We have met to commemorate the first day of the week, and we hope that
every heart will be concentrated upon the business before us. We do
not hold that the first day of the week is the only day upon which to
worship God, for we ought also to worship him on the second, third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. It was the custom of Christ's
disciples to meet together on the first day of the week to break bread
in remembrance of his death and resurrection; we follow the same
custom. The Lord knows the wants of his mortal children, and has
appointed unto them one-seventh part of the time for rest, though we
cannot say, in every sense of the word, that this is a day of rest to
the Latter-day Saints or to the professing Christians, some of whom
are in the habit of rising at sunrise to hold prayer meetings; they
then eat breakfast and hurry away to the morning service until noon;
in the afternoon they again have meetings, and class meet ings, prayer
meetings, confessing meetings, &c., and so continue until nine in the
evening. To such persons I cannot consider it really a day of rest.
According to the revelations given to us, it is a day upon which we
are commanded to meet to break bread, to confess our faults to God and
to one another, being determined to lay aside every evil and prepare
ourselves for the duties of the coming week; so we meet together to
worship the Lord and to speak of his goodness, to wait before him, to
be instructed and have our minds guided and directed in the ways of
life and to remember the Lord's death until he comes again. I am happy
that we have the privilege this morning of meeting in this capacity,
under the quiet shade of this comfortable Bowery.
Our hearts have been made to feel the divine influence that comes from
heaven to prepare us to build up the Zion of our God upon the earth in the latter days. That we may enjoy our meeting this morning,
let us strive to concentrate our thoughts upon the object of our
assembling, for there is a proneness in the mind to wander, and it
often requires considerable effort to stay it upon any one purpose.
The cares and wants of this life occupy our minds deeply, but when we
come to understanding we shall learn that our Father in heaven takes
cognizance of all these matters. "And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin." "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he
not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" "He giveth to the
beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry." If we are faithful
we shall learn in due time that all things are sustained and endured
by his all-wise providences. We are too apt to trust entirely to our
own ability for procuring the desirable necessaries of life. We are
too apt to suppose that we alone guide, govern and control our doings
and their results. We are too apt to aspire to the power to control
the whole world and to make all bend to our wishes and dictation.
Man is the lord of the earth, but with his knowledge and power he is
not able to tell how a blade of grass grows. All men must come to this
very rational conclusion, that "Paul may plant, and Apollos may water;
but it is God who gives the increase." It was not our choice that we
came into the midst of this desert region, but through the providence
of Him who governs and controls all things we are planted in the midst
of these deserts. There are reasons for this, and causes produce their
effects; in short, we are here for the express purpose of preparing
for the coming of the Son of Man, to bear off his kingdom to the
nations and gather up the house of Israel, according to the words of
the ancient prophets and the revelations given to us in our day.
We are now gathering the children of Abraham who have come through the
loins of Joseph and his sons, more especially through Ephraim, whose
children are mixed among all the nations of the earth. The sons of
Ephraim are wild and uncultivated, unruly, ungovernable. The spirit in
them is turbulent and resolute; they are the Anglo-Saxon race, and
they are upon the face of the whole earth, bearing the spirit of rule
and dictation, to go forth from conquering to conquer. They search
wide creation and scan every nook and corner of this earth to find out
what is upon and within it. I see a congregation of them before me
today. No hardship will discourage these men; they will penetrate the
deepest wilds and overcome almost insurmountable difficulties to
develop the treasures of the earth, to further their indomitable
spirit for adventure.
We are not in this region by choice, and there is no hardship that
this people would not face and overcome. If there is a corner of the
earth that can possibly be inhabited by mortals, the Latter-day Saints
would venture there if they conceived it to be their duty, and
overcome every obstacle and soon make the desert waste blossom as a
rose. Such an undertaking is as easy to them, comparatively speaking,
as it is to go from one town to another. It is marvelous to the world
that the poor, ignorant, deluded "Mormons," as they call them, can
make so much real improvement. Is there another people on the earth,
with the same facilities, that can do what the Latter-day Saints can?
There is not. Is there another people on this earth that are as united
as they are? There is not. Is there another people on this earth that can be controlled as easily as they can? There is not. There
is a good reason for all this. There is a certain portion of divinity
within mankind. This prompts man to seek in every possible way after
that which will sustain him.
It is true mankind have wandered and have fallen from that which they
might have attained through the redemption made by Jesus Christ; but
there is one point in connection with this statement on which I differ
from the orthodox divines of the day. They say that man is naturally
prone to evil. In some respects this is true, where by the force of
example and wrong tradition has become ingrained, but if man had
always been permitted to follow the instincts of his nature, had he
always followed the great and holy principles of his organism, they
would have led him into the path of life everlasting, which the whole
human family are constantly trying to find.
Every person is, to a greater or less degree, seeking to sustain
himself, to obtain influence, power, wealth, wisdom and knowledge, all
to further his individual aims. It is somewhat remarkable that wealth
is considered the root and foundation of all earthly influence and
power, when the truth is that gold is not power. A man may possess all
the gold, silver, and precious stones in the world, which are called
wealth, and yet starve to death. Wealth does not give true greatness.
It will purchase medical aid in case of sickness; it will purchase
food, clothing and shelter; but true wealth consists in the skill to
produce those conveniences and comforts from the elements. All the
power and dignity that wealth can bestow is a mere shadow, the
substance is found in the bone and sinew of the toiling millions. Well
directed labor is the true power that supplies our wants. It gives
regal grandeur to potentates, education and supplies to religious and
political ministers, and supplies the wants of the thousands of
millions of earth's sons and daughters. There are conditions and
panics in society that all the power of earthly wealth cannot avert.
How happy, how secure that nation or people would be who knew how to
sustain themselves forever and forever. Had the rulers of our nation
known how to sustain the Union to an everlasting continuance, this
knowledge would have been beyond all price. Had they possessed wisdom
to have maintained the nation in its true character, in all its
liberal institutions built upon the Constitution and Declaration of
Rights, the Government would have continued inviolate in truth and
purity and power, and would have continued to increase in power,
importance and extent. True knowledge would have enabled them easily
to accomplish all this. True knowledge is true power, and power adds
to power—influence to influence. If this had continued in our nation,
it would not merely have annexed Texas to our flag, but would have
added the whole continent of North and South America. What would the
nation have given for the knowledge to accomplish all this? What would
the present rulers give for knowledge and power to so control the
minds of that portion of the people who are still in the Union as to
continue themselves in office—the leading spirits of the nation—to
dictate the condition, future life and prosperity of this great and
magnanimous people?
When the pioneers came into these valleys we knew nearly all the
families which composed the settlements in Upper and Lower California.
Is there a man that has ever been elected to represent that people in
Congress that has not bought his election with money? Men are willing
to spend all they have to attain the accomplishment of their
purposes in a political point of view. All this power can be obtained
by political aspirants without money, if they possessed true
knowledge. I could be sent as a delegate to Congress without giving
one farthing for the office, because I have true knowledge. Teach the
people true knowledge, and they will govern themselves.
Men marvel that I possess the influence I do over this people, no
matter where on the earth they are located. If we had fifty thousand
members of the Church in China, though they never saw me, they would
obey my counsel, because I send true knowledge to them and teach them
the principles that tend to their own good and happiness. Their eyes
are open to see this, and they willingly obey my counsel. Men think
the power and influence I possess are obtained by necromancy or some
other evil power. The power of the Devil is great upon the earth, but
it is fast playing out, and the inhabitants of the earth must have
true knowledge.
It has been told me from my youth up that opposition is the life of
business, especially in the political arena. It is opposition that has
ruined our nation, and has been, is and will be the ruin of all
nations. In our nation slavery is the great bone of contention. Do we
oppose the principle of servitude? I oppose it not in my judgment. If
I have a manservant or a maidservant, they are flesh of my flesh and
bone of my bone—they are the children of God as much as I am. In the
providences of God their ability is such that they cannot rise above
the position of a servant, and they are willing to serve me and have
me dictate their labor. Then let them do service to me, and it is my
duty to treat them kindly and reward them accordingly. All the nations
of the earth are composed of one flesh and blood, and God will bring
into judgment the nation that abuses the liberties it possesses. If he
has given me power to rule this people, or to own a hundred slaves, he
requires at my hands how I use this influence and power over his
creatures, and he will punish me if I abuse it. If I were the dictator
of the nation in which I live, I should be held responsible to Him for
that power and influence. He would expect me to rule in righteousness.
This people is an astonishment to all the world. We pick up the beggar
in the street in England—and we have baptized hundreds of them—we
bring him here and put him in a situation to earn his living. They
never owned anything before, but after they come here they soon begin
to own a pig, a cow, a few chickens, and by-and-by a team; then open
farms and soon become men of wealth. It is our business to elevate the
beggar and not keep him in ignorance.
If you wish to gain power in the minds of any people, give them the
same opportunity that you possess to become independent and
self-sustaining, and endow them with all the wisdom and knowledge that
they are capable of receiving, and let them increase with you and
unitedly grow and become strong. Through their oneness, the Latter-day
Saints have become a terror to the enemies of truth. We do not buy the
people with money, but we have striven in every way that is lawful and
right to get a little money to bring the poor and destitute of other
nations here and put them in a position to take care of themselves. I
am sorry to say that some few have requited this kindness by joining
hands with our foes against us and have become our most deadly
enemies. They, however, have no power to injure us, for God rules in
the heavens; and if we pursue our course and the even tenor of
our lives, the Lord will spread truth in the world and all nations
will possess it and be influenced by it; then they will know how to
govern and control themselves, but now they do not. With all the power
I possess, I cannot prevent a man from cursing and swearing if he is
disposed to do so; the Lord himself has not influence enough to do it,
what then is to be done with him? Guide his mind and affections into a
better channel until he sees the folly of his course and understands
the benefit of a more righteous way and a more manly life, then will
he pursue the path to truth, peace and the fellowship of the Saints of
God on earth and in the heavens; then will he increase in love, joy,
wisdom, knowledge, and power. Are not these things so? Judge ye, my
friends.
I am accused of a thousand evils, but I have never feared but one
thing with regard to myself—and that is, that I should be left to do
an evil that people may truly blame me; while they cannot speak evil
of me and tell the truth, it never harms me. I care nothing what false
statements are made about me when I faithfully follow the counsels of
Heaven; they are no more to me than the croaking of the crane that
flies over my head. If a High Priest, an Elder, or any other man that
comes within the purview of my influence does wrong, I would as soon
tell him of it as not and show him how to do right; if he is offended
at me for so doing, it proves that he is destitute of knowledge. If
the angel of darkness reproves you for your evil deeds, thank him for
it, but tell him to keep at a respectable distance and that you will
try not to need any more of his kind offices.
The nation that is angry at the reproof and rebuke of the righteous
proves that it is on the high way to ruin. We do not coerce nor drive
people. I am very much of the opinion that it would be useless for
anybody to undertake to drive me to heaven or to hell. My independence
is sacred to me—it is a portion of that same Deity that rules in the
heavens. There is not a being upon the face of the earth who is made
in the image of God, who stands erect and is organized as God is, that
should be deprived of the free exercise of his agency so far as he
does not infringe upon others' rights, save by good advice and a good
example.
It is written in the Scriptures, "If ye had known me, ye would have
known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen
him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth
us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long a time with you, and yet
hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" The Father is a
perfect man in every part, a person of tabernacle endowed with all the
features and attributes of a perfect being.
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." How vain it is for
us to think that we are going to grasp all things independently of
God. Monarchs on their thrones have taken unto themselves power to
hold and control the destinies of the people over whom they reign,
when suddenly death in some way has seized them and their thrones have
been left vacant for other aspirants to power and rule. When misuse of
power has reached a certain stage, the divinity that is within the
people asserts its right and they free themselves from the power of
despotism. The nation that lifts itself up against God and rules in
unrighteousness he will call to an account in his own way.
Elevation, exaltation and glory are the objects of the Father
in peopling this earth with his progeny. Do not be afraid that I say
too much when I call his earthly children his progeny. It is supposed
by many modern Christians that the Old Testament has become obsolete;
they regard it more as a book of history relating more particularly to
past ages than to us; but we will quote from if in support of God's
being our Father and our being his progeny. Moses gives us to
understand that Adam was created precisely after the image and
likeness of his God. And in the New Testament Jesus Christ says, "and
call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which
is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master,
even Christ." Again, Paul says, "Furthermore we have had fathers of
our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not
much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" He
is the Father of every spirit that has ever taken an earthly
tabernacle. Again, Paul, in writing to the Hebrews, says, "Who being
the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," &c.;
and "I and my Father are one," says Jesus; what, one body? No, it
never entered the Savior's mind that such a rendering of this saying
would ever enter into the minds of persons holding the least claim to
good sense. They are no more one person than I and one of my sons are
one person. If my son receives my teaching, will walk in the path I
mark out for him to walk in, if his faith is the same as mine, his
purpose is the same, and he does the work of his father as Jesus did
the work of his Father, then is my son one with me in the Scriptural
sense. "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of
man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but
as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." Jesus was the
express image of his Father, and he was so much like the rest of the
people in his day that he passed and repassed among them as another
man, without creating any special remark. "Hath not the Scripture said,
That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of
Bethlehem, where David was?"
Christ and his Father are one in their faith, in their views, in their
ministry, in their purpose and in their operations to accomplish their
Godlike designs. Jesus came from the heavens to the earth to subdue
all things and bring all into subjection to the will of the Father,
"That they all may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one." No one can suppose that Jesus
wished to be understood that he and his Father and his disciples were
all one person.
We believe in one God, one Mediator and one Holy Ghost. We cannot
believe for a moment that God is destitute of body, parts, passions or
attributes. Attributes can be made manifest only through an organized
personage. All attributes are couched in and are the results of
organized existence. True knowledge will teach the people who they are
and the design of their creation. We are the sons and daughters of
celestial beings, and the germ of the Deity dwells within us. When our
spirits took possession of these tabernacles, they were as pure as the
angels of God, wherefore total depravity cannot be a true doctrine.
"You must be a freethinker, Mr. Young." Yes, and also a freedoer. I
am not afraid to rebuke any person when necessary, nor to tell the
truth anywhere when it is proper and I am called upon to do so.
I am limited in knowledge and in the ability to convey the knowledge
that is within me and often resort to gestures to convey what my
language fails to impart; neither am I mighty in writing—I can convey
more by language than I can by writing.
Do you wish to possess enlarged influence in a political point of
view? Gather around you the poor and honest of mankind and bestow your
charity on them, not by giving them in the way that charity is almost
universally understood, but supply them labor that will pay an
interest on the outlay of means and, at the same time, afford food,
raiment, and shelter to the laborer; in this way the man of means
becomes a benefactor to his race. Let him instruct those who know not
how to cultivate the soil, who know not how to plant gardens and
orchards and vineyards, in all these useful and profitable
employments. Let him teach them the use of animals and how to profit
by their labors and products. After he has taught them how to raise
the wool and the flax, let him teach them how to make clothing of
various kinds. Now they have their bread, meat, clothing, vegetables,
fruit and dwellings which they have produced by their labor under the
direction of the rich, good man whose capital and wisdom have elevated
those poor persons from a state of destitution and want to a state of
comfort and comparative independence. Now, I ask, has he not gained
great influence over that people? And as they increase will not his
influence become more extensive? Then let him teach them the truth,
and not divide them up into Whigs, Tories, Democrats, &c.
Who is the most suitable judge between man and man? The man who is the
most capable of judging between right and wrong; let him sit upon the
judgment seat, and do not ask him whether he is a Democrat, a Whig, a
Tory, or a Republican. Is he a just man, and will he render in
impartial judgment? If so, I care not to what political party he
belongs; I am content that he should adjudicate between me and my
neighbor.
We teach the whole human family the way of life and salvation. The
Latter-day Saints have the advantage of the same power that revealed
to Peter of old that Jesus was the Christ; "Flesh and blood hath not
revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
The Latter-day Saints and every other person who is entitled to
salvation, and all except those who have sinned against the Holy
Ghost, may know that Jesus is the Christ in the same way that Peter
knew it. Miracles do not give this knowledge to mankind, though they
may serve as collateral evidence to strengthen the believer. The
miracles of Jesus were known to the Jews, yet they suffered him to be
put to death as a deceiver of mankind and one possessed of a devil.
If miracles prove a person to be divinely sent, then we are safe in
declaring the Witch of Endor, who raised up Samuel, and the magicians
of Egypt to be divinely sent. I will have it printed and sent to the
world that no miracle is any proof of a man's being sent of God to
perform a mission in his name. Though Jesus Christ wrought miracles
before the eyes of the Jews, they clamored for his blood and said,
"Crucify him, crucify him, and let his blood be upon us and our
children." This has certainly come upon them. Jesus Christ told what
would befall the nation of the Jews, and it has been literally
fulfilled. Were I to bring a proof in favor of our religion I would
quote the sayings, relating to this nation, of that man whom
God has sent in the latter days with eternal life to them. There is
more solid proof in favor of a Prophet's being divinely sent when his
words are fulfilled than all the miracles he can work.
The nineteenth century is not destitute of miracles; we have
spirit rapping, spirit writing, spirit muttering, table moving, and the
curing of diseases of long standing by the same influence and power.
"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a
people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?"
If all men understood the great work of the last days brought forth by
the Prophet Joseph and its ultimate results, they would invest all
their capital stock in this great speculation. We are for self, for
power, for knowledge, for thrones, for dominions, for eternal life. We
are for the kingdoms that God has promised to the righteous; and they
have received great and precious promises. Paul says, "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," &c.
Again, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my
name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit
everlasting life." He has chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and he will give them all things.
We are serving a good master, and he will give us all he has promised.
Will you all enlist and serve this great Captain of our salvation to
the end of the war? Then shall you obtain all the influence and power
you can wish for. In the govern ment of God there is all the security
offered to its subjects they can desire; in it their individual rights
and property are perfectly safe. Were I worth millions of money I
should wish to invest it under a government that offered to me the
greatest protection and security. God rules in the heavens and on the
earth; he sendeth seed time and harvest; winter and summer; he
controls the good and the evil, and stays the evil and the plague when
it has answered his pleasure; when the contending armies of our nation
have served his purpose, he will say peace be still and the civil
strife will cease.
My brethren and sisters are anxious for my safety, and will warn me of
danger. I know better than they do when there is danger, and when it
lies harmless like a lifeless tiger at the feet of the hunter. There
have been times when I could travel abroad with impunity, and within
twenty-four hours afterwards the assassin would be on my path. There
are times when I could go to California and they would hail me as one
friend hails another, and the spirit of the times would soon be
reversed. Joseph Smith knew this, and when he went to Carthage he
said, "I go to death; I go like a lamb to the slaughter; I go to my
fate." Those who understand the spirit that rules in the atmosphere
and in the hearts of the children of men are aware that they do not
feel today as yesterday, tomorrow as today. Many men have greeted
me and my brethren with all the cordiality with which one man can
greet another, and in a short time their feelings have changed to the
most deadly hatred. Confidence has left the human family; there is but
little substantial principle or virtue left in which confidence can be
placed. We have to restore confidence to the world by being just and
true to ourselves, to one another and to our God from this time henceforth and forever.
I suppose that more than half a million of the brave sons of our
country now sleep in the dust in consequence of what I consider an
unnecessary war, and the end is not yet. They have left their wives
and daughters unprotected in a land rent asunder with a fratricidal
war, and what are to become of them? You remember the scripture which
reads, "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." He may say in
the latter times, Now, my sons, take unto yourselves wives of the
daughters of men and raise up a posterity unto me, and teach them the
way of life and salvation and the arts of peace, that they may war no
more forever.
And they will gather up the old cannon and weapons of war that are now
making such devastation, and convert them into implements of husbandry
and useful machinery. By and by it will be said to the servants of
God, "Go down and see if there is anything worth saving," for it is
written, "Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be
called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
Let us faithfully live our religion and learn what our present lives
are worth.
May God bless everybody that can be blessed is my prayer all the time:
Amen.