hell. We are placed here where there is a mixture of good and evil, of light and darkness, of truth and error, of sorrow and joy, of bitter and sweet, of life and death; life spiritual and death spiritual, and also life and death natural. Why are we placed here in a world of death, in a world of opposites? That we may be tested; that we may be tried, and that we may manifest to God and angels and the heavenly hosts, and to one another what we are fit for in the world to which we are hastening. We are all hastening to another sphere, and we shall all be judged for the deeds we have done while we have dwelt in this sphere. All will be judged according to their acts and opportunities, according to the light that they have received or the light that they might have received if it had pleased them to open their eyes to it, and everyone in the due time of the Lord will be placed where he or she is fit to be. We will find our own level. Just as water finds its natu– ral level. The time will come when every spirit will find its own level. We will all gravitate some day into the place where we belong, and that place will be determined by our condition, according to the opportunities we have had, and according to the manner we have availed ourselves of them, either in cultivating the good and rejecting the evil, or in rejecting the good and cultivating the evil. We are all responsible individuals. Every person who arrives at the years of accountability becomes a responsible being. He is responsible to the Being who created him, to God who is the Father of his spiritual nature; for although we are all living under various circumstances here upon the earth, although mankind is made up of different races, yet, so far as our spiritual nature, the real individual, is concerned, we are the sons and daughters of God, who is the Father of the spirits of all men, and he that “hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation,” has sent us his sons and daughters to dwell upon the earth in earthly bodies, some of us in one part of the world and some in another, but we are all the children of one Father, and therefore we are all brethren and sisters. And the time will come when our Father, who has sent us here for an experience, for a schooling, for an education, that we might understand the things that pertain to this lower sphere and grapple with evil and overcome it, will judge us with a righteous judgment, and we will all go to the place which we have fitted ourselves for by our earthly acts.

Now, the Lord, in the beginning of our temporal existence on the earth, placed within us this spirit of life and light, and if we would be actuated by that spirit and walk in the path that leads to the Father’s presence, we would get so near to him that we would learn of him personally. But all have gone astray, and when we take up the history of mankind and view it in the various ages and among the various races of men, we find that they have all been prone to do evil; that the great bulk of the human family, at any rate, have loved darkness rather than light; that they have loved error rather than truth, and that they have been led by the Evil One rather than by the spirit which comes from the Father. When Jesus Christ came upon the earth, he told the people that if he had not come among them, they would not have had sin, but now that he had come among them they had no cloak for their sin. Why? “Because,” said the Savior, “light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” And as Christ came in the meridian of time to reveal the Father to the children of men, so far as they could understand him, so at different times during the world’s history God has sent holy men, inspired of the Holy Ghost, men authorized of him to declare his word to the people that they might have life, that they might, if they pleased, choose the light and walk therein, or choose the darkness and walk therein.

But how has it been with those holy men? Have the people of the world generally received them? Have they welcomed them and their testimony? Have they hailed with joy the messengers from the Holy One, bringing light and truth and glad tidings of great joy? No. We find when we come to investigate the matter, that in all ages of the world the Prophets of God have been rejected of men. Jesus, the Son of God, had to say to the people in his day, “which of the prophets have not your fathers slain?” and He told the people of his day that upon them would come “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom they slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” Why? Because they had the testimony of those previous Prophets, they had the testimony of those holy men who had come in former ages, and they could see, by reading the history of the past, how wickedly mankind had rejected the servants of God, and yet, when the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came right into their own midst they rejected him, and in rejecting him they also rejected the Prophets which were before him, who predicted his coming, and the blood of all was to come upon that generation. This is how it has been in all ages of the world, the Prophets have been rejected. If a man came who flattered the people, who spoke the enticing words of man’s wisdom, or according to the learning and science of the age in which he came, they would receive him with open arms, they would welcome him to their hearts, they would receive his teaching, they would feast and applaud him, they would clothe and feed him and make him rich. But if a man came with the word of the Lord, with authority from the Holy One, to minister in the name of the Most High, they would reject him and put him to death. Take up the Bible and read the history of the old Prophets. What was their fate? Why, just as Paul tells us in his epistle to the Hebrews. They were stoned, sawn asunder, be– headed, persecuted, counted as not fit to live save it was in dungeons and caves of the earth: they were afflicted, tormented and rejected.

Some people who live in these times say, perhaps, “Oh, but if we had lived in those days we would have received the servants of God, we would have hearkened to the voice of the Prophets, we would have rejoiced to hear the words of men sent of God, men holding authority from the Most High, men who could communicate with the heavens, we would have looked upon them as deliverers from our doubts, from our darkness, from our divisions, from our strife, from our lack of knowledge.” Would you? Are you sure of that? If you had lived upon the earth in the days when Jesus Christ came, how would you have told that Jesus was really the Christ? How would you have found it out? The people to whom he came rejected him. There was no special mark set upon Him by which mankind could discern that He was the Christ. There was only one way by which it could be found out whether Jesus was the Christ or not. And what was that way? Why, by revelation from God, and if you and I had lived in those times and did not believe in revelation from God, how should we have found out that Jesus, of Nazareth, was the Christ? We read that the disciples on one occasion were asked by Jesus Christ, “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Now, how did Peter find that out, when those wise men, those Pharisees, those doctors, those lawyers, the expounders of the Mosaic law, the men that were looked up to by the Jews as lights of learning, men who had studied the holy Scriptures and made the teaching of them a profession, men who prayed long prayers on the corners of the street and had passages of scripture sewed upon the hem of their garments—how was it that Peter found out that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the rest of the people could not find out? “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What rock? “Peter,” somebody will say. The name of Peter—Cephas, signifies a stone, and people think that Christ built his church upon Peter. Well, if he did, he built it on a poor foundation; for it was only a little while after this, in accordance with the prediction of Jesus, that Peter was put under a severe trial which caused him to deny the Lord that bought him. The people declared that Peter was along with those who were with Jesus, and he denied the accusation and swore that he never knew him. Well, it was upon this rock of revelation that the Lord would build his Church. It was by revelation that Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ. No man can find out that Jesus is the Christ except by that same spirit; no man can know that he is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Now, there may be a great many people say that Jesus is the Christ. How do you know? “Well, I believe it.” Why? “Because I have been brought up a Christian, and therefore I believe it.” But do you know that Jesus is the Christ? No, you cannot know unless you get a revelation from God to that effect. You may believe that Jesus is the Christ, you may have been trained up in that belief; but you cannot know it unless God shall reveal it to you. It is only by the power of the Holy Ghost, that this knowledge can come to the children of men, neither can knowledge come to anyone concerning the things of God, except by the same spirit.

Now this gift of the Holy Ghost, as I before remarked, is the greatest boon that can be conferred upon mortal men, because by it they can discern and comprehend the things of God, and without it they cannot. They may reflect upon them, ponder upon them, speculate about them; they may come to certain conclusions in their own minds by reason and logic, but they cannot obtain a knowledge of these things unless it is by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost, which is a spirit of revelation. How can this gift be obtained? It can only be obtained in the way that the Father has pointed out. The way is plain and simple, but there is only one way. The Lord does not confer his gifts just as people please. The God who governs the universe has a way of his own. He does not ask us how we want seed time and harvest regulated, or how the earth shall revolve upon its axis, or how it shall move around the sun. He does not ask us when we want warm weather, or cold weather, nor when we want the rain or snow to descend, or the clouds to move away and leave the sun to shine forth in all its splendor. He governs the universe by fixed laws that cannot be turned out of their way by the whims of men. And so it is in the spiritual universe. Earthly things are a pattern of heavenly things, and as there are laws that govern the physical things, so there are also fixed laws which govern spiritual things. There is a way by which this gift of the Holy Ghost as a spirit of revelation to make manifest the things of the Father and of the Son, and make them plain to mortal men in the flesh can be obtained. What is it? It is pointed out very clearly in the Scriptures, but strange to say the great bulk of the people who profess to believe in the Scriptures, do not take that way when it is made plain to their understanding. In the first place, according to the Scriptures, men must believe in God. They cannot come to him without they believe in him. Faith must be quickened in the human heart, and all people have power to believe. When a servant of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preaches the word of life, those who are desirous of the truth will be stirred up into faith by the power of his testimony and his preaching, and the authority of the Priesthood he bears. That natural light that enlightens every man that comes into the world will be awakened. For light cleaveth unto light, and truth cleaveth unto truth; and as the light of the sun when it streams over the mountain tops wakens up the latent light in the earth, and as the warm rays pouring down waken up its latent warmth, so the testimony of the servant of God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and the authority which he holds wakens up the natural spirit of intelligence born in every man and woman, and the testimony he bears will find an echo in their hearts, the truth he presents will be made plain to their understanding, and they will see as he sees. He bears testimony that God lives. Why? Because he knows. He knows it by communion with him through the power and gift and light of the Holy Ghost, and as he bears testimony to the people that God lives, and that he is sent with a message from him, they begin to believe. But if men believe in God, they must also believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, as the Redeemer of man; they must believe he is the Son of God, because all men come to God by Jesus Christ. His name is the key word of salvation. By him we have access to the Father, and we cannot come to the Father but by the Son. The servant of God also bears testimony that he knows that Jesus who died on Calvary is the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world, and that he is sent as a witness of this, to bear his testimony concerning these things. Then, having exercised faith in God and in Jesus Christ, a natural desire springs up to obey the commandments of God and of Jesus Christ. Those who believe see that they have transgressed, that they have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, and desire to put away their sin and cease to do evil. This is repentance. What is the next principle? Faith first. All things must spring from faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is the first principle, repentance comes next. I do not mean a mourning, a weeping I do not mean throwing one’s self into paroxysms of grief and anxiety of heart; I mean a fixed determination, by the help of God, to cease to do what is wrong and try to do what is right. That is the next principle. The next is to get remission of past sins. “Why,” some will say, “if man repents is he not forgiven?” Not at all. A man may contract heavy debt at a store, but his being sorry for having contracted the debt would not pay off the old score. Faith and repentance, then, are the first and second principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the first and second steps towards the attaining of that great boon, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. What is the next step? To be buried in water in the likeness of Jesus Christ’s death by a man holding authority from God to administer that ordinance, and to be raised up from the water by that person in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This ordinance is for the remission of sins—not that water cleanses the man spiritually, not that the water washes away any sins the man may have committed. The blood of Christ alone cleanseth from all sin. That blood was shed for all humanity, but humanity will only obtain the full benefits flowing therefrom by obedience to the fixed laws that relate to the matter and pertain to salvation. We must obey the commandments of the Lord to obtain the blessings of the Lord. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Jesus Christ set the pattern. He went down into the river Jordan; he was baptized of John; he was raised up from the water, and then the Father testified that he was well pleased with him. The Holy Ghost descended in the sign of a dove, and the Father spoke from the heavens saying that He was well pleased. Now, here are the Holy Trinity all bearing witness to this ordinance—the Son in the water, the Holy Ghost descending, and the Father in the heavens uttering his voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Christ set us an example that we should follow in his steps. The man that baptized Jesus Christ had a right to baptize him, he had authority from God, and if he had not that authority the baptism would have been void, just like the baptisms in the so-called Christian world today. Any man pretending to be an official who is not a bona fide official, cannot perform a valid official act, all his acts are void, and any man who baptizes another—even if he uses the form, the formula, all exactly right according to the pattern—if he has not authority from the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost to baptize, the baptism he performs is nothing but a bath. Why should he use the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? Does he not imply that he has authority from the Trinity? And if he has not authority from the Trinity, then the baptism is without effect; it is as though it never was. Christ was baptized by John, a man called of God, a Prophet of God, a man holding authority to baptize. Jesus Christ also received his authority from God. We read that He “glorified not Himself to be made an High Priest, but He that saith unto Him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten Thee. * * * Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Christ received his Priesthood from the Father. Christ bestowed that same authority upon his Apostles, saying to them, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Now here is the pattern: Those who believe and repent must be taken down into the water and be buried from their old lives, must put off the old man with his deeds, must be buried in the likeness of Christ’s burial and raised up again in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection. Then, when they come forth from the water, if they have believed, repented, and been baptized by a man sent of God to baptize—then, “though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” They are cleansed, they come forth to a new birth, they are born of the water, and every time they partake of the holy sacrament they witness to God that they will continue in his ways, and walk in his paths, that they have put on Christ, and that they will remember him to keep his commandments in all things. Now when people are thus properly cleansed, and purified and made white, like unto newborn babes on entering into the world, without blemish or spot, then their tabernacles are fit to receive the Holy Ghost. How does it come? Like the remission of sins, it comes according to fixed laws; it comes through the laying on of hands of men appointed by the Almighty to administer. They lay their hands upon the baptized believer and they confirm upon him the Holy Ghost? Can a man confer the gift of the Holy Ghost? No; man is but the minister; the Holy Ghost comes from God; but this is the plan set and fixed in the economy of the heavens whereby people dwelling upon the earth shall receive this gift. Faith, repentance and baptism, then the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands.

Now, if you will take up the New Testament, you will find that this is the plan the Apostles followed in every instance wherever they went to preach the word of the Lord. They called upon people to believe in Jesus whom the Jews crucified, and to be baptized for a remission of their sins, then have hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost. They had authority to baptize, but they did not always have authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost. Philip went down to Samaria and preached the word of the Lord, and a great many were baptized, but they did not receive the Holy Ghost, although they believed in Jesus and were baptized. They could not receive that gift until someone came down from Jerusalem, having authority, but when Peter and John came down and laid their hands upon them, then the Holy Ghost fell upon them. When people received this Holy Spirit in olden times, what were its effects upon them? We read here in the New Testament that people had an inward witness that they were accepted of God. That was the blessing every man and woman in the Church enjoyed in olden times. It was no longer a matter of speculation; they had the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of the Lord, which revealed the things of the Father and Son to them, and they could say like Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” “God has revealed it to me, and I know it. I am no longer in doubt. My faith has grown to knowledge. I know that thou livest, I know that Christ is thy Son, and I know that I am on the path which leads to thy presence.” What else? All those who received this spirit received the same spirit. They were no longer Sectaries, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, or of any other sect; they were “all baptized by one spirit into one body, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free,” and they had “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their calling.” Hence you see one of its effects was to make all see eye to eye. They were no longer divided in their opinions in regard to these matters, but were united, seeing alike and understanding alike. Now, some will say it is impossible for people of differently constructed minds to see and know alike. Why? If they will only reflect a little, they will see that this is not the case. How many people will dispute that five times four make twenty? Is there anybody that disputes that? In that case all people understand alike. And so in regard to any of the principles of mathematics when understood. Now, if we can agree in regard to these things, why not in regard to spiritual things? If we are all influenced by the same spirit, why should we not see eye to eye? There is a day to come when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, and when no one shall need say to his neighbor, ‘Know ye the Lord,’ for all shall know him from the least to the greatest.” All shall see and comprehend alike, being baptized by one spirit and having the glorious boon of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which reveals the things of God, and makes them plain to the human mind. The gifts of the spirit are enumerated by St. Paul, in the 12th chapter of Corinthians. “To one,” he says, “is given the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge; to another faith; to another the gifts of healing; to another the working of miracles,” etc.—different gifts to different persons, all by the same spirit. What else? “Why,” says the Apostle Paul, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” These are some of the fruits of the spirit, and according to the amount of the outpouring of that spirit upon the different individuals, so will be their possession of these various gifts internally and externally. If a man having the Holy Ghost prays that he might have the gift of tongues, and sets his heart upon it, he will get it. What! In this age of the world? Why, certainly, if the Holy Ghost has not changed.

“Oh,” says one, “I do not believe in any such thing. There is no revelation nowadays. There is no administration of angels; that is all visionary, all nonsense. There is no prophesying nowadays by the gift of the Holy Ghost; there is no communion with the Eternal Father now. Jesus Christ has been shut out from the gaze of men for centuries, and they will not see his face again. Why do people talk in that way? Because the Holy Ghost has ceased to work among the children of men. Hundreds of sects and thousands of preachers, but no holy Ghost. Hosts of men claiming to be sent, but not one of them with authority from the Almighty. Trained to be preachers, paid to be preachers, desiring to be preachers, but no communion with the heavens, and therefore no authority from God. In fact they have repudiated the very idea of such a thing, and a man who declares that he has communion with the heavens and authority from God simply gets laughed at, and the cry is “Away with him, he is an impostor, let him be put to death,” just as they did in the days of Jesus and in the days of the old Prophets.

Now in our own time, in the generation in which we live, a young man came forth bearing testimony that he had had a vision in which he beheld the Father and the Son; and the Lord told him that the world had gone astray and that the time was near at hand when the Gospel should be restored in all its fullness, attended by all its ancient power, gifts and blessings. Afterwards he testified that divine beings had come down from on high and ordained him to the authority which they held when they were men in the flesh. He testified that John the Baptist the same who baptized Jesus, came and ordained him to the same Priesthood that he held, and sent him as a forerunner to prepare a people before the second coming of the Redeemer. Afterwards he testified that Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Apostleship in early times, came and ordained him to the same Apostleship which they held, and sent him forth to administer in the same way that they were authorized to administer when they were in the flesh. What was the consequence? All the world was turned against him, and particularly men professing to be ministers of the Gospel. “All such things,” they said, “are done away with, do not listen to him, he is a vile impostor.” But in spite of this he bore his testimony, and people who had been looking for the restoration of the everlasting Gospel received his ministry. His words penetrated their hearts; they repented, were baptized, and had hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost. But did they get the Holy Ghost? So they say. They testified to having received the various gifts—the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, prophecy, etc.; the lame were made to walk; the ears of the deaf were unstopped; the eyes of the blind were opened. They say, “I know that Jesus is the Christ; I know that Peter’s testimony is true, and I know that this man, who is cast out as an impostor, is a Prophet of God; the Holy Ghost so testifies to me. I am not dependent upon his testimony. God, my Father, has revealed this to me, and I know it.” The work went on. Men were ordained with the same authority and went to the different nations, and wherever they went the same effects followed—Jew or Gentile, bond or free, Scandinavian or German, Italian or French, English, Scotch, Welsh or Irish, all received this testimony; were baptized into the same spirit, and received the same gifts. This is why we are here dwelling together in these mountain valleys. We have all received the same Gospel, the same testimony. Our testimony to all the world is we know that God lives; we know that Jesus is the Son of God; we know that the atonement was wrought out for us and all the world who will receive it; we know that we have received a remission of our sins; we know that the Lord has brought us up out of the miry clay and placed our feet upon a rock and put a new song in our mouths of everlasting praise to God and the Lamb. We are all looking forward to the second coming of Jesus, and the time is not far distant when he shall come and reign from pole to pole and from shore to shore. He will come to take vengeance on those that know not God, and obey not the Gospel; to cleanse the earth as with the besom of destruction, and to subdue all things to himself.

Well, what did they do with this young man who bore this testimony that the Gospel in all its ancient purity and power had been restored to the earth? What did they do with him? They hunted him from place to place, from city to city, persecuting him on the right hand and on the left. So-called ministers of the Gospel preached all manner of falsehoods against him. They stir– red up the populace against him, and time and time again he was taken by wicked hands and cast into prison. Some forty-nine times he was accused of various crimes, but no conviction could be had. At last they got him into Carthage jail. A guard was placed around the prison to make his friends believe that he was safe, and just as soon as this idea was established, the mob with their faces blackened burst into the prison and slew the Prophet and his brother Hyrum, who died for the truth and for the testimony of Jesus, the last words the Prophet was heard to say were, “O Lord, my God.”

Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God, was rejected of men like unto the ancient Prophets. He came to a wicked and perverse generation. He came to a people who had turned away from God and followed after the ways of men. He came to a people who worshipped God with their lips, while their hearts were far from him. He came to a people who loved darkness rather than light, and therefore they did the deeds of others who were in the same position in previous ages—they slew the Prophet of God. His blood stains the soil of Illinois, and of the United States, his blood smokes up to God with the blood of Abel, and with the blood of all the martyrs, and will be laid at the door of a wicked and corrupt generation; for although all did not imbrue their hands in his blood, yet they consented to the deed and were ready to say, “served him right, we are glad he is out of the way.” The same spirit is manifested toward our leaders today. The world would like to see them slaughtered too. What harm did Joseph Smith ever do the world. He bore testimony of these things to those who pro– fessed to believe in this book (the Bible) and who hug it to their bosoms and sing:

“Holy Bible, book divine, Precious treasure thou art mine,” And they rejected the very truths contained in that book, that this man, a Prophet of the Lord, proclaimed by the power of the Holy Ghost.

We Latter-day Saints have gathered from all parts of the world to these valleys of the mountains, occupying a country north, south, east and west, for about 500 miles. Christ said that one of the signs of his coming would be that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This Gospel is being preached as a witness unto all nations and the end is approaching. What else did he say in connection with this “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Isaiah saw them coming “as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows;” and through him the Lord has said, “I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” We have come from the nations of the earth to the tops of the mountains to erect a house to the God of Jacob, that we may learn of his ways and walk in his paths. God once more speaks to men on the earth; Jesus Christ has revealed himself, and the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the spirit of truth, makes manifest the things of the Father and of the Son. “The Lord shall suddenly come to his temple,” and we partake of this sacrament to keep us in remembrance of this and to prepare ourselves, for the day is near at hand.

I bear my testimony to you, my brethren, sisters and friends, in all sincerity and soberness, before God and the angels, the heavens and the earth, that I know this work is true. I am not dependent upon another person for this knowledge. I know for myself I have received this Gospel in my heart; I have obeyed its ordinances; I have received of its spirit: I know that God lives. I know that this work will roll on. I know that the Gospel will be preached to every creature. I know that the honest and truth-loving, who dare meet the frowns of men, who dare face popular opinion, will come out from the sects and parties of the earth and from the different nations and countries, and be baptized into this Church and receive the Holy Ghost, and thus be drawn near to God, and prepared for the advent of the Lord. They will come from all parts of the earth. This work will roll on. No government, or kingdom, or power, or president, or ruler, or monarch, can stop its progress. It is not the work of man. It is the work of the great God. People marvel how it is this people can be brought together in hundreds and thousands, and be so united. They think they are under the influence of some scheming men, and that we are in a state of bondage. It is all nonsense and folly. The power that binds us together is the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Comforter, the power of the spirit of revelation. This power is in our hearts. The union that binds us together is brought about by the same power that binds together the waters of the great sea. This sea of humanity, composed of people of all nations, has been acted upon by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. That is where our unity comes in; it is our obedience to law and to truth, not to man. People very much mistake the character of the Latter-day Saints, if they think we are a lot of serfs. We have come out from amongst the various nations against the opposition of our friends and kindred and stood up for the right. We have crossed the great deep and traversed the broad plains for our religion. When I crossed the ocean, it took thirty days to accomplish the voyage, and thirteen weeks to cross the plains. I am the only one of my family who received the Gospel. I came here because I knew it was true and that I might learn more of the ways of God. I came to throw in my lot with the people of God for life or for death, for time and for eternity, with all my powers bodily, mental, physical and spiritual. In giving my testimony I merely speak the testimony of hundreds and thousands that inhabit these mountain valleys.

Well, now we are here, what do we intend to do? We will find out the law of God as fast as we can and by the help of God we will live it. We will try to carry this Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, east, west, north and south. We are willing to go any number of miles to any nation, bearing our own expenses generally. What for? To preach this Gospel, and bear testimony that God has spoken from the heavens. But some may say, “You are a very bad people. You marry many wives and are raising up a host of children.” Well, we are no worse than the father of the faithful, Abraham, the friend of God, and if you do not like men who have more wives than one, I am very much afraid that when you get to the gates of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, on which will be inscribed the names of twelve men who were the sons of four women by one man—and if you should pass through the gates into the celestial city, and find Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God, with their wives and children as the beginning of their everlasting glory and dominion, that you will say, “I want to go somewhere else, let me get out of this city, it is inhabited by polygamists.”

Before I sit down let me say, my friends that those in this community who have married more wives than one have done so from pure motives. But some people cannot comprehend that. This generation is so corrupt and so licentious that some cannot understand how a man can marry one wife from pure motives. Now if you can understand the feelings and motives with which a virtuous man marries the wife of his youth, “for better or worse,” then you can comprehend the motives of the Latter-day Saints when they marry more wives, for the same promptings that actuated them in the first place, actuate them in the next. God Almighty has given us a revelation concerning this matter. We marry our wives under divine direction and divine sanction, and under the same holy Priesthood which has power to administer baptism for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and “whatsoever it shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever it shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” I have no time, however, to dwell on this subject, but I will just say that our marriage is celestial marriage for time and all eternity—like that with which Adam was married to Eve in the Garden of Eden when they were immortal beings, and when there was no one to unite them but God. Christ died also for them and though they were divided by death they will come forth and be united again as glorious resurrected beings. As our hymn says:

“Come to me; here are Adam and Eve at the head, Of a multitude quickened and raised from the dead; Here are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be; Here’s eternity—endless: Amen. Come to me.”

After that pattern are we married for time and all eternity, and we expect when we come up in the resurrection of the just, if we have been worthy, to receive our wives to our bosoms, and our children to the family circle; that they will be the beginning of our exaltation and glory; that then the blessing of Abraham pronounced upon us shall be fulfilled, and of our increase there shall be no end. The Lord will multiply our seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And when we enter this holy order of marriage, whether it be with one or two, or more wives, we marry in this order and in the fear of God, and under the direction of his spirit and for holy purposes, and not for the gratification of lust, and those that say we do are either very much mistaken or they willfully lie. There are people who are constantly and persistently lying about us, but of them I do not wish to speak for fear that I should get angry, and I feel too happy to reflect upon them. I rejoice in knowing that my sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ, through obedience to his commandments. I rejoice in knowing that the Holy Ghost is in my heart and guides my footsteps; that I can call upon God and receive an answer to my prayers; and that I know he loves to hear and answer the prayers of his servants. I bear this testimony to you this afternoon, and as a servant of the Lord I say to all who have not obeyed the Gospel, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by authority of the holy Priesthood, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call, and if you reject this testimony and commandment and love darkness rather than light, you must give an account therefore in the great day of judgment.

May God bless this congregation, and fill his Saints with his Holy Spirit continually, that we may roll on the glorious work of God, and that we may live for the truth, and if necessary die in its defense. May peace and blessing be multiplied upon you, through Jesus Christ. Amen.