It is so uncomfortable outside today that there are but few here, with
us, in the Tabernacle. We have reflections with regard to the faith of
the people, and the fervency of the Saints in their faith in the
Gospel when our meetings are thinly attended, as they are today. Some
may think the brethren and sisters are backsliding and growing cold,
when they do not attend meeting. It may sometimes be just as good and
profitable to stay at home as to come to meeting.
One thing is certain, that where people make a practice of attending
meetings frequently, it creates an increased desire to do so. And many
who do not attend to the worship of God here may be just as fervent,
and humble in their spirits, and trying to live as uprightly before
God at home as those who attend religious meetings. I do not think the
people are forgetful of God and of their obligations to him because
they tarry at home.
I like to come to meeting; I am in the habit of doing so. I was fond
of going to meeting when I cared but little about religion, for I was
anxious to learn; having a thirst for knowledge I was always gratified
in attending meetings to listen to public addresses, to gain
instruction and add to my stock of information. The Lord has
instructed us to meet together often and hold our sacraments and offer
up our oblations before him, confess our faults, and speak words of
comfort to each other. Viewing it in this light, we regard it is a
duty, and it should be a pleasing one; it is to me. It gives me great
pleasure to see the faces of those who delight to serve God assembled
together to worship him, and often my feelings have been such that I
could have enjoyed a meeting after the Quaker style, without a single
word being spoken, or even the ceremony of shaking hands; for I
delight to look upon the Saints who keep the commandments of our
Father and God. I do not believe that those who stay at home are, in
many instances, any worse than those who come to meeting, nor that
those who come to meeting are particularly better than those who stay
at home; but it is a consolation to me to meet with the Saints, to
see them and talk to them, in a way to comfort and instruct them. This
is always my object in speaking to the Saints; yet, I consider the
best preaching is example; for, as I have often said, it is not my
privilege to preach and not practice what I preach. If I preach a
truth for others to observe, I am under obligation to observe that
truth myself. I do not believe that it is the privilege of any
man to preach and not practice. Still, we see it done by many. They
preach more than they practice; but this does not diminish the
obligations they are under to practice all they preach and live the
religion they profess.
I hear my brethren, Sabbath after Sabbath, testify of what they
believe, what joy they have in the Gospel, how firm they are in it,
and that they desire never to turn away from it, and then they will
pray the Lord to let them be faithful! Who hinders them from being
faithful? There is nothing that is good, not a truth in heaven, nor in
hell, in the earth nor under the earth, but what is in our religion.
What can you get outside of the Kingdom of God? Death and destruction,
pain, anguish and sorrow, misery and woe, and grief of every
description. Some say, "I hope I will be faithful; Lord, let me be
faithful!" Who will interfere with you? The Devil will interfere, as
far as he has power; but his power is limited, while the Lord
possesses unlimited power; and, to use a common phrase, we would like
to be on the strongest side; we would like to fight on the side of
right, for that will win. We would not knowingly invest capital in an
insolvent firm. Then, let us invest in the firm whose stock consists
in the riches of eternity; for all the light there is in heaven and on
the earth is incorporated in our religion. Is there joy in heaven?
That is incorporated in our religion. Is these joy on earth? That,
also, is in our religion. Is there intelligence? Yes, an eternity of
it, and it is in our religion. Is there glory? Yes, and that is in our
religion. Is there immortality? Yes; and that is in our religion.
Everlasting lives? That is ours. Friends? They are ours. Wealth? That
is ours. Peace? Yes; and that is ours. Every blessing, and infinitely
more than we can imagine, is in our religion and for us to enjoy,
while, outside of it, there is nothing but death and hell.
We can understand a few of the first principles of our religion, and
enjoy a few of its blessings; but can we understand the whole of it?
No; not yet. We can understand some of the ordinances of the House of
God; but do we understand them all? We shall, if we are faithful. We
have had revealed to us some of the ordinances and laws pertaining to
the celestial Kingdom of God, but are they all revealed? No. Could we
understand them, if they were revealed? We could not. There is a
little given, as we can receive it, as the Prophet of old said, the
Lord gives a little here and a little there, "line upon line, precept
upon precept, here a little and there a little." Why did he not give
more to his people in past times? Because they could not understand
it. Why does he not give more to this people now? Because they are
incapable of understanding it. But, in the sequel, we will find
there is nothing that can be desired by us in righteousness, that is
not incorporated in our religion. We see glory and honor and wealth in
the world. They belong to the Kingdom of God. But, it may be asked,
why does the Lord permit the world to have them? He gives every
blessing to both Saint and sinner, just as far as they can receive his
blessings. He is bountiful of His mercies and kind to all his
children, bestowing blessings upon them abundantly; but they often
abuse his bounties. The Lord has given to all men every power and
blessing they possess; and he would give them more, if they could
receive it. It is a pleasure to me to meet with the Saints, to worship
God and to offer up my oblations to him; and it is a pleasure to the
Saints generally.
We preach a good deal to the Latter-day Saints, yet they know
but little; they can receive but little. We teach them the little
things, the first principles of the Gospel, and we talk to them of the
goodness of God and of his kind providences, and so on; but, if we
could understand the truth with regard to the fulness of the Kingdom
of God, our hearts would be full of joy unutterable. These words are
as idle tales to the Christian portions of the world, and to those who
do not believe in God and in his Son Jesus Christ, and also to many of
the Saints. But I know the darkness that is among the people. Go to
the Christian world—to say nothing about those who do not believe in
God, in Jesus, nor in revealed religion—go to those who make long
prayers and attend meetings—to those who pay the priests and wear long
faces, and these words are idle tales to them; and so they are almost
to the Latter-day Saints. Yet there is a degree of light and
intelligence that has come to us and has caused us to do what we have
done, and be what we are. The proof of the virtue of a people is in the
life they lead.
We talk of the oneness of the people, yet we lack much of that oneness
we must yet arrive at. If we could see things as they are, we need
never preach this sermon again so long as we live. But we have to talk
to the people, and keep talking to them; we have to bear with them,
and teach them. We can tell them but little, for we know but little,
and they are not prepared to receive more than they get. When any man
lifts himself up in his philosophy, and wonders why we do not talk
about this, and that, and the other thing that we do not wish to talk
about, what does he know of the results that would follow from
communicating principles to this people which they are not prepared to
receive? I do not know that it would not be as Joseph once
remarked—Said he, "If I were to tell the people what I knew of the
kingdom of God, there is not a man nor woman that would stay with me."
Said I, "Do not reveal anything to me then, I do not wish to
apostatize." If the Lord were to reveal many things to this people
now, which will be made known in the future, they could not abide
them—they have not capacity at the present to receive them. Many
people look at the wisdom and intelligence there is in the world,
concerning many things, and marvel—"What great knowledge! What
wonderful skill!" Is there wisdom and mechanism in the world? Yes, and
some people will say, "It is wonderful, almost beyond the knowledge of
an angel." They will talk of steam power, the power of the air, of
electricity, and other things, and say it is almost beyond the
knowledge of an angel. An angel from heaven knows more about the
sciences and arts, of which you and I have a little smattering, than
all the men on the earth. When they have gone to the extent of their
knowledge and ability and understanding in science and art, they are
far behind an angel. Does a knowledge of the sciences belong to our
religion, too? Yes. There is nothing, only death and hell, but what
belongs to it. We are not sanctified yet to receive many things that
the Lord will reveal by-and-by. We are not prepared to receive the
fulness of the Kingdom of God. If we were, we would stop preaching a
great many sermons we now have to preach. But we are here living and
improving; and many of the people really love and delight in their
religion.
You hear the brethren say, at times, that they never saw the time they
were ashamed of their religion. That is true. Who is there on the face of the earth, that knows God or his Son Jesus Christ,
that is not proud of it? Not vain, understand me—not proud, like a
frivolous young person vain of some fancied superiority, but really
thankful to God for the knowledge, and, if the term may be used, proud
of it. Who would not be proud to know our elder Brother and Redeemer!
Who would not be proud to understand the plan revealed by our Father
and God to bestow upon us eternal life! To live, not merely next day
and next year, but to live forever and ever, basking in the smiles of
God and of angels, and enjoying the happiness and blessings of eternal
life! Go to the great men of the earth, and talk to them about Joseph
Smith, and many of them would spurn you from them. Go to members of
the religious sects, to a Presbyterian, a Methodist, or a Baptist, and
speak to them about Joseph and the Kingdom of God established on the
earth, and most likely they would order you out of their houses. This
causes feelings that are unpleasant. Yet why should it do so? What is
there in such actions that should prevent us from rejoicing and
feeling thankful that we know God and Jesus Christ. If I had all the
young Elders and mission aries here, I might say to them, when
strangers reject your testimony, you have no cause to fail of heart
and be downcast in your spirits. If all the kings of the earth were in
one man, and all their grandeur and excellency were comprehended in
his person, and he were to reject your testimony, instead of feeling
ashamed you should be full of pity for him. Your feelings should be
like those of a father to a child; "My son, I am sorry for you, and my
heart is moved with pity; you have no knowledge of your true position;
you are in possession of a certain greatness and knowledge, but your
true greatness, knowledge and power you know nothing of. Poor child, I
pity you." These should be the feelings of every Elder that goes forth
to preach the Gospel to the nations.
Put it down in your memories, let it be written on the tablets of your
hearts that, outside of the religion we have embraced, there is
nothing but death, hell and the grave. Every excellency, blessing,
comfort, happiness, and light, and everything that can be enjoyed by an
intelligent being, is for us, if we live for it.
May the Lord help us to do so. Amen.