Today we have met together, as is our custom on the 6th day of April,
according to appointment, in commemoration of the day on which the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. We are
professed Latter-day Saints, and have been called forth in this age of
the world to be co-workers with our Father in heaven in bringing to
pass his purposes and establishing his kingdom upon the earth, to be the recipients of the authority of the holy priesthood, to
stand in holy places and to administer in the ordinances of the house
of God, that once again upon this earth his authority and kingdom may
be established, and holy and righteous principles and the institutions
of high heaven have a place. We are the honored instruments, or may be
so, of being co-workers with God, and he will through us his servants,
his children, bring to pass his purposes if we will let him. This is a
great, glorious and holy calling, and it is a happy thing for us to be
born in a day and generation when these things are coming forth, for
we can thus have part and lot in this matter. It is no joke or
fantasy, no matter of mere enthusiasm, to rise in one's mind for a
few days, weeks or months and then dissipate away into thin air; but
it is our high duty and privilege, as long as we live, to bear off
these principles that have been revealed, and to sustain and uphold
the institutions of heaven, and that authority through and by which
the mind and will of God our Father are made known unto us upon the
earth.
This work commenced small. Great and glorious instructions were given
to a few in the commencement, and through the blessing of the Almighty
they have been sent forth to the nations of the earth and, in
obedience thereunto, a great people, in comparison with what the
church was originally, have gathered to these mountains, and the work
of the Lord has continued to grow and increase, taking root downward
and bearing fruit upward. It is true that many have undertaken to run
the gospel race and have faltered and fainted by the wayside, still
the work has progressed and has been onward and upward until the
present time; and during the forty-five years of its ex istence upon
the earth this church and kingdom has never seen a day or an hour that
it has not been growing and becoming greater in the earth, in numbers
as well as in intelligence, for the stream of light from heaven has
not been withdrawn or cut short, but has continued to flow to the
minds of the children of men, bearing testimony to the hearts of the
honest, and elevating them in the scale of human existence. I take
pleasure in bearing this testimony, knowing that it is true, and also
knowing that the great desire among God's people here in Zion is to
sustain and bear off the principles of truth and righteousness in the
earth.
We are here for this express purpose, and to avoid the evils and
judgments which are abroad in the earth. Are the judgments of God
abroad in the earth? They are, and the word of the Lord to his Saints
is—"Come out of her, O my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, that ye receive not of her plagues." This was spoken centuries
ago, but it is specially applicable to us, and to the work of God in
the last days. But if we do not divest ourselves of the sins of the
world, have we any assurance that we shall escape the plagues and
judgments of the Almighty? By no means. We gather up to these
mountains that we may not be partakers of her sins. This is the
appointed place where God can work with his people on the earth; and
in order that he may be able to do so effectually it is necessary that
we divest ourselves of every evil, stand before God blameless, and
become united as the heart of one man in sustaining the cause of Zion.
The responsibility of building up this kingdom rests in a manner upon
us, who have taken upon us the name of the Most High. We have gathered
together that we may build Temples to his holy name, wherein
we may receive the blessings of time and eternity, both for the living
and the dead. It becomes us, then, to enquire how we may best set
ourselves about this great work; we must find out the design of our
Father concerning us, and to do this we must have communication with
him, and we must live so that we can have the Holy Spirit to direct
our minds, and to qualify us the better for the performance of the
duties which devolve upon us. The channel has been opened between the
heavens and the earth by which we may learn the mind and will of our
Father concerning us. But when we have learned that, it is our business
to go to and unflinchingly carry out and accomplish that which he
requires of us according to our best skill and ability.
Is it necessary that we should obey the principles of the gospel,
which we are told is the power of God unto salvation? I think that no
one will deny that. We must repent, we must be baptized for the
remission of sins, receive the administration of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and then go on with the light of the
Spirit, having received the testimony of the truth of the work, and
maintain that work against every opposing obstacle. What is a man good
for who flies the track the very moment an obstacle presents itself in
his way? Such a man will not obtain salvation and exaltation in the
presence of God; he who does that must be unflinching in the path of
duty.
Is God ever going to establish his kingdom and bring to pass his
purposes on the earth? All believers in Christianity say so, and they
all pretend to believe it; but when will it be? As soon as the Lord
Jesus finds a people who are willing to take upon them his name, and
will follow him through evil as well as through good report, and who,
if need be, will even go to death in the maintaining of the principles
of truth upon the earth. Just as soon as he finds a people who will be
united and will not sift their ways to strangers, but will hold that
which he bestows upon them for him and for his kingdom, will he
establish that kingdom upon the earth. What right has a Latter-day
Saint, who has taken upon himself the name of God and has enlisted
under King Emanuel's banner, to strew the blessings he receives from
God to the wicked. Are they given to him for that purpose? No, they
are given him to use for the building up of the kingdom of God upon
the earth. It is said, and we profess to believe it, that the kingdoms
of this world are to become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and that that kingdom and its fulness shall be given to the Saints of
the Most High. It is not to be given to the wicked, or to a people who
will hand it over to the wicked as fast as the Lord hands it over to
them. We may as well learn this lesson today as at any other time.
The blessings of the Lord are not bestowed upon the Latter-day Saints
to be placed by them in the hands of the wicked. When could the Lord
establish his purposes with a people who will act in that way? Never
in the world. The time will come and is now hastening when the people
of God will not be a dependent people, that is, dependent upon the
outside world; of course they will always be dependent upon the Lord,
but the day will come when they, under the blessing of heaven, will be
an entirely self-sustaining people, and the Lord is ready and willing,
as he ever has been and ever will be, to sustain the efforts of his
people in this direction. They must put forth their hands to be self-sustaining, and then the blessings of the Almighty will attend
them even more abundantly.
The Lord has, from time to time, through his servants, given forth a
line of conduct or principle for us to be guided by, so that we may
become more united than we have been hitherto; and while it may be
said that we are slowly approaching that point, we are far from having
advanced in the principles of unity to the fullest extent, and hence
we cannot realize the blessings that will accrue when that unity which
the Lord desires to see among his people is fully established. But we
have commenced, and we can work in that direction, and it is our
bounden duty to do so; and the farther we progress the more will his
blessings be multiplied towards us; and if we continue in the path
marked out for us by the Almighty through his servants, we shall
ultimately attain to a fulness. This is the way I understand it.
We have come up here to be taught in his ways that we may walk in his
paths. Men should not mark out paths for themselves to walk in, they
are not capable of doing so. You may say that this infringes upon
man's agency and independence; but it makes no difference what may be
said or thought of this, it is true, and we need only look abroad in
the world to see the difficulties which beset the people on every hand
to find ample confirmation of this statement. Are the people satisfied
with the paths they have marked out for themselves? No, nowhere on the
face of the earth. There is one whose guidance we need, he is wiser
than we are, for he has passed through all the ordeals and trials of a
lower estate, and has gained an experience far beyond the experience
of men, and he is now willing to lead and guide his children here on
the earth if they will only allow him to do so. But men generally
think they know best themselves, they are not willing to be guided by
the God of heaven, they give the preference to the paths marked out by
themselves. Are their own counsels the best? No, they are not, and the
Latter-day Saints ought to know it by this time. A great many of them
do know it; some do not, but I trust that they will, and that they
will continue to learn and progress in these things, until they know
beyond all question that God's way is the best, and that it is not
only superior to man's way, but that there is no other by which men
and women can build up a community which will be wise, virtuous and
happy, and by which the resources of the earth may be developed and
the elements used so as to best promote the general good. God's way is
as much better than man's way, as the heavens are higher than the
earth.
There is no true principle, no true philosophy, no good thing that
comes from any source except that which I have been speaking of. No
matter through whom, or by whom it comes to the children of men, it
has emanated from that source—from God our Father. Then why can we
not implicitly trust him, and put our faith and confidence in him? We
may rest assured that he will withhold no good thing that will prove
beneficial to us. He never did and he never will reveal a thing to the
children of men but what, if it can be carried out according to his
design, will prove an advantage and a blessing to them. Men may
undertake to change that which God has revealed, and try to make it
mean something else; but it is folly to do so. In taking this course
they go into by and forbidden paths, and, being then without the light
of truth, they are compelled to grope their way.
Now, what is necessary in building up the kingdom of God on the earth?
We are not talking about building up his kingdom in some far-off
realm, away
"Beyond the bounds of time and space
Where human mind can never trace
The Saints' secure abode,"
as our sectarian brethren sing about. I do not understand this to be
the work of the Saints of God upon the earth at all. I understand that
the kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and
his Christ, just so soon as the God of heaven finds a people who will
be obedient to his law. Well, what is necessary then? Why, in the
first place there must be a people to govern, and a king to rule over
them. It takes that much anyhow to constitute a kingdom. The people
must have a place to dwell. They must have land, streams of water,
valleys, mountains, ranges, grass, timber, rock, canyons and
everything we find here on the earth, the elements with which it is
covered and surrounded, and which are found in its depths in order to
obtain a sustenance. All these things are necessary in any kingdom.
The people want houses to live in, orchards for fruit, also
vegetables; they want land susceptible of irrigation and cultivation,
cattle, horses, carriages, wagons, vehicles to transport things in and
to do business. All these things are necessary in building up the
kingdom of God. There must also be schools, Temples and cities built
to the name of the Most High, according as he shall direct. It is
necessary to build Temples that we may attend to the ordinances for
those who have gone before, for millions of them have lived according
to the best light they had, and they were moral and exemplary all the
days of their lives, and did all the good they could. Without Temples
they could not have the privilege and opportunity of being officiated
for in the ordinances of the Gospel of salvation devised by our Father
in heaven before the world was organized. This plan of salvation was
devised before this earth was organized and made habitable for the
children of men to dwell on, away in the eternities back, "when the
morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy,"
if you know when that was. We have to obey that plan of salvation here
in our earthly probation in order that we may have the privilege of
going back into the presence of God. We need not go to tinkering that
plan of salvation, for we cannot make it any better if we do. The
world have been doing so ever since men came to dwell upon the earth.
But I do not see that they have done anything to improve it. God's
plan of saving his sons and daughters stands just the same today as
it was in the beginning, and it will continue so through a
never-ending eternity. I am not aware that God ever asked us here to
help to devise a plan for our own salvation, I never heard of any such
thing. He had the right to do it himself and he did it, and it is for
mankind to receive it if they choose to do so; and if they do choose
so to do it is nobody's business, they have that power if they have a
mind to; and other people have a right to believe in and embrace
man-made systems and to hold on to them if they choose to do so, and
it is none of our business any more than it is theirs if we choose to
obey the plan the Lord has revealed. We are on an equal footing in
regard to this matter, and all we ask is hands off and show us fair
play, the same as we are willing to extend unto you, that is all. We have a right to ask and demand that, and to maintain it, and
we expect to do it.
But we who have embraced the principles of truth, should we not begin
to divest ourselves of some of our notions and ideas, and go to and
build up the kingdom of God more perfectly? In our hearts and feelings
we desire to do it, but our traditions, to which we cling with such
tenacity, sometimes prevent us from coming quite up to the mark, and
we do not advance in this direction perhaps quite as fast as we should
do. The line is marked out; the Lord through his servants is
continually showing us the way, but I sometimes think that we are slow
coming to it. We should become more self-sustaining. We have been
drifting in the wrong direction for the past few years. It is
necessary for us to turn a short corner and drift in a direction that
will make us self-sustaining. If we do this we shall become more
independent and more closely united, and in a short time we shall find
that it will be the path of prosperity. It is a matter of good
political economy for any community to become self-sustaining; and not
only to raise and manufacture what they need for their own use, but
also some for exportation. Then the balance of trade will be in their
favor. But I do not care whether it is the people of Utah, Colorado,
Wyoming, the United States, England, or any other community or nation,
political economy says that they must export more than they import, or
the balance of trade will be continually against them, and any country
or community in that position will be drained of the circulating
medium, and will be more or less impoverished thereby. If a community
wishes to become wealthy, it must manage to produce not only all it
needs for the wants of its own members, but also to partially supply
some of the wants of its neighbors. This is sound philosophy and
political economy in any community, and particularly so with the
Latter-day Saints. We have the elements around us, from which with our
own industry and economy all our wants can be supplied in abundance,
if our labor is applied in the right direction, which can only be
done by laboring unitedly and according to the counsel that may be
given us by the Lord through his servants. By taking this course we
can produce almost everything necessary for our own consumption and a
great deal to export.
We have commenced in this order, and some of our settlements have
progressed more than others; and I am glad to believe that we are
drifting in the right direction. I hope to see this work continue, and
can promise the blessing of the Almighty upon those who will persevere
therein. They will succeed if they are wise and do as they are told,
and they will be blessed of the Lord and will come off victorious.
These things are worthy of our attention, they constitute part of the
building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. It is a material
kingdom, and not something ethereal that we cannot comprehend nor have
any part or lot in. It involves our everyday life, labor and duty,
just as we pass along; it is not beyond our reach, but is right within
the purview of our ability to accomplish to a certain extent. We
cannot jump at a single leap to its fulness; but the small wedges
break the big rock. Drill the holes here and there, then put in the
wedges and tap them lightly, and after awhile these taps will break
the big rock in two. That is the way the Lord has worked with this
people. We commenced small, went in at the small end of the
horn, and we are bound to come out at the big end, we cannot come back
through the same channel. Here we are, a spectacle before the heavens
and before the world, a handful of Latter-day Saints. What shall we
do? Pursue that suicidal policy in regard to sustaining ourselves that
is calculated to impoverish us and to make us depend upon our enemies,
those who would only be too glad to see us overthrown, wasted away and
destroyed? No, no! Latter-day Saints, we will not take any such a
course as that, not if we know it. Well, let us be careful and learn
what is the proper course to take and take it, that we may grow,
increase in wealth, in numbers, and in every good and perfect thing
that the God of heaven is willing to bestow upon us. Let us beautify
the earth, bring forth from the elements those things which are
necessary for our subsistence; work, be industrious, live prudently,
economically, and walk in the path that the God of heaven marks out
for us. Then we shall be successful; then the blessings of the
Almighty will flow unto us abun dantly, and we shall have great cause
to rejoice continually in the name of the Holy One of Israel. We have
done this to a certain extent as we have passed along, and according
to our faithfulness we have received the blessings, and beyond our
expectations, for we could not have expected as much as we have
received. We may go on still more gloriously if we will be more
faithful.
May the God of heaven bless us and help us to see the path marked out
for us to walk in, and thus help us to be faithful and diligent, and
put away our own devices and traditions that we have inherited from
the fathers, inasmuch as they are wrong, and we have been led to see
that wrong, and our judgments convinced concerning the work of the
Almighty. Let us put away these things that are of no profit, and seek
to that which is good, which comes from above, and which is for our
own best interests here, and for our eternal welfare in the world to
come. That we may do this unitedly, as the heart and voice of one man,
is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Daniel H. Wells