In our assemblies at Conference the representatives of the people from
the various parts of the Territory meet together to be informed in
relation to any and all measures that may be determined upon for the
furtherance of our interests as a people, and the interests of the
Church and kingdom of God upon the earth; for the Church and kingdom
of God is established upon the earth, and God has communicated unto us
his will, and, by revelation, has instructed us how to organize the
various orders of the Priesthood as they have been presented before
you today. I feel that we are acting in the presence of God and of
the holy angels, and that we are operating for our own welfare, the
welfare of our ancestors and, in part, for the welfare of the millions
who have lived upon the earth, and for the introduction of principles
which have emanated from God, which are calculated to regenerate,
evangelize and redeem the world in which we live.
There is something peculiar in the relationship that we sustain to
each other, to those who have gone before us, to our God and to the
building up of his kingdom. We are not acting for ourselves
individually, but in the interests and for the benefit of all men that
have ever lived upon the earth, as well as of those now living upon it.
We are acting in conjunction with the Almighty; with Apostles and
Prophets and men of God who have lived in the various ages of the
world, to accomplish the great program that God had in his mind in
relation to the human family before the world existed, and
which will as assuredly come to pass as God lives. We feel, at the
same time, that we are encompassed with the infirmities, weaknesses,
imperfections and frailties of human nature, and in many instances we
err in judgment, and we always need the sustaining hand of the
Almighty; the guidance and direction of His Holy Spirit, and the
counsel of his Priesthood that we may be led and preserved in the path
that leads to life eternal; for it is the desire of all Latter-day
Saints to keep the commandments of God, live their religion, honor
their profession and magnify their calling, and so prepare themselves
for an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God.
We have had presented before us today, the Church authorities. This
may seem to many of us a mere matter of form; but it is at the same
time a matter of fact, and one in which we are individually and
collectively interested. It presents to our minds a train of
reasoning, ideas, thoughts and reflections which men generally do not
experience. Here is a President and his council, here are the Twelve,
the Bishops, High Priests, Seventies, Elders and the various
authorities and councils of the Church upon the earth—the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What is that Church? Is it a
phantom, a theory, an ideality, something that has been got up by the
schools, by the wise men and philosophers of the day? No, it is
something that emanates from God, that had its origin with him. It is
to him that we are indebted for all the light, intelligence and
knowledge that we possess. How did we know that we needed a President?
God told us. How did we know that we needed counselors? The Lord told
us. How did we know that it was necessary that there should be a
Twelve in the Church and kingdom of God? The Lord told us. How did we
know that there should be quorums of Seventies, High Priests, Elders,
High Councils, and all these various organizations? The Lord told us,
and we have come together and passed upon these principles, and have
united together in the Commonwealth of Israel. And when we talk about
this Priesthood, as has been very properly remarked by one of the
speakers during this Conference, why, we all of us belong, more or
less, thereto. It is emphatically that which was spoken of in the days
of Moses—a kingdom of Priests. We are in reality a kingdom of Priests,
and we are in possession of principles that will endure throughout all
eternity. We are associated with men who have lived before us, and who
are connected with the same ministry and calling as we possess, and
they are operating with us and we with them for the accomplishment of
certain objects which God has in view. And who of us can point out the
path wherein we should walk? Who of us can direct our steps in
relation to the great principles that lie before us? We need the
guidance, instruction, intelligence and revelation that flow from
heaven to lead us. We have needed them to bring us thus far. When the
Lord got angry with the children of Israel because of their follies,
and said, "I will not go up with you, but, my spirit shall go with
you," Moses might well plead and say—"O God, if thou goest not up with
us carry us not up hence." He felt—what can we do, what course shall
we pursue unless the Lord directs us? We, the Latter-day Saints are in
the same position—unless the Lord guides us we are in a poor fix.
Now then, what were Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evan gelists and other officers placed in the Church for in
former days? Paul tells us for the perfecting of the Saints, for the
work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ until
we all come to a unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto the fullness of the stature of a perfect man in Christ, that
we be no more children, tossed about with every wind of doctrine, and
the cunning craftiness whereby men lie in wait to deceive, and that we
may grow up in him, our living head, in all things. What are Apostles,
Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, &c., placed in the Church
now for? For precisely the same reasons that they were then, only much
more so, for they were connected with a system that had to succumb to
the adversary, and to be rooted out—a certain power was to rise up and
was to prevail against them; but it is not so with us—our course is
onward. We are connected with that little stone that was hewn out of
the mountain without hands, and that was to continue to roll until it
filled the whole earth. That is the position that we occupy, and it is
said that the kingdom shall not be given into the hands of another
people.
These several officers, we are told, were placed in the Church for the
perfecting of the Saints—we need their labors; they are for the work
of the ministry—we need a little of it; they are for the edifying of
the body of Christ—we need edifying. How long? Until we all come in
the unity of the faith, and until we are perfect in the knowledge of
the Son of God. We are not quite there yet. There is a little
faltering, shaking, tottering and stumbling like babes amongst us once
in a while, and we need the sustaining hand, and instruction of God to
support us and help us to pass along in the path marked out for us. He
has led us along remarkably, and he has united us to a certain extent
in many things, and there is something pleasant and delightful in
union. We have done a good deal in being united. Here are many of
these Elders around me who have been ready, in any moment, to go
anywhere, just as these Elders who have been called today to go to
the States, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, or
any other part of the earth, to preach the Gospel, build up
settlements or whatever else they are required to do in order to
further the purposes and to build up the kingdom of God upon the
earth. I was very much pleased at a meeting we had the other evening
in the Tabernacle, to learn that over three hundred men could be found
who would go down to St. George this winter, find their own food and
work as teamsters, carpenters, stonecutters, and in other callings
necessary to forward the work on the Temple. That shows there is
something like union among the Latter-day Saints. I like to see
principles of that kind operating among us, it shows that we possess a
portion of the spirit of the work, and that we appreciate the Gospel.
And we have done a good deal of this kind of thing heretofore. Many of
you remember what took place when we left Far West. When our people
there had been robbed of everything that the thieves could get hold
of, they put the balance of their means together to help one another
out, until there was not a man left who wanted to leave the State. We
agreed to do that and we did it. Then, afterwards, when we left
Nauvoo, we covenanted, in the Temple that we built there, that we
would never cease our endeavors until every man who wanted to leave
that coun try and come here had had the opportunity, and that
we would assist him in doing so. Did we carry it out? We did, and we
were united in our efforts, and we did a good many things besides what
we promised to do. We have sent as many as five hundred teams at a
time from here with provisions and other necessaries, to bring the
poor from the frontiers to this land, before the railroad was in
existence; and since then we have operated and cooperated with our
means to bring them by the railroad. So far these things are good,
honorable and praiseworthy.
Then again, we are a good deal united in our doctrinal affairs, and we
begin to feel that we are part of God's creation, that we are
operating in this particular day and age of the world to accomplish a
certain work, and that work is not for our own individual interests
alone, it is not to build up and aggrandize ourselves, but it is to
build up the kingdom of God and to forward his purposes upon the
earth. That is what we are here for. You might talk about principle to
a great many men until your heads turned gray and your tongues cleave
to the roofs of your mouths, and it would make no difference—they are
not prepared to receive it. But the Latter-day Saints are to a very
great extent. Why? Because the very first thing that God did with us
was to get us converted, to get us baptized and in a position where we
could receive the Holy Ghost, and then we were placed in what some
people call en rapport with God—brought into communication and
relationship with him so that we could recognize him as our Father and
friend, and we are his friends; and he and we, and others who have
lived and died here on the earth, who obeyed the same principles that
we have obeyed, are all operating toge ther for the accomplishment of
the purposes of God on the earth. That is what we are doing. It is a
great work, and, everyone of us needs to ponder the path of our feet,
to mark well the course that is laid out to us, and seek to do the
will of our heavenly Father. We are living in a critical and an
important age. Men sometimes are astonished when they see the
corruption, wickedness and evil, the departure from honesty and
integrity, and the villainy that everywhere exist; but why should they
be? Have we not been preaching for the last thirty or forty years that
the world would grow "worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived?"
Has it not been preached to us that the nations of the earth had the
elements of destruction within themselves and that they were bound to
crumble? And when we see honor trampled under foot, and integrity and
truth standing afar off, while the wicked, corrupt and froward manage
and direct affairs, we may expect that the axe is laid at the root of
the tree and that it is decaying and will soon fall. And that is what
is being accomplished among the nations today. We need not whine or
think there is anything strange or remarkable about it. We have
expected these things to transpire, and they will be a great deal
worse than they are today. But we are engaged in introducing correct
principles, and we are trying to get united. We are united, as I said
before, in many things, for the religion that we have embraced, in its
spiritual signification, brings us into communication one with
another, and helps us to love one another, and I wish there was a
little more of that disposition among us, and that we loved one
another a little better, and studied one another's interests a little
more. I wish we could sympathize with our brethren, and be
full of loving kindness and generosity one towards another. I wish
that we could feel that brotherly love continued, and that it was
spreading and increasing, flowing from the fountain of life—from
God—from heart to heart as oil is poured from vessel to vessel, that
harmony, sympathy, kindness and love might be universal among us. This
is what the Gospel will do for us if we will only let it. Said Jesus,
when speaking to the woman of Samaria—"If thou hadst asked of me I
would have given thee water that should have been in thee a well
springing up to everlasting life." Let us drink a little more deeply
of our religion, it leads us to God, it opens up a communication
between us and our Father, whereby we are enabled to cry "Abba,
Father." The principles of the Gospel that we have embraced reach into
eternity, they penetrate behind the veil where Christ our forerunner
has gone, if we are living our religion and keeping the commandments
of God; and wherever the influence of this Gospel is exerted it binds
people together, and at the same time unites them with their God who
rules in heaven, and with Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and
with the heavenly throng, and their minds are illuminated until, like
the vision of Jacob's ladder, they can see the angels of God ascending
and descending, carrying messages to and from God and his people. Said
Jesus, about the last thing when he was leaving the earth—"Father, I
pray for those whom thou hast given me, and not for these only, but
for all who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may
be one, even as I and the Father are one, that they may be one in
us" —one in sentiment, feeling, desire and action for the
accomplishment of the purposes of God, whether in the heavens or upon
the earth.
Can we conceive of these things? We have little glimpses in relation
to them sometimes, by which we are enabled to form a very faint idea
of the effect of that unity which exists in heaven, and of the unity
that ought to exist on earth. What can bring this latter about? Some
speculative theory? No. We want, in the first place, to have our
hearts united to God; we want to have the Spirit of God planted in our
bosoms; we want to have the power of the Gospel in our households; we
want a union with each other there, and a union with our God, and
everyone of us to feel as one felt formerly—"As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord." As a starting point, we each of us must
feel—"No matter what others do, I and my house will fear God, keep his
commandments, and do that which is right in his sight, and in the
sight of holy angels." And what then? Why, we will do everything else
that God wants us. If it is to build Temples? Yes. Is it profitable?
God knows best about that. If it does not make much money, it brings
something in the heart that the world cannot give and that man cannot
take away—it gives peace and joy and satisfaction, and you feel—"I am
of the household of faith, I am a child of God, I am carrying out the
will of my Father, and they who have lived and we who now live are
operating together for the redemption of the living and the dead, for
the regeneration of the world, for the carrying out of the purposes of
the great Eloheim, for the introduction of principles that will
ennoble and exalt man and enable him to stand in the dignity of his
office, calling and Priesthood as a Priest of the Most High God." That
is the posi tion that we ought to occupy, and that is what we
are after. It is no little boys' play that we are engaged in, it is a
lifelong service, and that life will last while eternity endures. We
want to operate here all the time, so that we may have our own
approving conscience, that we may have the approval of all good,
honorable men; that we may have the sanction and approval of God and
of the holy angels, and of the Priesthood who have lived before, and
that we may feel that we are operating for the general benefit of the
world that was, that is, or is to come.
We are called upon once in a while to take a new step in this great
work. At one time it was polygamy, at another it was baptism for the
dead, then it was building Temples, then certain endowments, then the
sealing of our children to us, then certain promises made to
ourselves, such as God made to Abraham in former days, and now it is
that we must get a little closer together, and be more united in
regard to our temporal affairs, that we may be prepared to act and to
operate in all things according to the mind and will of God and this
step in advance, like every other, has caused us to reflect and
ponder, and many of us are full of fears and doubts in relation to
many things and many men. Well, have we all done right? No. Have we
all been strictly honest? No. Have we all lived our religion? No. Have
we all been upright in our dealings one with another, and done that
which is right in the sight of God? No, we have not. What then? Shall
we continue to do wrong? We are called upon, in this as in many other
things, to take a new step that is contrary to our traditions, ideas
and theories but not contrary to the doctrines that have been taught
to the Latter-day Saints. But we hardly know, some times, how to get at
these things, how to fix them up, how to put them right. We have been
trying, since God moved upon his servant Brigham, to get things into
order, but the ship moves very slowly, there seems to be a good many
snags of one kind or other in the way. Many people are very much
misinformed in relation to many of these things. There have been a
good many things said, and a great many ideas in circulation about the
order of things that it is desired should be established among us. I
will tell you some of my ideas in relation thereto.
In the first place, it has been a matter of fact with me, for years
and years, that such a state of things has to be introduced amongst
us. I think that is an opinion that prevails very generally among the
Latter-day Saints, and I do not think there is much difference of
opinion in relation to it. We have read about it in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. I think there are as many as a dozen
revelations in that book in reference to this subject, and perhaps
more than that. I do not propose to quote them, however, at the
present time. We read an account of the City of Enoch, which was
established on this principle, and how the people acted there; there
is also an account of a people who formerly lived on this continent,
who carried out the same principle; and when this Church was first
organized by Joseph Smith, these very principles were among the first
that he introduced to the people, and we have had them before us all
the time, so that we have no need to begin and argue the points at
all; but I want to come right to matters of fact as they exist among
us here today.
Many say, "I do not like the thing as it now is, I wish we had it as
it is laid down in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants." No you
don't. "Well, we think we do." Well, but you don't, I am sure you
don't, and I will show you why before I get through. We are living in
peculiar times—we cannot be governed by "Thus saith the Lord"
independent of other influences. We are associated with national and
judicial affairs that are opposed to every principle that God would
reveal or will reveal. That is a fact that I need not argue before the
Latter-day Saints, they all know it. Well, what then? The Spirit of
the Lord has operated upon President Young to introduce these
principles in our midst, that is, as near as they can be to conform to
the laws of the land, for the people in these United States profess to
be so pure, you know, that they could not think of having anything
contrary to law; they would never dream of anything of that kind. Why,
the people of the United States, including their Presidents, Governors
and rulers, are the most law-abiding people you ever heard of,
according to their professions, are they not? They cannot think of
doing anything contrary to law.
Well, we have to go with the general stream; or at least it is
necessary that we protect ourselves from legal cormorants, and from
every man who would devour, tear in pieces and destroy, who is after
our property and our lives. This class of persons would be very glad
to take not only the property but the lives of some of the leaders of
God's people here on the earth; nothing would suit them better, they
are so holy, pure and law-abiding. These are the circumstances that we
are placed in. Now what shall be done? There are certain principles
that emanate from God; but we have to protect ourselves in carrying
them out, and make them conform, as near as we can, to the laws of the
land. In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants it is said, in the first
place, that a man shall place his property at the feet of the Bishop.
That is what that lays down, and you say that is what you would like
to do. Some would, very many would not. The Bishop, after examining
into the position and circumstances of the man, and finding out what
his wants are, and what his capabilities and talents, what the size of
his family, &c., appoints to him a certain amount of means, which he
receives as a stewardship. "Well," say some, "how does this order you
are talking about introducing agree with that? Where does the
stewardship come in?" I will tell you. We have organized this as near
as may be on the principles of cooperation, and the voice you have in
selecting your officers, and in voting for them and the stock you hold
in these institutions is your stewardship. You may say—"Is not that
taking away our freedom?" I do not think it is. I am not prepared to
enter into details, but I should say that one-third, perhaps one-half,
of the wealth of the world is manipulated just in the same way. How
so? Why, there are among the nations national securities of various
kinds issued, which are taken by the people; we have United States
bonds, State bonds, county and city bonds in this country as well as
in Europe, to which the people subscribe and in which they have an
interest, all of which is voluntary, and the free act of the people;
then we have railroad bonds, steamship bonds, and we have telegraph,
mercantile, manufacturing and cooperative associations, which are
represented by those who hold stock therein, and there are hundreds
and thousands of millions of dollars throughout the world that are opera ted in this way by financiers, statesmen, men of
intelligence—merchants, capitalists and others, in every grade and
condition in life, none of whom consider that there is any coercion
associated with it. These men all have their free agency.
What is the modus operandi? For illustration—a company is organized,
men subscribe stock into that company, or they purchase bonds perhaps
from a government, for which that government pays interest; or, if it
is in a company, that company manipulates and arranges matters, not
the stockholders individually, they never think of it; they select the
officers to do these things for them, and all they have to do with it
is to vote in these officers, each person voting according to the
amount of stock he holds in the institution. And then they draw their
dividends at certain specified times. This is the way, I presume, that
one-half or perhaps three-quarters of the wealth of the civilized
world is manipulated today.
Well, is freedom taken from these men? Are the men engaged in these
operations thieves and robbers? Some of them act very fraudulently it
is true, and the amount of defalcation and fraud in our country, of
late, is painful to reflect upon; but then, they consider they have a
perfect right to buy or to sell any of this stock, and if parties
enter into institutions of any kind, mercantile or manufacturing, they
must be subject to the rules or laws thereof. But the stockholders do
not individually operate these institutions, and what I wanted to say
is, that herein we, as they, have our stewardship and freedom of
action.
Well, but you want to manipulate men's time as well? Yes. Will they
have a vote? They ought to have, and will have if the law will let
them; the great trouble is that the law will not allow us to do
everything we would like; but whenever we can get at it we shall vote
on all these things as you have voted here today. But we have to
evade these things a little now, because the law will not allow us to
do otherwise.
Now then, there is another feature connected with this matter. You
know that, in this order it is not all putting in, there is some
taking out, and that is a point I want to get at; it would be a very
nice and beautiful thing if we could carry it out. If, as described in
the revelation, we could have a general treasury from which we could
all draw what we needed, and then return it, together with our tens,
fifties, hundreds and thousands, and all act as one family for the
general interest of all, it would be a very beautiful thing; but
everybody is not so honest, pure and upright as this state of things
demands. If we had a general treasury some would be very willing to go to
the treasurer and request so much to enable them, as they would
represent, "to carry out their stewardship," and he would have to hand
it out to them according to the provisions made in the Doctrine and
Covenants; but that would in all probability be the last of it with
many. Would you business men like to have a system like that in the
United Order? You say you would like this order carried out as it is
laid down in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, but I say you would
not. Would you like every man, simply because he was a member of the
Order, to have power to go to the treasurer and draw out what he
thought proper, and use it just according to his fancy? No, you would
not, you could not and would not trust your neighbors as far as that,
for all men are not capable and all men are not honest and con scientious; if they were we should be nearly ready to be
caught up; but we have not reached that point yet, and consequently we
have to do the best we can.
Now I will tell you my opinion. I am living in the 14th Ward; we, in
that ward, have selected a number of men for our directors, and I
would just as soon trust these men with the management of my property
as to manage it myself. I do not believe that every man is a thief,
scallywag and rascal. I have no such idea. I think there is a great
deal of honesty, truthfulness and integrity, and if there is not it is
time we turned over a new leaf, and introduced better principles, that
we may be governed by purer, nobler laws.
I cannot conceive of anything more beautiful and heavenly than a
united brotherhood, organized after the pattern laid down in the
Doctrine and Covenants; when all act for the benefit of all—when while
we love God with all our hearts we love our neighbor as ourselves;
where our time, our property, our talents, our mental and bodily
powers, are all exerted for the good of all; where no man grabs or
takes advantage of another; where there is a common interest, a common
purse, a common stock; where as they did on this continent, it is said
of them that "they all dealt justly to each other," and all acted for
the general weal, "when every man in every place could meet a brother
and a friend," when all the generous and benevolent influences and
sympathies of our nature are carried out, and covetousness, arrogance,
hatred and pride and every evil are subdued, and brought into
subjection to the will and Spirit of God. These principles are very
beautiful and would be very happifying for a community, a Territory, a
State, nation or the world.
Now, then, these things are presented before us, and I suppose we
shall have to come into them as best we can, and if we ever get into
the celestial kingdom of God we shall find that they are just such a
set of people. If ever we build up a Zion here on this continent, and
in case Zion ever comes down to us, and we expect it will, or that
ours will go up to meet it, we have got to be governed by the same
principles that they are governed by, or we cannot be one; and if we
ever get into the eternal worlds we shall have to be heirs of God and
joint heirs with Jesus Christ; and it would not do for a man of us to
go up into heaven and say—"Look here, Jesus," or, "Look here,
some of you great men who manage matters here, I wish you would set me off a
place by myself. I would like to have my own house and garden and my
own farming arrangements separate to myself, so that I could manage
things a little in my own way as I used to, in the place I come from."
"Well," says the individual addressed—"I do not see things exactly
in
that way. We brought you up here, believing you were a pretty decent
fellow; but you have got to conform to our rules. These things are all
ours, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. This is a
joint association, we are united together in the one thing, and we are
all one, and if you want to go off by yourself you will have to leave
here." That would be just about the position of things, this is the
order that exists there—they are heirs of God and joint heirs with
Jesus Christ. This is the position we have to attain to, and to do
this there will have to be less individuality of feeling than there is
now, and we must seek to introduce and establish the principles of the
kingdom of God upon the earth. We are not for our selves; but for the kingdom of God. God called us not to do our own will, but his,
and we are operating to prepare ourselves and our children and all who
will be governed by the principles of truth for a celestial and
eternal glory in the kingdom of our God.
"Well, then," says one, "you believe in these things?" I do most
assuredly. "Do you believe in the authorities?" Yes, I think I do—I
have voted for them for a great many years, and by the help of God I
mean to sustain them still. That is my feeling. Brethren, is it yours?
Shall we sustain the Elders of Israel, the Presidency and the
authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Shall
we do it, ye Latter-day Saints? (The congregation answered, "Yes!")
All who feel like it, say (" Aye," by the congregation). Now let us go
and carry it out. Amen.