We meet together from time to time to speak, to hear, and to reflect
upon things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and the interests and
happiness of humanity; to strengthen, cheer and instruct, to teach and
be taught on things that pertain to our happiness and well-being, in
time and in eternity. As a people we differ in very many respects from
the world with which we are associated. Our ideas, reflections and
belief with regard to Deity are different to those of the world; our
ordinances also vary from those which are in existence among the
Christian world. We have our reasons for this difference; they,
perhaps, have theirs. We place God, his service and his worship as
among the first things that ought to attract our attention.
Considering ourselves immortal as well as mortal beings, and having to
do with time and eternity; with things future, as well as present, it
has been our study for years to try to form correct opinions and ideas
in relation to those things which pertain to our everlasting welfare.
In doing this we have not been desirous, generally, to court the good
feelings or approbation of men. We know that mankind vary very much in
their ideas in relation to these matters, and if desirous we could not
follow them because they do not agree; but we have been desirous, as
far as lay in our power, to seek the approbation of the Almighty and
of an approving conscience, for in religious matters it is with these
we have to do. We consider that we are engaged in a work that will
affect us and our posterity after us for innumerable generations; in a
work in which both the living and the dead are interested. And acting
in the fear of God, and with a reference to eternal realities, we try
to square our conduct and regulate our actions, in such a manner, that
we may stand approved of all good men, and of the holy angels; that we
may be approved of the virtuous and good who have lived on the earth,
and of the virtuous and good who may hereafter live upon it; for we
consider, as we are eternal beings, that things pertaining to eternity
are of a great deal more importance than the evanescent transitory
things pertaining to time and sense, which speedily pass away. We find
one thing literally true, as spoken of by the scriptures—that "It is
appointed for men once to die," and that the teeming millions who now
inhabit this earth have only existed upon it for a very short time,
and will only continue to exist for a short time to come; and as we have supplanted the millions who have gone before us, so also
shall we be supplanted by millions who will follow after us; and as we
believe in an eternity and in future rewards and future punishments,
and in future exaltations and future degradations; as we believe that
this life is simply a probationary state we feel desirous to act as
wise, prudent, intelligent beings, squaring our lives and actions
according to the high position that we occupy before God and before
the holy angels. We are not satisfied, as many men are, with simple
theories, because this, that or the other man or bodies of men have
told us they are true, we are governed by no man's ipse dixit. We have
not any particular dogmas to sustain, or any special theory to
establish. Living in the world of mankind, surrounded by the works of
nature, walking, as it were, in the presence of the Great Eloheim, we
wish to comprehend and embrace all truth and seek for and obtain
everything that is calculated to exalt, ennoble and dignify the human
family; and wherever we find truth, no matter where, or from what
source it may come, it becomes part and parcel of our religious creed,
if you please, or our political creed, or our moral creed, or our
philosophy, as the case may be, or whatever you may please to term it.
We are open for the reception of all truth, of whatever nature it may
be, and are desirous to obtain and possess it, to search after it as
we would for hidden treasures; and to use all the knowledge God gives
to us to possess ourselves of all the intelligence that he has given
to others; and to ask at his hands to reveal unto us his will, in
regard to things that are the best calculated to promote the happiness
and well-being of human society. If there are any good principles, any
moral philosophy that we have not yet attained to we are desirous to
learn them. If there is anything in the scientific world that we do
not yet comprehend we desire to become acquainted with it. If there is
any branch of philosophy calculated to promote the well-being of
humanity, that we have not yet grasped, we wish to possess ourselves
of it. If there is anything pertaining to the rule and government of
nations, or politics, if you please, that we are not acquainted with,
we desire to possess it. If there are any religious ideas, any
theological truths, any principles pertaining to God, that we have not
learned, we ask mankind, and we pray God, our heavenly Father, to
enlighten our minds that we may comprehend, realize, embrace and live
up to them as part of our religious faith. Thus our ideas and thoughts
would extend as far as the wide world spreads, embracing everything
pertaining to light, life, or existence pertaining to this world or
the world that is to come. They would dig into the bowels of the
earth, or go to the depth of hell, if you please; they would soar
after the intelligence of the Gods that dwell in the eternal worlds;
they would grasp everything that is good and noble and excellent and
happifying and calculated to promote the well-being of the human
family.
There is no man nor set of men who have pointed out the pathway for
our feet to travel in, in relation to these matters. There are no
dogmas nor theories extant in the world that we profess to listen to,
unless they can be verified by the principles of eternal truth. We
carefully scan, investigate, criticize and examine everything that
presents itself to our view, and so far as we are enabled to comprehend
any truths in existence, we gladly hail them as part and portion of
the system with which we are associated. We are quite willing
that others should be governed by the dogmas, theories and notions of
men just as much as they please: we do not have confidence in them.
They may worship God as they please, it is none of our business, it is
a matter between them and their God. We may think, in many instances,
their acts are foolish; but if they have a mind to be foolish that is
not our business. They perhaps entertain the same opinion in relation
to us. But we do feel, in regard to moral and religious ideas, that we
are engaged in a sacred cause, and that while men, with all their
combined wisdom and intelligence, have been unable to introduce and
establish systems that are good, happifying, elevating and ennobling;
we think there is a being who lives in the heavens superintending the
affairs of the human family, who is worshiped by the great mass of
humanity in one form or another—a great power that is capable of
instructing, guiding, directing and regulating the affairs of men, as
by eternal laws he governs all nature and regulates the planetary
system. While on the one hand we are willing that others should
worship him in what manner they please, we have a right to the same
privileges, rights and immunities, and possessing ourselves of this
idea we take the liberty to do so.
There are two things I have always said I would do, and I calculate to
carry them out, living or dying. One is to vote for whom I please and
the other to worship God as I please. There is a principle of freedom
planted in the human mind that has always existed there, and no man,
nor any power has yet been able to obliterate it. Believing as we do
we take the liberty to believe the Bible, which our fellow Christians,
generally throughout the world, profess to believe in, whether they do
so or not. We read in that sacred volume that, "Holy men of old spake
as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost." This, to many, seems
perhaps singular phraseology, but it is nevertheless true; and if they
did not, whence came this sacred volume? How do men at the present day
learn anything pertaining to God? Who puts them in possession of any
information relative to the holy angels, to a heaven, to the plans and
purposes of God pertaining to the earth whereon we live, and its
inhabitants? Who revealed anything pertaining to future rewards and
punishments, and how did the theologians of the day become acquainted
with these principles? Where did they get their knowledge from? They
tell you from the Bible. That Bible would never have been in existence
if holy men of old had not spoken as they were moved upon by the Holy
Ghost. If men in former times had not had revelation from the Most
High; if angels had not ministered to them; if they had not had
revelations and the dark curtain of futurity had not been withdrawn
from their minds and they had not been enabled to gaze upon the
purposes of God as they should roll forth in future generations: if
such "old fogies," as some call them, had not lived, we should have
had no Bible, no Christian religion, nothing to guide our feet, that
is, so far as records are concerned. If the heavens had always been,
as many would have us believe they are now—as brass over our heads,
and God had been deaf to the entreaties of humanity, we should have
had no Christian or Mosaic religion, or any religion giving any
knowledge of God or his purposes.
We profess, forsooth, in this generation of enlightenment, with all
its latitudinarianism, with all its diver sities of opinions,
ideas, theories and dogmas; with a thousand different professedly
religious parties to be wiser than that man who said there was "One
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is above all, through all
and in you all." People now-a-days think the religion they had in
those days might do for a barbarous age, but we are so enlightened, so
intelligent, so philosophical, that we are altogether ahead of those
"old fogies" who lived some time ago and conversed with God and had
angels minister to them. Now I have frequently said, and say today,
"The Lord God deliver me from the enlightenment, the corruption and
evil throughout the world at the present time," and give me some of
that religion that ancient men of God had who spake as they were moved
upon by the Holy Ghost. I would like to associate with men whom God
would talk with, and that angels would communicate intelligence to,
and that the heavens could be opened to, that could have the purposes
of God unfolded to them, that could comprehend the object of the
creation of the world whereon we live; the object of the existence of
man, and his future destiny, as an eternal intelligent being. I want
to know whence I came, I want to know what I am doing here, what is
the object of my existence. I want to know something about the world
whereon I live, the object of this beautiful creation with which I am
surrounded, and its destiny; and if there is a God who rules in the
heavens and superintends the affairs of the universe I want to know
something about him, whom to know I am told is "life everlasting." If
there is a religion that will teach me that, that is the religion I
want, and anything short of that I would not give the ashes of a rye
straw for. People may take their philosophy, and their Christianity,
and their morality, and their intelligence, and chuckle over their
supposed superiority for what I care if I can only get acquainted with
God and know something of his law, of the principles of eternal truth,
if I can learn to save myself and my posterity; be placed in a
position that I can obtain promises from God as Abraham did, that
should reach down through every subsequent period of time until the
final winding up scene, and then stretch forward into the eternity
that is to come. As an eternal intelligent being these are some of the
thoughts, reflections and ideas that come through my mind, and I
cannot be satisfied with anything less. Others may be glad to "Sit and
sing themselves away," as they ignorantly sing sometimes, "to
everlasting bliss." They may worship a God without body, parts and
passions, or go to a heaven somewhere "beyond the bounds of time and
space." I would like to be associated with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Jesus, the prophets and those honorable men who had communication with
God and that he was not ashamed of, and as one of the apostles says,
"God was not ashamed to be called their God, for he had provided for
them a city." I want to search for a tangible reality, "a city that
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God," as the scriptures
speak of a city that one of those ancient men of God, when under the
inspiration of the Almighty, had a vision of, and contemplated its
glory.
We are seeking, in the first place, to regenerate ourselves, and then,
under the guidance and direction of the Almighty, to regulate the
world in which we live. We know that this is not very popular; but
that makes no difference to us. So far as we, ourselves, are concerned
we know precisely where we stand; so far as the world is
concerned, as to the reception of our ideas by them, that is their
business, and God's business. They have to do with him and we have to
do with him. We are in his hands, and all the world of mankind are in
his hands, and he will manage and control them and dictate and
regulate them according to the dictates of his will, and not according
to my theories or yours or any other person's, and, "The judge of all
the earth will do right." This people know what they are doing, and
they know precisely their position whether others do or not.
What has called you out from among the nations, you who are here
before me? I speak now to Latter-day Saints, you who heard the sound
of the Gospel in the various lands that you came from. When the Elders
came and preached unto you it was something like the position of Paul
of old—"Their words came to you with power and demonstration and with
the Holy Ghost," and their words and testimony and spirit responded to
that spirit which was in your bosoms, and you hailed their testimony
as a message of light, and you obeyed it: you went forth into the
waters of baptism amid the scorn, contumely, reproach and contempt of
the world, religious, philosophical and moral. Inspired by the fire of
truth you braved the whole of it. By the same spirit and influence you
have been gathered together here, as you are today in this city and
in these valleys of the mountains, throughout the length and breadth
of this Territory. Your ideas were based on the revelations of God,
the message that you heard was that God had spoken, that the heavens
had been opened, that angels had appeared as they had formerly, that
the everlasting Gospel had been restored in all its richness, fulness,
power and glory, that it was your privilege to know for yourselves the
truth of the principles you believed in. You believed those
principles, you went forth into the waters of baptism and obeyed them,
you have all been baptized into one baptism, have all partaken of one
spirit, and are here under the same influence, guidance and direction;
and hence we are here assembled, as on this occasion today, not by
our own wisdom and intelligence, not by the intelligence of the world,
not by the intelligence of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, any of the
Apostles, or anybody else, but by the intelligence and inspiration of
the Lord of Hosts to them and to you, and by the Spirit of God
attending the administration of his Elders, and you have known and
comprehended and realized for yourselves the truths which you believed
in.
Standing in this capacity there is a work which we have to perform—to
save ourselves, our progenitors, our posterity, and to act as saviors
upon Mount Zion, to build the temples of the Lord and to administer in
them, and as eternal beings to watch after the eternal interests of
humanity. This is the position that we occupy.
We find men come along among us sometimes who think we are fools, and
that they could improve matters considerably. They have had plenty of
opportunity in the world to do that, why haven't they accomplished it?
There is room enough for all the philosophers, and all the
theologians, and all the wise men and philanthropists to benefit
mankind outside of us. Anywhere, everywhere, go where you will, and
what do you find? Corruption, evil, iniquity, hypocrisy of every grade
and form, and under all circumstances, moral, religious, political and
social, and everything else you please to name. Societies convulsed,
rending apart, vili fying and abusing one another; full of
corruption and rottenness, evil and iniquity of every kind, socially,
morally and religiously. Plenty of room for all philanthropists and
for all men who desire to benefit the human family. Go and regulate
them. Put the United States right, regulate England and France, put
Germany straight. Regulate the affairs of the nations, and then come
and talk to us. But until we see something better than the kind of
civilization that we are having introduced here, we beg to be excused
from it. We saw enough of that before we came here; and the examples
that are exhibited in our midst are too revolting, too degrading and
humiliating for decent men and women to have anything to do with. Is
this indeed the vaunted civilization so much talked of? We do not want
it. "My soul, enter not thou into their secrets; my honor, with them
be not thou united!" We are after more honorable aims, more exalted
feelings and principles and views than those that are imported into
our midst here. I used to believe in that scripture, and I have a good
deal of faith in it yet, that "an impure fountain cannot send forth
pure streams;" that "a bad tree will not bring forth good fruit;" and
that trees are "known by their fruits." I am a believer of that kind
of thing yet, and in speaking of these affairs I feel a good deal as
one of the servants of God felt when he was engaged in building the
walls of old Jerusalem. There was some man came up and wanted to
interfere with his operations, but said he, "I am doing a great work,
hinder me not." We feel about the same. We are engaged in a great
work, we are seeking after our own salvation and the salvation of our
friends, the salvation of our forefathers, the salvation of our
children and posterity who shall come after us, the salvation of the
world wherein we live and its everlasting happiness and exaltation,
"hinder us not." Pursue your own course, worship as you please, do as
you please, follow your own inclinations in any other way, only do not
interfere with the rights of men nor violate the laws of the land.
That is all we ask, and you have full liberty to carry out any views
and feelings you please. I remember reading a few lines of some very
zealous Protestant who wrote over some public building: "In this place
may enter Greek, Jew or Atheist, anything but a Papist." Now I say let
the Papist come in too, the Muslim, the Greek, the Jew, the Pagan
believer and unbeliever, and the whole world. If God sends his rain on
the good and evil and makes his sun shine on the just and unjust, I
certainly shall not object. Let them worship as they please, and have
full freedom and equal rights and privileges with us, and all men.
These are our feelings, and, as I said before, we are desirous, so far
as we can, to be instructed in everything that is calculated to exalt
and ennoble the human family. Others, of course, can do as they please
about it. And in speaking of the Saints let me tell you that the
religion you embraced five, ten, twenty, thirty or forty years ago is
just the same now as it was then; it is like its author, "The same
yesterday, today and forever." We have not "changed our base," as they
talk about sometimes in their wars; we have no "new departures," as
others talk about. We are after the truth. We commenced searching for
it, and we are constantly in search of it, and so fast as we find any
true principle revealed by any man, by God or by holy angels, we
embrace it and make it part of our religious creed.
Nobody need be concerned at all by the events that have been
transpiring here, or that may transpire. There is nothing new in
relation to these matters. It is only a little piece of the same
material that we have experienced in years gone by, and that the
Saints of God have always had to cope with. They talk sometimes about
our morality here, and the action of this people and so forth. In
conversation lately, with a judge from Montana, I forget his name, I
told him I had been judge of the probate court in Utah County, one of
the largest counties in Utah, perhaps the largest with the exception
of Salt Lake, and that during two years, while acting in that
capacity, I had one criminal case—petty larceny—come before me, and
three civil cases, two of which were decided by arbitration. I asked
him how he got along in Montana. Said he, "in the same time while I
was judge there, probate judge, I had to act as probate on upwards of
eighty cases, most of whom came to their death by violent means." Why
didn't they blame the Governor or the Mayors of cities for killing
these men? Could so many murders be committed and the Mayors and
Governors not do it? It is astonishing! Now I would rather be the
friend and associate of these men whom they call murderers here than
of their most honorable men, and so would this people, and all who
believe it say aye. (The crowded congregation gave one unanimous
"aye." ) They cannot show such a record in any part of the world as we
can exhibit in this Territory in relation to these matters; and they
cannot find another Territory that has been so well managed in its
financial matters. Our city here is out of debt; our cities throughout
the Territory are out of debt; our counties are out of debt and our
Territory is out of debt. Where can you point to the same thing
anywhere else? Well, they have got such good, smart, intelligent men
in other places that they manage to keep things right, and we are
fools here! A good many people think that Mayor Wells is not half
smart enough, and that if they were in his place they could manage the
municipal finances a great deal better. I presume the same as they
were manipulated in New York. (Laughter.) But we don't want such
Mayors, nor such Governors, nor such institutions in our midst. We
want righteousness and truth and equity and honor and integrity, and
men to be governed by correct principles, and to seek the well-being
of the people they live among and rule over. And who are these men
they are now prosecuting and persecuting? Why, here is Brigham Young,
for instance, I have traveled with him thousands of miles, preaching
the Gospel without purse or scrip. What has he done to anybody? Whom
has he injured? Can anybody put their finger on it? Not and tell the
truth. I know before God they lie. I have been with him in private and
public under all circumstances and I know his feelings. I know they
are liars when they make these statements, and this people believe it
too.
Well, what shall we do then? Why, do right. It is all right, who
cares? The wrath of man shall praise the Lord. He holds them and us in
his hands, and he will control, guide, manage and direct all things
according to the counsel of his will, and no power in this city nor in
these United States I say, and I will prophesy it in the name of
Israel's God, shall harm you (Congregation said "Amen" ). God will
control, direct and manage all the affairs pertaining to his people,
and Israel will rejoice and be triumphant, and the kingdom of God will
be established, and the power of God will be manifested, and
the work of God will progress, and the kingdom of God will roll forth,
from conquering unto conquer, until the kingdoms of this world shall
become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he shall reign with
universal empire.
May God help us all to be faithful, in the name of Jesus, Amen.