Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 23, 1862.

We certainly should be extremely knowing, did we know everything; but, as we do not, we will be satisfied with what we do know and can still learn. This people know much. Their experience and their knowledge, coupled with that which has been revealed to them from the Fountain of all knowledge, are far beyond the capacities of those who have not heard and received the Gospel.

I have a few words to say touching our present existence, and in reference to the remarks made today by brother Kimball pertaining to the body. Our mortal bodies are all important to us; without them we never can be glorified in the eternities that will be. We are in this state of being for the express purpose of obtaining habitations for our spirits to dwell in, that they may become personages of tabernacle. Our former religious traditions have taught us that our Father in heaven has no tabernacle, that his center is everywhere and his circumference nowhere. Yet we read that, “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran.” “Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.” “And the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool.” “Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” “And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face thou shalt not see.” “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.” The idea that the Lord our God is not a personage of tabernacle is entirely a mistaken notion. He was once a man.

Brother Kimball quoted a saying of Joseph the Prophet, that he would not worship a God who had not a Father; and I do not know that he would if he had not a mother; the one would be as absurd as the other. If he had a Father, he was made in his likeness. And if he is our Father we are made after his image and likeness. He once possessed a body, as we now do; and our bodies are as much to us, as his body to him. Every iota of this organization is necessary to secure for us an exaltation with the Gods. Our mortal tabernacles decline. The spirit is inseparably connected with the body until death, and it is so designed; but when we get through with our worship in this Tabernacle or building for worship, we dispense with it until we wish to meet again. We are not inseparably connected with it; it may be consumed by the element of fire and pass away forever. But it is not so with our bodies; if we willfully loose these, we loose everything that God has provided for the faithful.

This is an item I wished to explain, though we do not know everything. When brother Kimball speaks, I am so well acquainted with his views and style that I easily understand his meaning; but he does not always fully explain his views to the understanding of the people. This is a point of doctrine that is all and in all to us, consequently it is essentially necessary that we should understand it as it is, and not carry away the idea, from what has been said by brother Kimball, that this is a spiritual kingdom and the body is nothing. Brother Kimball understands this doctrine as I do, but he has his method of expressing his ideas and I have mine; and I am extremely anxious to so convey my ideas to the people that they will understand them as I do. Our language is deficient, and I do not possess in this particular the natural endowment that some men enjoy. I am a man of few words, and unlearned in the learning of this generation. The reason why brother Kimball has not language as perfectly and fully as some other men is not in consequence of a lack in his spirit, for he never has preached when I have heard him, that I did not know what he was about, if he knew himself. I know that his ideas are as clear as the sun that is now shining, and I care not what the words are that he uses to express them.

We have foolish Elders, and I have had to contend, time after time, against their foolish doctrines. One of our most intelligent Apostles in one of his discourses left the people entirely in the dark with regard to Jacob and Esau, and he never understood the difference between foreknowledge and foreordination. Foreknowledge and foreordination are two distinct principles. And again, I have had to contend against what is called the “baby resurrection” doctrine, which, as has been taught and indulged by some, is one of the most absurd doctrines that can be thought of. Having had these foolish doctrines to combat, I am not willing that the idea should possess your minds that the body is neither here nor there, and that the work of salvation is entirely spiritual. We have received these bodies for an exaltation, to be crowned with those who have been crowned with crowns of glory and eternal life. Yes, Joseph Smith said, the Lord whispers to the spirit in the tabernacle the same as though it were out of it. That is correct and true.

What you understand with regard to this doctrine and religion, and with regard to the things of God generally, you understand in the Spirit. Take the spirit from the body, and the body is lifeless; but in the resurrection the component parts of our bodies will again be called together, expressly for a glorious resurrection to immortality. Our bodies, which are now subject to death, will return to mother earth for a time, to be refined from that which pertains to the fall of man, which has particularly affected the body but not the spirit. When the spirit enters the body, it is pure and holy from the heavens; and could it reign predominantly in the tabernacle, ruling, dictating, and directing its actions without an opposing force, man never would commit a sin; but the tabernacle has to suffer the effects of the fall, of that sin which Satan has introduced into the world and hence the spirit does not bear rule all the time.

When we receive the Gospel, a warfare commences immediately; Paul says, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” We have to fight continually, as it were, sword in hand to make the spirit master of the tabernacle, or the flesh subject to the law of the spirit. If this warfare is not diligently prosecuted, then the law of sin prevails, and in consequence of this some apostatize from the truth when crossing the plains, learn to swear instead of to pray, become high-minded and high-tempered instead of learning to be patient and humble, and when they arrive in these valleys they feel so self-sufficient that they consider themselves the only ones that are really right; they are filled with darkness, the authority of the Spirit is not listened to, and the law of sin and death is the ruling power in their tabernacles. They could once testify, by the revelations of Jesus Christ to them that Mormonism, or the Gospel is true; then the Spirit triumphed over the flesh, they walked in the light of God, and great was their joy, and brilliant their hope of immortality and eternal life. The rule of the flesh brings darkness and death, while, on the other hand, the rule of the Spirit brings light and life. When through the Gospel, the Spirit in man has so subdued the flesh that he can live without willful transgression, the Spirit of God unites with his spirit, they become congenial companions, and the mind and will of the Creator is thus transmitted to the creature. Did their spirits have their choice, there is not a son or daughter of Adam and Eve on the earth but what would be obedient to the Gospel of salvation, and redeem their bodies to exaltation and glory. But there is a constant warfare between them, still they must remain together, be saved and exalted together, or neither of them will be saved and exalted with the salvation and the exaltation which the Gospel offers.

Our bodies are all important to us, though they may be old and withered, emaciated with toil, pain, and sickness, and our limbs bent with rheumatism, all uniting to hasten dissolu– tion, for death is sown in our mortal bodies. The food and drink we partake of are contaminated with the seeds of death, yet we partake of them to extend our lives until our allotted work is finished, when our tabernacle, in a state of ripeness, are sown in the earth to produce immortal fruit. Yet, if we live our holy religion and let the Spirit reign, it will not become dull and stupid, but as the body approaches dissolution the spirit takes a firmer hold on that enduring substance behind the veil, drawing from the depths of that eternal Fountain of Light sparkling gems of intelligence which surround the frail and sinking tabernacle with a halo of immortal wisdom.

I shall soon be sixty-one years of age, and my spirit is more vigorous and powerful today than it has been in any day I ever saw; it is more quick to comprehend, more ready to discern, the understanding is more matured, more correct in judgment, the memory more vivid and enduring and discretion more circumspect, and when I have attained eighty years I shall be better than I am today, God being my helper. I am better now than I was twenty years ago. Write it down and read it twenty years hence, and see whether my spirit is not better and brighter than it is today. Need we in spirit bow down to this poor, miserable, decaying body? We will not. Brother Kimball’s side has been broken by a fall from a wagon, but he will be mended up, and his life will not be shortened on that account; and we are going to live until we are satisfied.

The Elders of Israel, though the great majority of them are moral men, and as clear of spot and blemish as men well can be, live beneath their privilege; they live continually without enjoying the power of God. I want to see men and women breathe the Holy Ghost in every breath of their lives, living constantly in the light of God’s countenance. Brother Kimball says you must keep alive, and give nourishment and vitality to the body, comparing the Church to a tree; that you must help your Prophet and Revelator and keep that portion of the tree alive. God keeps that alive, brethren and sisters. I thank you for your prayers, your integrity, &c., but I feel today as I did in Nauvoo, when Sidney Rigdon and others intended to ride the Church into hell. I told them that I would take my hat and the few that would go with me and build up the kingdom of God, asking no odds of them. If you support me, you support yourselves; if you do not choose to do this you will dry up, blow away and be damned.

A tree or plant of any kind that sends its roots into the ground does not gain strength and vitality from the ground alone, but the atmosphere contributes to its support as well as the ground, and it will live longer out of the ground with air than in the ground without it. From the atmosphere and the rays of the sun it gathers elements that we do not see, which operate upon the sap sent up through the roots under the bark into the branches and leaves where it is prepared to make wood and fruit, and give strength and growth to the trunk, roots, and the whole tree. Then you may cut off all the limbs and roots of some trees, and the atmosphere will make more in great profusion.

I do not expect to preach a lengthy sermon this afternoon, but there is a great deal to be said and done. The Lord Almighty leads this Church, and he will never suffer you to be led astray if you are found doing your duty. You may go home and sleep as sweetly as a babe in its mother’s arms, as to any danger of your leaders leading you astray, for if they should try to do so the Lord would quickly sweep them from the earth. Your leaders are trying to live their religion as far as I am capable of doing so? Yes, I do. The power of God is with me continually and I never mean to live an hour without it.

I am satisfied that we do not realize to the fullest extent our moral and intellectual growth as a people, but let us be straightened up and a fountain of knowledge is opened, a rich mine of intellectual wealth is revealed, and in time we shall find that heaven and earth have come together, for the earth will be celestialized and brought back to the presence of God, who dwells in eternal burnings in the midst of perfection. Then we should be prepared to enjoy the fullness of the blessings and glory God has in store for us. If we live in these bodies as we should we shall be prepared to receive all the glory he has for the faithful. Let us continue the warfare, fight the good fight of faith, sanctify our hearts before the Lord, and day by day perform the labor he has for us to do, and we shall be accounted worthy to receive our exaltation.

May God bless you. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 23, 1862.

Those who are capable of contemplating upon and realizing the relationship of mankind to the Heavens, the object of their existence here, the common salvation that is provided for all who have lived, now live, and will live upon the earth, and the power that is given to each person to preserve his identity to an endless duration, must be aware that there is a great deal to be said and done by those to whom are committed the Priesthood of the Son of God and the management of his work upon the earth in the last days.

It is written, “Thy watchman 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.” Again, “Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.” Again, “For, behold, I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon her; And she shall be an ensign unto the people, and there shall come unto her out of every nation under heaven.” And, again, “Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed,” &c. We talk and read about Zion, we contemplate upon it, and in our imaginations we reach forth to grasp something that is transcendent in heavenly beauty, excellency, and glory. But while contemplating the future greatness of Zion, do we realize that we are the pioneers of that future greatness and glory? Do we realize that if we enjoy a Zion in time or in eternity, we must make it for ourselves? That all who have a Zion in the eternities of the gods organized, framed, consolidated, and perfected it themselves, and consequently are entitled to enjoy it.

Were we to send a hundred families of Saints into a valley not yet inhabited, being acquainted with its climate, soil, and general capabilities for productiveness, in the vision of our minds we could see in the future comfortable and commodious houses for the people to dwell in, buildings for religious worship and education; temples, tabernacles, and academies; also houses for amusement and State purposes, barns, and stables, yards, for the accommodation of animals, well-fenced farms, granaries filled with grain, orchards and gardens, wine, fruit, meat, silk, woolen, and cotton fabrics, and the people clothed and beautified with the productions of the works of their own hands, and entirely sustained by their industry and the blessings of God through their righteousness. The Lord brings forth all those temporal blessings precisely in the same way in which he will build up Zion. He will build our houses, tabernacles, and temples, make our farms, raise our wheat, meat, and fruit, make our spinning wheels and looms, and weave our cloth, while we remain in a state of complete inactivity, just as much as he will bring again Zion without our cooperation. The Lord has done his share of the work; he has surrounded us with the elements containing wheat, meat, flax, wool, silk, fruit, and everything with which to build up, beautify and glorify the Zion of the last days, and it is our business to mold these elements to our wants and necessities, according to the knowledge we now have and the wisdom we can obtain from the Heavens through our faithfulness. In this way will the Lord bring again Zion upon the earth, and in no other.

If we wish to make linen, we must prepare the soil that is suitable for raising flax, cast the seed into the ground, cultivate it, gather it, and prepare it to be spun and woven into linen. The Lord will not do this for us. We must also raise our bread by sowing grain, after the ground is prepared, then cultivating and watching it until it is ripened, then passing it through all the different processes until it is made into bread. The Lord will not do this for us anymore than he will bring again Zion without our cooperation. He has placed within our reach everything necessary for food, raiment, houses, and possessions, and for beauty, goodness, excellency, exaltation, life, glory, and bliss. The Lord would clothe these naked Indians, for they are of the house of Israel, if he would clothe us. He will build up Zion upon the same principle that he raises grain, flax, silk, wool, fruit, &c., &c. There is not one thing wanting in all the works of God’s hands to make a Zion upon the earth when the people conclude to make it. We can make a Zion of God on earth at our pleasure, upon the same principle that we can raise a field of wheat, or build and inhabit. There has been no time when the material has not been here from which to produce corn, wheat, &c.; and by the judicious management and arrangement of this ever-existing material a Zion of God can always be built on the earth.

Man is the offspring of God. Who can fully realize this? Our Heavenly Father orders all things that pertain to this earth and to multitudes of worlds of which we are ignorant. We are as much the children of this great Being as we are the children of our mortal progenitors. We are flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone, and the same fluid that circulates in our bodies, called blood, once circulated in his veins as it does in ours. As the seeds of grains, vegetables and fruits produce their kind, so man is in the image of God. We hope to be exalted. We hope that God our Father will make us noble and good, but he will only direct and aid us in making ourselves righteous. He has formed us, and in his providences brought us forth upon this earth, but he without our efforts will not make anything of us. What we shall be, depends upon ourselves. We can improve this organization and bring it back to its original purity and goodness, by faithfulness to the will of Heaven, and by daily adding to the intelligence we now possess until we are prepared to stand in the presence of our Creator.

When we conclude to make a Zion we will make it, and this work commences in the heart of each person. When the father of a family wishes to make a Zion in his own house, he must take the lead in this good work, which it is impossible for him to do unless he himself possesses the Spirit of Zion. Before he can produce the work of sanctification in his family, he must sanctify himself, and by this means God can help him to sanctify his family. There are many families in this community that have constantly with them the Spirit of Zion. Visit them when you will, and you find them dwelling in peace; a heavenly influence constantly broods over them and over everything they possess. But are they perfect? No. It would not do for them to be perfect because we have still to associate more or less with that which is evil.

We have all the material we need to build up Zion, and I wish the Spirit of Zion to extend from heart to heart, and from house to house. This good work must commence in each person; there must be instituted a watchful care over the passions to bring them under control, that an angry feeling may not arise, that an evil passion may not gain the mastery to the overthrow of wisdom and good, sound judgment, until the power of the enemy that is sown within us is entirely subdued to the will of Christ, for the purpose of the enemy of all righteousness is to destroy the human family, and make them what they were not intended to be.

I do not wish you to carry away a wrong impression of our true situation before the heavens relative to perfection. For you to be perfect, in one sense of the word, is to be prepared to inherit eternal glory in the presence of the Father and the Son. Should any mortal attain to this state of perfection, he could not longer remain among his fellow mortals. I do not want you so very perfect, but I am anxious that we should commence the growth of Zion in ourselves, and when we do this, we shall cease to willingly hold fellowship with that which is evil. But so long as we willingly hold fellowship with that which tends to death and destruction, we cannot progress as we should in the work of perfection in ourselves, nor in building up and beautifying Zion.

The work of building up Zion is in every sense a practical work; it is not a mere theory. A theoretical religion amounts to very little real good or advantage to any person. To possess an inheritance in Zion or in Jerusalem only in theory—only in imagination—would be the same as having no inheritance at all. It is necessary to get a deed of it, to make an inheritance, practical, substantial and profitable. Then let us not rest contented with a mere theoretical religion, but let it be practical, self-purifying, and self-sustaining, keeping the love of God within us, walking by every precept, by every law, and by every word that is given to lead us to truth, to God, and to life eternal.

I have Zion in my view constantly. We are not going to wait for angels, or for Enoch and his company to come and build up Zion, but we are going to build it. We will raise our wheat, build our houses, fence our farms, plant our vineyards and orchards, and produce everything that will make our bodies comfortable and happy, and in this manner we intend to build up Zion on the earth and purify it and cleanse it from all pollutions. Let there be an hallowed influence go from us over all things over which we have any power; over the soil we cultivate, over the houses we build, and over everything we possess; and if we cease to hold fellowship with that which is corrupt and establish the Zion of God in our hearts, in our own houses, in our cities, and throughout our country, we shall ultimately overcome the earth, for we are the lords of the earth; and, instead of thorns and thistles, every useful plant that is good for the food of man and to beautify and adorn will spring from its bosom.

We have certain laws to observe in order to obtain wheat. We do not sow wheat on a bare rock, for we have learned by experience that it will not grow there. We do not sow onion and carrot seed in the middle of the street and expect to reap a bountiful crop, for our experience teaches us differently. Instead of doing this, we observe the laws in nature which govern the productions of the earth, as our fathers before us have done, and prepare the ground properly, subduing and enriching and cleansing from it every obnoxious weed. Then if we wish to raise Toas wheat, we sow the seed that will produce it, and proceed in like manner with whatever we desire to produce from the ground, for every seed will produce its kind, and with care and watchfulness the husbandman will reap an abundant increase. Thus it is plainly manifest that we have the laws of nature and of God by which we can build up Zion. Let us then take advantage of the laws and of the blessings which God is willing to pour upon us, and cultivate and subdue the ground, sow the good seed, fence it in that the enemy cannot come and sow tares, and bar up the gates and keep the watchman there to watch day and night.

Those who are sent to sow the good seed are faithfully waiting for the ground to be prepared. Cultivate the seed well, and it will bring forth its kind, that which pertains to the earth and that which pertains to the grace of God and the principles of eternity. Plant and cultivate in your hearts and bring forth the fruits of Zion. Let us prepare our hearts, as we prepare our fields, to receive the good word of God, and never let anything mar our peace, or step in between us and our God and our holy religion, remembering that whatsoever a man soweth that also shall he reap; and as your acts in life are, so you may expect to be judged. The elements are here to produce as good a Zion as was ever made in all the eternities of the Gods. Here are the elements to produce grain which is good for the food of man, as also the fruit of the vine, and that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground. Nevertheless, wheat for man, corn for the ox, oats for the horse, and rye (not for whiskey) for fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

It is for us, as children of our heavenly Father, to arise and assume the right the law of the Holy Priesthood gives us, and organize the elements for a Zion, and bring it forth, no matter where we are. I would not give much for a religion that is not thus practical. Some Elders have in a manner to convey the idea that the practical part of our religion is only manifest here. We should be sorry if this were the case, and a little reflection will show them their mistake. Did you ever have sore feet and aching limbs, while traveling abroad preaching the Gospel? “Yes.” Was that practical, or was it only spiritual? After walking twenty-five miles to fill an appointment, and, before eating a mouthful of food, preaching an hour or two, for nobody had thought you wanted anything to eat, and then baptizing, and then wading through the mud for miles in wet clothes before you could get a dry sock, was that practical? I thought preaching the Gospel was as nigh manual labor as anything I could work at.

We have the material here to build up Zion. Will we build it, up? What do you say? (Voices, “Yes.”) Yes, we will establish it on the earth, no more to be thrown down or removed forever. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 16, 1862.

I have only a few remarks that I wish to make this morning, and they will chiefly relate to our practical and immediate duties.

We amuse and enjoy ourselves a great deal in this Territory, in dancing and in other amusements. I am as fond of amusement as any person, and love to see others enjoy rational amusement in its season. I have this to comfort me; in all our assemblies for amusement this winter, I have not seen or heard anything that has seriously annoyed my feelings. The people have been very civil, and have conducted themselves discreetly and as Saints, as far as I know.

I have now a request to make of the people, through their Bishops, that during the coming week we bring our dancing parties to a close and prepare to attend to matters of greater importance, as the winter is drawing to a close, and the season for business is approaching. In a few weeks from now, we intend to give the people a few evenings entertainment in our new theater, which will not be entirely finished; after which, as the spring opens, we shall attend to preparing material for building our Temple, to gathering the poor, to farming and gardening, to building and fencing, &c.

The exhortation we have heard this morning is good, just, and true. We can gather much from it, touching the evidences of the Gospel. Upon this point the people, in many in– stances, do not understand themselves, they forsake the Gospel, turn away from the holy commandments, and turn to fables. It is very remarkable, though true, that some persons who profess to be intelligent beings are never easy unless they are in pain, nor happy unless they are miserable. When they are comfortable, well fed, and clothed, have good health, and the society of the just, comparatively speaking they must pinch themselves, or stick pins and needles into themselves, in order to feel happier when the pain has ceased. This is marvelous to me.

It is disgraceful for a member of this community to turn away from the truth. When a person receives the truth, has a knowledge of the things of God, is instructed with regard to his position relative to the heavens, he knows a great deal; and it is astonishing to me that there is power enough among the wicked on earth and among devils in hell to turn such a soul away from righteousness. A few in our community seem to be in their glory when they are doing wrong, though this portion is comparatively very small. We do not see in our community quite so much drunkenness as heretofore, nor so many gambling shops, but how long this improved state of things will remain I know not. For a few weeks we have also had a respite from marauding thieves.

Are the people righteous and pure enough in heart not to turn to fables when they are presented to them? Not to commit iniquity when they are tempted? Not to join hands with the ungodly when the ungodly are here to take them by the hand? If we have attained to that power, that Satan and all his forces will fail to turn us away from the holy commandments of the Lord Jesus, we never again will be afflicted through the power of the wicked. When we are tried by afflictions we are apt to forsake the faith of Christ, and then the wicked are permitted to bear rule over us; then unrighteousness surrounds us, and the influence of Satan and of hell prevails in our midst.

Have we yet to endure affliction as we have at the hands of our enemies, the ungodly Gentiles? Have we again to see armies here? And again be driven from our homes? Have we to be visited with pestilence, famine, and earthquake? Is all this necessary? If our hearts are pure we shall never see any of those afflictions poured out upon this people, from this time henceforth; on the contrary, the Lord delights to bless such a people until there is not room to receive more. Still in our afflictions we will not complain, for the Lord has his own way of training his people. How joyful my heart would be if the people would receive the Gospel, if they would understand it as they understand their daily avocations.

Yet, when I realize that God dwells in the midst of eternal burnings, that everything must be pure and holy that comes into his presence; that he has marked out in the Gospel the path for the believer to walk in to attain to holiness, and that no man or woman can receive the Gospel without humbling themselves before the Lord, forsaking their sins, and receiving the Holy Spirit, it is a matter of joy to me that unholy beings are thereby prohibited from entering into his presence. No unhallowed or unclean thing can enter the heavenly abode of the righteous; and it is beyond the capacity of man to make a safer place than that which God has prepared for the righteous. Jesus, in consideration of this, said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal.” Let us bind to heaven all that is near and dear unto us, and if our treasures are there, there also will our affections be.

It is thirty years the 15th day of next April (though it has accidentally been recorded and printed the fourteenth) since I was baptized into this Church, and in that time I have gained quite an experience. I will tell you a little of it, though I will first make a few remarks touching ourselves as a people. We are prone to do wrong, or, as the preacher has recorded—“Yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” We are merchants, speculators, traders, and love the best end of a bargain. We delight to talk about our neighbors. “Oh, how I delight to go over to such a house to see that sister, she is so sociable, so full of chit-chat, and knows everything that is going on.” And thus they meet to bereave the characters of their neighbors, and there is not an evil that can be imagined but what will be told. After they have finished their chatting, backbiting, and slandering, they conclude it all by apologizing—“Really, sister, I do not know, but I have said more than I ought, but let us pass it over, you know we are all brethren and sisters.” Again, says one brother in the Church to another, “Well, we had a good time last evening, we enjoyed ourselves pretty well. It is true we got drunk, and it is not quite right to get drunk. My head ached this morning, and I feel a little sorry that we indulged so far.” Another has indulged too much in making liquor, and in putting the deadly draught to his neighbor’s lips. Another has indulged too much in swearing. Another is troubled because he has indulged in taking the advantage of his neighbor in a trade, and, to make a cent, has cheated the simple and good-hearted who trusted in him. Another has stolen a little, or done this and that wrong; and all are apt to excuse themselves under the plea of the weaknesses of human nature.

Now, I come to my own experience and say—there is not an individual here but what has power, and God has given it to him, to drink whiskey or let it alone, to swear or not swear, to lie or not lie, deceive or not deceive, cheat and take advantage of a neighbor or not do so, slander and backbite a brother or a sister or not. This power is our own individual property, and we shall be brought into judgment for the manner in which we use it, and for all our actions in the flesh. Thirty years’ experience has taught me that every moment of my life must be holiness to the Lord, resulting from equity, justice, mercy, and uprightness in all my actions, which is the only course by which I can preserve the Spirit of the Almighty to myself. What is your experience? It is the same as my own. You cannot constantly be sinning a little and repenting, and retain the Spirit of the Lord as your constant companion. My experience up to this time, has been to do as I would that others should do unto me, under like circumstances; and, if I understand myself, there is not a man or woman on the face of this earth that I have dealt with contrary to this rule, and this practice I have continued each day.

When Monday morning breaks upon the eyes of the people, they must be as faithful to God and righteousness as they are here when partaking of the sacrament, or lose the Spirit of the Lord. We have no permission to sin for one moment. You may ask me if I ever do wrong. I answer—yes, like everybody else, owing to the weakness of the flesh; but if I do wrong knowingly, then I sin. When this people can live and never do a wrong knowingly, if they should sin in their ignorance, God will freely forgive that sin, if they are ready to repent when it is made known to them and refrain from it in the future. Let us live in this way and the kingdom is ours. It is the kingdom of God with us, or nothing. It is in our possession, and God will have a people that will preserve it inviolate. There may be some in our midst who do not honor the character of our religion, yet the Lord will preserve his kingdom.

There are some who wish to regain the Spirit of the Lord they have lost, and others desire to go on a Mission to get that Spirit. My advice to all such persons is—so live daily that all the light of God’s Spirit given to you will be preserved in you and increase from day to day, until you become perfect in your sphere as our Father in heaven is perfect. This is my experience. We cannot believe any truth that exists in all the eternities of the Gods that is not embraced in our holy religion, commonly called “Mormonism.” It incorporates every truth that has been known, is known, and will be known, in all the eternities past, and in all the eternities to come; in short, it is eternal truth upon which the throne of God is founded and cannot be moved. May the Lord help us to be faithful.

Again, in all the duties and labors pertaining to our mortal existence, let us remember that Paul may plant and Apollos may water, but it is God alone who gives the increase. And how long will it be before we shall learn to take good care of the increase God gives us? Our labor is our wealth; it is the best capital that any nation can possess. We have an immense capital that will bring us a large interest, if it is expended judiciously and with that wisdom which cometh from Heaven. Every man and woman capable of labor have their stock of capital on hand; dispose of it wisely; let everything be put to good use in the best possible manner to build up the kingdom of God, and to make ourselves comfortable and happy on this earth, and the Lord will preserve us and give us all we ask for. The kingdom is ours. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 9, 1862.

I have four sermons that I wish to preach this morning, and I wish about thirty-five minutes in which to preach them.

The first subject I shall notice this morning is robbing the dead. Many have desired me to express myself in public relative to what has transpired in our graveyard during four or five years past. Robbing the dead is not a new thing. Robbing dead people of their jewelry and clothing is customary in the cities of Europe; and it has been and is customary in many places to steal the body for the purpose of dissection. I have, in the course of my life, been under the necessity of watching graves to keep them from being robbed.

It appears that a man named John Baptiste has practiced robbing the dead of their clothing in our graveyard during some five years past. If you wish to know what I think about it, I answer, I am unable to think so low as to fully get at such a mean, contemptible, damnable trick. To hang a man for such a deed would not begin to satisfy my feelings. What shall we do with him? Shoot him? No, that would do no good to anybody but himself. Would you imprison him during life? That would do nobody any good. What I would do with him came to me quickly, after I heard of the circumstance; this I will mention, before I make other remarks. If it was left to me, I would make him a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth. This would be my sentence, but probably the people will not want this done.

Many are anxious to know what effect it will have upon their dead who have been robbed. I have three sisters in the graveyard in this city, and two wives, and several children, besides other connections and near relatives. I have not been to open any of their graves to see whether they were robbed, and do not mean to do so. I gave them as good a burial as I could; and in burying our dead, we all have made everything as agreeable and as comfortable as we could to the eye and taste of the people in their various capacities, according to the best of our judgments; we have done our duty in this particular, and I for one am satisfied. I will defy any thief there is on the earth or in hell to rob a Saint of one blessing. A thief may dig up dead bodies and sell them for the dissecting knife, or may take their raiment from them, but when the resurrection takes place, the Saints will come forth with all the glory, beauty, and excellency of resurrected Saints clothed as they were when they were laid away.

Some may inquire whether it is necessary to put fresh linen into the coffins of those who have been robbed of their clothing. As to this you can pursue the course that will give you the most contentment and satisfaction; but if the dead are laid away as well as they can be, I will promise you that they will be well clothed in the resurrection, for the earth and the elements around it are full of these things. All that is needed is power to bring forth those things necessary, as Jesus did when he fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes, perhaps no more than would on ordinary occasions feed six men; he organized the elements around, and fed five thousand. In the resurrection everything that is necessary will be brought from the elements to clothe and to beautify the resurrected Saints, who will receive their reward. I do not trouble myself about my dead. If they are stripped of their clothing, I do not want to know it.

Some, I have been informed, can now remember having had singular dreams, and others have heard rappings on the floor, on the bedstead, on the door, on the table, &c., and have imagined that they might have proceeded from the spirits of the dead calling on their friends to give them clothing, for they were naked. My dead friends have not been to me to tell me that they were naked, cold, &c.; and if any such rappings should come to me, I should tell them to go to their own place. I have little faith in those rappings. If I felt that I ought to pay attention to such things, I would not, so to speak, let my right hand know what my left did; and it would require a greater power than John Baptiste to make me believe either a truth or a lie.

I thought the remark made by a lad to a group of weeping women was very appropriate, though I do not blame them for weeping when they saw the clothing they had put upon their departed darlings; said he, “supposing the linen was all burnt up and the ashes scattered to the four winds, could not the angel Gabriel call those particles together as easily as he could call together the particles of the body?” The elements are all here, and they will be called forth in their proper time and place. Let the minds of the people be at rest upon this matter. What has been done they cannot help. If any wish to open the graves of their dead and put clothing in the coffins to satisfy their feelings, all right; I am satisfied. I am also satisfied that had we been brought up and traditionated to burn a wife upon the funeral pile, we should not be satisfied unless this practice was followed out; we would have the same grief and sorrow that we now have when we find that our dead have been robbed of their clothing. Or if we had been brought up as our natives are, when a chief died if we did not kill a wife or two, a few horses, or a few prisoners, &c., as soon as the darkness of night set in we very likely should fancy ourselves haunted with the spirits of the dead, dissatisfied at our not giving them proper burial rites, and company to pass with them through the dark shadows of the grave to the good land where there are better hunting grounds. The power and influence of tradition has a great deal to do with the way we feel about this matter of our dead being robbed.

We are here in circumstances to bury our dead according to the order of the Priesthood. But some of our brethren die upon the ocean; they cannot be buried in a burying ground, but they are sewed up in canvas and cast into the sea, and perhaps in two minutes after they are in the bowels of the shark, yet those persons will come forth in the resurrection, and receive all the glory of which they are worthy, and be clothed upon with all the beauty of resurrected Saints, as much so as if they had been laid away in a gold or silver coffin, and in a place expressly for burying the dead. If you think opposite to this your thoughts are in vain. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of these things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” If the particles of which the body is composed are distributed to the four quarters of the earth, at the sound of the trumpet, when the dead are to come forth the dust that composed their bodies, that portion which is suffered to endure, will come from the ends of the earth, mote by mote, particle by particle, atom to atom, bone to bone, sinew to sinew, and flesh will cover them, and the same body will come forth in the resurrection, as much so as the body of Jesus came forth from the tomb.

Do as you please with regard to taking up your friends. If I should undertake to do anything of the kind, I should clothe them completely and then lay them away again. And if you are afraid of their being robbed again, put them into your gardens, where you can watch them by day and night until you are pretty sure that the clothing is rotted, and then lay them away in the burying ground. I would let my friends lay and sleep in peace. I am aware of the excited state of the feelings of the community; I have little to say about the cause of it. The meanness of the act is so far beneath my comprehension that I have not ventured to think much about it.

I will now proceed to my next text. I have lately preached a short sermon to the Bishops, in a Bishops’ meeting, and I now wish to present the subject of those remarks to this congregation; they were in relation to the Bishops building dancing rooms for their schoolhouses and ward meetings. In my heart, soul, affections, feelings, and judgment, I am opposed to making a cotillion hall a place of worship. All men have their agency, and should be permitted to act as freely as consistent, that they may manifest by their acts whether they are controlled by the pure principle of righteousness. Many of you remember that at first we assembled in a bowery on the southeast corner of this block, where we met for some time under its shade, and held preaching meetings, sacrament meetings, political meetings, and every kind of public gathering, because it was the only place that would then accommodate the people. Soon after that we built this Tabernacle. We probably had not the first stick of timber on the ground before I was besought to build it for dancing in and for theatrical purposes. I said no, to everyone that requested me to do that. I told them that dancing and theatrical performances were no part of our religion; we are merely permitted to occupy a portion of the time in those amusements, being very careful not to grieve the Spirit of the Lord. More or less amusement of that kind suits our organization, but when we come to the things of God, I had rather not have them mixed up with amusement like a dish of succotash.

I like to dance, but do I want to sin? No; rather than sin I would wish never to dance or hear a fiddle again while I live. Let that which I would sin in be taken from me, and let me be kept from it from this time henceforth and forever, no matter what it is. I like my pastimes and enjoy myself as you do, in amusements wherein we do not sin. Brother E. D. Woolley and myself had some conversation on this subject, and he thought that he would build a house to accommodate social gatherings but could not at that time very well do it, so I built the hall which is called the Social Hall. In it are combined a dancing room and a small stage for theatrical performances. That is our fun hall, and not a place in which to administer the sacrament. We dedicated it to the purpose for which it was built, and from the day we first met there until now, I would rather see it laid in ashes in a moment than to see it possessed by the wicked. We prayed that the Lord would preserve it to the Saints; and if it could not thus be preserved, let it be destroyed and not be occupied by the wicked. You know what spirit attends that room. There we have had governors, judges, doctors, lawyers, merchants, passersby, &c., who did not belong to our Church, and what has been the universal declaration of each and every one? “I never felt so well before in all my life at any party as I do here;” and the Saints do not feel as well in any other place of amusement. We have a beautiful assembly room in the 13th Ward, but you cannot feel as well in a party there as you can in the hall that was built and dedicated to that purpose. Everything in its time, and everything in its place.

In the year 1849, I think it was, I was called upon to give a draft for a schoolhouse, that would be commodious and suitable for each ward. I gave that draft, and I do not think that I could now alter it for the better. Has there been a schoolhouse built according to the draft? There have been a few wings built, and the main body of the building I drafted was not intended for a dancing hall. By referring to the plan I gave, you can see my idea of a Ward schoolhouse, but it has not been carried out. It is now whispered around that we are opposed to dancing in the 14th Ward Schoolroom. This is not so. I have been there several times, and enjoyed myself well, as also in the 13th Ward house, which is called the Assembly Rooms, though I would call it a cotillion hall. I am opposed to making the youth of our land believe that dancing and frolicking are a part of our religion, when in truth they are not any part of it, though I hear from every quarter that the Gentiles say, “I like this part of your religion, for I understand that this is one branch of your religion, and I like this dancing very much.” It is no part of our religion, and I am opposed to devoting to a cotillion room, a house set apart for the worship of God. I am opposed to having cotillions or theatrical performances in this Tabernacle. I am opposed to making this a fun hall, I do not mean for wickedness, I mean for the recuperation of our spirits and bodies. I shall not be opposed to the brethren’s building a meetinghouse somewhere else, and keeping their cotillions halls for parties, but I am not willing that they should convert the house that has been set apart for religious meetings into a dancing hall.

I will now pass to my third text. I can say with confidence, that there is no people on the face of this earth that pay more respect to females than do this people. I know of no community where females enjoy the privileges they do here. If anyone of them is old and withered and so dried up that you have to put weights on her skirts to keep her from blowing away, she is so privileged that she is in everybody’s dish or platter—her nose is everywhere present—and still she will go home and tell her husband that she is slighted. Here we see the marked effect of the curse that was in the beginning placed upon woman, their desire is to their husbands all the time. It is also written, “and he shall rule over you.” Now put the two together. Nobody else must be spoken to, no other body must be danced with, no other lady must sit at the head of the table with her husband.

A few years ago one of my wives, when talking about wives leaving their husbands said, “I wish my husband’s wives would leave him, every soul of them except myself.” That is the way they all feel, more or less, at times, both old and young. The ladies of seventy, seventy-five, eighty, and eighty-five years of age are greeted here with the same cheerfulness as are the rest. All are greeted with kindness, respect, and gentleness, no matter whether they wear linsey or silks and satin, they are all alike respected and beloved according to their behavior; at least they are so far as I am concerned.

It may be all well enough if a woman can attain faith to throw off the curse, but there is one thing she cannot away with, at least not so far as I am concerned, and that is, “and he shall rule over thee.” I can do that by causing my women to do as they have a mind to; and at the same time they do not know what is going on. When I say rule, I do not mean with an iron hand, but merely to take the lead—to lead them in the path I wish them to walk in. They may be determined not to answer my will, but they are doing it all the time without knowing it. Kindness, love, and affection are the best rod to use upon the refractory. Solomon is said to have been the wisest man that ever lived, and he is said to have recommended another kind of rod. I have tried both kinds on children. I can pick out scores of men in this congregation who have driven their children from them by using the wooden rod. Where there is severity there is no affection or filial feeling in the hearts of either party; the children would rather be away from father than be with him.

In some families the children are afraid to see father—they will run and hide as from a tyrant. My children are not afraid of my footfall; except in the case of their having done something wrong they are not afraid to approach me. I could break the wills of my little children, and whip them to this, that, and the other, but this I do not do. Let the child have a mild training until it has judgment and sense to guide it. I differ with Solomon’s recorded saying as to spoiling the child by sparing the rod. True it is written in the New Testament that “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” It is necessary to try the faith of children as well as of grown people, but there are ways of doing so besides taking a club and knocking them down with it. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” There is nothing consistent in abusing your wives and children. There is quite a portion of the Elders of Israel who do not know how to use one wife well. I love my wives, respect them, and honor them, but to make a queen of one and peasants of the rest I have no such disposition, neither do I expect to do it.

I will now pass to my fourth text, and the sermon will be quite brief. It is well known that we now receive news from the west and east by the telegraphic wire that is stretched across the Continent. Last night we read a manuscript telegram, containing yesterday’s news from New York City and Chicago. There are a great many in this Territory, who want that news while it is fresh, but it goes into our printing office, and there remains from two to five days before the people can get it. I want a company raised to stretch a wire through our settlements in this Territory, that information may be communicated to all parts with lightning speed.

I am now constantly annoyed with “What is the news? Have you received it?” Yes, we have received it. “When?” Three or four days ago, but it is not yet set up; when, at the same time, if there is a particle of manuscript telegram in my office, they never rest until they get it; and when they have got it they seem to care no more about it.

I wish some kind of arrangements entered into whereby we can have the news before us in some reasonable time. We have been put off with printers’ excuses until I am tired. We send down to the printing office, and inquire if the extra is out. Answer—“It will be out in a few minutes.” We wait until morning and send again. “It will be out in a few minutes; we are now working at it;” when, perhaps, it has never been touched. This I do not like. Thus endeth my fourth and last sermon.

May the Lord bless you all, brethren. Amen.

Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 9, 1862.

We have had a few remarks from brother Joseph Fielding, and I can say, with the best of feelings, that they are good and true. I am witness that this is the road that brother Fielding has traveled in this Church and kingdom, striving to do right all the time. It was in the spring of 1838 that he was ordained a High Priest, and it will be twenty-four years next April since we left England, after performing the first mission that was ever sent out to England. He was ordained a Priest, I think, in Canada, and he traveled with me on that mission to England. His life has been an upright one, and I know that he has made a statement of facts, and he has told the things that are in him, and his determinations are good, and they are dictated by the right spirit. I take pleasure in making these statements, and I would say in my heart, and my prayer is, that every man here may live in the manner that he has done and be as good a man as he is. His salvation is sure, if he continues in welldoing, and everything that he is capable of presiding over will be given to him, and this will be the portion of every other good man. It is goodness that makes about all the difference between one man and another. You find one man a little better than another, and one woman a little better than her neighbor. What is it that makes us better? It is the righteous acts that we perform, and that we work out before God. Jesus says, “Work out your salvation as it is my will to work within you.” Then, again, we are commanded to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. All that hinders us and prevents us progressing faster, and going on from one step to another even as it was with our Father, even the Father and God pertaining to this earth, is our lack of confidence in the Almighty, and our slothfulness in the things of God. Joseph the Prophet said that our heavenly Father went on from one degree of knowledge to another until he obtained the knowledge that made him God. So also will it be with us, we shall have to advance from one degree of faith to another until we get that knowledge that will prepare us for exaltation in our Father’s kingdom. But we must first prove ourselves in this state of probation, then we rise from step to step till we reach that position that is promised to the people of God.

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and light; and I and my Father are one.” On one occasion the widow came and begged that her two sons who were with Jesus might sit one at his right hand and the other at his left, and Jesus asked her if they could walk with him in the regeneration, for said he, “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” Those who can walk with Jesus in the regeneration now, will receive the great blessings that are promised to all the faithful children of God. What is regeneration? It is a cleansing, purifying process, by which persons are enabled to advance in the knowledge of God and grow stronger in the principles of eternal life, to become better, more truthful, more worthy of a benefactor’s blessing. Then, we may ask, what is degeneration? It is departing from the good old way, imbibing evil, becoming impregnated with falsehood and all other evils that are calculated to produce a deterioration in both the body and spirit of man.

This is a wicked and adulterous generation in which we live, and but few of them know what they are doing for themselves. To me it appears that they are taking every possible step to degenerate themselves and those around them. I know what the world is; I understood it to a great extent before I came into this Church. It was a common saying among the good people where I lived, that it was impossible for a man to be honest and get a living. How did they get a living, think you, where they did not believe in being honest? By living in deceitfulness, by lying, by pilfering from their neighbors. That was the way they managed, and it is so managed at the present time. There are but few things but it is possible to adulterate in this age of the world. Our tea is adulterated, our ginger and pepper, and almost everything that we have to purchase is treated in the same manner, and I think we may safely conclude that this is an adulterous generation, and by their evil practices they are bringing upon themselves swift destruction. They have commenced the work of their own extermination, and who can help it? No one, except the Almighty. They are now doing that upon each other which they had in their hearts to do to us; they have got the same hatred towards each other which they formerly had towards us, and the Lord will let them have their full share.

I noticed the other day when reading about the war, that one man said the war could be completed and wound up in thirty days, everything settled and the South entirely subdued. They think that the great number of men which they have in the field are going to wind it up quick. But I can tell you that they do not take the right course to accomplish that; they let the Devil lead them, that is what I mean. If you are looking forward for peace and thinking that peace will soon be made, you are mistaken. The Lord is permitting things to be prolonged as they are, for the purpose of getting his people out from Babylon, just as he did with Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plains that were round about them; for he kept back the destruction till he got Lot out, and so it is now in these days.

Well, now, what course shall we take as Saints? It is for us to do our duty in all things; to do our best for the spread of truth, for the gathering of the poor. If we were to do our best we could send a thousand teams this season to gather the poor; but I can say that we shall do all that is required of us, and that will be satisfactory and pleasing to our heavenly Father.

Some say it is rather discouraging to gather this people, because so many of them apostatize and deny the faith, but we should remember that Jesus says—“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”—Matthew xiii., 47-50.

Now, supposing I should be at the expense of gathering ten persons and bringing them home to Zion, and by so doing I save one righteous man, will not that secure me a reward hereafter? I say it will. What did the Lord say to Oliver Cowdery about laboring all the days of his life in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dark and benighted world? The following is from a revelation given in June 1829, to Joseph Smith, Jun., Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer—

“And now, Oliver Cowdery, I speak unto you, and also unto David Whitmer, by the way of commandment; for, behold, I command all men everywhere to repent, and I speak unto you, even as unto Paul mine apostle, for you are called even with that same calling with which he was called. Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation. Ask the Father in my name, in faith believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men. And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.” [Doc. & Cov., s., xliii, p. 3, 4.]

These are my feelings and always have been since I became acquainted with the principles of eternal life; and I know that this is the spirit that rests upon President Young, and also upon all faithful men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is our duty to feel for those that are scattered abroad in the world, and that are poor, but who desire to gather to the promised land. We used to pray, O Lord, put it into the hearts of thy people to do unto us as we want to have them do. Now it is our turn; we are gathered home to Zion, and we are able to assist our poor brethren that are poor and unable to bring themselves. Where is there a people upon the face of the earth that are blessed like unto us; and then, again, I may say that a great many do not realize nor appreciate the blessings they enjoy, but they consider this a hard country to live in. There are very few people in this country but are much better off than they were in the country where they came from. There are hundreds and thousands, and I think I may say tens of thousands that were poor and penniless, and that were dependent upon their everyday labor for their living, and if they did not labor six days in each week they had to go without something that was actually necessary to make them comfortable, and unless they were at their work every day they could not get enough to eat. Scarcely any of them ever owned a cow, a horse, a sheep, pig, or chicken in their lives. Brother George D. Watt here knows this to be true, for he has seen enough of the poverty of his native country to understand exactly how it is. Is it any crime to be poor? No, it is not; I have seen the day when I was just as poor as I could possibly be as regards the comforts of this life, and I honestly consider that it would be a pretty hard case for a man to be poorer than I have been. Some people when they come here think it rather shameful to speak of how poor the people are over in the old country. Bless you if you had not been poor and oppressed—down in the depths of poverty, you would not have heard us at all when we went to proclaim the Gospel. That is the case with those who are well-off as a general thing. But if you were not all poor when the Gospel found you, I will guarantee that you have been since. I never knew a man who came into this Church rich but who had to become poor, that he might rise up with the rich and be exalted in the kingdom of God.

We have been led here by the hand of the Almighty, and settled in a barren wilderness a thousand miles from everybody that are called civilized. We came here because we were driven from our homes; hence, we came to these mountains because we were compelled to, for we could not live in the United States any longer, and you that have been driven from the days of Kirtland to the present time know that we could not live any longer among the enlightened and civilized of the United States. After Joseph and Hyrum were mobbed and slain by their enemies, there was no longer any home for the Saints in the States. We could not stay in Kirtland to make a permanent home there, although we succeeded in building a Temple, and in it received our blessings from the Almighty. Here is President Young, myself, and others that used to lie upon Joseph’s floor every night to preserve his life from his enemies, and that too among the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and devils, and there are a great many men and women who know it. We had to flee and leave all we had behind; brother Joseph, brother Brigham, and many others, father Smith among the number; and some of us had to watch while Luke Johnson helped the old man out of the window. Then how much safety was there in Missouri, Illinois, or anywhere else in the Eastern States? Could we stay there, gentlemen? No, no better than we could be in a smelting furnace without burning. Was there any revelation that we should come to the mountains? Yes, and there were predictions in the old Bible that we should come here, and now we are here we are comfortable and blessed above all other people upon the face of the earth, I do not care where you look. You may look to the east, to the west, to the north, and to the south, and in all nations you will find them ready to go to war with each other. And you may calculate that there will be war upon war, and that things will gradually grow worse; therefore we should always endeavor to do right.

When I reflect upon the instructions of President Young, who is our leader, I see the importance of our sustaining him in all his plans and designs, for he is God’s delegate, and he represents the authority of Heaven; and we Elders and Apostles are his associates, called to represent Heaven, to preach the righteousness of Christ, and to strive to do here on the earth as it is done in the heavens, and, hence, we should so live as to be the true representatives of Heaven, of happiness, glory, immortality, and eternal lives, for we have those principles to teach. All these things are before us, and one man can go forward and attain these things just as well as another, and one man can obtain these blessings of life, of peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost just as well as another.

Some may think that they are kings and priests, others that they are queens and priestesses, and put others down as servants, and thus make themselves judges of their brethren. But I am now speaking more particularly of men that are unrighteous, of those who will tread the poor man under their feet; and what will be the consequence of oppressing the poor? I would rather be in the place of the oppressed a hundred times than in that of the oppressor, “For with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” These are the words of Jesus, and although uttered many years ago they are still in full force, and I know it; and that saying will be fulfilled to the very letter, I have seen it in a thousand instances, and I know it will always be fulfilled. I never knew a man get a prejudice against his brother unrighteously but went the downward road, and the other against whom the prejudice existed invariably rises up above his enemies, for there is no other way to carry out the principles of righteousness, than to do unto others as we want others to do unto us, and thus fulfil the law of Christ.

Now, in the doctrine and practice of plurality, one woman will sometimes think that she is queen, and that the others have no right to speak or to do anything without her consent. If I had a case of that kind to adjudicate, I should be very apt to say to the woman, “Serve her faithfully, bear with her patiently, and the day will come when you will sit above her, no matter where she is now.” And so it is with the Elders of Israel, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The Lord will rule that which is righteous, and if he does not give you your rights in all things in time he will in eternity.

If you will look in the revelations, you will find the principle taught just as I teach, and I can say further, that there is not a hymn composed by the Saints but teaches some principle of truth just as clearly as the Bible teaches truth. Therefore, let us be alive to these things, and remember that we are exhorted to be one. Jesus prayed that his disciples might all be one, as he and his Father were one. Then, let us step forward and do this without waiting to be commanded, without any compulsion, otherwise we shall be considered slothful servants.

Well, now, this is the course for us to take. Let us be one in all things, that the blessings of the heavens and of the earth may be upon us continually.

If you want to know my views in reference to merchants and their goods coming here, I will tell you that I wish there could not any more goods be brought here. Why, can you get along without them, brother Kimball? I can, by the help of God; I want but little to be independent of every merchant that comes into this city. Why, this last year my family have made over eight hundred yards of cloth, and that will clothe a great many people; and dresses made of that kind of cloth are as far ahead of those you buy in the store as your silks are of the Indian blanket. Then consider what a blessing it is to the poor of this community to be able to sleep in nice, comfortable, warm woolen blankets; how much better than either the cotton or linen that is brought from the States. Then there are the coverlids, the bonnets, and many other necessary articles that can be made at home just as well as not. You can see ladies with the nearest kind of bonnets on of their own make; and if they want a new bonnet for the baby, they know how to make it. There are their undergarments, worn by the people here generally; they are made of wool, and that is produced here. What a blessing it is to be able to supply ourselves with so many of the necessaries and comforts of life here in these mountains! Some of you have got an idea that wool will not do; but let me inform you that when Peter came and sat in the Temple in Kirtland, he had on a neat woolen garment, nicely adjusted round the neck. What do sheep wear next the skin? Wool, of course. What do goats wear? Hair, for that is their nature. These are facts that are apparent to all who will look.

To return to the subject of the garments of the Holy Priesthood, I will say that the one which Jesus had on when he appeared to the Prophet Joseph was neat and clean, and Peter had on the same kind, and he also had a key in his hand. John also came and administered unto Joseph Smith, and remember that Peter, James, and John hold the keys pertaining to their dispensation and pertaining to this, and they came and conferred their Priesthood and authority upon Joseph the Seer, which is for the gathering together of all who seek the way of life. What is there that we cannot make within ourselves? There are but few things. If we have a desire to be released from bondage and oppression, we shall labor to produce what we need. I intend to have cloth, that has been made here, from head to foot. What are we going to do? A great many may say that they always wish to have their carding, spinning, and weaving done so as to be ready for the winter, and be at liberty to go to the parties. That is very good. But there is one other matter I wish to speak of in this connection, and that is that President Young wants this people to bring up some carding machines from the States, so that we can go forward and be in a short time perfectly independent of the world. This is the course for you and I to take; and, also, to lay aside our vanity and foolishness, and that which destroys the body. I have observed a great deal of the follies of people in my experience. If we will do right, our children will be a great deal stronger than we are in body, limb, joint, and muscles, for many of us have been weakened by folly, just as the present generation of young people are ruining themselves with their foolish fashions.

I have often had my feelings hurt when I have seen men grunt and grumble at every little trial, and then to see their wives, and many in fact that are not wives, murmur and find fault with their circumstances. It is true that some are doing all they can for the good of the community, but it is not so with all. Let us all labor and strive the best we can to build up the kingdom of our God here on the earth.

May God Almighty bless you, my brethren and sisters, may the blessing of peace be with you that you may enjoy the good Spirit, a spirit of integrity and faithfulness, and may that Spirit rest upon all the Saints in the mountains and throughout the world, is my prayer. Amen.

Discourse by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 6, 1862.

I desire to offer a few reflections that are now suggested to me by the abundant blessings which surround us. I need not say that I have been delighted with the remarks of our brethren that have spoken today; but I will say that while we enjoy the multiplicity of blessings which now surround us, we should remember the poor Saints that are scattered abroad in distant lands.

It is only a few days since I re– ceived a letter from Bishop Jacob G. Bigler, who is now on a mission in Ireland. He writes that the brethren and sisters are very kind to him, and feed him a great deal better than they are able to feed themselves. He says they give him meat twice a week, while they cannot get it at all; and he feels thankful for the kindness manifested by the people to him under such extreme poverty, and wishes me to importune with the brethren here that they may be delivered from the poverty and bondage with which they are environed.

Not long since, a letter was received in Provo from Elder William Cluff, who is now laboring in Denmark. He incidentally remarked that a sister sheared thirty-seven head of sheep to get money to pay the postage of that letter.

A few days since, I received a letter from my brother John L., who is laboring in Switzerland. It is rather a hard country to labor in, in consequence of the oppressive laws and variety of institutions of the twenty-two cantons composing that Confederation. He says that there are a great many of the brethren in that country who labor for ten cents per week and their board, and there is no earthly prospect of their condition being improved; but every year the oppressive bonds that grow upon them become tighter and tighter. I merely refer to these incidents that we may compare the situation of the Saints in the old world with our own in the fertile vales of Utah. Will we exert ourselves to relieve those brethren that are scattered abroad? We believe, ere long, that the vengeance of the Almighty will be poured out upon the inhabitants of the whole earth. Peace having been taken from the earth, men thirst for each other’s destruction; and in their conflicts and destructive wars, our brethren and sisters who desire to emigrate to these peaceful vales may be overwhelmed, and have to suffer with the multitude of the wicked, unless we stretch forth our hand and use our means for their deliverance.

We are exhorted this morning by our President to send back teams and wagons, and to go ourselves to aid in bringing the poor and worthy Saints home. Are we on hand? Are we fully awake to this important matter? I recollect, last season, passing through the settlements south, when I was told repeatedly that the number of teams called for would paralyze the farming interests. In the same region, only a few months after, while passing through, they said, “We have more grain than we can actually harvest and secure: we never had such a crop before.” There are thousands of our brethren abroad who are reduced to the greatest extremities, and as a wise and provident people it is our duty to provide for ourselves, and as far as possible to provide an asylum for the oppressed of all nations.

Great Britain, so famous for political economists and statesmen, has planned so unwisely, that, through a family quarrel between the Northern and Southern States of America, five millions of her subjects are in danger of starvation. Some of them are members of this Church. We must plan differently, and combine the talent, enterprise, and ingenuity in our midst to develop the resources of our country, so that outside complications cannot reduce us to starvation or deprive us of the comforts of life. “The wisdom of the wise shall perish in the last days.” True wisdom in the rulers of a nation would dictate a system of political economy that would provide the means of living and sustaining the nation within itself as one common family. When a nation fails to do this, it lacks the exercise of that prudent policy which makes the country self-preserving.

We talk about going to the States to procure a few articles which we cannot at present produce. But, suppose the people of the States should become as infuriated as the Jaredites, or the Nephites and Lamanites of old were, and should fight and slay each other as they did, whom would you get your supplies from? Who would grow or manufacture cotton for you, or supply you with mill saws, scythes, axes, cotton or wool cards, steel, or silks and satins? We should have to supply ourselves or go without. Think of these things, and realize that the Lord has taken peace from the earth, and is suffering the wicked to slay the wicked, and that the Prophet Brigham has this day blown the trumpet and warned us to prepare to supply our own wants. “But,” says a brother, “I want to follow that business I can make the most at.” I would manufacture combs, but I can make more by raising wheat. Suppose all the tradesmen in the country should do the same, what would you do? No blacksmiths, carpenters, tanners, or shoemakers, but all farmers, and farming without ploughs, hoes, and going barefoot, would soon be the inevitable result of this policy. We must all act our part, and act it prudently and wisely.

I wished to add my testimony to the things you have listened to. May the blessings of God rest upon us, and give unto us wisdom and ability to contribute our aid to make the people of Zion self-sustaining. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 2, 1862.

I have a few items of business that I wish to lay before you this morning, and the first is a call upon the brethren for teams to haul the granite blocks from Little Cottonwood to the Temple Block. The road became so muddy that the teams were sent home, but we understand that the road is now very good. This county, Davis, Tooele, and the northern part of Utah counties can forward teams in a day or two, and if the road again becomes bad, they are not so far from their homes but what they can easily return. I wish to have all the teams that can be gathered from this city and the adjoining neighborhoods and Wards go to work immediately, so that our stonecutters may have constant work. Some of them are from a distance, and we do not like to have them out of work through want of rough blocks. It requires a large quantity of rock for the first story of the Temple, and we would like to complete the walls of that story, and as much more as possible during the present season.

I have another call to make upon the people now, which I wish to go out from this place. You will recollect that a year ago this coming spring we sent some two hundred teams to the Frontiers to bring the Saints to this Territory. We wish to send three hundred this year, and they are as few as will answer to accomplish the purpose. Last season I think there were rising of sixty teams went from this city. I shall propose that we make the dividend as we did last year, and let this city take the lead; and if we are not over one quarter in number, we ought to be in faith and good works. We know that the people in this city and in the regions round about are wealthy in cattle, and you know very well that it is against my doctrine and feelings for men to scrape together the wealth of the world and let it waste and do no good. We have more stock than we well take care of. We want to send some twelve hundred yoke of cattle to the States for freight and people, and we want to send some cattle to sell and purchase things that are needed for families when crossing the Plains, for we wish to bring all the poor that can get to the Frontiers in time to come on this season.

Now I have a particular request to make of all our capitalists, and that is, for them to send and procure machinery to aid in supplying all our reasonable wants in manufactured articles, that we may have everything within ourselves for houses, for goods, for chattels, for chariots, for ribbons, and for ruffles, yes, everything that we require to clothe ourselves with from the stockings on our feet to the articles worn on our heads. You who have money and other available means, send and get such machinery as is really necessary for manufacturing those things that we require to make us comfortable. It is our duty to do this, and it is not your duty neither is it mine to send and get ten thousand dollars worth of ribbons.

It may be asked, “Does not brother Brigham buy as many store goods for his wives and children as any man in the Territory of Utah?” I buy more. Probably I bestow more, according to the number I have to sustain, than any other man. “Why do you do so?” Shall I say, to keep peace out of the family, or to keep peace in the family? Which is it? I will leave that for you to answer. Such buying is no part of the duty of any man in this community; neither is it the duty of any man to be a merchant in this community, in the manner that many are and have been. I frequently tell the people that it is no part of my religion or duty to dance, but it is as much a part of my religious duty to dance as it is to buy ribbons and other useless articles of clothing. We are permitted to do such things because of our ignorance, and the sin that is in the world; because of the want of the knowledge possessed by heavenly beings; the want of true knowledge concerning the earth and the inhabitants thereon. Were it not for this ignorance and darkness we should not be pardoned as we are now. When we become weaned from the love of the world, become humble, penitent, contrite in spirit, and begin to love the Lord a little, it almost distracts us—some almost go crazy.

At no distant period merchandising in imported goods will cease in this Territory, and the fabrics we wear will be manufactured by ourselves—imported fabrics will not be here. The inquiry may arise, “What will be done with the money that will accumulate?” for we have paid merchants here during eleven to twelve years past not less than from six to ten hundred thousand dollars annually. If any should be fearful that they will be cumbered with sur– plus means, I will promise them to provide a way in which they may expend their means for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God. I do not feel to find fault, complain, or cast reflections upon myself, upon my family, or upon my brethren and sisters for what we have hitherto done and still are doing in the capacity of merchants, or purchasers, or consumers. I look forward to the time when this people will possess what is called the wealth of the earth, that is, those articles which are accounted very valuable, but many of which are in reality of very little worth. The diamond is considered of the most value, still its intrinsic value is but trifling; by heat it can be burned like other coal. I esteem gold as more valuable, for it cannot be consumed by fire. We would like to have a little of this metal, for how much better would it be to drink out of a gold cup than out of an old rusty tin basin. We expect to have earthenware, it is true, when we get men here that know how to put the material together to make it, but if you accidentally let a piece of fine expensive earthenware drop, it breaks and that is the end of it; should a child or a grown person make a misstep and fall, when carrying a gold or silver cup or vessel, it cannot be broken. But this will be hereafter, it is not yet. When we see the time that the people will possess the true riches of the earth and the heavens, we can preserve that which we have, it will not be stolen by thieves.

Apparently the merchandising interest in this community is coming to a close, and I feel like urging upon the people the necessity of preparing to grow and manufacture that which they consume. It is my indispensable duty to urge this important item upon them and to warn them of coming evil to themselves, unless they attend to it. We want, in view of this, a liberal turn out of teams to bring machinery from the East this coming summer. It may be asked what we need here. Why are your wives unable to card a little wool into rolls to spin and knit you and your children some stockings? Because they have no cards. Suppose there was not a carding machine in this Territory or a single pair of hand cards, and they were not to be had, how could we make ourselves comfortable without them? We might possibly manage to make cloth in a rude way, but the demand would be far beyond the supply—it could not possibly keep pace with the wants of our growing community. We need a cardmaking machine here, one that will draw the wire, perforate the leather, and cut, bend, and insert the teeth. We could make one here, but it would cost much more than to import one. I want some of the brethren to send and get one or more machines of this kind, for we do not need many; but when we come to cotton and woolen fabrics that we need to wear every day, and without which we cannot be so comfortable as we now are, we need much machinery to manufacture them. We now need twenty times more carding machines in this Territory than we have. Wool now lies in the mill month after month before it can be carded, which injures it. Will our capitalists send and bring in carding machines and other machinery? I want to see fifty or one hundred cotton spinning jennies, introduced into the country, they will cost about one hundred dollars each, and with one of them a child twelve or fifteen years old can in a day gin, card, and spin cotton enough to make twelve yards of cloth.

These are matters that pertain to our present life, to us at this time and in our present circumstances. I am anxious that the people should fully understand the vital importance of maintaining their present lives to make them useful, hence I speak much in this strain. There is great credit due the female portion of our community for the things they try to teach their children; still I would like to see a closer application in giving their daughters a good sound practical moral education. I feel gratified when I look around upon the congregation and see many of the mothers wearing dresses they have made themselves of wool grown in this Territory; and I have not seen in any new country a better article of cloth than our sisters make here; it will bear the inspection of the most fastidious votaries of pride and fashion; in that class of goods it cannot be excelled. Great credit is due to this people for the progress they have made. We have not in our society an aristocratic circle. Whether a brother wears a coonskin cap or a fine beaver hat is all the same to us. If a person is a faithful servant of God we do not object to his coming to meeting, though he has only but a piece of buffalo skin to wear on his head. We partake of the sacrament with him, hail him in the street as a brother and a friend, ride with him, converse with him, meet with him in social parties, and greet him as an equal. I also see brethren walk into meeting with overcoats on which their wives and daughters have made, but suppose you had not the means for getting your wool carded, nor the means for carding it yourselves, could you have produced the excellent cloth you now wear? You could not.

I delight to see the mother learn her daughters to be housekeepers; to be particular, clean, and neat; to sew, spin, and weave; to make butter and cheese; and I have no objection to their learning to cultivate flowers herbs, and useful shrubs in the gardens. It is good for their health to rise early in the morning and work in the soil an hour or two before breakfast; this practice is especially beneficial to those who have weak lungs. And while you delight in raising flowers, &c., do not neglect to learn how to take care of the cream, and how to make of it good wholesome butter, and of the milk good healthy nutritious cheese; neither forget your sewing, spinning, and weaving; and I would not have them neglect to learn music and would encourage them to read history and the Scriptures, to take up a newspaper, geography, and other publications, and make themselves acquainted with the manners and customs of distant kingdoms and nations, with their laws, religion, geographical location on the face of the world, their climate, natural productions, the extent of their commerce, and the nature of their political organization; in fine, let our boys and girls be thoroughly instructed in every useful branch of physical and mental education. Let this education begin early. Teach little children the principles of order; the little girl to put the broom in its right place, to arrange the stove furniture in the nearest possible way, and everything in its own place. Teach them to lay away their clothing neatly, and where it can be found; and when they tear their frocks and aprons teach them how to mend the rent so neatly that the place cannot be seen at a short distance; and instead of asking your husbands to buy them ribbons and frills, learn them to make them of the material we can produce. Teach the little boys to lay away the garden hoe, the spade, &c., where they will not be destroyed by rust; and let them have access to tools that they may learn their use, and develop their mechanical skill while young; and see that they gather up the tools when they have done with them, and deposit them in the proper place. Let both males and females encourage within them mechanical ingenuity, and seek constantly to understand the world they are in, and what use to make of their existence.

It is unnecessary to send to England, to France, to the East Indies, to China, or to any other country for a little crockeryware, silk, calico, muslin, &c., for we can make those articles here. We need the machinery; let us unite and get it. Last fall brother A. R. Wright brought in an excellent piece of machinery for manufacturing flax; it now belongs to brother Pyper. I would like to see some man manifest interest enough to take that machinery and put it to work. Thousands of pounds of flax could be worked up by it this coming fall and next winter. Who will do this? I know not.

This people are dilatory in some things. What are many of them thinking about? The kingdom of God, sometimes. They want to pray and have faith just sufficient to keep in the path of the angel that is going round to gather up the righteous, and the rest of the time their minds are upon a gold mine, or upon going to the States to buy goods, and they see themselves behind a counter, “Ah,” think they, “Won’t I look a gentlemanly looking man when I am dealing out the calico?” I never could, the poorest day I ever saw in my life, descend so low as to stand behind a counter. Taking that class of men as a whole, I think they are of extremely small caliber.

Women and children can deal out pins, and needles, and ribbons; this is too trifling a business for men. Their business is to organize the elements and draw from them the raw material in abundance, and then manufacture it into those things which are calculated to make comfortable, beautiful, lovely, healthy, and happy God’s people. Our brethren calculate on the increase of their stock, and are keen to gather around them the riches of this life, but they do not make judicious calculations how to dispose of those riches to the best advantage. They will fill the whole country with stock of every kind, but can see no way how it should be put to proper use. The merchant calculates that he will make fifty or a hundred thousand dollars in so many years, but if you ask him what he is going to do with it he is astonished at the question, for he never thought of that. All he thought of was piling up the riches. Did you ever think it was your privilege to place those riches out to usury in building up the kingdom of God? Do you not belong to the Church of God? Do you not pray? What do you pray for? One says, “I pray the Lord to keep and preserve me, to sanctify me and prepare me for his kingdom and glory; I just want to slip inside the gate, I am not very ambitious.” Do you think anything about preparing for it here? “Only in heart, or in spirit.”

My doctrine is to put every dollar to usury for building up the kingdom of God, whether it be much or little. I want the brethren to man out their teams, and send down three hundred this season, and four or five hundred when required. And then I want to see the brethren join together their teams and money and send for machinery, besides sending teams for the poor; and thus we will fill the Territory with the necessary articles of machinery for a self-sustaining people. It is necessary for us to sustain ourselves, or we will be left in poverty, nakedness, and distress, as a consequence of war and the breaking up of the general govern– ment. We now meet men who seemingly have very little clothing—they wear patch upon patch. I would not by this remark have it understood that clothing ought not to be neatly and somewhat extensively mended, but I have seen men wear pantaloons so patched that it would puzzle you to place your finger upon a piece of the original. They have wives and daughters, but they do not spin. In Exodus we read, “And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands.” If, instead of our wives and daughters passing their hours in idleness, folding their hands, and rocking themselves in their easy chairs, they would spin a little wool, and a little cotton from our Dixie, or that grown in their own gardens and fields, and make some good warm clothing for the men and boys, and some linsey frocks for the women and girls, they could with propriety be called wise women in Israel. If you happen to be in a party where I am and wearing dresses made with your own hands, I shall take pleasure in dancing with you in preference to the lady dressed in silks and satins. We can do this, but we need to be taught day after day, month after month, and year after year.

Human beings are expected by their Creator to be actively employed in doing good every day of their lives, either in improving their own mental and physical condition or that of their neighbors. But there are thousands whose days, months, and years are nothing more than a blank; there is not a single trace upon their life’s pages that might be construed as useful to the cause of humanity. This people have embraced the philosophy of eternal lives, and in view of this we should cease to be children and become philosophers, understanding our own existence, its purpose and ultimate design, then our days will not become a blank through ignorance, but every day will bring with it its useful and profitable employment. God has placed us here, given us the ability we possess, and supplied the means upon which we can operate to produce social, national, and eternal happiness.

Seeing we are so wonderfully endowed with priceless gifts by our Heavenly Father, will he not require usury at our hands? He will. But he has made us agents to ourselves, which makes us responsible for the way in which we use the talents he has given us, for the manner we expend the gold and silver, the wheat and fine flour, the cattle upon a thousand hills, and the wine and oil, for they all belong to Him; and we too belong to Him, but he has created man after His own image, and endowed him with a germ of independence that will crown him a God through his faithfulness. He required us to devote these godlike powers to our own advantage, life, wealth, beauty, comfort, and exaltation by giving to His cause—the cause of righteousness—universal triumph over sin. Then do not hoard up your gold; if you do, it will canker, but put out every dollar to usury. Instead of your souls being bound up in your cattle and other property, put it all where it should be placed for the benefit of the kingdom of God on earth and for his glory.

I have merely touched this subject. I wish the Elders, and we have many talented Elders, to verbally follow out this subject in the afternoon, and then physically follow it out by rightly using your cattle and wagons, your silver and gold, and your time and talents, then God will bless us. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 26, 1862.

I do not know that I have ever spoken to the Saints upon any principle of the Gospel of salvation when I could do more than offer a few opening remarks, there is so much to learn. The oldest and most experienced persons in this Church are satisfied that they have by no means learned all that is to be learned concerning things that pertain to this world. To even thoroughly learn all the different branches of mechanism is more than one man can do in this mortal life. The object of this existence is to learn, which we can only do a little at a time. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? those that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”

How gladly would we understand every principle pertaining to science and art, and become thoroughly acquainted with every intricate operation of nature, and with all the chemical changes that are constantly going on around us! How delightful this would be, and what a boundless field of truth and power is open for us to explore! We are only just approaching the shores of the vast ocean of information that pertains to this physical world, to say nothing of that which pertains to the heavens, to angels and celestial beings, to the place of their habitation, to the manner of their life, and their progress to still higher degrees of perfection.

We hear many glorious truths in the discourses delivered by our Elders here and in other places, but we return to our homes and tomorrow we are about as we were yesterday. It is our privilege to improve each day of our lives, but can we improve fast enough to even gain all the knowledge that pertains to this world in the life we now possess? No; but we can gain knowledge faster than we now do, by exercising still greater diligence.

When we meet in a worshipping capacity, we are apt to feel anxious to hear something new concerning the Deity or the place of his habitation. How delightful it is to hear a man expound the prophecies—to hear the revelations of God and things which pertain to the celestial kingdom of God delineated! How joyful, how pleasing, how glorious this is to both male and female, old and young, who seem to know all about these matters, but who at home do not know enough to make a hoe handle so that you could tell whether it was designed for an oxbow, plow handle, or hoe handle. And the sister that rejoices so much in the glories of the upper world, when she is at home, very likely, does not know enough to pursue her daily avocations as she ought. Can she teach her little girls so much as to knit a stocking tie? No; but when there is plenty of wool and yarn in the house, she calls upon her husband to buy garters, suspenders, &c., from the store, while her children are running in the streets with their heels and toes naked; she cannot even mend a stocking decently. Can she cut her little boy a pair of pantaloons? No; a tailor must do it. Can she make him a cap out of some old cloth that has been worn in a coat, but is good enough for that purpose, and thereby save a few dollars? No; she must plague her husband to spend means at the store, when perhaps he cannot well spare it. Can she make little shoes for her infant? No, pa, buys all the shoes. She seems of no manner of earthly use as an helpmeet to her husband; yet it is her greatest delight to know how the Gods live and how the heavens and all things are sustained, but at the same time is not willing to move a finger to sustain herself.

When Adam found himself in a state of nudity, he hid himself; and when he heard the footsteps of the Lord in the garden, he quaked and trembled with fear. The Lord could do nothing more for him than take some fig leaves and probably some grass to stitch them together for an apron to cover Adam’s nakedness. The Lord could not in a few minutes teach Adam how to make broadcloth and a pair of pantaloons, &c.; for he had forgotten all he formerly knew, and had to gain knowledge by degrees. Can we learn in a day how to make broadcloth or satin and clothing or dresses? No; for it is as much as some persons can do to learn in one day how to knit so much as a stocking tie or a pair of suspenders.

The people are striving with all their might to learn the things of God; but if I could only get them to understand the work and the worth of their present life, I should feel well satisfied. We talk and think a great deal about the life that is to come, and the life labor of the Christian part of the world is to prepare for that. The time we now occupy is in eternity; it is a portion of eternity. Our present life is just as much a life in eternity as the life of any being can possibly be. Could we all live so as to honor the life that we now possess, I should not have one anxious thought with regard to being fully prepared for the life which is to come. I wish to urge upon the people the necessity of knowing what to do with their present life, which pertains more particularly to temporalities. The very object of our existence here is to handle the temporal elements of this world and subdue the earth, multiplying those organisms of plants and animals God has designed shall dwell upon it. When we have learned to live according to the full value of the life we now possess, we are prepared for further advancement in the scale of eternal progression—for a more glorious and exalted sphere.

One of the speakers this morning exhorted us to take care of that which we produce. All the energies of a farmer appear to be drawn out to raise wheat; but when it is matured, he seems to retire in satisfaction that he has accomplished what he sought; his energies flag and the crop is not cared for, but is left to return again to the earth; or, if he gathers it, he either has not the ability to properly save and husband it, or he cares not to exert himself to do so. It is the same in his stock raising; he values his calves and lambs—labors hard to raise them; but when they have attained to that stage of existence to do good to himself or the community, he suffers them to die by starvation in the winter, or to be destroyed by the Indians or by somebody else who gets his living by stealing cattle on the ranges. The wheat wasted this year, for want of proper care, would feed this whole community for a considerable length of time. Farmers do not seem to think that every kernel of grain should be gathered and saved as far as possible. The atmosphere that presses upon the face of our fields imparts nourishment to the soil, and the rains from the heavens and the waters that come dancing from the mountains and are led over our fields are laden with plant food, so that we can gather from this benchland—from this gravelly soil—thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, which does not answer the end in the economy of nature for which it is created, if it is suffered again to return to the ground unappropriated in the way designed by the Almighty. If it is distributed in another shape than that designed, the wheat element may be entirely removed to another portion of the earth; and after a few years you may not be able to raise wheat in this country. If a single constituent part of any plant be exhausted from the soil, the plant cannot be produced until the wanting element is restored.

Our Father in heaven wishes us to preserve that which he gives to us. If we are prodigal and wasteful of his blessings, it will be said—“Take from them that which they seem to have and give it to another people.” We wish to gain all that is to be gained; we wish to enrich ourselves; but, as a people, in a great many instances, we take a course to make ourselves poor. If we could only learn enough to be self-preserving and self-sustaining, we should then have learned what the Gods have learned before us, and what we must eventually learn before we can be exalted. Trace the history of the favored people of God in any age of the world and on any portion of the earth, and you will find that the Lord has poured out great abundance upon them, he has blessed them as individuals, as communities, and as nations. We have also been greatly blessed, but we have treated lightly our blessings in neglecting to properly and frugally use them.

That individual, neighborhood, people, or nation that will not acknowledge the hand of God in all things, but will squander their blessings, and thus pour contempt upon his kind favors, will become desolate and be wasted away. So long as any people live up to the best light they have, the Almighty will multiply blessings upon them by blessing the earth and causing it to bring forth in its strength to fill their storehouses with plenty; but if they become fat, and are lofty, and kick against the Lord, and trample his blessings under their feet in reckless wastefulness, he will cause them to inherit barrenness, and he will give them “cleanness of teeth in all their cities, and want of bread in all their places.” The Lord needs only to say to his angel, “Pass over the land and take away the elements of wheat,” and that crop ceases to be produced. This very thing has transpired in the lands from whence we have been driven, and their fruit is blasted; in fact, nothing grows there in the same abundance and perfection that it once did. Desolation is in the path of the wicked. It would have been so with us, if we had remained in our former homes, and had not lived to honor the life God has given us. In consequence of the hatred, malice, and disposition in the hearts of the wicked to persecute his people, God has so cursed the land and blasted the elements that they are not fruitful.

I do not think that I ever beheld anything in my life more painful to my heart and more distressing to my feelings than I saw manifested in the spirit and actions of this community in the years 1849, 50, 51, and 52, in the way they trampled upon the blessings of God so bountifully bestowed upon them. Wheat was suffered to go to waste in a shameful manner. It was fed to horses, thrown to hogs, and trampled in the mud. I told them they would want bread, and they did. If it had not been for the kind hand of God in his merciful providences to us, we should have suffered much more than we did; our sufferings would have been extreme. The Lord has poured out his blessings on the atmosphere, on the water, and on the soil of this country. No other people but the people of the Saints could have sustained themselves here. If we abuse these choice blessings, the Lord will blast the fertilizing elements with his withering touch, and leave us desolate. Let us be thankful for what we have in possession, and use it exclusively for building up the kingdom of God, the establishment of Zion, and the triumph of righteousness and truth. Let every penny, every dollar, every sum of money, large or small, be devoted to this all-absorbing interest, as also every moment of time. These are matters with which we are all acquainted; they are not mysteries that are far beyond our comprehension.

Twenty-five, twenty-eight, and thirty years ago, our influence and national character were but small indeed. The image which now presents itself is still small, we admit; nevertheless it presents a bold front to the nations, and has become worthy of their notice. We are trying to be the image of those who live in heaven; we are trying to pattern after them, to look like them, to walk and talk like them, to deal like them, and build up the kingdom of heaven as they have done. I think that after a while we shall attain to the very image and likeness of the children of God who have lived before us. This image will increase, and grow, and spread abroad, and still expand in its proportions, stretching to the right hand and to the left, struggling for room on all sides, in proportion as we are faithful and learn to appreciate the blessings we have already received.

Do we appreciate the blessings of this our mountain home, far removed from the war, blood, carnage, and death that are laying low in the dust thousands of our fellow creatures in the very streets where we have walked and in the cities and towns where we have lived? If we constantly live under a proper sense of the greatness of our blessings, the stone in the mountains will soon begin to attain colossal proportions and roll with crushing weight upon the toes of the “great image.”

We have often heard it said by our Elders that all the heaven we shall ever have is the one we make for ourselves. How vast the meaning of this simple sentence! This one saying is a text worthy for all the holy beings in heaven and on earth to preach upon; it embraces a subject vast as eternity. We are exhorted to make our own heaven, our own paradise, our own Zion. How is this to be done? By hearkening diligently to the voice of the Spirit of the Lord that entices to righteousness, applauds truth, and exults continually in goodness. This Spirit is the companion of every faithful person! Listen to its whisperings, and pursue with alacrity the path it points out. In this way we may all grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, and by so doing we shall honor the life we now possess, while by pursuing an opposite course we disgrace it. This life is worth as much to us as any life in the eternities of the Gods. In that helpless infant upon its mother’s breast we see a man, an Apostle, a Saint—yea generations of men with kingdoms, thrones, and dominions. Then the life of that little frail mortal is fraught with great and mighty results, and its value is inestimable.

If this be true of an infant, what may we expect to grow out of this infant kingdom? We may look forward to all that belongs to greatness and goodness, to might and power, to dominion and glory. Then how jealously we ought to guard the rights of this infant power! How zealous and constant we should be in maintaining its interests and supporting its laws and sacred institutions! No less vigilant should we be in preserving the lives of our children, for they are of the kingdom of heaven. No pains should be spared, no care omitted, in guarding the tender infant through the perilous hours of childhood to maturer years. Through the inattention and ignorance of parents, death makes many victims among our children, and they are deprived of magnifying their mortal life according to the designs of the All-wise Creator. Numbers of our children are carried off by death, through want of sufficient promptitude in battling the destroyer when its insidious approaches are first discovered. We have power in a great measure to prevent disease; and when it fastens upon the vitals of our little ones, we have power, faith, and means at hand, if promptly applied, to restore our children to life and health, to boyhood, then to manhood, and to honor and power in Israel. Yet we neglect our children, and let them run out in the cold and wet. They are sick at night; nothing is done for them; but they are sent to bed to lie all night with a burning fever, and so they are suffered to linger on day after day, while the Destroyer is busily at work consuming their lives. At length the parents become alarmed and send for a doctor, who is just as apt to destroy the life of the child as to restore it again to good health. We mourn over the little fragile remains as we lay them in the tomb, and comfort ourselves by saying, “Thy will be done, O Lord; thou givest and thou takest away at thy pleasure,” &c., when by our ignorance and carelessness we have destroyed the life God gave to us for a kingdom of glory and power, which can only be obtained through our posterity. From this one child, this Isaac, could his life have been preserved, nations would have sprung into existence, until the multitudes of people through him would have become as the sands upon the seashore for number. But he is gone, and his spirit has returned back to God, and that is the end of his life upon the earth; your posterity is cut off, and from whence will you receive your kingdom and glory?

It is to our advantage to take good care of the blessings God bestows upon us; if we pursue the opposite course, we cut off the power and glory God designs we should inherit. It is through our own carefulness, frugality, and judgment which God has given us, that we are enabled to preserve our grain, our flocks and herds, wives and children, houses and lands, and increase them around us, continually gaining power and influence for ourselves as individuals and for the kingdom of God as a whole. People lose their property. Why? Because they do not take care of it. Once in a while we hear of property being destroyed by fire, though this does not often occur among this people. What did you do with the fire when you retired to rest? All such occurrences happen through carelessness, want of judgment, or ignorance. For instance, on a very dry, windy day, with a foul chimney, a wife wishes to prepare a chicken for supper, and she must burn off the pin feathers; she gathers up an armful of shavings, sets fire to them, and the flame that is singeing off the pin feathers is also firing the chimney; from that it spreads to the roof, and from the roof to the stackyard. A thousand dollars’ worth of property is destroyed by carelessly singeing the pin feathers off a chicken. Our wives are not apt to think of this, any more than they do when they suffer their little children to get cold, and the croup, and then death.

This people, in their notions concerning life, are similar to the whole world. We have brought our traditions from the world, but we wish to learn better, and get rid of every false notion and practice. As I told you the other day, it is impossible to believe a truth that is not embraced in “Mormonism,” whether it is found in the mental education or physical pursuits of mortals, in the spiritual refinement of the Gods, or in culling immortal fruits from trees that grow in the Elysian fields of Paradise. “The life that now is” more immediately demands our attention, and I am fearful that many spend their lives for naught. There are persons in this community who, if they could have their own will gratified and be possessed of plenty of means, would not do another day’s work in their lives, unless they were urged to it. Such persons are told that they should devote their lifetime they now have to usefulness; but they have sufficient, they say, and have no need to be useful in performing any kind of labor. This is a mistake. Though I possessed millions of money and property, that does not excuse me from performing the labor that it is my calling to perform, so far as I have strength and ability, any more than the poorest man in the com– munity is excused. The more we are blessed with means, the more we are blessed with responsibility; the more we are blessed with wisdom and ability, the more we are placed under the necessity of using that wisdom and ability in the spread of righteousness, the subjugation of sin and misery, and the amelioration of the condition of mankind. The man that has only one talent and the man that has five talents have responsibility accordingly. If we have a world of means, we have a world of responsibility. If we have an eternity of knowledge, we shall have an eternity of business to transact and to occupy every particle of the knowledge bestowed upon us.

Then, instead of searching after what the Lord is going to do for us, let us inquire what we can do for ourselves, and the answer will be, We can make our own hats, bonnets, shoes, and clothing, and we can make our own heaven here below; and if there is anything that we cannot make now, we will wear what we have until we can make more. I have a word of praise for our sisters. I have seen the handsomest homemade plaid in this city that I ever saw in any country. I would like to see them wear it when they go to parties, instead of donning silks and satins. Their homemade plaid will look better to me than all the silk and satin they can put on. But when sister Susan gets a fine dress, then Betsy will not go to the party unless she has as good a frock as Susan’s; and Sarah must have as good a one as either of the others, or a little better. Perhaps she wants a little more gimp, a little extra braid, some insertion, or something to make a better dress than has either of her sisters; and so we waste for a thing of naught the blessings we should otherwise improve.

Be careful of the clothing you have. Do not let your children’s clothing lie underfoot when you undress them at night, but teach your boys and girls, when they come into the house, to find a place for their hats, cloaks, and bonnets, that, when they want them, they can put their hands upon them in a moment. When they take off their boots and shoes, let them be deposited where they can be found in the dark, that, if the children are obliged to get up at night, perhaps in case of fire, they can find their clothing, and not be under the necessity of being turned out naked. If a person can put his hand on his clothing, he can dress in the dark. I couple the necessity with the convenience. I hope we shall never be under the necessity of fleeing from under a burning roof, either in the night or day. Let there be “a place for everything, and everything in its place.”

I believe in indulging children, in a reasonable way. If the little girls want dolls, shall they have them? Yes. But must they be taken to the dressmaker’s to be dressed? No. Let the girls learn to cut and sew the clothing for their dolls, and in a few years they will know how to make a dress for themselves and others. Let the little boys have tools, and let them make their sleds, little wagons, &c.; and when they grow up, they are acquainted with the use of tools and can build a carriage, a house, or anything else. When we see the boys or girls inclined in this direction, let us encourage them and use every means in our power to direct their minds in the right direction to the most useful result.

Novel reading—is it profitable? I would rather that persons read novels than read nothing. There are women in our community, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty years of age, who would rather read a trifling, lying novel than read history, the Book of Mormon, or any other useful print. Such women are not worth their room. It would do no good for me to say, Don’t read them; read on, and get the spirit of lying in which they are written, and then lie on until you find yourselves in hell. If it would do any good, I would advise you to read books that are worth reading; read reliable history, and search wisdom out of the best books you can procure. How I would be delighted if our young men would do this, instead of continually studying nonsense. And in addition to this, let the boys from ten to twenty years of age get up schools to learn sword exercise, musket and rifle exercise, and, in short, every art of war. Shall we need this knowledge? No matter; it is good to be acquainted with this kind of exercise. Let a few schools be started by those who are capable of teaching the sciences. The science of architecture, for instance, is worthy the attention of every student. It yields a great amount of real pleasure to be able to understand the grand architectural designs of those magnificent structures that are scattered over Europe and other countries.

Learn all you can. Learn how to raise calves, chickens, lambs, and all kinds of useful fowls and animals; learn how to till the ground to the best advantage for raising all useful products of the soil; and learn how to manufacture molasses and sugar from the sugar cane. Raise flax, husbands, and let your wives learn to manufacture fine linen. In the war of 1812, cotton raised in price from five to eleven cents per pound; it is now from thirty-five to sixty-three cents a pound in New York City. What are we going to do for our factory cloth? We have got to make it. I am selling cotton cloth to those who work for me for the same price they are now selling it in St. Louis and New York. What will be the price by-and-by, as circumstances are now shaping themselves in the nation?

If what I have now said about temporal things is faithfully carried out, it will lead to our independence as a people, and to our comfort and happiness as individuals.

May God bless you! Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 19, 1862.

I was sorry for an expression made by one of our officials in relation to the late killing of three thieves. He considered that they were dealt with by mob violence. Our officers of the law are provided with means to defend themselves against those who would slay them. The three persons that were lately killed were notorious thieves, and resisted the officers in the discharge of their duty. I thank God that our officers will not suffer themselves to be shot down by notorious scoundrels. [The congregation said “Amen.“] If there are any who sympathize with thieves, I want to know who they are, and let them be cut off from the Church. There has been enough said to such characters, and they must quit such practices. I say, If they will not reform, I wish they would resist the officers, and then there is an end of them and of their depredations upon the honest citizens of Utah.

The best people in the world are in this Territory, and yet there is not another community, according to our numbers, so infested by thieves as we are. Their depredations are perpetrated with such impunity and barefaced effrontery that it is almost impossible for me to keep a decent handkerchief. Some women, when they come into my house to work, if they can steal a few handkerchiefs or pillowcases, or this or that, and make up a small bundle, they sack it and go. If you should leave an axe, a wagonwheel, a spade, or anything of that kind in the canyon, when you go for it, it has been stolen.

I have no fellowship for a man that will bail out a thief, for he will go to stealing as soon as he is out. Talk about a thief’s keeping company with a girl! If there is a woman in this Territory that would keep company with such an infernal scoundrel, I hope she will speedily make her exit to some other country.

Let the people in this Territory be righteous, and we are safe from all the powers of Satan and from all the evil powers of this earth. But for thieves, cutthroats, liars, adulterers, and every foul and wicked person that can be brought out to mingle with this community, I am sick and tired of it. It is time to cleanse the inside of the platter; and if a United States’ official says it is mob law, let him say so until he is tired. We will teach men not to resist the officers in this Territory while they are in the discharge of their duty; and let me here say to the Presiding Bishop, If he knows of any Bishop who sympathizes with those thieves who have infested our community, report him, and we will remove him. And I say to the Bishops, If you find any in your Wards who sympathize with a person who has been guilty of highway robbery, and has fallen by the hand of justice, try them for their fellowship.

I mourn not that a thief is killed, but that any human being would so far debase himself as to become a mean, low, degraded thief. No matter if it is your husband, your father, your brother, your child—if he should fall by the hand of justice for stealing and resisting the officers of the law to persist in wickedness, have no sympathy for the evildoer. If any of my family should be guilty of stealing, I shall request them to leave my house, never to enter it again. I would not cover over their iniquity, but I would expose it and deal with the sympathizer, should they by the strong arm of justice be leveled to the dust. I would disown them. If a child or relative of mine forsakes the Gospel, the holy Priesthood, his God, and the kingdom of God, farewell to that child or relative, whether near or distant. I own none as relatives, only those who love and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All that belong to my Father’s house I own. I love them, I delight in their society, no matter whether they are poor or rich, learned or unlearned, if they observe the laws of the kingdom of God and live according to it.

As brother Cox observed this morning, let us be sure to build up the kingdom of God, for in doing this we build up ourselves. In the early history of this Church, Joseph Smith was accused of being a speculator. So far as I am concerned, I never denied being a speculator; for, in one sense of the word, it is one of the greatest speculations ever entered into by man. In building up the kingdom of God, I am decidedly for self, and so are you. If you wish to obtain wealth, power, glory, excellency, and exaltation of every kind, be for God and truth, and he will give to you more than your hearts can conceive of. We are not going to be satisfied with a few paltry picayunes. We are not going to be satisfied with a mere preemption right on the soil in this Territory. Should the Government grant to every head of a family six hundred and forty acres of land, and to each wife and child their portion, as was done in Oregon Territory, that would give to me and to my sons and daughters quite a scope of country, and the whole people would swallow up all the land in this Territory. But shall we be satisfied with that? I am going to have a larger preemption than the Territory of Utah. In a few years this Territory will not contain my own posterity. In twenty years from now this spacious hall will not hold them, and in twenty years more they will more than fill this Territory. I cannot put up with this small possession.

I have always said to the thieves, Wait until I tell you to steal. The first thing I mean to take is the State of Missouri, and then I shall not be satisfied. Next, I shall want the State of Illinois. All this Territory, Missouri, and Illinois are not going to be sufficient territory for Heber and me, to say nothing of brothers Wells, Taylor, Woodruff, and all the faithful brethren. “For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. And the children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” In fine, I am not going to be satisfied until the Saints possess the whole earth to the glory of God. There is no way to glorify our God and Father but to glorify ourselves; and there is no way to happify and glorify ourselves, only by keeping his commandments. Let us be one with the Father, with the Son, and with one another, being of one heart and of one mind.

Do not steal a horse, for it costs more to hide it than it is worth. Do not steal Governor Dawson’s blankets and beaver robe. I understand that the officers have found the stolen blankets and robe. Those thieves also stole some eight hundred dollars in money from a hardworking man. I hope the officers will also find that. The officers have been diligent in arresting the marauders and in recovering the stolen property; but I wish it distinctly understood that this has been done solely to magnify the law in the preservation of rights.

One of our friends tells us that he is afraid we shall have trouble. I told him that we were not afraid of it in the least, so long as we serve God and keep his commandments. The Lord has already once overruled the great power and supreme excellency of the military skill of those who were enemies, and caused them to waste their strength in walking up and down Ham’s Fork, and to eat mule meat to sustain their lives, and placed them in a constant state of fear and dread. They saw a few men in the mountains cutting fence poles, or firewood, and they dared not send out a company to guard in the money that was sent to pay them. “Come in,” cried the officer, “for God’s sake; for the Mormons are around.”

It is said that one of the members of Congress, confident of the great military ability of the officers and the bravery of the army they commanded at Bull’s Run, rode out in his buggy, expecting to shout with the rest in the exultations of victory. According to report, this member of Congress was a brave man, tied his horse at a respectable distance, and repaired to an eminence to see the fight. When the “Booby Run” commenced, he made for his buggy, but, to his consternation, found it appropriated. Now this member of Congress was not only brave, but fleet on foot; for it is said that he arrived in the city of Washington an hour and thirty minutes before his horse and buggy. He won laurels at what I call the “Booby Run.”

I cannot be intimidated by saying that there is trouble ahead for us from the Government of the United States, so long as righteousness shall prevail among the people of God, even if they should be so unwise as to again attempt to oppress us.

Let every man in this Territory be a vigilant officer, and, when a thief is found in the act of stealing, take him, dead or alive. There is one trait in our officers that I delight in, and that is, they will not stand to be shot down by a set of scoundrels. Let every man be vigilant to frown down iniquity wherever it shows itself, and suffer it not to gain a foothold in our country.

We are about to constitutionally organize a State Government, and to again petition for admission into the family of States, to secure to ourselves the inalienable rights of American citizens. This we do to please ourselves and our God. If we can please our Heavenly Father, our Elder Brother Jesus Christ, and the holy angels, and the Saints that have lived and died, and please ourselves in righteousness, we then ask no odds of all hell and their abettors. And if armies are again sent here, thy will find the road up Jordan a hard road to travel. As for us, we will honor and preserve inviolate the Constitution of our country, as we ever have.

I was lately looking over the Constitution we framed for a State Government six years ago. It is very near as we want it now. We wish a Constitution that is Republican. In it treason is stated to be one of the highest crimes in any government, and to consist in levying war on this State. Who has done this? James Buchanan has, and so have those who associated with him, in sending an army here; and the very great majority of the priests and people said Amen. They are as much treasoners as ever lived on this earth, and the day will come when justice will be meted out to them. They made war on the loyal citizens of this Territory; and if they again make war upon us, I know not what the Lord may do. We will try to do what the Lord wants us to do.

I am for scourging out the ungodly and all who work iniquity among this people. If our laws are not stringent enough to do this, we will put a little bayberry into the composition, or a little oak-root bark, to make it a little more stringent. Those who are against the kingdom of God must suffer. Those who give way to unhallowed practices would destroy the kingdom of God from the earth, and I disown all such, whether they are of my family or not; and I will declare, by-and-by, that I never knew them, as Jesus will also say. They do not belong to me; they are not of my blood and kin. “But, father, do you not remember that we were born at such a time and in such a place?” No matter; you belong to another kingdom; you cannot come here: we do not wish your society.

I can tell all the world that we mean to sustain the Constitution of the United States and all righteous laws. We are not by any means treasoners, secessionists, or abolitionists. We are neither negro-drivers nor negro-worshippers. We belong to the family of heaven, and we intend to walk over every unrighteous and unholy principle, and view everybody and everything as it is before God, and put everything in its place.

A good housewife, whether she possesses much or little, will have a place for everything she has in the house, and make her house orderly and comfortable, and everything when wanted can be found in its place. So we will adjust ourselves according to the lawful doings of the nation, and will not secede from our Government; neither will we be traitors to Jesus Christ, through ungodly rulers, but will take the privilege to chasten them and guide them into the path of right, if they will be led therein. This we will do fearlessly and perfectly regardless of consequences; for, if God is for us, it matters little who are against us.

It seems that the people ought to see that the Lord dictates, guides, and directs; that if a people are blessed, they are blessed of the Lord; and that if we exalt him and his kingdom, love him, serve him, and build up Zion upon the earth, we are sure to be exalted and possess the thing we desire, if our affections are centered in God and truth. “Therefore let no man glory in man. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”

God bless the humble and the righteous, and may he have compassion upon us because of the weakness that is in our nature. And considering the great weakness and ignorance of mortals, let us have mercy upon each other. How it would rejoice my heart to see the most froward, young and old, in this community, forsake their evil doings and seek to do right! But if they will not do this, I cannot fellowship them. My constant prayer is for the Lord to increase the righteous and righteousness in the land, and waste away the ungodly, that the power of the government may pass into the hands of the just. May God soon grant this sight to our eyes. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 12, 1862.

In the early history of this Church, our public speakers, through their traditions, did not like to have their errors in doctrine corrected. It hurt their feelings to be instructed and enlightened for the furtherance of knowledge and wisdom. I am happy to say that now the Elders, almost universally, are willing to be instructed in the truth. It is their delight to receive intelligence and knowledge that pertain to the heavens and the earth—the plan of salvation.

Many of the Elders say that they are timid and embarrassed when they attempt to speak before the congregated people, and are unable to express the rich ideas and glorious principles suggested to their minds. I frequently feel anxious to help them, and tell for them what they would communicate. When they are at work in their shops or in their fields, or when going up the canyons for wood (if their cattle behave well), in their reflections, they preach many excellent sermons; but when they try to make their secret thoughts audible before a congregation, their thoughts desert them and they are left a blank.

Brother Jackman’s mind led him to praise and thank the Lord Almighty for one principle he revealed through Joseph the Prophet, different from that generally believed and taught among religionists. They, you understand, condemn all who differ from their views to hell, there to remain in a state of the most acute consciousness of the most extreme suffering throughout endless eternities, without one single ray of hope that will ever be delivered. Brother Jackman wished to speak on this point, but his heart failed him. The Lord says, through Joseph Smith, “Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory. Wherefore, I will explain unto you this mystery, for it is meet unto you to know even as mine apostles. I speak unto you that are chosen in this thing, even as one, that you may enter into my rest. For, behold, the mystery of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name. Wherefore—

Eternal punishment is God’s punishment. Endless punishment is God’s punishment.”

The punishment of God is Godlike. It endures forever, because there never will be a time when people ought not to be damned, and there must always be a hell to send them to. How long the damned remain in hell, I know not, nor what degree of suffering they endure. If we could by any means compute how much wickedness they are guilty of, it might be possible to ascertain the amount of suffering they will receive. They will receive according as their deeds have been while in the body. God’s punishment is eternal, but that does not prove that a wicked person will remain eternally in a state of punishment.

All the doctrines of life and salvation are as plain to the understanding as the geographical lines of a correctly executed map. This doctrine, revealed in these latter times, is worthy the attention of all men. It gives the positive situation in which they will stand before the Heavens when they have finished their earthly career. Generation after generation is constantly coming and passing away. They all possess more or less intelligence, which forms the foundation within them for the reception of an eternal increase of intelligence. The endowments that human beings have received from their Great Creator are to them inestimable blessings. How wonderful and how excellent they are! What priceless blessings and exquisite enjoyments they secure to man, if by truth and righteousness they are made honorable in the sight of God. By the means of his wonderful and Godlike endowments, man can drink at the fountain of eternal wisdom and bask in everlasting felicity.

But hundreds of millions of human beings have been born, lived out their short earthly span, and passed away, ignorant alike of themselves and of the plan of salvation provided for them. It gives great consolation, however, to know that this glorious plan devised by Heaven follows them into the next existence, offering for their acceptance eternal life and exaltation to thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers in the presence of their Father and God, through Jesus Christ his Son. How glorious—how ample is the Gospel plan in its saving properties and merciful designs. This one revelation, containing this principle, is worth worlds on worlds to mankind. It is worth forsaking fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, wives and children, houses and lands, for the knowledge it reveals; and this is but one item in the great plan of human redemption.

I will notice another idea. We frequently say “Mormonism,” as it is called, must be true because there are so many evidences in its favor. We say we do positively know it is true (using the words of brother Jackman), “in fair weather; but when it is foul weather and the storms beat upon our frail bark, some may conclude it is not true.” I wish you all to understand “Mormonism” as it is. We embraced it in different parts of the world, because we considered it the best religion we could find. Can we tell how much better “Mormonism” is than other religions and isms of the present day? More or less truth may be found in them all, both in civilized and barbarous nations. How has it transpired that theological truth is thus so widely disseminated? It is because God was once known on the earth among his children of mankind, as we know one another. Adam was as conversant with his Father who placed him upon this earth as we are conversant with our earthly parents. The Father frequently came to visit his son Adam, and talked and walked with him; and the children of Adam were more or less acquainted with their Grandfather, and their children were more or less acquainted with their Great-Grandfather; and the things that pertain to God and to heaven were as familiar among mankind, in the first ages of their existence on the earth, as these mountains are to our mountain boys, as our gardens are to our wives and children, or as the road to the Western Ocean is to the experienced traveler. From this source mankind have received their religious traditions.

I will tell you in a few words what I understand “Mormonism” to be. Our religion is called “Mormonism” because the ancient records revealed to Joseph Smith were entitled the Book of Mormon, according to the instructions given to him by the Lord; but I will call it the plan of salvation devised in the heavens for the redemption of mankind from sin, and their restoration to the presence of God. It is contained in the New Testament, Book of Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and in all the revelations that God has hitherto given and will give in the future.

It embraces every fact there is in the heavens and in the heaven of heavens—every fact there is upon the surface of the earth, in the bowels of the earth, and in the starry heavens; in fine, it embraces all truth there is in all the eternities of the Gods. How, then, can we deny it? We cannot. Were we arraigned face to face with the terrors of death, and called upon to deny our religion or die, we might speak a lie and say “Mormonism” is untrue, and might continue the same testimony all the time we were in hell; but that would make no difference with the truth. The devils and damned spirits in hell cannot deny the truth of “Mormonism” and speak the truth. I wish all those who profess to believe it did as much as the devils in hell do.

“Mormonism” embraces all truth that is revealed and that is unrevealed, whether religious, political, scientific, or philosophical.

No matter how many deny their God and their religion, God is the same, his holy religion is the same, and all the truth is the same. There is no plan, no device, no possible way in which we can get rid of “Mormonism,” only by taking the downward road which leads to hell, until spiritually and temporally the whole organized being is dissolved and the particles thereof have returned again to native elements. We read in the Scriptures of the second death not having power over certain ones. The first death is the separation of the spirit from the body; the second death is, as I have stated, the dissolution of the organized particles which compose the spirit, and their return to their native element. The wicked spirit will have to endure the wrath of the Almighty, until it has paid the uttermost farthing, where the “worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Every debt that has been contracted by it must be canceled.

I will say a few words in regard to your belief in being led, guided, and directed by one man. Brother Jackman has said that our enemies hate the fact of our being led by one man. Thousands of times my soul has been lifted to God the Father, in the name of Jesus, to make that verily true in every sense of the word, that we may be led by the man Jesus Christ, through Joseph Smith the Prophet. You may inquire how we are to know that we are so led. I refer you to the exhortation you have heard so frequently from me. Do not be deceived, any of you; if you are deceived, it is because you deceive yourselves. You may know whether you are led right or wrong, as well as you know the way home; for every principle God has revealed carries its own convictions of its truth to the human mind, and there is no calling of God to man on earth but what brings with it the evidences of its authenticity. Let us take a course that leads to the perpetuity of the natural life which God has given us, and honor it. Should we pursue this course faithfully, and never bestow one thought for the life that is to come, we are just as sure of that immortal life as we are of the life we now possess. This, in fact, is the only way in which we can be prepared to inherit that more glorious life.

What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.

Brother Joseph W. Young remarked this morning that he wished the people to receive the word of the Lord through his servants, be dictated by them, and have no will of their own. I would express it in this wise: God has placed within us a will, and we should be satisfied to have it controlled by the will of the Almighty. Let the human will be indomitable for right. It has been the custom of parents to break the will until it is weakened, and the noble, Godlike powers of the child are reduced to a comparative state of imbecility and cowardice. Let that heaven-born property of human agents be properly tempered and wisely directed, instead of pursuing the opposite course, and it will conquer in the cause of right. Break not the spirit of any person, but guide it to feel that it is its greatest delight and highest ambition to be controlled by the revelations of Jesus Christ; then the will of man becomes Godlike in overcoming the evil that is sown in the flesh, until God shall reign within us to will and do of his good pleasure.

Let all persons be fervent in prayer, until they know the things of God for themselves and become certain that they are walking in the path that leads to everlasting life; then will envy, the child of ignorance, vanish, and there will be no disposition in any man to place himself above another; for such a feeling meets no countenance in the order of heaven. Jesus Christ never wanted to be different from his father: they were and are one. If a people are led by the revelations of Jesus Christ, and they are cognizant of the fact through their faithfulness, there is no fear but they will be one in Christ Jesus, and see eye to eye.

We shall not be entirely free from sin for some time yet; but so long as it is in a state of perfect subjection, we are so far sanctified to keep up this warfare against the power of sin until we have obtained a perfect mastery over the evil that is within our organisms, and are able to control it constantly until death shall end the struggle: then shall we be prepared for a glorious resurrection. Amen.