I will say to you, and wish you to inform your neighbors, that on the
morrow I expect to start with some of my brethren on a short trip
north. I do this lest some might suppose that we are going to leave
you. If we would live according to our acknowledgments in the holy
Gospel, according to the faith we have embraced, and according to the
teachings we receive from time to time, we never would be in the dark
with regard to any matters we should understand.
Much is taught the Saints by the Elders of Israel concerning their
religion, the way we should live, how we should deal with each other,
how we should live before God, what our feelings should be and the
spirit we should possess. If we live according to our covenants, we
will always enjoy the light of truth; and if we live faithful enough,
we shall enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost to be our constant
companion. In such case no person would turn either to the right hand
or to the left, in consequence of the motives, the sayings, or the
doings of this one or that one; but they would march straightforward
in the path that leads to eternal life; and if others stepped out of
the way, they would walk straight along. Without the power of the Holy
Ghost, a person is liable to go to the right or the left from the
straight path of duty; they are liable to do things they are sorry
for; they are liable to make mistakes; and when they try to do their
best, behold they do that which they dislike.
I mention my intended trip, because I do not want to hear, when I
return, that Brother Brigham, or Brother Heber, or somebody else, "has
slipped away" —that "there is something the
matter" —"something that is
not right" —somebody saying "there is an evil of some kind, and we want
to know it;" "why don't you come right out with it?" "If
you do not
come back so-and-so, we will leave."
It was said here today, that very few have embraced the truth,
considering the great number of the inhabitants of the earth. It can
hardly be discovered where those few are. It is astonishing to relate
facts as they are. The Elders go forth and preach the Gospel to the
nations; they baptize the people—hunt them up from place to place;
yet, if you take the names of those who have been baptized, have the
one-fourth ever been gathered? No. Is not this strange? Do they keep
the faith and stay in the midst of the wicked? No, they do not. The
kingdom of God is living and full of spirit; it is on the move; it is
not like what we call sectarianism—religion today and the world
tomorrow; next Sabbath a little more religion, and then the
world again; "and as we were, so we are; and as we are, so we shall
be, ever more, amen." It is not so with our religion. Ours is a
religion of improvement; it is not contracted and confined, but is
calculated to expand the minds of the children of men and lead them up
into that state of intelligence that will be an honor to their being.
Look at the people who are here—the few that have gathered—and then
look back at the branches you came from. How many have gathered? Where
are the rest of those who composed these branches? It is true that
occasionally one will remain and keep the faith for many years; but
circumstances are such in the world, that they eventually fall away
from it, if they remain there.
It was truly said here today, that the spirit we have embraced is
one, and that we will flow together as surely as drops of water flow
together. One drop will unite with another drop, others will unite
with them, until, drop added to drop, they form a pond, a sea, or a
mighty ocean. So with those who receive the Gospel. There never was a
person who embraced the Gospel but desired to gather with the Saints,
yet not one-fourth ever have gathered; and we expect that a good many
of those who have gathered will go the downward road that leads to
destruction. It seems hardly possible to believe that people, after
receiving the truth and the love of it, will turn away from it, but
they do.
Now, brethren and sisters, proclaim that Brothers Heber and Brigham,
and some others, will be gone for a few days; though I do not promise
to preach to you when I come back. I do not intend to preach while I
am away, but I expect to attend meeting when I return; so that you can
see that I am with you in readiness to meet the requirements of my
calling. This should satisfy you about my being absent for a few days.
I expect to be absent, some time from now, for quite a while. I do not
say I will be absent, but I expect to be. I expect to take the back
track from here. When we came back from the south, I told the brethren
this. When we shall go is not for me to say. If the people neglect
their duty, turn away from the holy commandments which God has given
us, seek their own individual wealth, and neglect the interests of the
kingdom of God, we may expect to be here quite a time—perhaps a period
that will be far longer than we anticipate. Perhaps some do not
understand these remarks. You are like me, and I am like you. I cannot
see that which is out of sight; you cannot see that which is out of
sight. If you bring objects within the range of vision—within the
power of sight—you can see them. These sayings may be somewhat
mysterious to some.
Some may ask why we did not tarry at the Center Stake of Zion when the
Lord planted our feet there? We had eyes, but we did not see; we had
ears, but we did not hear; we had hearts that were devoid of what the
Lord required of his people; consequently, we could not abide what the
Lord revealed unto us. We had to go from there to gain an experience.
Can you understand this? I think there are some here who can. If we
could have received the words of life and lived according to them,
when we were first gathered to the Center Stake of Zion, we never
would have been removed from that place. But we did not abide the law
the Lord gave to us. We are here to get an experience, and we cannot
increase in that any faster than our capacities will admit. Our
capacities are limited, though sometimes we could receive move than we
do, but we will not. Preach the riches of eternal life to a congregation, and when the eyes and affections of that congregation
are like the fool's eyes, to the ends of the earth, it is like
throwing pearls before swine. If I can actually reach your
understandings, you will know just what I know, and see just what I
see, in regard to what I may say.
Take the history of this Church from the commencement, and we have
proven that we cannot receive all the Lord has for us. We have proven
to the heavens and to one another that we are not yet capacitated to
receive all the Lord has for us, and that we have not yet a
disposition to receive all he has for us. Can you understand that
there is a time you can receive and there is a time you cannot
receive, a time when there is no place in the heart to receive? The
heart of man will be closed up, the will will be set against this and
that that we have opportunity to receive. There is an abundance the
Lord has for the people, if they would receive it.
I will now lead your minds directly to our own situation here, leaving
the first organization of the people, their gathering, etc., and come
to our being now here. Some have been here six months, some one year,
some two, some five, some six, some ten, and some seventeen years this
summer. Now, I will take the liberty of bringing up some circumstances
and sayings to connect with the ideas I wish to present in regard to
our wills, dispositions, opportunities, etc.
It was said here today, by Brother William Carmichael, that he had
proved a great many of the sayings and prophecies of Joseph to be
true, and also the prophecies of Heber and others. Now you, my
brethren and sisters, who have been in the habit of coming here for
the last ten, twelve, or fifteen years, have you not been told all the
time, at least as often as once a month, that the time would come when
you would see the neces sity of taking counsel and laying up grain? It
has been said that Brother Brigham has prophesied there would be a
famine here. I would like to have anyone show me the man or woman who
heard Brother Brigham make that statement. I did not make that
statement; but I have said you would see the time when you would need
grain—that you would need bread. You have seen that time. Brother
Heber said the same thing. But you never heard me saying the Lord
would withdraw his blessings from this land while we live here, unless
we forfeit our rights to the Priesthood; then we might expect that the
earth would not bring forth.
We have had a cricket war, a grasshopper war, and a dry season, and
now we have a time of need. Many of the inhabitants of this very city,
I presume, have not breadstuffs enough to last them two days; and I
would not be surprised if there are not seven-eighths of the
inhabitants who have not breadstuffs sufficient to last them two
weeks. Has the Lord stayed the heavens? No. Has he withdrawn his hand?
No. He is full of mercy and compassion. He has provided for the
Saints. No matter what scarcity there is at present, He gave them
bread. If they go without bread, they cannot say the Lord has withheld
his hand, for he has been abundantly rich in bestowing the good things
of the earth upon this people. Then why are we destitute of the staff
of life? Comparing ourselves with our substance, we might say we have
sold ourselves for naught. We have peddled off the grain which God has
given us so freely, until we have made ourselves destitute. Has this
been told us before? Yes, year after year.
How will it be? Listen, all who are in this house, is this the last
season we are going to have a scarcity? I will say I hope it is, but I
cannot say that it is, if the people are not wise. Some sow
their wheat, and after the Lord has given one hundredfold of an
increase, they sell that at one-fourth of its value, and leave
themselves wanting. The last time I spoke upon this subject I tried to
stir up the minds of the people regarding it; I want them to reflect
upon it.
At our Semiannual Conference last fall, the Bishops were instructed
to go to each house and see what breadstuffs were on hand. Why?
"Because the time is coming when they will want breadstuffs." It comes
to my ears every day that this one and that one is in want. "Such a
one has had no bread for three days."
What was told you last harvest? "Sister, you had better get a chest,
or a little box, for there is plenty of wheat to be had—it is not
worth a dollar a bushel—and you had better fill your box with it."
"Oh, there is plenty of it; there is no necessity for my emptying the
paper rags out of my box, or my clothes out of the large chest where I
have them packed away; my husband can go and get what he wants at the
tithing store." They would not get the wheat and the flour that was
then easy to be obtained, and now they are destitute. Why could they
not believe what they were told? They ought to have believed, for it
was true; and in all these matters, the truth has been timely told to
the people. And here let me say to you, that instead of our having
plenty here, with nobody to come to buy our substance—to purchase our
surplus grain—the demand for what we can raise here will increase year
by year.
Are we going to live our religion—to be the servants and handmaids of
the Almighty? Are we going to continue in the faith, and try to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth? If we are, the prophecies
will be fulfilled on us. We shall have the privilege of seeing the
blest, and will be blest.
I look at things as a man looking philosophically; I look at things
before us in the future as a politician, as a statesman, as a thinking
person. What is going to be the condition of this people and their
surrounding neighbors? Do we not see the storm gathering? It will come
from the northeast and the southeast, from the east and from the
west, and from the northwest. The clouds are gathering; the distant
thunders can be heard; the grumblings and mutterings in the distance
are audible, and tell of destruction, want, and famine. But mark it
well, if we live according to the holy Priesthood bestowed upon us,
while God bears rule in the midst of these mountains, I promise you,
in the name of Israel's God, that he will give us seedtime and
harvest. We must forfeit our right to the Priesthood before the
blessings of the Heavens cease to come upon us. Let us live our
religion and hearken to the counsel given to us.
And here let me say to you, buy what flour you need, and do not let it
be hauled away. Have you a horse, or an ox, or a wagon, or anything
else, if it takes the coat off your back, or the shoes off your feet,
and you have to wear moccasins? Sell them and go to the merchants who
have it to sell, and buy the flour before it is hauled away. Why did
you not buy it when it was cheap? There is a saying that wit dearly
bought is remembered. Now buy your wit, buy your wisdom, buy your
counsel and judgment, buy them dearly, so that you will remember. You
were last fall counseled to supply yourselves with breadstuffs, when
flour could have been bought for whistling a tune, and the seller
would have whistled one-half of it to induce you to buy. Why have the
children of this world been wiser in this day than the
children of light? Have not there been Saints enough before us for us
to learn by their experience, and revelations enough given for the
Saints now not to be in the background? It is mortifying that the
children of this world should know more about these things than the
children of light. We know more about the kingdom of God. Take these
young men, sixteen or eighteen years old, or these old men, or some
who have just come into the Church, and let them go into the world,
and, with regard to the kingdom of God, they can teach kings and
queens, statesmen and philosophers, for they are ignorant of these
things; but in things pertaining to this life, the lack of knowledge
manifested by us as a people is disgraceful. Your knowledge should be
as much more than that of the children of this world with regard to
the things of the world as it is with regard to the things of the
kingdom of God.
Take your money or your property, brethren and sisters, and buy flour;
or shall I hear, tomorrow morning, "I am out of bread?" Why not go
down street and sell your bonnets and your shawls, sisters, and not
wait? "Why, some good brother will feed us." But that good brother has
not got the flour. "I am not going to buy any; I will trust in the
Lord; He will send the ravens to feed me." Perhaps the faith of some
people is such that they think the Lord will send down an angel with a
loaf of bread under one arm and a leg of bacon under the other—that an
angel will be sent from some other world with bread ready buttered for
them to eat; or that it will be as was said of the pigs in Ohio, when
it was first settled; it was said the soil was so rich that if you
hung up one pound of the earth two pounds of fat would run out of it,
and that pigs were running through the woods ready roasted, with
knives and forks in their backs. My faith is not like that.
A brother told me, when speaking of the rotation of the planets, that
he could never believe that the earth did rotate. Said I, "do you
believe that the sun which shone today shone yesterday?" "Yes." He
had not faith to believe that the earth turns round, but He believed
that the sun moved round the earth. Now, said I, take your measuring
instruments. If the earth rotates upon its axis each given point upon
it moves 24,000 miles in twenty-four hours; while, if the sun goes
round the earth, it must travel over a circle, in the same time, of
which 95,000,000 is about the semidiameter. He had not faith to
believe that the earth could turn on its axis in twenty-four hours,
but I showed him that he had to have millions and millions more faith
than I had, when he believed the sun went round the earth.
My faith does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast
pigs, bread already buttered, etc. He will give us the ability to
raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth, to make
habitations, to procure a few boards to make a box, and when harvest
comes, giving us the grain, it is for us to preserve it—to save the
wheat until we have one, two, five, or seven years' provisions on
hand—until there is enough of the staff of life saved by the people to
bread themselves and those who will come here seeking for safety.
Will you do this? "Aye, maybe I will," says one, and "maybe I
won't"
says another; "the kingdom that cannot support me I don't think of
much account; the Lord has said it is his business to provide for his
Saints, and I guess he will do it." I have no doubt but what he will
provide for his Saints; but if you do not take this counsel and be
industrious and prudent, you will not long con tinue to be one
of his Saints. Then, continue to do right, that we may be His Saints;
sow, plant, buy half a bushel of wheat here, and a bushel there, and
store it up till you get your five or seven years' provisions on hand.
The war now raging in our nation is in the providence of God, and was
told us years and years ago by the Prophet Joseph; and what we are now
coming to was foreseen by him, and no power can hinder. Can the
inhabitants of our once beautiful, delightful, and happy country avert
the horrors and evils that are now upon them? Only by turning from
their wickedness and calling upon the Lord. If they will turn unto the
Lord and seek after him, they will avert this terrible calamity,
otherwise it cannot be averted. There is no power on the earth, nor
under it, but the power of God, that can avert the evils that are now
upon, and are coming upon, the nation.
What is the prospect? What does the statesman declare to us? What does
he point us to? Peace and prosperity? Brotherly kindness and love?
Union and happiness? No! No! Calamity upon calamity; misery upon
misery.
Do you see any necessity, Latter-day Saints, for providing for the
thousands coming here? Suppose some of your brothers, uncles,
children, grandchildren, or your old neighbors, fleeing here from the
bloodshed and misery in the world, were to come to you. "Well, I am
glad to see you; come to my house; come, uncle; come, grandson; come,
aunt; I must take you home." But what have you to give them? Not a
morsel! "The country was full of food; I could have obtained it for
sewing, for knitting, for almost every kind of work; I could have
procured it a year ago, but it grated on my feelings to have it
offered to me for my work. I am sorry to say I have nothing in the
house, but I think I can borrow," when you ought to have your bins
full, to feed your friends when they come here.
It is not our open enemies who will come here. I told the people last
year that the flood and tide of emigration were conservative people,
who wished in peace to raise the necessaries of life, to trade,
etc.—peaceful citizens. What do they come here for? To live in peace.
Were they those who robbed us in Missouri and Illinois? No.
The time is coming when your friends are going to write to you about
coming here, for this is the only place where there will be peace.
There will be war, famine, pestilence, and misery through the nations
of the earth, and there will be no safety in any place but Zion, as
has been foretold by the Prophets of the Lord, both anciently and in
our day.
This is the place of peace and safety. We would see how it would be if
the wicked had power here, but they have not the power, and they never
will have, if we live as the Lord requires us to. (Amen, by the
congregation.)
Buy flour, you who can; and you, sisters, and children too, when
harvest comes, glean the wheat fields. I would as soon see my wives
and children gleaning wheat as anybody's. And then, when the people
come here by thousands, you will be able to feed them. What will be
your feelings when the women and children begin to cry in your ears
with not a man to protect them? You can believe it or not, but the
time is coming when a good man will be more precious than fine gold.
It is distressing to see the condition our nation is in, but I cannot
help it. Who can? The people en masse, by turning to God and ceasing
to do wickedly, ceasing to persecute the honest and the truth-lover.
If they had done that thirty years ago, it would have been
better for them today. When we appealed to the government of our
nation for justice, the answer was, "Your cause is just, but we have
no power." Did not Joseph Smith tell them in Washington and
Philadelphia, that the time would come when their State rights would
be trampled upon?
Joseph said, many and many a time, to us, "Never be anxious for the
Lord to pour out his judgments upon the nation; many of you will see
the distress and evils poured out upon this nation till you will weep
like children." Many of us have felt to do so already, and it seems to
be coming upon us more and more; it seems as though the fangs of
destruction were piercing the very vitals of the nation.
We inquire of our friends who come here, the emigration, how it is
back where they came from. They say, you can ride all day in some
places but recently inhabited and not see any inhabitants, any
plowing, any sowing, any planting; you may ride through large
districts of country and see one vast desolation. A gentleman said
here, the other day, that 100 families were burned alive in their own
houses, in the county of Jackson, Missouri; whether this is true is
not for me to say, but the thought of it is painful. Have you,
Latter-day Saints, ever experienced anything like that? No! You were
driven out of your houses, I forget the number, but you were not
burned in them. I have said to the Saints, and would proclaim it to
the latest of Adam's generation, that the wicked suffer more than the
righteous.
Why do people apostatize? You know we are on the "Old Ship Zion." We
are in the midst of the ocean. A storm comes on, and, as sailors say,
she labors very hard. "I am not going to stay here," says one; "I
don't believe this is the Ship Zion." "But we are in the midst of the
ocean." "I don't care, I am not going to stay here." Off goes the
coat, and he jumps overboard. Will he not be drowned? Yes. So with
those who leave this Church. It is the old Ship Zion, let us stay in
it. Is there any wisdom in all doing as we are all told? Yes.
While Brother Woodruff was talking about the notable text given by
Brother Hardy to a gentleman in England, when speaking of the Mormon
creed, I thought I could incorporate a very large discourse in the
application of that creed. "To mind your own business" incorporates
the whole duty of man. What is the duty of a Latter-day Saint? To do
all the good he can upon the earth, living in the discharge of every
duty obligatory upon him. If you see anybody angry, tell them never to
be angry again. If you see anybody chewing tobacco, ask them to stop
it and spend the money for something to eat. Will you stop drinking
whiskey? Let me plead with you to do so. And if the sisters would not
think it oppressive, I would ask them to not drink quite so much
strong tea. And if I make an application of these remarks in my own
person, it is my business to point out these things and to ask you to
refrain from them. It is the business of a Latter-day Saint, in
passing through the street, if he sees a fence pole down, to put it
up; if he sees an animal in the mud, to stop and help to get it out. I
make such acts my business. When I am traveling, I stop my whole
train and say, "Boys, let us drive those cattle out of that grain and
put up the fence." If I can do any good in administering among the
people, in trying to have them comprehend what is right and do it,
that is my business, and it is also your business.
Let us preach righteousness, and practice it. I do not wish to preach
what I do not practice. If I wish to preach to others wholesome
doctrine, let me practice it myself—show that example to others I wish
them to imitate. If we do this, we will be preserved in the truth. We
wish to increase; we do not wish to become aliens to the kingdom of
God.
When people's eyes are opened and they see and understand how heinous
it is to turn away from the truth, were they to reflect, and ask,
"Shall I ever leave the faith? Ever turn away from the kingdom of
God?" it would make them shudder; there would be a chill over them
from their heads to their feet; they would feel to say, "No, God
forbid!"
It was said here this morning that no person ever apostatized without
actual transgression. Omission of duty leads to apostasy. We want to
live so as to have the Spirit every day, every hour of the day, every
minute of the day; and every Latter-day Saint is entitled to the
Spirit of God, to the power of the Holy Ghost, to lead him in his
individual duties. Is no one else entitled to it? No. But this wants
explanation.
Here, perhaps, is a good Presbyterian brother, a good Baptist brother,
or, perhaps, a good Catholic one. Are they entitled to that degree of
the Spirit of God that we are? No; but they are entitled to light. And
there is one saying I heard here today that I will repeat—Whenever
anyone lifts his voice or hand to persecute this people, there is a
chill passes through him, unless he is lost to truth and the Spirit of
God has entirely left him. He feels it day and night; he feels the
Spirit working with him. And the Spirit of the Lord will strive, and
strive, and strive with the people, till they have sinned away the day
of grace. Until then, all are entitled to the light of Christ, for he
is the light that lighteth every man who cometh into the world. But
they are not entitled to receive the Holy Ghost. Why not, as well as
Cornelius? That bestowal of the Holy Ghost was to convince the
superstitious Jews that the Lord designed to send the Gospel to the
Gentiles. Peter said, well, now, brethren, can you forbid water to
baptize these, seeing the Lord has been so merciful to them as to give
them the Holy Ghost? And he baptized them; and that was the opening of
the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles.
I pray the Lord for you; I pray for you to get wisdom—worldly wisdom;
not to love the things of the world, but to take care of what you
raise. Try to raise a little silk here; you know we are raising
cotton. Try to raise some flax, and take care of it. Try and make a
little sugar here next fall; I understand that article is now fifty
cents a pound in New York. As war is wasting the productive strength
of the nation, do you not think it becomes us to raise sugar, corn,
wheat, sheep, etc., for the consumption of the old, the blind, the
lame, and the helpless who will be left, that we may be able to feed
and clothe them when they come here? We will feed and care for them,
for there are thousands of them who are good people, who have lived
according to the best light and truth they knew. And by-and-by the
prejudices that exist against us will be wiped away, so that the
honest can embrace the truth.
I do not want "Mormonism" to become popular; I would not, if I could,
make it as popular as the Roman Catholic Church is in Italy, or as the
Church of England is in England, because the wicked and ungodly would
crowd into it in their sins. There are enough such characters in it
now. There are quite a number here who will apostatize. It needs this
and that to occur to make some leave. If "Mormonism" were to
become popular, it would be much as it was in the days of the early
Christians, when no one could get a good position unless he was
baptized for the remission of sins; he could not get an office without
he was baptized into the church.
Suppose this Church were so popular that a man could not be elected
President of the United States unless he was a Latter-day Saint, we
would be overrun by the wicked. I would rather pass through all the
misery and sorrow, the troubles and trials of the Saints, than to have
the religion of Christ become popular with the world. It would in such
case go as the ancient church went. I care not what the world thinks,
nor what it says, so they leave us unmolested in the exercise of our
inherent rights. Take a straightforward course, and meet the jeers and
frowns of the wicked.
Unpopular. "Oh! dear, how they are despised and hated, those
'Mormons!'" Did not Jesus say that his disciples should be hated and
despised? Said he, "They hate me, and they will hate you also." Has it
ever been otherwise? He said, emphatically, "In the world ye shall
have persecution, but in me ye shall have peace."
What is proved by people's leaving us, before the heavens, before the
angels, and all the prophets and holy men who ever lived upon the
earth? You will see every man and woman, when they once consent to
leave here, I don't care what name they are known by, whether
Morrisites, Gladden Bishopites, Josephites, or any other ite, they
make friends with the wicked—with those who blaspheme the holy name we
have been commemorating here this afternoon, and they are full of
malice and evil. Whenever any person wants to leave here, the thread
is broken that bound him to the truth, and he seeks the society of the
wicked; and it proves to everyone who has the light of truth within
him, that this is the kingdom of God, and that those who leave are of
Anti-Christ.
Be steadfast, always abiding in the truth. Never encourage malice or
hatred in your hearts; that does not belong to a Saint. I can say in
truth, that with all the abuse I have ever met, driven from my home,
robbed of my substance, I do not know that a spirit of malice has ever
rested in my heart. I have asked the Lord to mete out justice to those
who have oppressed us, and the Lord will take his own time and way for
doing this. It is in his hands, and not in mine, and I am glad of it,
for I could not deal with the wicked as they should be dealt with.
My name is had for good and evil upon the whole earth, as promised to
me. Thirty years ago Brother Joseph, in a lecture to the Twelve, said
to me, "Your name shall be known for good and evil throughout the
world;" and it is so. The good love me, weak and humble as I am, and
the wicked hate me; but there is no individual on the earth but what I
would lead to salvation, if he would let me; I would take him by the
hand, like a child, and lead him like a father in the way that would
bring him to salvation.
Would we not rather live as we are living than to become one with the
spirit of the world? Yes. Do not be anxious to have this people become
rich and possess the affection of the world. I have been fearful lest
we come to fellowship the world. Whatever you have, it is the Lord's.
You own nothing, I own nothing. I seem to have a great abundance
around me, but I own nothing. The Lord has placed what I have in my
hands, to see what I will do with it, and I am perfectly willing for
him to dispose of it otherwise whenever he pleases. I have
neither wife nor child, no wives nor children; they are only committed
to me, to see how I will treat them. If I am faithful, the time will
come when they will be given to me.
The Lord has placed it in our power to obtain the greatest gift he can
bestow—the gift of eternal life. He has bestowed upon us gifts to be
developed and used throughout all eternity—the gifts of seeing, of
hearing, of speech, etc.—and we are endowed with every gift and
qualification, though in weakness, that are the angels'; and the germ
of the attributes that are developed in Him who controls, is in us to
develop. We can see each other, hear each other, converse with each
other, and, if we keep the faith, all things will be ours. The Saints
do not own anything now. The world do not own anything. They are
hunting for gold—it is the Lord's. If my safe had millions of gold in
it, it would be the Lord's, to be used as he dictates. The time will
come when those who are now dissatisfied will not be satisfied with
anything; but the Saints who live their religion are and will be
satisfied with everything. They know the Lord controls, and that he
will control and save the righteous.
May the Lord help us to be righteous and to live our religion, that we
may live forever. Amen.