I will say to my friends—those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—"I
beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Treasure up
every truth that you hear, practice it in your lives, for this will
lead you to Jesus. The words that we have heard this afternoon, with
regard to the character of the Son of God and the plan of salvation,
are true so far as they have gone. We, the Latter-day Saints, take the
liberty of believing more than our Christian brethren: we not only
believe part of the Bible, but the whole of it, and the whole of the
plan of salvation that Jesus has given to us. Do we differ from others
who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? No, only in believing more; we
are one with them as far as they believe in him. Do we differ with
regard to the practice of the Gospel that he has delivered to us? No,
not as far as they really believe in and practice the doctrines taught
by him. We believe all that any good man on the earth need believe. We
believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ His Son, our Savior. We
believe all that Moses spoke and wrote of him, all that the apostles
said of him, and all that Jesus himself has said, which was penned and
has been left on record by his apostles and servants.
Our Lord and Savior has been beautifully described and set before us,
by the gentleman who has ad dressed us this afternoon, but I will take
the liberty of saying to every man and woman who wishes to obtain
salvation through him (the Savior) that looking to him, only, is not
enough: they must have faith in his name, character and atonement; and
they must have faith in his father and in the plan of salvation
devised and wrought out by the Father and the Son. What will this
faith lead to? It will lead to obedience to the requirements of the
Gospel; and the few words that I may deliver to my brethren and
sisters and friends this afternoon will be with the direct view of
leading them to God.
How am I to know whether I have passed from death unto life? The
apostle says by loving the brethren. How shall I know the brethren?
They are my brethren who have received and obeyed the Gospel of the
Son of God. This is just as easy to test as it is to test a man who
says he is a citizen of the United States. A man may declare that he
is so, but upon inquiry we find that he has never taken the oath of
allegiance nor even declared his intention of becoming a citizen; but
his sole claim to be considered a citizen rests on the fact that he
lives in this country and has property, perhaps a farm or a store.
This will not entitle any foreigner to the rights and privileges
enjoyed by the humblest citizen. He must first declare his intention,
take the oath of allegiance to this Government and renounce it
to his former one, and then receive his papers of citizenship. It is
just the same in the kingdom of God. However much we may profess
attachment to God and His cause we are not entitled to the blessings
and privileges of His kingdom until we become citizens therein. How
can we do this? By repenting of our sins, and obeying the requirements
of the Gospel of the Son of God which has been delivered to us.
Hundreds and thousands of people have believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ and repented of their sins, and have had the Holy Spirit to
witness unto them that God is love, that they loved Him and that He
loved them, and yet they are not in His kingdom. They have not
complied with the necessary requirements, they have not entered in at
the door, and Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that
entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some
other way, the same is a thief and a robber." He says also, "I am the
door: by me if any man enter in he shall be saved." Jesus has taught
us how we may enter this door and become citizens of his kingdom, and
there is no excuse for our neglecting to do so. Herein we exceed and
go further than our former brethren. We read in this book (the Bible)
of a certain man who came to Jesus by night and asked him what he
should do to be saved. This man, in his own estimation, had been a
strict observer of the law, but Jesus said to him, "Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God." My firm belief is that thousands have been born of the Spirit
and have seen the kingdom, but not having been born of the water they
have never been permitted to enter that kingdom, for Jesus says,
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." This is why we say it is necessary to obey,
fully, the Gospel which Jesus has left on record for us; and to do
that we must repent of our sins, be baptized for the remission of
them, and then receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.
Do we believe in the Holy Ghost? Yes. Do our former brethren in the
Christian world? They say they do. They should believe in it, they
preach and teach it. What will the Holy Ghost do for those who possess
it? It will bring to their remembrance things past, present and to
come, and will teach them all things necessary for them to understand,
in order to secure salvation. Is this the office and ministry of the
Holy Ghost? Jesus says:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send
in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
"Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that he shall speak: and he will shew you things to come."
Then if we receive the Holy Ghost we shall know and understand things
as they are, we shall be able to read the Scriptures by the Spirit,
with which they were written, and if we continue faithful we shall be
led to a knowledge of God and Jesus whom He has sent, which the
apostle says "is eternal life."
Some believe or conceive the idea that to know God would lessen Him in
our estimation; but I can say that for me to understand any principle
or being, on earth or in Heaven, it does not lessen its true value to
me, but, on the contrary, it increases it; and the more I can
know of God, the dearer and more precious He is to me, and the more
exalted are my feelings towards Him. Therein I may be different to
some others.
If we embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rendering obedience
thereunto as he has directed, it will lead us into the kingdom of God
here on the earth. We have started to build up this kingdom. The Lord
has revealed His will from the heavens, and we have faith in Him. Is
there any proof of this? Certainly, there is every proof that is
necessary. I recollect reading in the New Testament that Jesus gave a
mission to his apostles in these words, "Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel to every creature, 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."
This Gospel is for all the children of men, and it will save all who
will believe and obey it. Do this people believe in this Gospel? Yes.
Is there any proof of this? Yes. Here before me I see men who have
left their homes and families; women who have left their homes and
families; parents who have left their children, and children their
parents; husbands who have left their wives, and wives their husbands,
and all to gather with the Saints of the Most High. Is this any
testimony that they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes; and this is
not all. They speak with new tongues, they lay hands on the sick and
they do recover. In these particulars we differ from those with whom
we formerly fellowshipped in the Christian world, who say they tell
the people how to come to God and be saved. But if they ever have done
that, I have never heard them. In my young days I have been called an
infidel for talking thus, for there was no man who could tell me
anything about the plan of salvation; but I never saw the day but what
I would have walked on my knees across this continent to have seen a
man who could have told me the first thing about God and Heaven. It is
true that the feelings and attention of the people may be moved and
attracted by beautiful descriptions of Him and Heaven and with
beautiful illustrations of His power and goodness, such as we have
heard today; but where is God? Who is He? Who is Jesus Christ? Where
do they live? What is their power and character, and their connection
with the people of the earth? In my scanty experience with the divines
of the day I never yet found the first that could describe the
character of God, locate His dwelling place, or give the first correct
idea with regard to the Father and the Son; but to them they are
hidden in impenetrable mystery, and their cry is, "Great is the
mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh." To us it is simple,
plain, glorious and divine, and it is worthy the attention of every
intelligent being that dwells on the face of the earth, for it is
eternal life to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
In these respects we differ from our Christian brethren. We are the
very men and women that have come out from the Mother Church and her
daughters, Methodists, Calvinists and almost every other persuasion on
the face of the earth, the Pagans not excepted. We never learned from
them, however, how to be saved; but we know how to save
ourselves, for the Lord has revealed to us a plan by which we may be
saved both here and hereafter. God has done everything we could ask,
and more than we could ask. The errand of Jesus to earth was to bring
his brethren and sisters back into the presence of the Father; he has
done his part of the work, and it remains for us to do ours. There is
not one thing that the Lord could do for the salvation of the human
family that He has neglected to do; and it remains for the children of
men to receive the truth or reject it; all that can be accomplished
for their salvation, independent of them, has been accomplished in and
by the Savior. It has been justly remarked this afternoon that "Jesus
paid the debt; he atoned for the original sin; he came and suffered
and died on the cross." He is now King of kings and Lord of lords, and
the time will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess,
to the glory of God the Father, that Jesus is the Christ. That very
character that was looked upon, not as the Savior, but as an outcast,
who was crucified between two thieves and treated with scorn and
derision, will be greeted by all men as the only Being through whom
they can obtain salvation.
We differ from our Christian brethren, and have long been separated
from them; but we are here in these mountains through
necessity—because we were not permitted to live with them. But we were
never hated, despised and derided as Christ was; we have never been
crucified and been such outcasts as Jesus, though our prophet and
patriarch were slain; but not in such an ignominious manner as Jesus.
Who will believe our testimony? "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to
them that are lost." Who will believe our testimony? Who will believe
the testimony that has been delivered here this afternoon? I believe
and know it is true; and that, too, by the revelations of that very
character who was lifted up on the cross. How are we to blame for
believing so much? Why, the Scriptures say we are to "prove all
things and hold fast that which is good." I frequently think that the
only way for a man to prove any fact in the world is by experience. We
go, for instance, into an orchard and someone says there is a sweet
apple tree, and he may say the same of other trees, but without
tasting how shall I know they are sweet? Unless I taste of them I
cannot know it. I may take the testimony of others who have tasted
them, as to whether they are sweet, sour or bitter, but without
tasting it cannot be proved to my senses that they are so. Now, as I
understand it, it is the same with all facts that have come to the
knowledge of all beings in Heaven, or on earth—all facts are proved
and made manifest by their opposite. Sin has come into the world, and
death by sin. I frequently ask myself the question: Was there any
necessity for sin to enter the world? Most assuredly there was,
according to my understanding and reasoning powers. Did I not know the
evil I could never know the good; had I not seen the light I should
never be able to comprehend what darkness is. Had I never tried to see
and behold a thing in darkness I could not understand the beauty and
glory of the light. If I had never tasted the bitter or the sour how
could I define or describe the sweet? Consequently, I let all these
things pass, being according to the wisdom of Him who has done all
things for the benefit and salvation of His children here on the
earth. And when we contem plate and realize that He is our
Father and that Jesus is our elder brother, and that we have the
privilege of overcoming sin and death, by faith in Jesus and obedience
to His Gospel, and of being exalted into the presence of the Father
and the Son, the thought should fill our hearts with gratitude, praise
and humility.
I extend my religion further than a great many do. I say it is far
beyond the religions of the day; they consists mainly, of forms and
ceremonies, never revealing to their votaries the object of their
creation and existence, or preparing them to fulfil their high calling
and destiny; but ours incorporates the whole life of man. Our religion
incorporates and includes all the duties devolving upon us every day
of our lives, and enables us, if we live according to the spirit of
it, to discharge those several duties more honorably and efficiently.
I do not think there is as good a financier on the earth as my Father
in Heaven is; I do not think there is a being among the whole human
family who understands the principles of finance as well as He does.
And I believe the same with regard to any other branch of human
knowledge, or of anything which affects the peace, happiness, comfort,
wealth, health and strength of body, and in fact the entire welfare,
whether political, social or physical, of the children of men,
consequently I would like to have Him dictate my affairs. Why? That I
might become the possessor of power, wealth, and influence, for all
the influence the children of men ever possessed they have received
from the Father. Every kingdom that has been set up on the face of the
earth has been set up by the will of the Father. He sets up a kingdom
here and pulls down another there at His pleasure. He gives influence
and power to this one and takes them from another; and so we see
nations come and go. Some individuals live on the earth rich, noble,
powerful and influential; while others are in the depths of poverty.
All this is permitted by the Father, and is according to His decree.
Every act of the children of men is the result of their own will and
pleasure, but the results of these acts God overrules.
Our religion incorporates every act and word of man. No man should go
to merchandising unless he does it in God; no man should go to farming
or any other business unless he does it in the Lord. No lawyer, no,
hold on, I will leave the lawyers out; we do not want them, we have no
use for them. No man of council should sit to judge the people but
what should judge in the Lord, that he may righteously and impartially
discern between right and wrong, truth and error, light and darkness,
justice and injustice. Should any legislature sit without the Lord? If
it does, sooner or later it will fall to pieces. No nation ever did live
that counseled and transacted its national affairs without the Lord,
but what sooner or later went to pieces and came to naught. The same
is true of all the nations that now live or ever will live.
Our work, our everyday labor, our whole lives are within the scope of
our religion. This is what we believe and what we try to practice. Yet
the Lord permits a great many things that He never commands. I have
frequently heard my old brethren in the Christian world make remarks
about the impropriety of indulging in pastimes and amusements. The
Lord never commanded me to dance, yet I have danced; you all know it,
for my life is before the world. Yet while the Lord has never
commanded me to do it, He has permitted it. I do not know that He ever
commanded the boys to go and play at ball, yet He permits it. I
am not aware that He ever commanded us to build a theater, but He has
permitted it, and I can give the reason why. Recreation and diversion
are as necessary to our well-being as the more serious pursuits of
life. There is not a man in the world but what, if kept at any one
branch of business or study, will become like a machine. Our pursuits
should be so diversified as to develop every trait of character and
diversity of talent. If you would develop every power and faculty
possessed by your children, they must have the privilege of engaging
in and enjoying a diversity of amusements and studies; to attain great
excellence, however, they cannot all be kept to any one individual
branch of study. I recollect once while in England, in the district of
country called the "Potteries," seeing a man pass along the street,
his head, perhaps, within sixteen or eighteen inches of the ground. I
inquired what occupation he had followed for a living, and learned
that he had never done anything in his life but turned a tea cup, and
he was then seventy-four years of age. How do we know, but what, if he
had had the privilege, he would have made a statesman or a fine
physician, an excellent mechanic or a good judge? We cannot tell. This
shows the necessity of the mind being kept active and having the
opportunity of indulging in every exercise it can enjoy in order to
attain to a full development of its powers.
We wish, in our Sunday and day schools, that they who are inclined to
any particular branch of study may have the privilege to study it. As
I have often told my sisters in the Female Relief societies, we have
sisters here who, if they had the privilege of studying, would make
just as good mathematicians or accountants as any man; and we think
they ought to have the privilege to study these branches of knowledge
that they may develop the powers with which they are endowed. We
believe that women are useful, not only to sweep houses, wash dishes,
make beds, and raise babies, but that they should stand behind the
counter, study law or physic, or become good bookkeepers and be able
to do the business in any counting house, and all this to enlarge
their sphere of usefulness for the benefit of society at large. In
following these things they but answer the design of their creation.
These, and many more things of equal utility are incorporated in our
religion, and we believe in and try to practice them.
I will say, now, to the Latter-day Saints, sometimes you know, if a
word be dropped unguardedly, we are threatened with an army; if we
speak a word out of the wrong side of the mouth we are threatened with
a legalized mob just as we were in the States. Hence, we must be
careful of what we say, for our enemies are ready to "make a man an
offender for a word, and to lay a snare for him that reproveth in the
gate." I will say, however, that if you, Latter-day Saints, will live
your religion there will be no necessity whatever to fear all the
powers of earth and hell, for God will sustain you. Jesus is king of
this earth and he will sustain those who walk humbly before him,
loving and serving him and keeping his commandments. I pray the
Latter-day Saints to be faithful; love and serve the Lord, keep His
commandments, refrain from evil and walk humbly before him. When we
were in the Christian world, and were without the Priesthood, we
believed in every good word and work, in every moral principle, in
everything that tended to promote peace, happiness, morality and
virtue, in fact in every good principle that man could teach.
Let us live as consistently now as we did then; let us live so that
God will bless us and enable us to overcome and be saved in His
kingdom, which may He grant for Christ's sake. Amen.