The teaching of grown people is the same as teaching the children. We
receive impressions when very young, and grow up to further knowledge;
it is the same in receiving the Gospel. When we talk to persons who
have not previously heard the Gospel, we have to reason with them on
the propriety of receiving the truth. We also have to reason with and
persuade the Latter-day Saints, and it is to them I wish principally
to talk this afternoon. When the Gospel is preached to the honest in
heart they receive it by faith, but when they obey it labor is
required. To practice the Gospel requires time, faith, the heart's
affections and a great deal of labor. Here many stop. They hear and
believe, but before they go on to practice they begin to think that
they were mistaken, and unbelief enters into their hearts. There has
been unbelief since the beginning of the world. Have you not read the
sayings of Moses in regard to our mother Eve? She had heard the voice
of the Lord and understood it, saying concerning the fruit of a
certain tree, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die." When her husband was in another part of the garden, a certain
character came along and commenced to reason with her. "That is
very fine fruit: I understand the Lord says you must not partake of
it." "Yes, for in the day we eat of it he says we shall die." "Well,"
says he, "that is not so. You must not believe all that is told you,
but think for yourself. Now I will tell you something. If you eat of
that fruit your eyes will be opened, and you will see as the Gods." He
hands her a little of the fruit, just to try—no matter whether it was
an apple, a grape, or what it was—she tastes of it, and does not die,
and likes it so well that when Adam comes along she says, "Husband,
this fruit is delightful; I have tasted it, and it is desirable to
make one wise; take some." "No," says he, "I shall not, the Lord has
commanded us not to eat of it." But just as it is with other husbands,
she coaxes and persuades, and finally he gives way and partakes of the
forbidden fruit. Now do you see how unbelief entered into the world in
the beginning? We have to reason with mankind to persuade them to
receive the truth of God. A declaratory statement is sufficient for
those who are prepared to receive the spirit of revelation for
themselves, but with the most of the human family we have to reason
and explain. A really pure person is very scarce; but when the heart
is truly pure, the Lord can write upon it, and the truth is received
without argument, or doubt, or disputation. If we talk with the
Latter-day Saints, we have to reason with them, particularly on
temporal matters. Now I could show, by sound argument and logic, the
necessity for the people to live and labor for the good of all.
Anybody ought to be able to see that when one member of a family is
pulling away from the others, and living for self alone, it injures
himself or her self as well as the whole family. The necessity and
beauty of union cannot be better illustrated than by the example of
the chief who called his sons together just previous to his death,
and, taking a bundle of arrows, asked them each to break it. This they
were unable to do. "Now," said he, "unloose the bundle." They did so,
and could take the arrows singly, one by one, and break them with
ease. This will give us as good a proof as we can desire, that when we
are bound together as a unit, we are strong and powerful, but when we
are divided we are weak, and our enemies can obtain power over us.
Take our financial affairs, and they will show the same principle. But
we are prone to unbelief, and have to learn by the childish
principle—a little today and a little more tomorrow, and after a
while perhaps we will become truly Latter-day Saints. We profess to be
so now. But to be a Saint in the full sense of the word, is to be
something very nearly perfect. If, however, we are striving to the
utmost of the ability God has given us to prove that we are willing to
serve him and perform our duties, we are justified. We have the
kingdom of God to build up, Zion to redeem; we have to sanctify
ourselves so that we may be prepared to be caught up with the Church
of the Firstborn, and if we improve every day and hour, then if we
die we shall be found justified. But if we continue to live, we must
become Saints in very deed, or come short of the fullness of the glory
of God that is to be revealed. To lead the Saints in this direction we
have to reason with them, and show the necessity for their observing
this precept and that law, this doctrine and that principle, that they
may be persuaded to do the will of God.
When Joseph Smith first learned from God the principle of
baptism for the remission of sins, he undoubtedly thought that he had
learned something great and wonderful; so, also, when he received his
ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the
Baptist. But he did not fly off at a tangent, and think he had it all,
but was willing and anxious to be taught further. After receiving this
authority, he baptized his friends. When he organized the Church, he
received the higher Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, which
gave him authority not only to baptize for the remission of sins, but
to confirm by the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy
Ghost. The Aaronic Priesthood holds power to baptize, but not to lay
on hands to confer the Holy Ghost. When Joseph Smith received this
higher power, he did not throw away the first, but received additions
to it. He learned of and administered the Sacrament, then went to
preaching a year or two, and received the High Priesthood, which he
imparted to others, and then obtained other communications and powers,
until he received the full pattern and authority to build up the
kingdom of God, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man, which
also he imparted to others. There are men here who heard him say: "We
have added to our faith and knowledge, and have received keys and
authority, until I do not know of anything necessary to build up and
establish the kingdom of God on the earth, but what I have received
and bestowed upon you." He received his knowledge of the things of God
by degrees, until he obtained the last blessing needful to bestow on
his brethren.
The Latter-day Saints need talking to a great deal—they need continual
preaching and instruction upon almost everything. I am happy to say
there is an improvement, still I hear of strife, brother going to law
with brother, contention in families and in the community. This should
not be. Have we not learned yet to be meek and lowly? Are we not
willing to receive and abide the providences of God with patience? How
many are willing to do this as they should? But very few. That
disposition that came from the fall is planted in our hearts, and will
occasionally arise in the bosom. Will we ever get experience enough so
that we can overcome these temptations that arise in the heart, so
that we can say goodbye to the fashions and follies of the world, and
instead of them imbibe good and wholesome principles? Certainly we
will; this is what we are after. The Latter-day Saints must learn to
be one in Christ. We are one in the ordinances and doctrines; one in
the ordinances of baptism, the laying on of hands, the administration
of the sacrament, the blessing of children, the ordinations of the
Priesthood, the endowment; also in the baptism for the dead, though
this was a trial for some at the first. When God revealed to Joseph
Smith and Sidney Rigdon that there was a place prepared for all,
according to the light they had received and their rejection of evil
and practice of good, it was a great trial to many, and some
apostatized because God was not going to send to everlasting
punishment heathens and infants, but had a place of salvation, in due
time, for all, and would bless the honest and virtuous and truthful,
whether they ever belonged to any church or not. It was a new doctrine
to this generation, and many stumbled at it, but Joseph continued to
receive revelation upon revelation, ordinance upon ordinance, truth
upon truth, until he obtained all that was necessary for the
salvation of the human family. All the inhabitants of the earth are
called of God; they are called to repent and be baptized for the
remission of sins. When I first came into the church it was a subject
of considerable thought to me why people whom I knew to be as good and
moral as they could be, should have to repent. But I could see
afterwards that if they had nothing else to repent of they could and
ought to repent of their false religions, of their narrow, contracted
creeds in which they were bound, of the ordinances of men, and get
something better. These narrow, contracted religions have spread
infidelity in the world. They should repent of these and take hold of
the things of God and receive the truths of heaven. "Well," say the
ministers, "we have lived according to the light we have received." We
say, are you willing to receive more? If so, here is more for you. So
far as your faith in Christ goes, and your morality, we say, amen. But
here is something more. "Ah," say they, "we have got enough, we don't
want any of your Mormonism." Well, now they do, if they only knew it.
I had a conversation recently with a prominent minister of a church in
the East and he said, I do not agree with you in your peculiar views.
I answered, are you not for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth? If you are, so am I. How is it possible to get up an
argument? I will make a bargain. I will compare my religion with
yours. We will start out with the Bible alone taking it as the
standard. All that the Bible teaches for doctrine and practice we will
take for our guide. If I have an error I will part with it. Will you
do the same? If you can find that you have a truth that I have not,
and that I have an error, I will trade ten errors if I have them for
one truth. Take the religion of Christ from the foundation up, and it
is all true and for the benefit of mankind. Take the whole world with
their contentions and strife, the kings and potentates who make war
and murder the people by thousands, those who shoot and kill, who rob
the poor, who set at naught the counsel of God, bring them together,
read to them the precepts of Jesus, the principles of the everlasting
Gospel and see if there is one principle that would injure them or the
world of mankind in the least. Will they injure a person, a family, a
neighborhood? All would join, if they spoke the truth, in saying no,
not one; but if we lived up to them, they would make the best
condition of society possible. Let the whole world take the Bible, the
Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the writings and
counsels of this Church, and see if there is anything calculated in
the least degree, in any of their requirements, to injure one
individual on earth. I will say to these few Latter-day Saints, and if
all were here I would say the same, you, brethren and sisters, take
counsel of your Presidents, those who are set to give you counsel; and
so far as your President is concerned as an individual, if you would
say in your hearts, "we will take his counsel," —and I can say before
God he desires this people would live their religion—there would be
no contentions, no stealing, no cheating, no drunkenness, no lying;
wrongdoing would cease, the hand of mercy would be extended to the
poor, kindness and love would be spread abroad, and you would never
hear another jar in the land. I can say that I deserve more obedience
to counsel than I get. Can any man, wo man or child bring up one
thing that I have counseled that would injure anybody or bring the
least stain upon the kingdom of God upon the earth? No, they cannot.
Why can't we be of one heart and of one mind? Why is it that my
brethren allow themselves to be stirred up to strife with their
neighbors? Perhaps some neighbor has let down your bars, and the
cattle have got in, and you are injured in your feelings and allow
anger to enter into your hearts. Perhaps some neighbor has borrowed
your plow and broken it, or done something else in which you are
aggrieved; you set it down that that person is no Saint. Perhaps if
your own faults were portrayed you would show as many as he has, but
you set it down for a fact that he is no Saint, or he would not do
thus and so. Now cease this. When you think your brother has injured
you, go straight and learn the intention of his heart, and judge
according to that, and not according to the outward appearances.
Do you say your prayers? How many houses of High Priests, if I crept
into them like a mouse, could I find where they do not pray with their
families, do not ask God to bless their labors, to bless their fields
and farms, their brethren and the kingdom of God on the earth? How
many Elders, Seventies and Bishops would I find in the same condition?
The Bishops should be a perfect example to their wards in all things.
How many are there who are strictly honest and fair in their deal? I
have experienced so much on that subject that I had better say little
upon it. But I say to you, deal justly, act mercifully and eschew
evil. Do good to all men. We say sometimes, "I will not do any favor
for that man, he is unworthy of assistance." I will give you a piece
of counsel. Do good to all. It is better to feed nine unworthy persons
than to let one worthy person—the tenth, go hungry. Follow this rule
and you will be apt to be found on the right side of doing good.
Suppose we look around here. How many of you sisters have donated fifty
cents to help gather the poor this season? Don't say you have no
money. Have you not had fifty cents to buy a ribbon? How about that
ten dollars to buy hair from somebody else's head when you have plenty
on your own? Take the brethren, too, who wear needless clothing, smoke
cigars, &c. Take all the money that is spent for tea and coffee and
squandered in waste and how much could we get? Why enough to send for
the poor, who are begging and pleading to come, by the scores of
thousands. We got a purse of some four thousand dollars at the late
Conference. I put in one thousand dollars, brother Hooper put in one
thousand dollars. That makes about half the amount I spoke when I was
here, about two years ago, about Elders who had borrowed money of poor
Saints in the old country and never paid them. I said then such men
should be cut off from the Church.
How much tithing do you pay? The professing Christians, apostates and
others have a great deal to say about the Saints paying tithing. Now
let us compare notes. The Elders of this Church travel and preach
without purse or scrip, and labor at home as Bishops, Presidents, High
Counselors, and Ministers, free of charge. Now take the Christians,
how many of their Ministers preach without pay? Go to their meetings,
in their churches, halls, schoolhouses, or any of their public
gatherings, and you have a box, a plate, or a hat put under your face,
and it is, 'Give me a sixpence, give me a sixpence, give me a
sixpence!" Show me the Elder of this Church that does this? We preach
the Gospel without purse or scrip and work for our own bread and
butter. Yet the Christian world whine about our paying tithing. The
Saints should pay the tenth of their income with glad and thankful
hearts, and help to bring home the poor. We have supported and helped
the poor to the amount of millions. We have picked up those who were
poor and brought them here and taught them how to work and take care
of themselves, and some of them ride in their carriages as proud as
the lords of the old world from whence they came.
In regard to this whining of the world about Brigham's handling the
tithing, I can say that he has put in ten dollars where he has taken
one out of the treasury, and he has paid more tithing than any other
man in the Church. Everybody should pay their tenth. A poor woman
ought to pay her tenth chicken, if she has to draw out ten times its
value for her support. It is all the Lord's and we are only his
stewards.
The Latter-day Saints want persuading. What for? Their own good. Some
people talk of how long they have served the Lord, and now they want
to do something for themselves. The moment they begin to feel and act
like this, they commence to serve the devil. There are two powers on
earth, God and Satan, and we must serve one or the other. God requires
obedience to his laws. If I do this I do nothing more than I do to the
United States. We have enlisted to serve the King of Kings. He has
laws, rules, regulations, &c. Why should we not be as willing to pay
taxes to Him as to the United States. We believe in obeying the laws
of the land, we should also obey the laws of God.
People have found out that we believe in a plurality of wives. The
people of this Government say we shall not have a plurality of wives.
Why not say: "a plurality of women," and we shan't have any objection
to it. Because this would strike at men in high places. Their idea is,
"If you want women, illegally, and then thrust them into the street
when you have done with them, we care nothing about it; but if God has
revealed anything about plurality of wives, to marry and provide for
them, as he did in the days of the Patriarchs, we don't want any of
it." If I have wives given to me of the Lord, I do not break any
constitutional law of the land. But enough of that.
I want to persuade the Latter-day Saints to be Latter-day Saints. Bro.
Woodruff was talking about the necessity of making our own clothing. I
say if we go on as we have been doing, and calculate to continue to
purchase from abroad most of what we wear, and a great deal of what we
eat, we shall be left without. Do you know that Babylon is going to
fall? Her merchants will cry out, "there is no one to buy our
merchandise." And if you and I do not learn how to take care of
ourselves, and raise and manufacture what we consume, we shall have to
go without. If you do not know how, go to work and learn how to knit,
sew, weave, make ribbons, raise silk and make up and manufacture your
own wearing apparel and all you need.
Now, on another subject. There is a God who lives, and who framed and
fashioned this earth, and who brought forth that which is on the face
thereof. He has laws. Everything is controlled by law. The actions of
men, however, are left free; they are agents to themselves and must act freely on that agency, or else how could they be judged for
their actions? But God reserves the right to himself to control the
results of their acts, and this no man can hinder. Who of the
Christian divines know anything about the God we serve? I never saw
anyone, until I met Joseph Smith, who could tell me anything about
the character, personality and dwelling place of God, or anything
satisfactory about angels, or the relationship of man to his Maker.
Yet I was as diligent as any man need to be to try and find out these
things. We know more about God and the heavens than we care to tell.
And if we introduce a principle and try to reduce it to the
comprehension of the people, there will be some even among the
Latter-day Saints who would be hard to understand. Where is the divine
who knows the least thing about that Being who is the Father of our
Spirits and the author of our bodies? If we know something about him
is there any harm in it? Not a bit. The world of mankind are infidels.
We should all be infidel to every false principle. I am infidel in
regard to many things, but to the truth, wherever found, I am no
infidel. The Christian world is infidel to the truth in a great
degree. Why? Because they know so little of the mind and will of God.
Step outside of this kingdom, and who can tell us the first process
towards covering the earth with the knowledge of God? Who is there
that can tell us anything about that angel whom John saw coming with
the everlasting Gospel as recorded in John's Revelation? I never
found anyone who could till I saw Joseph Smith. He could tell me what
I had so much desired to learn. What do the Christian divines know
about it even at the present day? If they do know any thing about it I
wish they would tell us. But if they do not know, and will not receive
the things of God from those who do know, does not this make them
infidels to the truth?
My testimony is the positive. I know that there are such cities as
London, Paris, and New York—from my own experience or from that of
others; I know that the sun shines, I know that I exist and have a
being, and I testify that there is a God, and that Jesus Christ lives,
and that he is the Savior of the world. Have you been to heaven and
learned to the contrary? I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of
God, and that he had many revelations. Who can disprove this
testimony? Anyone may dispute it, but there is no one in the world
who can disprove it. I have had many revelations; I have seen and
heard for myself, and know these things are true, and nobody on earth
can disprove them. The eye, the ear, the hand, all the senses may be
deceived, but the Spirit of God cannot be deceived; and when inspired
with that Spirit, the whole man is filled with knowledge, he can see
with a spiritual eye, and he knows that which is beyond the power of
man to controvert. What I know concerning God, concerning the earth,
concerning government, I have received from the heavens, not alone
through my natural ability, and I give God the glory and the praise.
Men talk about what has been accomplished under my direction, and
attribute it to my wisdom and ability; but it is all by the power of
God, and by intelligence received from him. I say to the whole world,
receive the truth, no matter who presents it to you.
Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with
it, and see if it will stand the test. We preach the Gospel, gather
the people of God from all nations, tongues and people, and
build up the kingdom of God on the earth, and this calls for manual
labor, the affec tions of the heart, and the devotion of all our
powers. God bless you. Amen.