I wish the strict attention of the congregation, which is so large and
widely spread under this low bowery that I fear it will be with
difficulty that I can make myself heard by all. To persons who wish to
understand and improve upon what they hear, it must be very annoying
to only hear the sound of the speaker's voice and not be able to
comprehend its signification.
The gospel of life and salvation has again been committed to the
children of men, and we are made the happy partakers of its
blessings, and my sincere desire is that all may improve upon the
words of life which have been revealed from the heavens in our day. It
is written, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." All nations,
tribes and communities of men worship something, it may be a stump, a
stock, a tree, a stone, a figure molded in brass, iron, silver, or
gold, or some living creature, or the sun, the moon, the stars, or the
god of the wind and other elements, and while worshiping gods which
they can see and handle, there dwells within them a crude and
undefined impression of a great Supreme and universal Ruler whom they
seek to represent and worship in gods made with their own hands; but
where he is located, what his shape and dimensions and what his
qualifications are they know not. The Apostle Paul found the city of
the Athenians wholly given to idolatry; and they called him a
"babbler," because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.
He disputed in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout
persons, and in the market daily with them who met with him; and
standing, in the midst of Mars hill, he said, "Ye men of Athens, I
perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed
by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.' Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him
declare I unto you."
The Athenians knew not what to worship, and it seems they were willing
to worship a god unknown to them, very likely under the impression
that he might be the true God, whom they had tried to represent no
doubt in various ways.
Wherever the human family dwell upon the face of the earth, whether
they are savage or civilized, there is a desire implanted within them
to worship a great, Supreme Ruler, and not knowing Him, they suppose
that through offering worship and sacrifice to their idols they can
conciliate his anger which they think they see manifested in the
thunder, in the lightning, in the storm, in the floods, in the
reverses of war, in the hand of death, etc., etc.; thus they try to
woo his protection and his blessing for victory over their enemies,
and at the termination of this life for a place in the heaven their
imaginations have created, or tradition has handed down to them. I
have much charity for this portion of the human family called heathens
or idolaters; they have made images to represent to their eyes a power
which they cannot see, and desire to worship a Supreme Being through
the figure which they have made.
There is a Power that has organized all things from the crude matter
that floats in the immensity of space. He has given form, motion and
life to this material world; has made the great and small lights that
bespangle the firmament above; has allotted to them their times and
their seasons, and has marked out their spheres. He has caused the air
and the waters to teem with life, and covered the hills and plains
with creeping things, and has made man to be a ruler over His
creations. All these wonders are the works of the Almighty ruler of
the universe, in whom we believe and whom we worship. "The earth rolls
upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon
giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth their light, as
they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power
of God." "Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any
or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power."
All people are conscious of the existence of a Supreme Being: they see
Him or His power in the sun, in the moon and in the stars, in the
storm, in the thunder and in the lightning, in the mighty cataract, in
the bursting volcano, or in the powerful and disgusting reptile, etc.
He is also described by some as having no form, attributes, or power,
or in other words, "without body, parts or passions," and,
consequently, without power or principle; and there are persons who
suppose that He consists entirely of attributes universally diffused.
Not knowing God they worship His works that manifest His power and His
majesty, or His attributes which manifest His goodness, justice, mercy,
and truth. According to all that the world has ever learned by the
researches of philosophers and wise men, according to all the truths
now revealed by science, philosophy and religion, qualities and
attributes depend entirely upon their connection with organized matter
for their development and visible manifestation.
Mr. Abner Kneeland, who was a citizen of Boston, and who was put into
prison for his belief, in an essay which he wrote, made this broad
assertion: "Instead of believing there is no God, I believe that all
is God."
We believe in a Deity who is incorporated—who is a Being of
tabernacle, through which the great attributes of His nature are made
manifest. It is supposed by a certain celebrated philosopher that the
most minute particles of matter which float in space, in the waters,
or that exist in the solid earth, particles which defy the most
powerful glasses to reveal them to the vision of finite man, possess a
portion of divinity, a portion of infinite power, knowledge, goodness,
and truth, and that these qualities are God, and should be worshipped
wherever found. I am an infidel to this doctrine. I know the God in
whom I believe, and am willing to acknowledge Him before all men. We
have persons in this church who have preached and published doctrines
on the subject of the Deity which are not true. Elder Orson Pratt has
written extensively on the doctrines of this church, and upon this
particular doctrine. When he writes and speaks upon subjects with
which he is acquainted and understands, he is a very sound reasoner;
but when he has written upon matters of which he knows nothing—his own
philosophy, which I call vain philosophy—he is wild, uncertain, and
contradictory. In all my public administration as a minister of truth,
I have never yet been under the necessity of preaching, believing, or
practicing doctrines that are not fully and clearly set forth in the
Old and New Testaments, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and Book of
Mormon.
The Book of Mormon, which we firmly believe to be the word of God to
nations that flourished upon this continent many centuries ago,
corroborates the testimonies of the writers of the Old and New
Testaments, and proves these books to be true. They were given to us
in weakness, darkness and ignorance; I will, however, give the
translators of King James' version of the Bible the credit of
performing their labor according to the best of their ability, and I
believe they understood the languages in which the Scriptures were
originally found as well as any men who now live. I have in my
lifetime met with persons who would persist in giving different
renderings, and make quotations from the dead languages to show their
scholarship, and to confuse and darken still more the minds of the
people. To all such I have always felt like saying, there is the Bible, if you are capable of giving us a more correct translation
of it than we have, it is your duty to do so. The Old and New
Testaments have always answered my purpose as books of reference. Many
precious parts have no doubt been taken from them; but the translation
which we have, has been translated according to the best knowledge the
translators possessed of the languages in which the ancient
manuscripts were written, yet as uninspired men they were not
qualified to write the things of God.
I believe in one God to us; as it is written, "For though there be
that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods
many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
are all things, and we by him," and, "They were called gods, unto whom
the word of God came." I believe in a God who has power to exalt and
glorify all who believe in Him, and are faithful in serving Him to the
end of their lives, for this makes them Gods, even the sons of God,
and in this sense also there are Gods many, but to us there is but one
God, and one Lord Jesus Christ—one Savior who came in the meridian of
time to redeem the earth and the children of men from the original sin
that was committed by our first parents, and bring to pass the
restoration of all things through His death and sufferings, open wide
to all believers the gates of life and salvation and exaltation to the
presence of the Father and the Son to dwell with them for evermore.
Numerous are the scriptures which I might bring to bear upon the
subject of the personality of God. I shall not take time to quote them
on this occasion, but will content myself by quoting two passages in
the 1st chapter of Genesis, 26th and 27th verses. "And God said, Let
us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
I believe that the declaration made in these two scriptures is
literally true. God has made His children like Himself to stand erect,
and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all
His works, and given them the same attributes which He Himself
possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no
other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or
under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that
ever will be. As the Apostle Paul has expressed it, "For in him we
live, and move, and have our being." "Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man's device." There exist
fixed laws and regulations by which the elements are fashioned to
fulfill their destiny in all the varied kingdoms and orders of
creation, and this process of creation is from everlasting to
everlasting. Jesus Christ is known in the scriptures as the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and it is written of
Him as being the brightness of the Father's glory and the express
image of His person. The word image we understand in the same sense as
we do the word in the 3rd verse of the 5th chapter of Genesis, "And
Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own
likeness, after his image." I am quite satisfied to be made aware
by the scriptures, and by the Spirit of God, that He is not
only the God and Father of Jesus Christ, but is also the Father of our
spirits and the Creator of our bodies which bear His image as Seth
bore the image of his father Adam. Adam begat many children who bore
His image, but Seth is no doubt more particularly mentioned, because
he was more like his father than the rest of the family.
We bear the image of our earthly parents in their fallen state, but by
obedience to the gospel of salvation, and the renovating influences of
the Holy Ghost, and the holy resurrection, we shall put on the image
of the heavenly, in beauty, glory, power and goodness. Jesus Christ
was so like His Father that on one occasion in answer to a request,
"Show us the Father," He said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father." The strongest testimony that can be borne to the minds of men
is the testimony of the Father concerning the Son, and the testimony
of the Son concerning the Father, by the power of the revelations of
the Spirit, which every man who is born of woman possesses more or
less, and which, if mankind would listen to it, would lead them to the
knowledge of God, and ultimately, assisted by the ordinances of the
gospel, into His presence.
If there is anything that is great and good and wise among men, it
cometh from God. If there are men who possess great ability as
statesmen, or as philosophers, or who possess remarkable scientific
knowledge and skill, the credit thereof belongs to God, for He
dispenses it to His children whether they believe in Him or not, or
whether they sin against Him or not; it makes no difference; but all
will have to account to Him for the way and manner in which they have
used the talents committed unto them. If we believe the plain, broad
statements of the Bible, we must believe that Jesus Christ is the
light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; none are
exempt. This applies to all who possess the least degree of light and
intelligence, no matter how small; wherever intelligence can be found,
God is the author of it. This light is inherent according to a law of
eternity—according to the law of the Gods, according to the law of Him
whom we serve as the only wise, true, and living God to us. He is the
author of this light to us. Yet our knowledge is very limited; who can
tell the future, and know it as the past is known to us? It is a small
thing, if we were acquainted with the principle. Were we acquainted
with this principle, we could just as well read the future as the
past.
The Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son
of the Father, who came in the meridian of time, performed his work,
suffered the penalty and paid the debt of man's original sin by
offering up Himself, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to
His Father; and as Jesus descended below all things, so He will ascend
above all things. We believe that Jesus Christ will come again, as it
is written of Him: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as
he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also
said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken from you unto heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go unto heaven."
Strange as it may appear to many we believe that Jesus Christ will
descend from heaven to earth again even as He ascended into heaven.
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they
also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him." He will come to receive His own, and rule and
reign king of nations as He does king of saints; "For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall
be destroyed is death." He will banish sin from the earth and its
dreadful consequences, tears shall be wiped from every eye and there
shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain.
In view of the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth by
Jesus Christ, John the Baptist proclaimed, that the kingdom of heaven
is at hand. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;"
and, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins." Jesus Christ sent His
disciples to preach the gospel to every creature, to the king and the
peasant, to the great and the small, to the rich and the poor, to the
bond and the free, to the black and the white; they were sent to
preach the gospel of repentance and remission of sins to all the
world, and "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he
that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them
that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick,
and they shall recover."
The Latter-day Saints, this strange people as they are called, believe
and practice this gospel; they believe that the acts of the creatures,
in the performance of the ordinances, prove to the heavens, to God, to
angels and to the good who are upon the earth—to their brethren and to
those who are not their brethren in a church capacity—to those who
believe and to those who do not believe, that they are sincere in
their belief before God and man. Every doctrine and principle that is
laid down in the Old and New Testaments for salvation, this people
will persist in believing and practicing; and, for so doing, they have
become a byword, and are wondered at by the orthodox Christians of the
19th century, who are truly astonished that anybody, in this
enlightened age, should emphatically believe that the Lord and His
servants anciently spoke the truth, and intended their words should be
believed and practiced by all who desire salvation. It is our
privilege, if we so wish, to disbelieve the words of God or a part of
them; but we choose rather to believe all the words of God, and are
trying to observe all of His precepts, to purify the Lord God in our
hearts.
There cannot be found a people upon the face of the whole earth who
are more perfect in the belief and practice of the gospel of Jesus
Christ than are the Latter-day Saints, and there exists no people who
are more easily governed. We have been gathered from many nations, and
speak many languages; we have been ruled by different nationalities,
and educated in different religions, yet we dwell together in Utah
under one government, believe in the same God and worship Him in the
same way, and we are all one in Christ Jesus. The world wonder at
this, and fear the union that prevails among this, as they are called,
singular people. Why is this? It is because the Spirit of the Lord
Almighty is in the people, and they follow its dictates, and they
hearken to the truth, and live by it; this unites them in one, and
causeth them to dwell together in peace; and were it not for
pettifogging lawyers and judges who are among us, a lawsuit would not
be heard of in Utah from one year's end to another. When many of these
people come to Utah they are poor and houseless, but they go
to work and labor away with all their might, without a murmur, under
wise and judicious guidance, and in a short time they are able to
gather from the soil, the water and the air, the essential and solid
comforts of life.
When a lawyer comes into the church, if he happens to have a little
common sense left, and will take to ploughing and cultivating the
soil, there is a chance for him to make a man of himself; but if he
follows his former customs and habits, the chances are against him, he
may ruin himself, lose the Spirit of the Lord, if he ever possessed
it, and go back into midnight darkness.
It is through the proclamation of the gospel that this great people
have been gathered from their homes in distant parts of the earth. It
is not in the power of man to accomplish such a work of gathering
thousands of men, women, and children from different nations to a
distant inland country, and unite them together and make of them a
powerful nation. They heard the sound of the gospel, they repented of
their sins, and were baptized for the remission of them, and received
the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; this Spirit caused them to
gather themselves together for the truth's sake; they came here
because the voice of the Lord called them together from the ends of
the earth. They needed not to be persuaded to gather themselves
together, for they knew it was the will of God by the power of the
Spirit which they had received through the ordinances of the gospel.
Here sits brother George D. Watt, our reporter, who was the first man
to receive the gospel in a foreign land; there had not been a word
spoken to him about gathering to America; but he prophesied that the
land of America was the land of Zion, and that the Lord would gather
His people to that land in the last days, and thus he prophesied by
the Spirit of prophecy which he had received by embracing the gospel.
Wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, and the people
repent, are baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of
hands, that Spirit teaches them that America is the land of Zion, and
they begin straightway to prepare to gather, and thus the Lord is
building up His kingdom in our day. Were it not that I possess the
Spirit of truth which reveals to me the purposes of God, it would
appear to me a strange work and a wonder; but I can understand that
the Lord is feeling after the inhabitants of the earth, and teaching
the honest in heart the truth, and diffusing His Spirit among them,
and offering to all men life and salvation.
If the message which the Lord is sending among the nations is rejected
by them, they will crumble and fall, and cease to exist. The set time
has come for the Lord to favor Zion; He is sending His servants to the
uttermost parts of the earth to declare the truth to the inhabitants
thereof, which they can receive or reject, and be saved or be damned.
This is a hard saying—who can hear it? A gentleman asked the Prophet
Joseph once if he believed that all other sects and parties would be
damned excepting the Mormons. Joseph Smith's reply was, "Yes, sir, and
most of the Mormons too, unless they repent." We believe that all will
be damned who do not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ; but we do not
believe that they will go into a lake which burns with brimstone and
fire, and suffer unnamed and unheard of torments, inflicted by cruel
and malicious devils to all eternity.
The sectarian doctrine of final rewards and punishments is as strange to me as their bodiless, partless, and passionless God. Every
man will receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they
be good or bad. All men, excepting those who sin against the Holy
Ghost, who shed innocent blood or who consent thereto, will be saved
in some kingdom; for in my father's house, says Jesus, are many
mansions. Where is John Wesley's abode in the other world? He is not
where the Father and the Son live, but he is gone into what is called
Hades, or paradise, or the spirit world. He did not receive the gospel
as preached by Jesus Christ and His apostles; it was not then upon the
earth. The power of the Holy Priesthood was not then among men; but I
suppose that Mr. Wesley lived according to the best light he had, and
tried to improve upon it all the days of his life. Where is the
departed spirit of that celebrated reformer? It occupies a better
place than ever entered his heart to conceive of when he was in the
flesh. This is a point of doctrine, however, which I have not time to
speak upon at large now, even if I had strength to do so.
The Lord sent His angel and called and ordained Joseph Smith, first to
the Aaronic and then to the Melchizedek Priesthood, and Joseph Smith
ordained others. He baptized believers and confirmed them and
organized the church. The Lord revealed to him that order which is now
in our midst with regard to our organization as a people, and there is
no better among men. It is the government of the Lord Almighty, and we
think it is very good. The Lord is again speaking to the children of
men, who have opened their ears to hear, and their hearts to
understand; He communicates His will to this people, although they may
be ignorant and guilty of a thousand wrongs, and some will apostatize;
yet we are the best people upon the earth, the most peaceable, the
most industrious, and know the best how to take care of ourselves of
any people now living who are not the people of God; and what we do
not know God will teach us, and what we cannot do He will help us to
perform, if we continue to do His will and keep His commandments; for
in doing this we shall live, grow and increase in numbers and in
strength, and I pray that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of
the truth, for without this we are nothing. To me it is the kingdom of
God or nothing upon the earth. Without it I would not give a farthing
for the wealth, glory, prestige and power of all the world combined;
for, like the dew upon the grass, it passeth away and is forgotten,
and like the flower of the grass it withereth, and is not. Death
levels the most powerful monarch with the poorest starving mendicant;
and both must stand before the judgment seat of Christ to answer for
the deeds done in the body.
To us life is the sweetest of all enjoyments. A man will give all that
he has for his life, yet it is compared to a span length, and is swift
to its termination like the shuttle that passeth over the weaver's
beam. Even when denied the enjoyment of health and of worldly comforts
and conveniences, still will men cling to life to the last. The
kingdom of God secures unto the faithful eternal life, with wives,
children, and friends, in glory immortal, and in eternal felicity and
bliss. Life eternal in His presence is the greatest gift that God can
bestow upon His children. This life is nothing in point of duration in
comparison with the life which is to come to the faithful, and for
that reason we say that in this life it is the kingdom of God or
nothing to us. With the kingdom of God and the facilities it offers
for an everlasting progression in godliness until we know all
things as our Father in Heaven knows them, there is no life of greater
importance than this life, for there is no life in heaven or on earth
to the true followers of Jesus Christ that is not incorporated in His
gospel. Those who reject the gospel, when it is proclaimed to them by
the authority of heaven, cannot know the Father and the Son, and are
cut off from the eternal life which this knowledge alone gives.
We are in the hands of the Almighty as a people, and He is able to
take care of us. We entertain no antipathies against any person or
community upon this earth; but we would give eternal life to all, if
they would receive it at our hands—we would preach the truth to them
and administer to them the ordinances of the gospel. But, it is said,
you believe in polygamy, and we cannot receive the gospel from your
hands. We have been told a great many times that polygamy is not
according to Christianity. The Protestant reformers believed the
doctrine of polygamy. Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, one of the principal
lords and princes of Germany, wrote to the great reformer Martin
Luther and his associate reformers, anxiously imploring them to grant
unto him the privilege of marrying a second wife, while his first
wife, the princess, was yet living. He urged that the practice was in
accordance with the Bible, and not prohibited under the Christian
dispensation. Upon the reception of this letter, Luther, who had
denounced the Romish church for prohibiting the marriage of priests,
and who favored polygamy, met in council with the principal Reformers
to consult upon the letter which had been received from the Landgrave.
They wrote him a lengthy letter in reply, approving of his taking a
second wife, saying—
"There is no need of being much concerned for what men will say,
provided all goes right with conscience. So far do we approve it, and
in those circumstances only by us specified, for the gospel hath
neither recalled nor forbid what was permitted in the law of Moses
with respect to the marriage. Jesus Christ has not changed the
external economy, but added justice only, and life everlasting for
reward. He teaches the true way of obeying God, and endeavors to
repair the corruption of nature."
This letter was written at Wittemburg, the Wednesday after the feast
of St. Nicholas, 1539, and was signed by Martin Luther, Philip
Melancthon, Martin Bucer, and five other Reformers, and was written in
Melancthon's own handwriting.
The marriage was solemnized on the 4th of March, 1540, by the Rev.
Denis Melanther, chaplain to Philip. Philip's first wife was so
anxious "that the soul and body of her dearest spouse should run no
further risk, and that the glory of God might be increased," that she
freely consented to the match.
This letter of the great Reformers was not a hasty conclusion on
their part that polygamy was sanctioned by the gospel, for in the year
1522, seventeen years before they wrote this letter, Martin Luther
himself, in a sermon which he delivered at Wittemburg for the
reformation of marriage, clearly pronounced in favor of polygamy.
These transactions are published in the work entitled, "History of the
variations of the Protestant churches."
Ladies and gentlemen, I exhort you to think for yourselves, and read
your Bibles for yourselves, get the Holy Spirit for yourselves, and
pray for yourselves, that your minds may be divested of false
traditions and early impressions that are untrue. Those who are
acquainted with the history of the world are not ignorant that
polygamy has always been the general rule and monogamy the exception.
Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more
extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that
ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring
monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence
this monogamic system which now prevails throughout all Christendom,
and which has been so fruitful a source of prostitution and whoredom
throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New
World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their
institutions both national and religious. Polygamy did not have its
origin with Joseph Smith, but it existed from the be ginning. So far as
I am concerned as an individual, I did not ask for it; I never desired
it; and if I ever had a trial of my faith in the world, it was when
Joseph Smith revealed that doctrine to me; and I had to pray
incessantly and exercise faith before the Lord until He revealed to me
the truth, and I was satisfied. I say this at the present time for the
satisfaction of both saint and sinner. Now, here are the commandments
of the Lord, and here are the wishes of wicked men, which shall we
obey? It is the Lord and them for it.
I pray that the Spirit of Truth may find its way to each heart, that
we may all love the truth more than error, and cling to that which is
good that we may all be saved in the kingdom of our God. Amen.