Discourse by Elder Charles W. Penrose, delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, November 4, 1882.

The testimony which has been borne to us this afternoon by Brother Abraham H. Cannon is true and faithful. I presume there is not an Elder in Israel, no matter how much experience he may have had in public speaking, who does not feel in his heart to shrink when called upon to stand before the people and speak to them upon the things of the kingdom of God; for if he can properly realize his position he feels his inability, his weakness; he feels that of himself he is unable to instruct the Saints; he knows that they are familiar with the general principles of the Gospel, and with almost every truth which has been made manifest by the power of God in these last days, many of them are also familiar with the teachings of the servants of God in former times, which they have been able to gather from the Scriptures of divine truth. To stand up before a congregation of people acquainted with the Gospel, its principles, its ordinances, and its spirit and power, is indeed a task, and it is only in the strength of the Lord, it is only because of faith in His promises and of experience in receiving a fulfillment thereof, that the Elders are emboldened to stand up before the people to address them, trusting to the inspiration of the moment, trusting that God will pour out His Spirit upon them and upon the congregation whom they address.

I feel this afternoon that it is a very great privilege to be numbered among the Latter-day Saints, to be permitted to meet in this house and worship God our heavenly Father in the way that He has appointed, to partake of the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, and to spend a little time together reflecting upon those things that pertain to our eternal welfare. In this I feel that we are blessed of the Lord, and my heart is full of gratitude for this great privilege. For, when we meet to worship, we do not assemble to offer up our prayers and to attend to the ordinances or to perform any ceremony that we have invented, but we meet together to attend to things which have been pointed out to us by the finger of divine providence. Every principle we have received has come from God. Every ordinance which we administer, or of which we receive the administration, has come to us by divine revelation in our own day. The manner of administering the sacrament of the Lord’s supper which we partake of every Sabbath, when we meet together, has been pointed out to us by the Lord. We have not learned this merely by reading the Scriptures, written by holy men of God in ancient times, but the Lord has pointed out in what way it shall be administered, and has given us the words to be used in the blessing of the bread and of the water, the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And so with everything we have in the Church; it is pointed out by the Lord. The Church itself was not organized by man, nor by the wisdom of man, but according to a divine pattern revealed directly from the heavens; and in this respect our Church, our religion, the ordinances which we receive, and all things pertaining to the work in which we are engaged, are different to anything else upon the face of the earth. For all the churches and societies and institutions and governments which exist upon the face of the earth, outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are the work of man. It is true that in each of them some divine princi– ples are incorporated; there is some truth in every religion, in every sect, in every creed, in every society, and in every political form of government. But those institutions, civil, political and ecclesiastical, have been set up by man. They have been founded on the knowledge and wisdom of man; they have not been established by authority from our heavenly Father, but men have set them up according to circumstances, and according to their desires and their designs and their notions. Yet, at the same time, over all, above all sits our heavenly Father, watching the affairs of men and nations, shaping and controlling and overruling all things to bring about eventually His own divine purposes in regard to the earth and the inhabitants thereof. But so far as these organizations are concerned, these various institutions which have been set up, they are the works of men. They have not been authorized by our heavenly Father, although they contain within themselves many things that are right and true.

Now, will all these various institutions endure? Can they stand the test of time? Will they pass away at some period? Institutions like these have been set up in former times, and after awhile they have perished and passed away just like all things earthly, just like all things with which men have to do; they are all of a temporary character, and they contain within themselves the elements of their own dissolution and final destruction. Now the Lord has told us a little concerning this in a revelation He gave through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I will read a portion thereof. It will be found on the 465th page of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:

“Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.

“Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?

“Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?

“And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?

“I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.

“And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.

“For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.”

There are a great many religions in the world, and the people who compose these various religious societies, meet together in their chapels and churches and halls of worship to perform religious ceremonies; to partake of religious ordinances; but we find when we come to examine them, that each one of them has been set up by man, and they have not been authorized by the Lord our God.

A little over 1,800 years ago a Church was established upon the earth by our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus Christ not only came to set a pattern to mankind in His earthly acts, and to die for the sins of the world, but also to establish His Church on the face of the earth, the Church of God, whom He represented; for the Father was represented in Him, He being in the express image of the Father’s person. He received the spirit of the Father, not by measure, but in its fullness. He came here not only to represent the Lord upon the earth that man might understand the Father, and to show a pattern to them that they might follow in his footsteps, and to lay down His life for their sins and for the sake of the whole world, but that He might establish the Church of God; and He called certain disciples and ordained them to the same calling and authority which He had received from the Father. He called twelve men and ordained them Apostles. He called seventy men and ordained them unto a position which was an appendage to that Apostleship, that they might work in the same ministry and go where the Twelve could not go; in other words, to be assistants to them. He revealed to those Twelve Apostles sufficient to begin the establishment of His Church, and He also taught them line upon line, precept upon precept, and principle upon principle, to qualify them after His departure to continue the work which He had begun. And after He left them, after He was by wicked hands taken and crucified and slain, and had risen from the dead, and had met with them and talked with them and explained further to them in relation to their duties and in relation to the Church which was to be established upon the earth, He poured out upon them His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, that it might be in His stead; that His word might be spoken to them; and that the things of the Father and of the Son might be revealed to them; that they might comprehend all things needful to establish the Church; that they might do the work of the ministry; that they might edify the body of Christ; that they might lead the saints and the Church to perfection. And we know the Church was fully established under this divine direction, under the gift and power of the Holy Ghost and the personal teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was established with Apostles and Prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, with helps and governments, with gifts, powers, and privileges and blessings and ordinances, that the people who believed in Jesus Christ might not be left in a scattered condition, but that they might assemble together and be organized after the pattern of heaven, that the beginning of the heavenly kingdom and heavenly government might be in their midst. For the work that Jesus came to establish was indeed the kingdom of heaven so far as He could establish it at that time. And the word of the man who came to prepare the way before Him was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The disciples of Jesus Christ, all who believed on Him, were organized in the various branches of that Church, and all the branches were joined together in one, with Jesus for their living head, with a representative upon the earth in the person of the Apostle Peter, who, assisted by his counselors, James and John, presided over the Church, and “these men were looked upon as pillars of the Church.” We find by looking through the New Testament, the nature of the Church, the power within it, and the blessings enjoyed; and the promise that Christ made was that if His servants observed to do all things whatsoever He commanded, the gates of hell should not prevail against them.

For a time the Church of Jesus Christ as it was organized, remained upon the earth. The power of God was in the midst of the Saints. They were united together, Jews and Gentiles, some bondsmen and some freemen; some had belonged to one sect, some to another, and some to no sect at all. When they were baptized into Christ’s Church they were all baptized by one spirit into one body, they became united, they were organized after the pattern of heaven, and the Holy Spirit ran through the whole body. The same spirit was in the feet as in the head and in the hands. Every part of the body of the Church was actuated by the same spirit and the same influence, and that was the power in their midst that made them one and different from all other people on the face of the earth. But after a time errors crept in among them. Wickedness and corruption also were introduced. They began to depart from the ways of the Lord. The persecution that was heaped upon them made the hearts of some fail, and after a time the Church began to go into darkness and to lose the characteristics which it showed forth in the time when it was first established. Heresy after heresy crept in, and after a while the things that the Apostles predicted came to pass. Wicked and corrupt men arose in the midst of the people, and “made merchandise of the souls of men.” They turned away their ears from the truth and gave heed unto fables. And after a few years had passed away, the Church went into darkness, and God withdrew His Holy Spirit and the power and authority of the Apostleship. The Apostles were slain. The lights that were placed in the Church were put out by the hand of wickedness. Dark– ness covered the whole earth and gross darkness the minds of the people.

A church arose different from the Church which Christ established; it is today called the Church of Rome, or Roman Catholic Church, which professes to be the ancient Christian church continued upon the earth down to the present time, and the Pope of Rome, who presides over it, claims to be a descendant in authority of St. Peter. But when we come to look into the claims of the church to succession, we find that they will not stand the test of investigation. When we compare the Church of Rome with the Church that Christ established, we find that it is altogether different. Its organization, its ordinances, its teachings, its doctrines are at variance with the organization, teachings and doctrines of the Church of Christ. Instead of Apostles over the church, there are Pope and Cardinals. Instead of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, the sprinkling of infants that know no sin. Instead of the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, darkness. Instead of charity which covereth a multitude of sins, persecution and a desire to coerce man into certain forms of religion. Instead of the ordinances instituted in the ancient Church in behalf of the dead, prayers for the souls in purgatory. I might go on at great length and show the difference between that church and the Church that Christ established. But, that is not my purpose this afternoon. Anyone who will take up the New Testament and read the account given there of the acts of the Apostles, of the doctrines taught in the epistles, of the ordinances, of the spirit and power in the Church of Christ, and then compare that Church with the church called the Church of Rome, will see that they are two entirety distinct and separate organizations, having nothing whatever in common with each other, except perhaps that in a few particulars they have some resemblance.

Now, all the other forms of the Christian religion which exist upon the face of the earth have sprung from that church, either directly or indirectly, and if the Church of Rome is wrong, all the organizations that have sprung from it must be wrong also, unless some of these people who have seceded from that church have been authorized by God Almighty, have been authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ, to establish a new church. But there is not one of them that claims any such thing. Not one of the various sects that I am referring to, claims to have been authorized by divine revelation to set up a new church. No, they have come out from some other church, and upon their own authority, they have started to reform errors which they believed existed in the body from which they had seceded. That is the position which they occupy. The Church of England—or the Episcopal Church, as it is called—is an offshoot of the Roman Catholic Church, and all the authority its Bishops and Priests and Deacons have was obtained from the Church of Rome. But that church cut them off, and whether the Church of Rome was right or wrong, the Episcopal Church must be wrong so far as a claim of authority goes: for if the Church of Rome had not any authority, then the Episcopal Church cannot have any; and if the Church of Rome had authority, then it used that authority in cutting the other church off. Other sects which have dissented from the Church of England are all in the same condition, so far as their authority is concerned, and although each one has some truth, and each one has tried to correct some error, yet so far as their organization is concerned, they are entirely destitute of divine authority. God never told them to set up their churches. Jesus Christ never spoke to them. No angel has descended from the courts of glory with a message from the Father and the Son to tell them to do thus and so. In fact they all claim that the day of revelation is gone by, that “the awful voice of prophecy is closed forever,” that there will be no more revelation from God to the sons of men. This being the case they are and can only be, the institutions of men.

Now, I do not desire to speak against any of the individuals who compose those various denominations. I do not wish to say anything against their preachers. That is not my design or my desire. What I wish to point out this afternoon is the fact that they have not been set up by the Lord. That being the case—and I presume there can be no dispute about it, for they do not pretend to have received any communication from heaven—they are only the churches of men, they are called after the names of men, a great many of them, and in that they are consistent. One church is called after John Wesley. In that they are consistent. It is not the Church of Christ, it is not God’s Church, it is the church of Wesley, and I believe he was a very good man and accomplished a great deal of good. All the good that men and women do in every sect, in every nation and among every race, will be accounted for good when they stand before the Great Judge to be judged for the deeds done in the body. But these churches are the churches of men. That is the idea. Christ did not ordain them. God did not authorize their establishment. Maybe they accomplished some good purpose, and yet after all they are the churches of men. Now, the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has declared that whatsoever things are not by Him shall at some time be cast down and destroyed, and this includes not only the churches that I have referred to this afternoon which have been built up by men, whether among Christian or pagan nations, but it refers to other things which men have set up. It refers to the governments of the world. If anyone likes to call this “treason,” it will not make any difference to me. Men can take the Bible and indict that for treason, if they choose, for it says the time will come when “the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” We read of the image which Nebuchadnezzar saw, the meaning of which Daniel interpreted. That image was broken in pieces by a stone cut of the mountain without hands, and the particles which once formed the image—the gold, the silver, the iron, the brass and the clay—were blown away and no place was found for them. And the stone that smote the image—the Kingdom of God—became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, after breaking in pieces and consuming all the kingdoms of the earth. Perhaps people will say that is “treason.” If so, they had better indict the Bible for such utterances, as I am only repeating what the Bible says, and what there is in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the sayings in the latter Book being, in some instances; a repetition of things God spoke in ancient times. But these sayings are from a divine source, and I bear my testimony today of their truth; for I know the time will come that “everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not of God, shall be thrown down and shall not remain.”

Now, my brethren and sisters, you and I belong to a Church which has been set up and ordained and is conducted and carried on under the immediate direction of the Lord Jesus Christ, who represents the Father. Thus the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church of God, has been established by His authority and by His power. It was not set up by the wisdom of Joseph Smith, who was at first but a poor ignorant lad. He was not capable of inventing a church so beautifully organized as the one to which you and I belong. When we look at the order of this Church, as detailed here in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the order of the Holy Priesthood as revealed by the Almighty to Joseph Smith—it appears a marvel and there is nothing so beautiful on the earth. There is no government, no society, no church which has an existence that can be compared with it. It is a perfect organization. It could not have emanated from the brains of a man like Joseph Smith, neither could it have emanated from the brains of any set of men unless they had been divinely inspired. It is perfect when every officer occupies his right position; when every quorum occupies its proper place; when every man stands in his own order, no one infringing upon the rights or duties of another, but every man in his place; all moving as designed by the Almighty, there is a perfect organization, established by divine power. And it will accomplish the work it was intended to accomplish. And there is this consolation in it to us. Not only is this organization set up as the Almighty ordained, but it is placed here to remain. It shall never be destroyed. The Kingdom shall not be left to another people. It shall never decay. It shall abide and stand forever. It shall regenerate the earth. It shall prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man. It shall establish the power of God in the midst of the earth. It shall utterly conquer the power of Satan and his hosts, and the organizations to which they belong. It shall prevail among all the nations of the earth. And whereas in former times the kingdoms of this world have prevailed against the Saints and against the institutions to which they were attached, the tide will be turned in the latter days, and the kingdom, or institution, or church, whatever you please to call the organization to which we belong, shall prevail over all its enemies and endure forever. It shall regenerate the earth, and establish the kingdom and power and might and Spirit of God upon the earth and drive out the institutions of man and the power of darkness, and fill the earth with the glory and the power of our Redeemer, who shall come and reign in the midst of His people as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and all nations and kingdoms and peoples shall serve and bow the knee to Him.

I think about that time there will be some talk concerning the union of Church and State. It is very certain that about that time there will be a good deal of religion in politics. There is a great outcry about that now. That is one of the objections made to the Church to which you and I belong, which our Father has set up; for it is just as true that it contains within it the germs of the Kingdom of God as that it is set up by the power of God. This Church to which you and I belong is not the Kingdom in its fullness, but it contains within it the germ of that kingdom which it has been predicted shall be established upon the earth—the mightiest government that the world ever saw. The government of God as it exists in the eternal worlds shall be established among men on the earth, and the will of the Lord shall be done here as it is done in heaven. Our kind, “Christian” friends have been praying for that event. They say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.”

This Church that God has established takes hold of us just as we are, as men and women, as members of society, as members of any political form of government we may exist under, and teaches us our duties in every phase of life, in every position we occupy as members of the Church, as fathers and mothers, as neighbors, as friends, as members of the same body politic, as members of the same county or territory or state or government. It comes to us in the name of the Lord, and teaches us our duty in every capacity. Is there anything wrong in that? It does not so appear to me. It seems to me that God who is my creator, who owns me, who owns the breath that goes in at my nostrils and which I breathe out again, who owns the life blood that courses through my veins, who owns all the elements that sustain me and keep me in mortal life, who owns the earth I stand upon, and all the particles which compose it, and all things that move upon it, it seems to me, in view of all this, that God has a right to tell me what I shall do that I may please, serve and obey Him, and He has a right to tell me what to do in every position in which I am called to act, civil and religious alike. The ancients used to look to the Lord for instruction in everything, even when they went out to battle against their enemies. In all their movements they looked to the Lord for counsel, and when they did thus they were blessed and prospered, and when they turned away from the Lord they went into darkness.

Now the Lord has set up this Church—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—upon the old pattern, the same pattern exactly as Jesus Christ revealed to His Apostles. The same ordinances exist, the same gifts and blessings are enjoyed according to the faith of the people, and according to the manner in which they are sought after. If people are careless and indifferent, and do not seek for those blessings, the Lord will not force them upon them. But these blessings exist in the Church today as in ancient times. The authority that Peter, James, John, and the rest held exists in this Church today, revealed direct from on high—not handed down through a succession of doubtful popes, but revealed direct from heaven in our own day. And let me say that this divine communication has not ceased. It was not merely renewed to Joseph Smith and then taken away again. The spirit of revelation now rests down upon the leaders of the people. That spirit by which Moses led the children of Israel in the wilderness, by which they passed through the Red Sea dry-shod, the same spirit, the same authority, the same power, are here in the midst of the Latter-day Saints. I know it, and everyone else can know that if they will walk in the light of God, and seek for the testimony of His Spirit.

This Church that the Lord has established upon the earth has been established to grow and increase and spread forth. Of course it will attract the attention of the world, and will excite hostility. That is to be expected, it is reasonable that it should, for this Church is different from anything else in the world. It has a different spirit, a different aim, a different design, a different destiny from any other Church upon the earth. It is the Kingdom of God in embryo. It is the power of God in earthen vessels. It is the light of God sent down to dispel the darkness that is upon the earth. It is the authority of God placed upon mortal man, and it will continue until the earth is redeemed, until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ. No wonder it incites hostility and antagonism. It is natural it should do so.

But the question is whether you and I are going to be able to endure to the end. The Kingdom will stand. That is just as sure as God lives, as sure as the sun shines, as sure as you are in this house this afternoon. The Church will remain, for it has been set up by the Lord, who has said: “Whatsoever things remain, are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.” Now, shall we be able to stand individually? That is the question for you and me to consider. How shall we be able to retain our standing and the spirit of this work? If we will be taught of the Lord, and put our trust in Him, and will keep His commandments, He has promised that we shall come off more than conquerors; but if we abide not in the Lord, we will be shaken and destroyed. Our only safety is within the portals of the Church of Christ, in its ordinances, its spirit, its power and its Priesthood. The Lord has promised that if we are faithful He will fight our battles. On page 342, of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says:

“And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.

“For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

“And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.

“Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy;

“For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me.”

Now, then, what we should study is the word of the Lord. Never mind about the word of man. Never mind about the abuse of man. Never mind about the threats of man. Never mind about the governments of man, and what they will do. Of course they are mighty and we are a little handful. This nation of fifty millions is a tremendous host when compared with the people of these mountains. The kingdoms of this world are great and powerful. They have their armies and navies. They are organized after the fashion of man to plunder and lay waste. But all the nations of the earth are in the hands of the Great Eternal God. He setteth up and casteth down at will. He watches over the affairs of nations as well as individuals. And in His hand they are like the drop in the bucket. They are as nothing before His eyes. He can speak and they will be destroyed. In a moment He could withdraw the breath of life from among them, and they would perish: and when people imagine that by putting their heads together and concocting some scheme for the destruction of the Lord’s people, the Lord’s anointed, they can overthrow them, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh and shall have them in derision.”

As Brother Abraham Cannon has told us this afternoon, the hand of God is in all these things. It must not be understood, however, that God is inciting men to work against this people. No, He leaves them to their own agency. They will go ahead and carry out their designs as far as the Lord pleases to allow them and no further. “Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?” He that spoke to the wind and the waves can speak to the blast of human passion and the breakers of human wrath, bid them go no further, and say, when He pleases; “Peace, be still.” These things will all work together for the good of the people of God, and in them the Lord has a design to prove His Saints. “It must needs be that offenses come; but woe unto them by whom they come!” Offenses must come that we may be tried and proven, and that the Lord may see whether or not we will abide in His covenant.

The revelation from which I read just now was given as early as 1833. It is the word of the Lord, and is true and faithful. Now, if we abide in the covenant of the Lord, all will be well with us. If we do not—well, I have nothing to say about it; that is in the hands of the Lord. The Lord says that some may be called to lay down their lives for the truth’s sake. It is very easy to die when our time comes, but it is mighty hard to die when it has not. I have heard of people being weary of life and trying to die, but they could not do it. To live and endure in the covenant of the Gospel is where the trial comes in. That is what the Lord calls upon us to do, and if necessary to lay down our lives for the Gospel’s sake. Now, will we keep sacred our covenants, and not deny them to please the world? I rather think we will. That is the disposition of the Latter-day Saints. There is a disposition about a few to compromise a little, to give the world a little leeway, and to seem to be yielding. Well, that is not my disposition. It may be all right for some, but I do not feel that way. I feel that God lives and that He has the right to direct in all things. “What? Does the Lord direct in secular and political matters?” He did in ancient times, and He has the right to do so in modern times. The Lord will direct us in all things to His praise, and the time will come when His power and dominion will be fully established in the earth, and when all nations will serve and obey Him.

I feel in my heart to hearken to the voice of God, to do as we are told in this revelation—to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It will not do to say when one word of the Lord comes, “Yes, I can accept that,” and then when another word comes, say, “No, I cannot take hold of that, for our enemies are opposed to it.” We must live by every word that proceedeth from the Lord. I feel that God lives, that this is His work, and that every principle and ordinance and institution within the pale of this Church is from on high. This Church has been established by the power of God, and God is able to sustain it; if He cannot, it is a mighty poor thing. But I know the Lord will sustain us if we will do our part, and live and proclaim our religion. I do not think it is our duty to dilate upon it on every occasion, or to try and cram down men’s throats what we believe; but I mean that in our hearts, in our homes, and in all that we do, we will try and live according to the covenants we have made, and not go back upon them for any power that exists upon the earth.

That which is ordained of God will stand, and that which is not ordained of Him will be destroyed. Ordinances administered by men unauthorized of God—whether it be the sacrament, or pertaining to marriage—will have an end when men are dead; they will not pass beyond the grave. Every baptism of the Catholic Church, and of the Episcopal Church, and of the Baptist Church, or any other church, if God Almighty did not ordain and authorize the man who performed the ordinance even though he performed it in the right way and used the right words, is null and void and as though it had never been performed, with the exception that God will judge him who in administering it without authority took His holy name in vain. And so with the marriages that men administer. They may be all very well for time; but after death the contract will not exist. “Will I accept of an offering,” saith the Lord, “that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?” Why should He? Some of those sectarian churches think that God ought to accept all their offerings, just because they choose to make them, in their own way. This is as it was with ancient Cain. Abel brought that which the Lord commanded—the firstlings of his flock, typical of the Savior that was to come, and his offering was accepted. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, and his offering was not accepted. Why? Because he made his offering as he chose, which was not acceptable unto the Lord, while Abel made his offering as commanded, which was acceptable to the Lord. Because of this, Cain became angry and slew his brother. That same spirit is manifested today in the world against the Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seeks to make an acceptable offering to the Lord and to worship Him in the way He has commanded. The ordinances of this Church are those which God Himself has established: but men have established their own institutions and their own mode of worship, which is not acceptable to the Lord, and because of this the world is filled with bitterness and frequently with the same spirit that Cain manifested towards Abel, and desire to persecute the Saints even to the shedding of their blood.

Well, what shall we do? We will go along the road that God has marked out for us; we will not go our own way unless it is the way of the Lord. If we will make the will of the Lord our will, then it is right for us to have our will; but it is His right to rule and reign. He is our Father, He has therefore the right to dictate to us His children, and we should obey His dictates. If we do we shall find pleasure therein. He that keeps the commandments of God, carries with him an imperishable treasure that is better than gold or than fine rubies—the testimony of the Holy Spirit, the peace of God, that passeth all understanding, the light and the life of God—a spirit by which he can penetrate the heavens, and gaze upon the glories of God, and comprehend somewhat of his Maker and His designs, and peer into the future and comprehend something of his own eternal destiny. He has the friendship of God and the holy ones. He is not only a member of the visible Church in this life, but he is connected by this divine spirit with the Church of the Firstborn behind the veil. The spirit that emanates from the throne of God, and burns in the hearts of the Saints in the heavenly Jerusalem—that spirit illuminates his mind and he is filled with peace continually. This is the privilege of the Saints of God. Let us try and walk in this way. Let us be indifferent as to what the world may think or say or threaten concerning us. Let us put our trust in God, the Holy One of Israel. Let us hearken to His voice. Let us desire to receive it, and when it comes through the man that God has appointed to speak to Israel, let us be in a condition to bear record that we know it is the word of the Lord. Let us live so that the still small voice shall whisper peace in our hearts continually; that the light of God may shine in our path; that we may be the children not of the night, but the children of the day. And though the world seek to destroy us, yet God shall bring us off more than conquerors, for in Him is all power, and the kingdoms of this world are as nothing in His eyes.

May the blessing and peace of God be upon Israel. May we be willing to hearken to the voice of God, and may His Spirit continue to rest upon our labors in preparing the way for the coming of the Son of Man; so that, when He whose right it is to reign shall come, and this earth shall be subdued to Him, and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ, and wickedness shall flee away, and peace shall prevail in all the land, and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and the child shall play with the animals that were once filled with fierceness and terror—in that great day when God shall rule and reign, may we be prepared to enter into His rest and into the fullness of His glory, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Discourse by President George Q. Cannon, delivered at Ogden, on Sunday Morning, July 21st, 1878.

I am very pleased this morning at having the opportunity of meeting with the Latter-day Saints in Ogden, and I trust that while I shall attempt to address you, I shall be assisted by the Spirit of God, in making such remarks as shall be appropriate to your circumstances and condition. Brother Hardy, in his remarks, said we were the people of God, and that we were engaged in establishing His Kingdom on the earth. If this is so—and I suppose you as Latter-day Saints who are present today, can bear testimony that this is the case—then we ought to be a people entirely different from every other people upon the face of the earth; because there can be but one people of God, or one Church of God, or one Kingdom of God; there cannot be two, nor three, nor more, one opposed to the other. Everything that has been revealed concerning God, concerning His Church, and concerning the principles of salvation, leads us to the conclusion that there is a oneness, that there is union, and that divisions and opposition cannot exist among the people of God; it would be entirely inconsistent with every idea of the eternal Creator to suppose anything else than this. Hence, no matter where you find those who are truthfully the people of God, you will find them under all circumstances united, thinking alike, believing alike, and acting alike. That is, having the same objects in view, the same aims to reach, and being prompted by one common motive or impulse. Therefore, having this view, I differ, upon some points, from some who are called Latter-day Saints, who seem to entertain the idea that because we are in the world we must necessarily be of the world, a part of them; and that the standard which is looked up to and recognized in the world as correct, is one to which we should conform. Now, in this respect I differ from those of my brethren who entertain these ideas. I think it is our duty, making the professions we do and occupying the position we do, to be so far as necessary entirely original, or to use a word that is commonly used to describe us, a peculiar people. Because the world have a certain way to accomplish certain objects, I do not recognize it as at all necessary for us to do the same as they do. And I am quite willing that it should be known and understood, so far as I am individually concerned, that in many respects I differ from the world by which I am surrounded: and that in being a Latter-day Saint I claim the right, so long as I act in accordance with the rules of good order and do not violate any rules of decorum, to do as I please, to think as I please, and talk as I please. This is a right that I claim as a Latter-day Saint. If I choose to believe that God has established upon the earth His Church, at the head of which He has placed a Prophet, and I choose to believe in that Prophet, to listen to his teachings, to be guided by his counsels, I claim that so long as I do this and do not interfere with my fellow citizens in the exercise of their privileges, it is my right to do so. If I choose to believe that the Lord has placed in His Church Twelve Apostles, to whom He has given the keys of the Apostleship and authority, and to whom He has committed the last dispensation, requiring of them to go to all nations as messengers of life and salvation, or see that the Gospel is carried to all the nations of the earth, and I choose to listen to their instructions and counsels and be governed by them, choosing to acknowledge them as channels through which life and salvation shall flow unto me, and that every administration of the laws and ordinances of God’s House is sacred and holy; if I choose to do this, I think it is my right to do it, so long as in doing so I interfere with no other man’s rights and privileges. So in relation to gathering together. If, as a Latter-day Saint, I choose to leave other societies and communities and separate myself from them, to cast my lot in the midst of a people with a faith similar to my own, to choose them as my associates and mingle with them, and to patronize them and uphold them in all their labors and undertakings, who is there that has the right to question me in so doing, so long as I do not interfere with the rights of my fellow citizens? In speaking thus of myself, the same applies to this entire people; for that which is right in individual cases, is right in cases of an entire community, whether they be numbered by thousands or millions. A great deal of fault has been found with us, as a community, because of these peculiarities, because we choose to believe that God our Eternal Father has established His Church and placed at the head thereof a Prophet; because He has established His Church and placed therein Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers and other helps: because He has restored the everlasting Gospel in its simplicity and power; and also the gifts thereof, so that men can enjoy them again; because, I say, we believe in this and claim this, a great many are disposed to find fault with us. Now, I claim that it is nobody’s business but our own what we believe, as to how we live, as to how we do or how we organize ourselves, so long as we do not violate law and do not trample upon the rights of those by whom we may be surrounded who are our fellow citizens. I speak thus because of some things which I notice in our midst. Now, I am away considerably, and when I get back I suppose I look upon the condition of affairs here with a little more scrutiny than if I were here altogether. And I notice this, that there is a disposition among some who belong to the Church to truckle, a tendency to bow, a tendency to drift in the direction of society as it exists elsewhere, and I have noticed that some people are dreadfully afraid of the association of church and state, dreadfully afraid that somebody will be mingling politics and religion, that someone who holds office in the Church among us may hold some political office. I do not share in that fear in the least. I have never shared in it, I hope I never shall, and have no idea I ever shall. To do this, I am too conscious of the fact that the Latter-day Saints have been led to these mountains by the Almighty, through His servants, and that He has given unto us rights as citizens of the land, and being in the majority, it is our right to govern this land, to govern it in such a manner as shall secure to all men who enter its borders their rights, whether they be Latter-day Saints, Methodists, Presbyterians, Infidels, or anybody else, either “heathen Chinese” or civilized American. The Lord has given us ability thus far to govern the land; and it affords me no little pleasure to be able to say that there is no part of this nation so well governed as this Territory, which has since the day we came here been governed by the “Mormon” people; and there is no part of these United States that compares with this Territory for prosperity, for good order, for good government, and for freedom from taxation and everything else that is burdensome. And to whom is the credit due? It is due to the Lord; and next to Him it is due to His servants and people.

There have been attempts, and there will be continued attempts made to wrest the control of this land from us. We are engaged in a warfare; we have been told from the beginning that it is a warfare that will not cease until righteousness prevails on the earth. Every man that enters into this Church, if he understands the nature of his calling, understands that he enters into a warfare to contend for the triumph of truth. Do not those who are opposed to the Latter-day Saints recognize this? Certainly they do; and their efforts have been, and are so directed today, and will continue to be, to wrest that power from us which the Lord has given unto us. They would throw dust in the eyes of the Latter-day Saints, if possible, and try to foster in the minds of the people that there is something very inconsistent with the Constitution and genius of our institutions for men who are religious to have anything to do with politics. It is considered all very well for a wicked man to hold office; he can mingle in politics and help to frame the government of the country; but the man who makes any profession of religion, especially if he be an official in the church to which he belongs, has no right to meddle in politics, or interfere in any way with the government of society. This is all wrong from beginning to end. Admitting what I said in the beginning, that we are the people of God, I would ask, what better people can be found, and what more suitable people to take charge of the affairs of mankind in the earth and establish righteous principles and maintain laws under which all men can dwell in peace and be entirely free from oppression and everything of this character? Who, I would ask, are better qualified to do this than the men who understand the principles of truth? Suppose, for instance, that today and from this day forward, the Latter-day Saints, those who are active in their religion and in the performance of the duties of their religion, were to withdraw from politics and leave the government of this land to others, what would be the result? It would not be but a little while before the scenes we see in other places, and that are deplored by every lover of liberty in the country, would be enacted in this part of the land; you would see a condition of affairs that would cause you to mourn, and you would be willing to flee to any place almost to be free from participating in them. This would be the result if those who are active, as Latter-day Saints, were to withdraw from participation in these matters. But is this the design of the Lord? No, it is not; He never did design that this should be the case, and it would be a want of wisdom on our part, as a people, to allow any such a condition of affairs to exist. I maintain that Latter-day Saints have a perfect right to hold office, and they should not be excluded from office; that whenever the people choose to elect one of them, it would not be considered improper in the least degree, no matter what his standing, he has a perfect right to hold that office; and if he be a righteous man, the better it will be for the people, if he will condescend to take upon him the duties of the office. Instead of excluding such a person I would feel thankful to him to fill it, feeling assured that such men would give satisfaction, and that while they were in power good government would be preserved in the land. Some of our enemies have come to Congress, and have complained about “Mormons” holding office. I have said, gentlemen, if you would exclude a “Mormon” from holding office, because of his ecclesiastical authority, you will have to exclude every man of worth in the Territory, for there is not a man of worth in the Territory who does not hold some office in our Church. The shoemaker who works at his trade for a living, may be called upon on the Sabbath to preach to the people; the carpenter, the blacksmith, the mason, the man who works from Monday morning to Saturday night may be called upon to preach the Gospel of salvation; and such men are all the time being called to go to the nations of the earth as ministers of the Gos– pel; and if it be a crime for a man to hold a political office who is a minister in our Church, then you will have to exclude every man of worth in our Territory, for our Bishops are our most prominent and active business men; and there is this feature with those who act in this Territory, they act without pay; and the men who distinguish themselves in the manipulation of their own affairs are generally selected to manage the affairs of the public, and they are men most suitable to attend to business affairs, to act as Probate Judges, or in any other office. When this is explained, it is very rarely you will hear a man find fault. But there are some who complain about the “Mormon” hierarchy, who do not seem to know that it consists of the entire people, and that every man of worth, professing the faith and religion of the Latter-day Saints, belongs to that hierarchy.

I trust none of the Latter-day Saints are tender on this point. I would proclaim it to the world that we have such confidence in our leading men, the men who have made this country, and who have planted our feet in these mountains, the men who have all the day long urged the people to habits of industry, and to become self-sustaining, the men who framed our governments—our city government, or county government, our Territorial government, such as we have today, and who organized us as we are organized here; I say, I am not ashamed to acknowledge that I am willing to be led and governed by the counsels of men who have done such wonders, as we witness on every hand. Call them Apostles, call them Prophets, call them Bishops, call them Elders, call them anything you please that is honorable, I am not ashamed of it. I would just as soon they dictate as to have a little caucus do it. I have seen these caucuses outside of this Territory and among non-Mormons. A few men get together and caucus, and plan and arrange, and they get up a ticket, and lay their wires so that others will sustain it, and the Convention will sustain it, and by this means get their favorites into power. This is a common practice all over the United States. I would deplore it as one of the greatest evils that could occur to us, that there should be a scramble for office among the Latter-day Saints. When two or three brethren, who aspire for office, try to divide the people, this is something to be deplored. I therefore have always advocated keeping down our salaries, that offices may not be very desirable, so that men shall not desire to get possession of office to use it, or feel that because they are elected once to office they ought to always have it. We should always be ready and willing to serve when called upon, and just as willing to decline when required, having at heart the good of the community. A great many of the Members of Congress during the last session were exceedingly anxious for an early adjournment. Why? That they might return home in time, to manage the primary meetings, because if they did not, there was every probability that they would be defeated. It has been noticed, for instance, that Oregon has never elected the same man twice. Why? Because when the convention met to nominate a candidate the member would be in Washington, and somebody else would be nominated, and he would be left out in the cold. It is a remarkable fact that from that State up to the present date a Member of Congress and a Senator has never been elected twice for the same term. And there are other places similarly situated, where men have to be home to superintend the nominations, or they would lose the election. I cannot tell how many times I have been congratulated on the ease with which I have been elected. Members ask me if I have to spend much money and time to secure my election. I tell them it has never cost me any trouble in the least; that I have been elected because the people want me; and when they do not want me I should stop at home. There are some districts in the United States in the same condition, where men are so strong in their districts that it is not necessary that they should return to arrange for their election. But in the most of cases this is what they have to do; they have to watch very carefully, and have their friends on the watch for them, and lay their plans so that they may not have their primary meetings and conventions captured by their enemies. I would indeed deplore the existence of this condition of affairs among us. If there should be any division of sentiment among us at any time, let us do as brethren and sisters should do—for the sisters have a voice in this matter as well as the men, and their voice should have weight; there should be representatives of both sexes—and arrange our differences in the beginning, in our first meetings and there settle them; and then let us go to the polls united, as one body, sinking any differences of opinion we may have, being determined to carry out that which the majority decides upon, because the majority should rule, and this is a principle that should be recognized. The voice of the majority should be potent, and have influence with the minority, and the minority should not rebel against the majority. You take a republican caucus or a democratic caucus; let them get together and talk about any principle or upon any nomination. They set us an example in some respects, which we might imitate with a good deal of profit. I have seen and known of them quarrelling, and have heard strong arguments—the most bitter arguments; but after the vote has been taken, after the will of the majority has been announced by vote, then the minority submit and cast their votes with the majority. It is so in nominating the Speaker of the House. The Democratic speaker of the House is not the choice of the entire Democratic party, but he is the choice of the majority. So with the doorkeeper, sergeant at arms and the various officers selected, and the minority submits to the majority. So with the Republicans in the Senate. It should be so with us, as a community; we should be willing to submit to the will of the majority upon these points.

I am thankful, brethren and sisters, in coming back to find so much prosperity in our Territory. You may think you have had hard times, as I have no doubt you have, there is a scarcity of money, and in some instances a scarcity of labor. But compared with the condition of the East, you can well say you have a good deal of prosperity. It is a most painful thing to witness the amount of destitution and poverty found in many of the eastern cities, and through the land generally. You can scarcely walk from the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to the hotel, without being solicited as many as half a dozen times for charity, colored people and white people soliciting alms. And this is the case in most cities. It is most painful to see respectable people, people whom you would not suspect were in want, from the appearance of their clothes, ask for alms. And this is the case almost universally throughout the east. One of the most grave fears I noticed in the minds of members during this and the summer previous to the adjournment was, that the difficulty arising from the hard times, the want of labor, etc., would give rise to destructive riots. It is true that men’s hearts are failing them in looking forward for the things that are coming to pass.

In this respect we are not without our difficulties. We have trouble about water. That is one of the weighty questions that is looming up in our midst—how to divide our water equitably and justly, and will have to receive attention. Another question is, how to employ our poor people; how shall we put an end to idleness in our midst? How shall we furnish employment to our numerous children, our young men and women growing up? What shall we do to furnish an abundance of employment for everyone who desires labor? These two questions require attention. But notwithstanding the existence of these difficulties, our condition in many respects is a most enviable one. We have a healthy country; we have a country where we can live in peace and quietness. The rights of society have been respected thus far in our midst; secret combinations do not exist among us having for their object the overthrow of existing institutions or the destruction of society and property, or the reducing of property to one common level. There are no evils of this kind menacing us today. We have an abundance of land. It is true our land is dry land: but still there is plenty of room for our young people to spread out. And there should be one principle, I think, observed by us, and that is, that every father and every man who has influence in our various localities should endeavor to the extent of his ability and opportunity to bestow upon our young men a knowledge of the various branches of business. It is a matter pressing itself upon our attention, and it should receive attention from us; that every boy and every girl in our community should be taught something, some branch of skilled industry by which they can sustain themselves. If our boys wish to become farmers, make them the best of farmers, endeavor to teach them some knowledge concerning agricultural chemistry, so that they will be the better qualified to make our land as productive as it can be made. Let our girls be taught branches adapted to their sex, by which they can sustain themselves. Let our great desire in this direction be to become a nation of producers, that idleness may not be known in our land. This is a matter that must receive attention; it has received some, but it must receive more. If some of our boys evince a desire to become herdsmen, efforts should be made to put them in possession of books on stock-raising. The very best sources of information respecting this business should be placed within their reach to enable them to raise the very best animals; and this desire to make the best use of the blessings of God, should be encouraged and entertained by all. Do not forget, my brethren and sisters, the teachings you have heard and which have been repeated in our hearing for so many years; I refer to the saving and storing of grain; for the day will come when you will see the wisdom of doing so, and when many of you will doubtless wish you had profited by it. For I tell you that wars and desolation will cover the land, just as prophets have declared they would; and these are coming, coming, coming, as plainly and as surely as the light comes in the morning before the sun rises above the summit of yonder mountains, and before we see his rays. We see the light approaching from the east, which gives us notice that the sun is upon us, and that we will soon feel his rays. So with the signs of the times at the present. We have only to read the newspapers, and look abroad and see confusion, and see difficulties, and see war, and see pestilence foreshadowing themselves over the land. And these things will come to pass as sure as the Lord has spoken it, and as sure as His servants have testified to these words. I say you should be thankful every morning, noon and night, and all day long, that you are in these mountains, and that your families are so comfortably taken care of in these secluded valleys. You may have difficulties to contend with, we may have many things that render our position unpleasant; but nevertheless our position is the most enviable of any community or any people within the confines of the United States, from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. There are no people who enjoy a more enviable position. Men have already begun to accord this to us, and say our location is exceedingly desirable. And the fact is being understood and recognized, that there has been what they call a series of fortunate circumstances, but which we call the providences of God, around this people, that have placed us in a most wonderful position to exercise power and do great good. Every time I come home I have these feelings deepened in my heart. I feel more thankful every time I come in sight of these mountains from the east; it seems that every trip increases my thankfulness, to see the homes and places which God has given unto us, to which He has led us and which He has made so blessed in our dwelling here. We are blessed with pure healthy water; and the sun, although its rays are fierce, does not have the effect upon us as upon the people in the east. If the thermometer were to rise 10 degrees higher, I would rather endure the heat here, say at 100 degrees, than at 90 degrees in the east. I feel more vigorous, which is doubtless in consequence of the cool and refreshing canyon breezes which blow down upon us evenings and nights, which enable us to recuperate from the wastes of the day. This is only one thing, but it shows how good the Lord has been in leading us out to this land; and the time will yet come when we will appreciate our position, geographically, still more, when the calamities which have been spoken of by ancient and modern prophets overtake the inhabitants of the earth as well as those of our own nation. Look at our nation for instance; it is asserted by a majority of the people that the President has been put in his position by fraud. Although it has not been proven that President Hayes has been a party to the fraud, and indeed, I believe him to be free from accusations of this kind, yet this does not change the fact that a majority of the nation believe that he occupies the presidential chair through fraud. And of course if this is the case his Cabinet is not legally chosen. But it shows the condition we are coming to; those of you who are posted in the results of what is called the Potter investigating committee are acquainted with the irregularities that have been brought to light, which alone give an idea of the state of society.

Shall we, brethren and sisters, allow ourselves to drift into this channel? When men come to us saying that it is not right that we should manage our election affairs as we do, shall we hearken to them when there are such examples before us all through the east? I say it would be placing ourselves in a most undesirable and critical position; it would be throwing away the blessings God has given us, and which He wishes us to magnify and appreciate. I hope to see the day when through all of these mountains, from Idaho in the north to Mexico in the south, there shall be a free people dwelling at peace, enjoying the blessings of liberty, enjoying the blessings of a Constitutional form of government, electing their own officers by their own free and unbiased choice, and upholding them; and these officers executing justice and righteousness in the midst of the people. I do already see it in part, for all through these valleys we have a system of government which is the purest Constitutional republican-democratic form of government that can be found anywhere over the United States. I prize it, I know its cost; and we should maintain it, every man and woman should maintain it by standing up for their rights, for they have a right to vote, and vote for any man they may choose, no matter who he may be. When you decide that he is the man to fill the office, then elect him, and if you find that such a man does not suit you, when the time comes, change him, and uphold such men only as will maintain the laws and the princi– ples of Constitutional government, and honor the office to which they are elected. Let us never feel to oppress any man because of his religious views, or because of his poverty or because of his political views; but to the contrary, feel that it is a sacred duty imposed upon us to tolerate freedom and preserve good order, and see that integrity and honesty prevail in the land. And you will see the day, and it is not far distant, when these mountains will be the stronghold of a free people, and when men will come here because the principles of the Constitution will be maintained here; and they will be protected in their political and religious rights. And this is the mission which God has given unto us. We should stand shoulder to shoulder, and let no man divide us, no matter who he may be. It is our duty to bind these people together in the strongest possible manner by the bonds of righteousness, not in iniquity, not by secret combinations, but by the bonds of righteousness; because we are few in number, and it is only by our unity that we can be made strong. Let us maintain unity, brethren and sisters; let us maintain it in the Gospel, maintain it in the ordinances that God requires us to submit to; maintain it in all our political affairs, from north to south, and be one, bearing in our minds that a poor nomination well sustained is better than a good nomination not sustained.

That God may bless you, and fill you with His Holy Spirit, and preserve you in the liberty of the Gospel, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Apostle Orson Pratt, delivered at a Conference in Paris, Bear Lake, May 11, 1878.

I am pleased to have the opportunity and privilege of speaking to you this morning, and I hope to have your attention while I endeavor to lay before you principles pertaining to salvation and eternal life, and set forth those characteristics that mark the people of God in contradistinction to the people of the world. I hope to be so explicit that you may all understand, and that you may each receive your portion of the Bread of Life in due season.

The Church of Jesus Christ is a Church of order, in which it is necessary that some persons have authority to teach and counsel and preside. The authority of the church in this Stake, is held by President Wm. Budge, who represents the leaders of the church, and is expected to reflect their feelings and spirit upon the people under his presidency. And I must say I feel pleased with the spirit that seems to prevail in this Stake of Zion, which is an evidence that you have been blessed of the Lord, through the ministrations of His servants. And there are still greater blessings offered those who will seek after them with all their heart; some of which can only be received by earnest faith and prayer.

The Prophets, Patriarchs and Saints in olden times received great and glorious blessings, and why should we not be blessed, the same as they were blessed? But some will begin to doubt, and say, such and such blessings were truly given to persons many years ago, but perhaps they are not promised to me. Do we not worship the same God, that they worshipped? Have we not obeyed the same Gospel and received of the same spirit? When you Elders have gone forth on missions, have not the promises of the Lord been fulfilled in your behalf? It depends on ourselves whether we will receive the glorious blessings of the Gospel or not. If we are faithful and diligent in serving the Lord, His promises are sure, and His blessings will certainly be poured out on the humble and obedient.

Those who have been sent on missions to the nations of the earth have had abundant proof that the Lord is ready and willing to pour out His blessings upon them. You were promised that the angels should go before you, and open the hearts of the people to receive you; and when you have gone among a strange people, some of them have recognized you through the dreams and visions given them from the Almighty, and they have said: “I know you are a servant of the Lord, for you were shown to me in the night vision.” These and other blessings are given to us on condition that we are diligent and faithful. If we fail to receive them, the failure is not on the part of the Lord, nor in His servants who preside over us, but the fault lies in ourselves alone.

This failure to realize all the blessings and powers of the Priesthood does not apply to the elders and lesser Priesthood only; but it applies to the higher quorums, and comes home to ourselves, who are Apostles of Jesus Christ. We are presented before the Church, and sustained as prophets, seers and revelators, and we have received oftentimes the gift of prophecy and revelation, and have received many great and glorious gifts. But have we received the fullness of the blessings to which we are entitled? No, we have not. Who, among the Apostles have become seers, and enjoy all the gifts and powers pertaining to that calling? Still it is our privilege to become prophets, seers and revelators, for these blessings were promised us through the Prophet Joseph, in the year 1836. Now I don’t think many of us have attained to these gifts, but it is not the fault of the Almighty, but the fault is in ourselves. And can they be realized by us? Certainly they can, if we are faithful in seeking for them. The Prophet Joseph would not have attained to these glorious gifts if he had not lived for them, and he would not have held out these inducements to us, unless they could have been obtained. These things were renewed at our last fall Conference, and they are brought home to us, and it is our privilege to live for them and enjoy them in their fullness, according to our faith. Brother Charles C. Rich has had visions from the Lord, and revelations through which he has been forewarned of dangers that threatened him; by which means his life has been preserved from time to time. And these are some of the gifts of God, and should be cultivated in our feelings and in our faith, for God is no respecter of persons, but is willing to give to all men liberally, and upbraid not. But all cannot be Apostles. Some have to take the presidency in different ages. Enoch was chosen in his day, and Abraham and Moses in theirs, and Joseph in our day, and unto him was given the power to translate the ancient records, and to bring forth abundance of revelations. And those who are called to perform special missions in opening up dispensations of the Gospel to the children of men, as Joseph and others were called of the Lord, He endows more fully with these gifts; but this does not hinder others from enjoying similar gifts according to His promises, and according to our faithfulness. And I have thought the reason why we have not enjoyed these gifts more fully is, because we have not sought for them as diligently as we ought. I speak for one, I have not sought as diligently as I might have done. More than forty years have passed away since these promises were made. I have been blessed with some revelations and prophecies, and with dreams of things that have come to pass; but as to seeing things as a seer, and beholding heavenly things in open vision, I have not attained to these things. And who is to blame for this? Not the Lord; not brother Joseph—they are not to blame. And so it is with the promises made to you in your confirmations and endowments, and by the patriarchs, in your patriarchal blessings; we do not live up to our privileges as saints of God and elders of Israel; for though we receive many blessings that are promised to us, we do not receive them in their fullness, because we do not seek for them as diligently and faithfully as we should.

The work in which we are engaged has occupied the attention of the Prophets in all ages, and they have prophesied concerning it, and have rejoiced in contemplating the day and age in which we live. The Prophet Isaiah says: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that bringeth good tidings, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.”

It is through faith we are made partakers of these glorious blessings, for by faith all the blessings promised are to be obtained; by faith the holy men of old obtained promises pertaining to future generations, and by faith the Gospel has been restored to the earth, with the gifts and powers of the holy Priesthood, with the promise that it shall never be taken from the earth. Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, through his righteousness and faith obtained great promises concerning his seed who should dwell upon this land. And through faith a portion of his seed was brought from Jerusalem and led by the Almighty on the borders of the Red Sea, and brought over the great deep unto a land that is choice above all other lands. By faith the Nephites received the ministrations of the Savior after His resurrection from the dead, through the covenants made with their fathers. By faith the brother of Jared saw the wonders of eternity, and saw the time when the wicked would be destroyed from the face of the earth; and like Enoch, Abraham, Moses and others, saw all things that were to take place upon the earth to the end of time. This latter-day work which occupies our attention, was shown to the prophets thousands of years before we were born. Don’t you suppose they prayed for it, and sought unto the Lord to know when these things should come to pass, and what should be the sign of His coming, and the end of the world? Through faith covenants were made with the Nephite prophets, that the sacred records should be preserved and should come forth in the last days for the blessing and salvation of their posterity, and all others who would receive them. It has been our privilege to receive these sacred things, and have withal the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel, and if we have the faith that was in them, and live as Saints of God, we shall not be careless and indifferent, but our souls will be filled with joy and gladness, because of the many mercies and blessings that are promised to us, in our calling as elders and priests, and as seers and revelators. If we lived fully up to our privileges, and attained to all the blessings and powers that are promised, and were filled with the spirit of the Lord, we should have more influence, and our ministrations would be of more benefit to the people of God.

I am glad the Lord has spared my life to behold this day, and that I am numbered among His people, a people who have been acknowledged of the Lord as His chosen people. We should all feel thankful for living prophets and apostles, who have been given for the work of the ministry, and for the perfecting of the Saints. I rejoice, moreover, that the First Presidency of the Church has again been organized, for by the more perfect organization we receive greater strength and wisdom, and more abundant blessings from the Lord, and I think this increase in faith and union, and other manifestations of the spirit are felt in this Conference. Every man and woman can feel a renewed influence and power, and it is felt in all the quorums of the Priesthood. And it is our privilege to so live that we may come into possession of all the promised blessings. Among the blessings promised by our Lord Jesus Christ, unto those who humble themselves, and seek unto Him, is that “You shall see my face, and know that I am.” This does not mean the Apostles only, but the promise is to every Latter-day Saint who will comply with the conditions, that such person “shall see my face, and know that I am.” These are some of the promises that have been made to the Latter-day Saints through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The same promise was made to ancient Israel, through Moses, the great lawgiver and Prophet who promised that they should all hear his voice, and see his face, if they would hearken to his counsels, and obey all His commandments. The promise was not to the Priesthood only, but every son and daughter of God had the same promise, because all are destined to come into the presence of God, and behold the glory of His countenance. If we would attain to these blessings, and enjoy the fullness of the promises made unto the people of God, we must cleanse ourselves from all unrighteousness, that we may endure His presence in the world of glory.

For this reason it was ordered that a tabernacle be built in the wilderness; but such was the wicked– ness of the people, that while the glory of the Lord was resting on the mountain, and Moses was holding communion with Jehovah in the interests of the people, they had induced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship, in place of the true and living God. And the consequence was, they were deprived of the presence of the Lord in their journeyings, for He made a decree that He would not go before the camp, “but mine angel shall go before them, lest I consume them in the land.”

The Lord has been very kind and merciful unto His people in these last days. He has known the hearts of this people, and that we are willing to serve Him. He saw that we were willing to suffer persecution for His sake, and the Gospel’s sake, and for this cause He has poured out His blessings upon us in great abundance, and I hope when these Temples shall be built, and we minister therein, and receive the blessings promised us for ourselves and for our dead, that we shall be more united, and that we shall receive more fully the gifts and endowments that pertain to the sons and daughters of God. And then peradventure He will condescend to bless us with His presence, as He blessed His Saints in the Temple at Kirtland, and the presence and glory of His holy angels. It has been promised to Israel in these latter days, that the Lord Himself will go before them, and lead and guide them, and fight their battles and deliver them from all their enemies. What a glorious promise! And we may be assured that there will be nothing lacking on the part of our Eternal Father, nor in Jesus Christ, His Son, and the holy angels, for all are interested with us in the progress and consummation of this great and glorious latter-day work, for it is the dispensation of the fullness of times.

How great will be our joy when we attain to these blessings, and realize these promises that have been made to us. The Lord will dwell in the midst of His people, and the angels will be with us, with the ministrations of our Father in heaven; these are privileges and blessings indeed, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and the glory thereof hath not entered in the heart of man to conceive, but the Lord hath revealed them unto us by His spirit. Then we shall hear His voice, and see His face, and know that He exists, for we shall see His glory and participate with the sanctified in the powers of the world to come, for being heirs of God we shall be joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, and having suffered with Him for righteousness’ sake, we shall also reign with Him in glory.

In conclusion, let me exhort you to turn to the Lord, and serve Him with full purpose of heart, and be willing to consecrate yourselves and all you have unto His service, and so live that you can perfect the bond of union that will secure unto you eternal life, and bring honor and glory to Him that sitteth upon the throne forever and ever. That this may be your happy lot, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.