I feel very thankful for the privilege of standing before this
congregation this morning, notwithstanding it is with some degree of
diffidence; yet, in common with my brethren, I have reason to rest
assured that when an Elder stands up before a congregation with a
desire to bless them with a portion of the good news that emanates
from the eternal throne, I say I have reason to believe that that
Being whom we serve and worship will not be unmindful of us, inasmuch
as we draw near unto him with confidence and with prayerful hearts. I
rejoiced exceedingly at the words of our beloved President, President
George A. Smith, when he requested the congregation to lift up their
hearts in silent player to Jehovah, that the Elders might receive the
words of life to give unto the people. This is our privilege, brethren
and sisters, and it is one that I esteem of the greatest value; and
when I come to a meeting to listen to the words of truth, I make it an
invariable rule to lift up my heart in silent prayer that the Lord
will administer to us, for without his aid and assistance our words
are of very little value to the Saints.
I realize, this morning, that I am addressing a congregation of
Latter-day Saints. If I were speaking to the people of the world, who
know nothing about our holy religion, I might be directed to admonish
them to be baptized for the remission of their sins. But I realize
that I am talking to a people who are already acquainted with the
first principles of the Gospel. I see before me those who have left
all that was near and dear to them—forsaken their homes, the graves of
their fathers, the associations of their friends, and have gathered
here to serve the true and living God—that Being who has revealed
himself in this, the dispensation of the fullness of times, for the
winding up of the affairs of this earth, according to the program
that was made before the world was. Inasmuch as we have done this, and
have covenanted with God, the Eternal Father, that we would serve him
and keep his commandments, if I can give you a word of comfort, or of
exhortation, I pray that it may be so given to me from God that it may
do you good.
We have had some very excellent instructions given to us during the
Conference. President Young brought the Gospel before us, as it were in a nutshell, when he told us that if there was anything good
or beautiful, anything that savored of virtue and righteousness,
anything that tended to true happiness, it was a portion of the creed
of the Latter-day Saints. I use the term "creed." It is of itself a
word that circumscribes, a word that limits, but there is no limit to
our creed. It is unbounded, it comprehends all truth that is, was or
is to be. Whatsoever is good and noble, whatsoever tends to the
salvation of the children of men and to happify their being here and
hereafter, to bring up, to improve, to increase according to the order
of the Gods, that is the religion of the Latter-day Saints, that is
what constitutes their religion.
It is fashionable to designate that as education which gives the
young, an acquaintance with letters, numbers, science and philosophy;
while that which tends to a future state, to happify hereafter and to
prepare us for the presence of God is called by the world religion.
With the Latter-day Saints it is all education, or it is all religion,
just as you please. That which prepares us to live and enables us to
provide for ourselves the necessaries and comforts of life, as well as
that which prepares us for the presence of God our heavenly father,
that we may dwell with him through all eternity with us is all
education or all religion. We know not where to draw the dividing
line, bearing this fact in mind, that whatsoever is good comes from
God, and that whatsoever is evil comes from an evil source.
I trust that we are awake to these things, that we do not let the time
pass by unimproved, for to us is committed a great and important
work—not only our own salvation but the keys for the redemption of the
children of men from the earliest ages to the winding-up scene. That
is the work the Latter-day Saints have before them. It is well to have
this continually in our minds, that we may not trifle away the time,
but that we may be awake to the signs that are looming up on every
hand, and pointing out, as with the finger of Jehovah, that the time
is drawing near when he whose right it is to reign will come and take
the kingdom. Men have had it a long time their own way. When I read
and reflect upon the history of the past I am led to believe that the
Lord has let men take things into their own hands to a certain degree,
to see what they would do for themselves. You all remember the dream
of Nebuchadnezzar, which Daniel interpreted, wherein he saw a great
image, the head of which was of fine gold, the breast and arms of
silver, &c. Images are the work of men's hands. To Nebuchadnezzar was
given dominion over all the earth, a kingdom which was comparatively
pure, and which was compared to fine gold; but in process of time the
kingdom degenerated, and was weakened and subdivided, as represented
by the feet of the image—which were part of iron and part of miry
clay. But in the last days the God of heaven was to set up a kingdom.
A kingdom that was not a part of the image, it was not the work of
man, it was the work of God, and was likened to a stone cut out of the
mountain without hands. Mark the phrase—"without hands," it was not
the work of men, it was a stone cut out of the mountain without hands,
that is, a kingdom set up by God, which was to smite this image—the
work of men, and an order of things was to be instituted in accordance with the mind and will of Jehovah.
I bear testimony to you this day, brethren and sisters, that God has
set up his kingdom; that it has been revealed to me, to my
understanding, to my most positive conviction, so that it is no longer
a matter of doubt of uncertainty; but it is as substantial and real to
me as the assurance that I am. And there are hundreds, yes, thousands
in this congregation, who could bear the same testimony were they
called upon.
Do we as Latter-day Saints act up to this knowledge? Do we bear in
mind that we have made certain covenants with God, and that we are
responsible whether we keep them or neglect them? I am afraid,
brethren and sisters, that, although the majority of the Latter-day
Saints are doing very well, there are many men with talents, gifts and
abilities given them by God, who might be bright and shining instruments
in his hands, who are negligent and who are wandering after
idols, and are worshiping idols just as much as the heathen who
prostrate themselves before things of wood and stone. What are they
doing? Forgetful of the great aim and object which they should have in
view as Latter-day Saints, they wander off after the things of this
world, they seek to heap to themselves riches, and spend their time as
if there were nothing beyond the veil. This course is not wise, even
so far as this world is concerned, for what is the condition of such
persons today? Their ideal does not give them that true lasting
happiness that comes from God. It brings care and anxiety, and
increases the lust for gain, and what they seek to obtain flees
further from them. The acquisition of wealth entails greater
responsibility as to what use they will make of it to acquire still
more. Looking at it in this light it seems to me a self-evident fact,
that although we are ostensibly engaged in seeking for and promoting
our happiness, we are on the wrong track when we take a course of this
kind. There is a proper course for us to pursue in order to increase
our happiness. We have been thrown together on this planet, in pretty
much the same circumstances in many respects. We are sensitive to
pleasure and to pain, we have a desire to increase our enjoyments, and
there are many things I might mention wherein we are all very much
alike. Now don't you think that the Being who created you and me knew
of a certain plan which, if we would adopt, a certain course which, if
we would pursue, would give us the greatest among of happiness? It is a
very reasonable conclusion.
What course is that likely to be? The same course that our Father in
heaven has taken before us. How shall we get to know what that is? Let
us read the revelations, let us refer to our beloved Savior when he
was upon the earth. What course did he pursue? He went about doing
good. His admonition was to do good to all, to love your enemies, do
good to them that hate you, and to do unto others as you would have
them do to you. These were some of the principles laid down by our
Savior and Redeemer. He said he came not to do his own will, but the
will of his Father. Don't you think, brethren and sisters, that if we
were to follow these golden rules we should see a very different state
of things to what we now see? What would be the result if they were
observed? Every man would be as willing to promote the welfare
and advantage of his neighbor as he would his own. When two went to
trade together it would not be—"Now let us see who will get the best
of the bargain," or, "I don't care what you get, I want to get as much
as I can." The desire would be that each should be satisfied. In a
state of society in which these golden rules were observed by all,
there would be no grinding the face of the poor that the rich might
pile unto themselves wealth, which is a cankerworm; no, but we would
be able to enter into the Order of Enoch, and live it, so that we
might intensify our faith in God and receive and understand more of
his will concerning us, and we should see a state of things, which you
and I have never dreamed of, if we would overcome these feelings of
selfishness which proceed from a power that is evil and that is
opposed to our growth, and to the progress of the kingdom of God.
Is it within our power to inaugurate and bring to pass such a
condition of things? We have the priesthood of the Son of God
bequeathed to us for this very purpose. Is it in the mind and will of
Jehovah to pour out blessings upon His people, to increase upon them
everything that is calculated to happify them here and hereafter. He
has designed to make a nation of kings and priests, according to His
promises made to Abraham. That promise has yet to be fulfilled, and
will as assuredly be fulfilled as that the heavens are above us. He
would pour out blessings on His people, but if they are not able to
receive them, alas! they would prove curses. He has given us laws, and
with every law given there are conditions. If we magnify them,
blessings are promised, of which we are as sure to be the recipients
as that we live. Why are we required to pay Tithing? What does the
Lord want with a tenth of our substance? I will tell you what He wants
with it. He wants you and me to manifest by this thing that we are His
servants, that we respect his commandments, that we do not wholly set
our hearts on filthy lucre, but that we do willingly, cheerfully and
understandingly bring forth one-tenth of our substance, and say—"Here
am I, O Father, ready and willing to lay down what Thou hast required
of me, that I may manifest to Thee my integrity and prove that I am
fit to receive more of Thy blessings." That is the law of Tithing as I
understand it. That is the condition, that is the reward, if you
please, which attends a person who pays it.
Many times the Saints wonder why we do not progress faster than we do,
and sometimes it creates a feeling of regret; but I realize that there
is an abundance of things before the people which they do not live up
to. We have the oracles of God in our midst. I may sit down and read
the Scriptures of the past, the commandments given to the children of
Israel engraven on the tables of stone, or the carnal commandments,
but they benefit me comparatively little. What you and I want today
is the word of the Lord to ourselves. Are we not His children as much
as were the children of Israel in the days of Moses? Most assuredly.
We want the word of the Lord today, and we require to walk up to it
when we get it. As I said, we have the living oracles in our midst,
and if we receive from them admonition, counsel, and commandments if
you please, that is as much the word of the Lord to this people as is
the doctrine of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.
We all look forward to the time when the Order of Enoch will be
established on the earth. But in our present condition, with our
feelings of selfishness, lusting after the things of the world, and
craving after Babylon, we cannot expect that the Lord would have so
little regard for his people as to require us to live this law, when
it would be likely to prove our condemnation. But the servants of God
who stand at the head of this people, with hearts yearning for their
prosperity, with constant prayers ascending to God, for the
advancement of his kingdom upon the earth, have seen fit to propose
that we enter into a system of cooperation, as a step towards
establishing this order that we contemplate will exist at no distant
day. What should be our feelings at hearing of the organization of
such a thing? We should give thanks and praise to Almighty God that
there is a chance—a door opened—by which we may take a step towards
establishing the Order of Enoch. It is a step in the right direction,
and if we understood our true interests we would step forth in that
direction, we would make everything bend to it, we would center our
faith upon it, we would give our might and our means for the
advancement of this institution called the Cooperative Institution.
It should be as the apple of our eye. The support of this cooperative
system is just as much a commandment of God, as I said before, as the
doctrine of baptism for the remission of sins. What makes it so?
Because it has been revealed to us as such by the living oracles. And
what do we care for the printed word, as compared with the living
oracles? Is it not of more importance to you and me to know what we
should do today? Most assuredly. We live in the present, we live
today, and if we live right today, we are ready for tomorrow. It is
of the utmost importance that we should know how to regulate our
conduct today, because we are not only living ourselves today, but
we have our families to train, instruct and educate, that they, in
turn, in their day, may be enabled to carry out the mind and will of God.
If we understood our true interests as a people we would know that we
had not a single individual interest outside the kingdom of God. If
this fact is not apparent to our minds it is because we are more or
less in the dark. What do we seem to possess here? I say seem to
possess advisedly, because we have no control in and of ourselves. Who
can guarantee himself one hour of existence? Who is assured of it?
Even the very ability we have to gather around us the necessaries and
comforts of life comes from God. Who of us has an inheritance? As
President Smith remarked, not a soul of us on the earth has received
an inheritance that we can call our own; and when we as a people have
an opportunity given to us to unite our faith and energies in any one
given direction, we should hail it as one of the greatest blessings
that can be bestowed upon us.
It is in that light I look upon the Perpetual Emigrating Fund for the
gathering of the poor—it is a Godsend to us because we are permitted
to concentrate our faith and energies and means in one direction to
accomplish a great and a good work. It is in that light I rejoice in
the establishment of the Cooperative Institution, because, we are
privileged to unite our energies and faith as a people in one direction, for a beneficial result. It is the same in the
paying of Tithing; and what would we have today without these
institutions? Have you any idea to what extent Tithing has been the
means of bringing to pass the many improvements that have grown up
around us? Many have not, but I am fortunate enough to be thrown into
that position where I am able to see and understand and be acquainted
with the figures and I know the use that Tithing is applied to, and
that it is first and foremost in all improvements for the advancement
of the cause of truth upon the earth, and setting an example for
others to follow in the same wake, and one of the great sources of the
prosperity of this people is due to the fact that there is at least a
certain portion of Tithing paid into the Lord's storehouse.
It has been remarked here that Salt Lake City is, as it were, a
battlefield between the powers of light and the powers of darkness. I never, as an
individual, felt better in my life in this Church than I do today. I
care nothing about the outside pressure so far as I am individually
concerned, and I notice with the Saints who are awake, that the
greater the opposition the stronger they get in the things of God. It
is very true the young are growing up around us, and they have not had
the experience of those of riper years, and are liable to be led
astray. There is a great responsibility resting upon the parents of
the young that they set their children wise and prudent examples; that
they admonish them of the evils that are extant and that are
encroaching upon the people today. When we see Babylonish fashions
coming in amongst us we should be very careful that we avoid setting
our children the example of patterning after them. If we find that our
young folks must run after fash ions, let us go to work and set them
some good examples, create fashions for ourselves that they may
pattern after. Just reflect, sisters, for one moment, who is it that
inaugurate the fashions which some of our so-called ladies patronize
on the streets of Salt Lake City today? Where do those fashions come
from? Would you like to be looked upon in the light those poor
creatures are who inaugurated those fashions? If you must pattern
after something, pattern after the good, righteous and pure, and shun
the very appearance of evil. I will tell you one thing that we may
pattern after profitably. A savings bank has been opened in this city.
It is gotten up for a wise purpose, the people may therein throw their
means together, and peradventure if they want to send for friends and
relatives abroad, when the day rolls round to do so they will have
something they can use for this laudable purpose. There is something
to pattern after, involving a principle of saving, husbanding your
resources. By putting your pennies together, by and by they become a
pound. It is like the units of the actions of this people—when they
are all aggregated together they amount to a mighty effort. Save your
pennies instead of throwing them away on these foolish trifling
vanities. It is the case with some of my brethren and sisters, they
cannot allow a dollar to stay in their pockets a minute. They want to
go to some of the stores to lay it out on some trash, for it is a
fact, patent to all, that this is a day of humbuggery, and the things
you get in the stores are more or less counterfeit and sham, outside
show and gingerbread gilt instead of sound, substantial things that we
ought to seek after. For instance, the cloth that we wear, you
go to a store and buy an article of wearing apparel, how rare it is
that you can get the thing that is represented. No, you get a sham, a
counterfeit, an imitation of the genuine stuff, and that is just what
the world is rapidly coming to. By and by there will be nothing among
them but sham and counterfeit. Let us prefer, rather, that which is
good and substantial, that which we can use and which will be a
benefit to us rather than that which is only for display. Let us seek,
brethren and sisters, after those things which will benefit and
improve our condition today, and leave Babylon alone.
I tell you that if we would keep ourselves to ourselves, you would see
very few of those institutions flourishing in Salt Lake City that are
springing up around us that are now getting the patronage, I am
afraid, of some of the Latter-day Saints. Let me beseech you, for your
own sakes, and for the sake of Israel abroad to quit patronizing
Gentile institutions and abominations, and turn your attention to
building up the kingdom of God, for therein are all the interests you
have on the earth for time and for eternity.
May God bless us and help us so to do is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.