I confess before the Latter-day Saints that like others who live in
the religious and political world, or the world of history, or any
other world you have a mind to name, I really want power and
influence. I confess to the Latter-day Saints and to the world that I
want power to prevail on all the inhabitants of the earth to embrace
the gospel of the Son of God that they may be saved in the Kingdom of
Heaven. I want influence in the midst of the Latter-day Saints,
sufficient to get all men and women to sanctify themselves before the
Lord and to sanctify the Lord God in their hearts, and that they may
be of one heart and one mind in all things, that they may be the
disciples of the Lord Jesus. This comprehends a great deal.
I will now take the liberty of telling you what I do not want. I do
not want influence or power over any nation, people, family, or
individual on the face of the earth to do them an injury or lead them
astray, to promote strife or corruption in their hearts, or direct
them in the way that leads to death. But I would like to have power
with the people to induce them to accept those principles which would
put them in possession of life, liberty, peace, joy, and all the
blessings that can be enjoyed by the children of men, and that are
promised in the gospel of life and salvation. I wish you ever to
remember this when you think of yourselves, your brethren, or of any
man that wants influence in the world. Always learn what an individual
wants influence for. If he wants it for good, to promote peace and
righteousness, never hinder his efforts, but promote them if you can.
But when men try to gain influence for evil, to lead their fellow
creatures in the way to death, exercise all the power you
possess to abridge such influence; destroy it if you can. I calculate
to take this course myself.
There are a few of the Latter-day Saints here today; only just a few,
scarcely any from the country. You know we are estimated variously,
some say 80,000, some 100,000, some 150,000; but, to tell you the
secret, I do not want anybody to know our number. I do not want to
number Israel yet. I am very frequently asked the question by
political men, "How many do the Latter-day Saints number in the
mountains?" My invariable reply is that we have enough to make a
Territory. I wish the Latter-day Saints to increase and multiply. It
has been said to me—"Why do you not call men to go on missions to
preach the gospel in order to swell the ranks of the Saints?" I will
tell you what my feelings are with regard to the Latter-day Saints
increasing. One of these young men or girls around me here today,
born and brought up in the Church, is worth, as a general thing, far
more than those who come into the Church with all their traditions
when we go preaching. I recollect the stand I took when I was in
England or whenever I was out preaching. Whenever a man would
transgress we would talk with and persuade him to forsake evil, and he
would confess and say, "I will do so no more," but by and by we would
have occasion to call him up again, and I felt and said that "I would
rather convert two men or women who never heard the gospel than
attempt to make righteous men or women of those who know the way but
will not walk in it."
We wish the brethren to understand the facts just as they are; that
is, there is neither man nor woman in this Church who is not on a
mission. That mission will last as long as they live, and it is to do
good, to promote righteousness, to teach the principles of truth, and
to prevail upon themselves and everybody around them to live those
principles that they may obtain eternal life. This is the mission of
every Latter-day Saint. I talked to the sisters yesterday; I can talk
to the brethren today on the same principle—there is not a man in
this Church but what is capable of doing good if he has a mind to do
so. Here are Elders who say, "I want a mission; I want to go and
preach; I want to be ordained a Seventy, or a High Priest," or
something or other. I will tell you what you really need. You need
eyes to see things as they are and to know your standing before God
and the people. This is what the elders need. To go and preach, or to
be ordained into the quorums of the Seventies, does not make good men
of them, if they are not so before. The ordination of a man to the
High Priest's quorum does not make him a good man. Let every elder,
priest, teacher, and deacon set that example before his family, his
brethren, and the world, that the nations of the earth will hear of
the good works of the Latter-day Saints, that the honest in heart may
be constrained to say—"We are going up to Zion to join this people, of
whom we hear nothing but that they are honest, upright, industrious,
frugal, and intelligent. Let us go up and join this people against
whom so much has heretofore been said."
Will you do this, priests, teachers, and deacons? Will you do this,
Elders of Israel, Seventies, High Priests, and Apostles? Will you live
so that the report may go out from this time from Utah Territory that
the Latter-day Saints are perfect examples for the nations of the
earth? This will be the loudest preaching we can do. We have a
good deal to say yet to this Conference, if we have the time, and the
people attend. We will bring our meeting to a close now.