As there is more time which remains to be improved this morning, I
will offer a few remarks to the congregation, feeling thankful for
this privilege, and for all others that I enjoy from day to day.
We have had the pleasure this morning of hearing the truth of the work
of the last days declared, with the testimony of one of the servants
of the Lord (Ira Ames), who has had an experience of twenty years in
this Church. There are many others who also have had a lengthy
experience, and some who have not had more than six months' trial, but
who have, in that short time, obtained an experience which has given
them sufficient information to satisfy them that there is a God in
this work, that a Supreme Power has attended the Gospel of salvation,
or what is called "Mormonism," from its rise to this day. I say to
all, both Saint and sinner, that there is not an individual who has
heard the sound of the Gospel of Salvation, the report of this work of
the last days, of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and of the
mission of Joseph Smith, but the Spirit of the Lord in a greater or
less degree accompanied that report with power, and with the testimony
of its truth, no matter as to the character of the individual, nor yet
whether he admits and embraces the truth. If he has heard it in its
simplicity and purity, the weight of testimony which it bears along
with it, carries conviction to his mind that it may be true, although,
through the influence of the world, of evil associations in life, or
the instigations of the enemy of all righteousness, those convictions
and impressions may be swept away, which, if exercised at the time, in
sincerity, with full purpose of heart to know the truth, would have
substantiated the matter to his entire satisfaction. A weight of
testimony always accompanies the promulgation of the Gospel of
Salvation.
Brother Ames has said that "'Mormonism' will progress." If it does
not, God will be dethroned, for when He undertakes to do anything, it
will be done, notwithstanding every opposing influence. When the
wicked have power to blow out the sun, that it shines no more; when
they have power to bring to a conclusion the operations of the
elements, suspend the whole system of nature, and make a footstool of
the throne of the Almighty, they may then think to check "Mormonism"
in its course, and thwart the unalterable purposes of heaven. Men may
persecute the people who believe its doctrines, report and publish
lies to bring tribulation upon their heads, earth and hell may unite
in one grand league against it, and exert their malicious powers to
the utmost, but it will stand as firm and immovable in the midst of it
all as the pillars of eternity. Men may persecute the Prophet, and
those who believe and uphold him, they may drive the Saints
and kill them, but this does not affect the truths of "Mormonism" one
iota, for they will stand when the elements melt with fervent heat,
the heavens are wrapt up like a scroll, and the solid earth is
dissolved. "Mormonism" stands upon the eternal basis of omnipotence.
Jehovah is the "Mormonism" of this people, their Priesthood and their
power; and all who adhere to it, will, in the appointed day, come up
into the presence of the King Eternal, and receive a crown of life.
While speaking the other day to the people, I observed that "the race
was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong," neither riches to
men of wisdom. I happened to cast my eyes upon Ira Ames, who was
sitting in the congregation, I knew he had been in the Church a
considerable length of time, I have been personally acquainted with
him for twenty years. My eye also caught many more of the first Saints
at the same time. These men know that "Mormonism" is true, they have
moved steadily forward, and have not sought to become noted
characters, as many have; but, unseen as it were, they have maintained
their footing steadily in the right path. I could place my hand upon
many in this congregation, who will win the race, though they are not
very swift, to outward appearance, and they make not great
pretensions; they are found continually attending to their own
business. They do not appear to be great warriors, or as if they were
likely to win the battle. But what is their true character? They have
faith today, they are filled with faith, their words are few, but they
are full of integrity. You will find them tomorrow as they were
yesterday, or are today. Visit them when you will, or under whatever
circumstances, and you find them unalterably the same; and finally
when you have spent your life with them, you will find that their
lives throughout have been well spent, full of faith, hope, charity,
and good works, as far as they have had the ability. These are the
ones who will win the race, conquer in the battle, and obtain the
peace and righteousness of eternity.
I would inquire if the congregation recollect the text for the season.
Let every man who preaches it act according to it himself. If those
who speak, do so by the Spirit of the Lord, they will speak according
to the text, for it is impossible ever to depart from it if they
remain in the truth. If they live to it, their whole lives will aim
directly to the one grand object, namely, to be encircled, wrapt up,
and surrounded with the knowledge of God; that will make them one
(according to the text), prepare them to do unto others as they would
that others should do unto them, to keep the whole law of the Father
and the Son, and all the laws of the Celestial Kingdom which have
been, or ever will be, revealed, and to meet the Savior at his
coming.
It yields solid satisfaction to hear men testify of the truth of the
Gospel. It is always peculiarly interesting to me to hear the Saints
tell their experience. It is to me one of the best of sermons to hear
men and women relate to each other how the Lord has wrought upon their
understanding, and brought them into the path of truth, life, and
salvation. I would rather hear men tell their own experience, and
testify that Joseph was a Prophet of the Lord, and that the Book of
Mormon, the Bible, and other revelations of God, are true; that they
know it by the gift and power of God; that they have conversed with
angels, have had the power of the Holy Ghost upon them, giving them
visions and revelations, than hear any other kind of preaching that
ever saluted my ears. If I could command the lan guage and
eloquence of the angels of God, I would tell you why, but the
eloquence of angels never can convince any person that God lives, and
makes truth the habitation of his throne, independent of that
eloquence being clothed with the power of the Holy Ghost; in the
absence of this, it would be a combination of useless sounds. What is
it that convinces man? It is the influence of the Almighty,
enlightening his mind, giving instruction to the understanding. When
that which inhabits this body, that which came from the regions of
glory, is enlightened by the influence, power, and Spirit of the
Father of light, it swallows up the organization which pertains to
this world. Those who are governed by this influence lose sight of all
things pertaining to mortality, they are wholly influenced by the
power of eternity, and lose sight of time. All the honor, wisdom,
strength, and whatsoever is considered desirable among men, yea, all
that pertains to this organization, which is in any way independent of
that which came from the Father of our spirits, is obliterated to
them, and they hear and understand by the same power and spirit that
clothe the Deity, and the holy beings in His presence. Anything
besides that influence, will fail to convince any person of the truth
of the Gospel of salvation. This is the reason why I love to hear men
testify to the various operations of the Holy Spirit upon them—it is
at once interesting and instructive. When a subject is treated upon
with all the calculation, method, tact, and cunning of men, with the
effusions of worldly eloquence, before a congregation endowed with the
power of the Holy Ghost, and filled with the light of eternity, they
can understand the subject, trace its bearings, place all its parts
where they belong, and dispose of it according to the unalterable laws
of truth. This makes all subjects inter esting and instructive to them.
But the case is quite different with those whose minds are not opened
and instructed by the power of God. Sermonizing, dividing, and
subdividing subjects, and building up a fine superstructure, a
fanciful and aerial building, calculated to fascinate the mind,
coupled with the choicest eloquence of the world, will produce no good
to them. The sentiments of my mind, and the manner of my life, are to
obtain knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost.
If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been
sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most
exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it
by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like the
smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without
eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, "I
know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true,
that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord," the Holy Ghost proceeding
from that individual illuminated my understanding, and light, glory,
and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with
them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true.
But the wisdom of the world, I say again, is like smoke, like the fog
of the night, that disappears before the rays of the luminary of day,
or like the hoarfrost in the warmth of the sun's rays. My own
judgment, natural endowments, and
education bowed to this simple, but
mighty testimony. There sits the man
who baptized me (brother Eleazer
Miller.) It filled my system with light,
and my soul with joy. The
world, with all its wisdom and power, and with all the glory and
gilded show of its kings or potentates, sinks into perfect
insignificance, compared with the simple, unadorned testimony of the servant of God. Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of the field,"
behold the splendid, yet simple beauty of their clothing; even
Solomon, the greatest, and wisest of earthly kings, who swayed his
scepter so as to be admired and feared by all nations—he, in all his
glory could not compare with one of these lilies, which you can sever
from its native stem, with the least effort, admire for a moment, and
then toss it from you. All that is considered valuable, precious,
glorious, or magnificent among men, cannot even compare with that
lily, which you tread
under your feet, for beauty and excellence.
The glory of man is fleeting as the twilight, and like the "baseless
fabric" of a dream, it vanishes away. It is fitly compared in the
Scriptures to the flower of the grass when it is cut down, which
withers and is gone forever, but when the Almighty sheds forth His
Spirit upon an individual, or upon a people, the vision of their mind
is opened, so as to discern between the things pertaining to this
organization, and those pertaining to organizations which are brought
forth in other spheres, all things are made new to them, for all
things in the heavens and on the earth are in the power of the
Almighty, and can only be revealed unto mortals, in their proper
light, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
While brother Ames was relating his experience previous to believing
and embracing the faith of the Gospel, and the few words of
conversation that passed between him and brother George Curtis, this
question occurred to my mind—"What causes men and women, whose minds
have been unaccustomed to reflect upon theological subjects, to speak
so intelligently as soon as the Spirit of the Lord touches their
understanding?" The experience of most of the congregation can answer
this question. You are the oracle of the Spirit, the repository of the
intelligence that comes from ano ther state of existence invisible to
the natural eye; of the influence that produces an effect without
revealing the cause, and is therefore called a miracle. You are
already acquainted with my views upon the doctrine of miracles. In
reality there can be no miracle, only to the ignorant. There are
spiritual agents, invisible to the natural eye, not only in us, but in
the elements, in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, who are
continually producing effects, the cause of which we cannot
comprehend.
Does the experience of this people teach them what that is, which
causes men and women to speak that which is wrong? Many of them, but
not all, understand it tolerably well. Paul could not explain it
though he was one of Gamaliel's household servants, and probably swept
his house, or cleaned his sandals. However, he had an opportunity of
learning much, but, with all his learning and talent, he could not
explain this matter any better than his uneducated brethren. When he
would seek the Lord with all his heart, he found something in the way,
which endeavored to overcome him, and block up his path, when he
pursued the course of righteousness; and the only way he could explain
it was by saying "when I would do good, evil is present with me." This
evil is with us, it is that influence which tempts to sin, and which
has been permitted to come into the world for the express purpose of
giving us an opportunity of proving ourselves before God, before Jesus
Christ our elder brother, before the holy angels, and before all good
men, that we are determined to overcome the evil, and cleave to the
good, for the Lord has given us the ability to do so. Consequently,
when the evil is present with me, I have a little fighting to do, I
must turn and combat it until it is eradicated from my affections, as
well as from my actions, that I may have power to do all the
good I wish to perform. Every person is capable of this, all can
bridle their tongues, and cease from every evil act from this time
henceforth and forever, and do good instead.
There is an old maxim, and in many cases an excellent one, it is,
"think twice before you speak, and three times before you act." If we
train ourselves to think what we are about to do, before we do it, and
have understanding to know, and power to perform the good, we can
thereby avoid the evil that is present with us. When the enemy makes
war with me, I am thrown on the defensive, and if I use my weapons
skillfully, and with firmness of purpose, my antagonist must yield to
me the victory, the Lord being my helper. The Scriptures say—"Rebuke
the devil, and he will flee from you." This is the duty of every
Saint. When evil is present with us, we must overcome it, or be
overcome by it. When the devil is in our hearts, tempting us to do
that which is wrong, we must resist him or be led captive by him.
When brother Ames, without giving himself time to pause or think, said
to the person who presented the Gospel to him—"I do not want to hear
one word about 'Mormonism,'" it was the evil in him that caused him so
to speak. Man is endowed with power and wisdom sufficient, if he will
exercise them, to hush to silence his tongue, and cause his hands to
cease their operations. His feet may be swift to shed blood, but he
has power to pause, and combat and conquer the enemy; for good is
present with him also, and he is influenced in a greater or less
degree, by the Spirit of the Lord. You experience these two opposites
of good and evil in yourselves every day you live, you are tried,
tempted, and overtaken in sin, by saying and doing that which is
wrong. Now from this time, henceforth, pause, and, whatever you do,
let it be done in a spirit of reflection, never again act in haste, but
let your action always be the result of mature consideration. "Do not
hurry me," is one of the prominent characteristics of my history. I
frequently exhort the brethren not to be in a hurry, for we shall not
stop here, we are only hunting for the grave, and there is no fear but
we shall find it.
We have embraced the Gospel, and are professedly Latter-day Saints,
but evil will introduce itself in the midst of my brethren, then I
have frequently to chastise them. There are two thousand persons in
this assembly, and if only half a dozen of them have done wrong, I
could not chastise them without appearing to chastise the whole
congregation, which in reality is not so. By chastising the guilty,
however, it is impossible to spot the conscience of good men and
women, whose hearts are clean and pure as a piece of white paper.
The Lord will help those who help themselves to do right. Should the
people be determined from this time henceforth, never to do anything
but good, and should go forth to build up the Kingdom of God, doing
everything in their power to promote the cause of truth, and never do
another wrong, it would be but a short time before this people would
be a holy people, sanctified unto the Lord. We are already the best
people on earth, but we can still improve, we are made for that
purpose, our capacities are organized to expand until we can receive
into our comprehension celestial knowledge and wisdom, and to continue
worlds without end.
There is another thought which strikes my mind at this moment, upon
which it will perhaps be well enough to throw out a few ideas. It has
been, and is now, believed by numerous individuals, that the brute
creation, by increase in knowledge and wisdom, change their physical
or bodily organi zation, through numerous states of existence,
so that the minutest insect, in the lapse of time, can take to itself
the human form, and vice versa. This is one of the most inconsistent
ideas that could be possibly entertained in the mind of man; it is
called the transmigration of souls. It is enough for me to know that
mankind are made to improve themselves. All creation, visible and
invisible, is the workmanship of our God, the supreme Architect and
Ruler of the whole, who organized the world, and created every living
thing upon it, to act in its sphere and order. To this end has He
ordained all things to increase and multiply. The Lord God Almighty
has decreed this principle to be the great governing law of existence,
and for that purpose are we formed. Furthermore, if men can understand
and receive it, mankind are organized to receive intelligence until
they become perfect in the sphere they are appointed to fill, which is
far ahead of us at present. When we use the term perfection, it
applies to man in his present condition, as well as to heavenly
beings. We are now, or may be, as perfect in our sphere as God and
Angels are in theirs, but the greatest intelligence in existence can
continually ascend to greater heights of perfection.
We are created for the express purpose of increase. There are none,
correctly organized, but can increase from birth to old age. What is
there that is not ordained after an eternal law of existence? It is
the Deity within us that causes increase. Does this idea startle you?
Are you ready to exclaim, "What! the Supreme in us!" Yes. He is in
every person upon the face of the earth. The elements that every
individual is made of and lives in, possess the Godhead. This you
cannot now understand, but you will hereafter. The Deity within us is
the great principle that causes us to in crease, and to grow in grace
and truth. The operation once begun, strict obedience to the
requirements of heaven is necessary to obtain the end for which we
were created, therefore let us commence to do the will of God in
earnest from this time henceforth. Let the child, when he comes to
understanding, and the father communicates his will to him, say,
"Father, from this time, henceforth and forever, I will do thy will."
So it has been, beginning with Father Adam, and so it will continue to
be the duty of his posterity who will be sanctified, and enter into
the celestial kingdom. This will cause every person to do unto others
as they would that others should do unto them, and will make them as
pure and holy in their sphere as God is in His. Commence with it, go
through the veil into eternity with it, and still continue, and the
end thereof no man on earth knoweth, nor the angels in heaven.
Nothing short of the Holy Ghost will do us any lasting good. I told
you, in the beginning of my remarks, the truth as it is in heaven, and
on earth; as it is with angels, with Prophets, with all good people,
and with every sinner that dwells upon the earth. There is not a man
or woman that loves the truth, who has heard the report of the Book of
Mormon, but the Spirit of the Almighty has testified to him or her of
its truth; neither has any man heard the name of Joseph Smith, but the
Spirit has whispered to him—"He is a true Prophet."
God has raised up a Prophet, brought forth the Book of Mormon,
influenced the people to lay the foundation of his kingdom, taking two
of a nation, and one of a family. When a person is worked upon by the
Spirit to believe the truth of the Gospel, the Devil tells him it is a
falsehood. And again, "the loss of my good name" exercises a powerful
influence against a person's embracing the truth, for if he determines to adhere to "Mormonism," his unbelieving friends take it
for granted that he is deluded. Therefore, but a few prove themselves
worthy of the truth by taking the right path. Nearly all the world
pursue their own path, they will not believe the truth when it is
declared to them, nor see the light when it is before their eyes, but
they close their eyes, harden their hearts, and would rather believe a
lie that they may be damned.
I am experimentally conversant with the history of this Church further
back than brother Ames is, and he commenced in 1830. At that time it
was said, "Mormonism must be put down," but it is now larger than
ever! They can only kill the body, and "Mormonism" is not altered by
that in the least. The Prophet Joseph was the oracle through which God
spoke; they slew his body, but "Mormonism" is still the same. Had
"Mormonism" been a falsehood, the Devil and the world, instead of
fighting against it, would have sustained and built it up.
Perhaps I have said enough to the brethren at this time. It would give
me much pleasure if we could prevail on all the inhabitants of these
valleys, on the inhabitants of the whole earth and on ourselves, to
cease to do evil and learn to do well; that is all I could wish or ask
for. All I desire to live for is to see the inhabitants of the earth
acknowledge God, bow down to Him, and confess His supremacy, and His
righteous covenant. To Him let every knee bow, and every tongue
confess, and let all creation say Amen to His wise providences. Let
every person declare his allegiance to God, and then live to it,
saying—"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. As for me, and
all I have, it is the Lord's, and shall be dedicated to Him all my
days." If this can be done, happiness is here, angels are here, God is
here, and we are wrapped in the visions of eternity. But I am not the
Lord, and can do nothing more than others of His servants. I can do
good myself, and my brethren and sisters can do the same; we can
unitedly keep His commandments, and do His will. This is all I desire,
to make me happy here, and feel as well as I can in my mortal body.
When I see an Elder in Israel who is looked up to, who stands high in
the Kingdom of God, doing something to tarnish his own character, and
that of others, it grieves my spirit; but when I can see all the
people filled with the knowledge of God, then all is peace, all is
happiness with me.
May the Lord help us to live our religion, from this time henceforth
and forever. Amen.