I am thankful that I enjoy the privilege of meeting with the Saints
here this morning. While I attempt to speak, I pray that I may have
the spirit of the holy Gospel, and have strength to proclaim its
teachings to my own and to your satisfaction. I also pray that you may
give strict attention. This prayer is offered to you, my brethren and
sisters. Pray for the Spirit to open your minds, enlighten your
understandings, strengthen me, and so help me, that I may speak the
words of truth to you, and that your hearts may be prepared to receive them.
My remarks this morning I design as a text for my brethren and sisters
to speak and act upon. We have not come to you with any new doctrine,
nor with a new Bible, not by any means. Yet the doctrine we are now
preaching, in order to bring about a union among the Saints, seems to
be about as new to them as the preaching by the Elders when
they first came to their several neighborhoods and called upon them to
hear and obey the first principles of the Gospel of Christ. I can say,
with all thankfulness and gratitude, that we have never seen the day,
from the time we first became acquainted with Joseph and the Church
and kingdom of God upon the earth, when the hearts of the people were
so well prepared to receive the greater blessings of the kingdom as
they are now. We are happy in saying this, for it is true; this is
encouraging, and fills me with hope and consolation, that, after
laboring and toiling with Joseph, and since his death, to unite the
Latter-day Saints, this is the first time that we have seen that we
can bring their hearts into a union. This should be encouraging to
each and every Latter-day Saint, and should teach us that the Lord is
merciful to us, that he still remembers us, that he is still feeling
after us, and that he is sending forth his voice—the voice of his
Spirit, into the hearts of his people, crying unto them—"Stop! Stop
your course! Cease to bring in and build up Babylon in your midst." It
is the duty of each and every one of us to reflect upon the office and
calling we possess, and see whether we are doing the will of the Lord,
and, if we are not, we should stop and begin anew to establish the
kingdom of God upon the earth.
I will now read a portion of Scripture from the 14th chapter of the
Revelation of John, beginning at the 6th verse: "And I saw another
angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God,
and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters." I will also read from the 18th chapter of
Revelation, commencing at the 4th verse: "And I heard another voice
from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her
sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities."
I will ask the Latter-day Saints, Do we, as a people, believe that the
angel referred to in the 6th verse of the 14th chapter of John's
Revelation, has flown through the midst of heaven, that he has been to
earth, called upon Joseph, delivered the revelations of the Lord,
restored the Priesthood, &c.? Do we, as Latter-day Saints, believe that
this angel has been to earth, and that he has committed the Gospel
unto the children of men? We certainly should not be here today, if we
did not believe this, and that, too, with all our hearts. This is the
answer given, for himself and herself, by every Latter-day Saint, "We
believe, most firmly, that the Gospel has been revealed in these last
days unto and through Joseph Smith the Prophet; that the Priesthood
and its keys were bestowed upon him, and through him upon others; and
that the proclamation has gone forth to the nations of the earth—'Come
out of her, my people,' &c., as mentioned in that portion of Scripture
contained in Revelation, 18th chap. and 4th verse."
Has this proclamation been heard by any of the inhabitants of the
earth? Yes, the Latter-day Saints most assuredly believe that this
Scripture was fulfilled in the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. By and by the cry will be, as prophesied by John
the Reve lator, "Babylon is fallen." This is in the future; but
this people believe that the voice of the angel has been heard,
calling upon the honest in heart in every nation, to come out from
confusion and discord, and from the transgressions of the children of
men. The cry has come to them—"Separate yourselves from sinners and
from sin." If we, as a people, had not believed this, we should not
have been here this day. "Be not partakers of her sins, lest ye
receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities." This we believe, consequently I have
to say to the people, we have not come with any new doctrine; we have
believed this ever since we were baptized for the remission of sins.
Have the people come out from the nations? Yes. Have we separated
ourselves from the nations? Yes. And what else have we done? Ask
ourselves the question, Have we not brought Babylon with us? Are we
not promoting Babylon here in our midst? Are we not fostering the
spirit of Babylon that is now abroad on the face of the whole earth? I
ask myself this question, and I answer, Yes, yes, to some extent and
there is not a Latter-day Saint but what feels that we have too much
of Babylon in our midst. The spirit of Babylon is too prevalent here.
What is it? Confusion, discord, strife, animosity, vexation, pride,
arrogance, selfwill and the spirit of the world. Are these things in
the midst of those called Latter-day Saints? Yes, and we feel this.
I now ask my brethren and sisters who enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, if
we have not traveled as far as we should travel on this road—the high
road to destruction, the great highway, the broad gate through which
so many pass? The gate is wide, the way is broad, and many there be
that go in thereat; and many calling themselves Latter-day Saints are
scrambling to see how quick they can get in. The spirit of confusion
is in the midst of this people, and we have traveled this road just as
far as we can travel it and be Saints. Is this the experience of the
Latter-day Saints? I can answer that it is; and now, that the Lord is
moving upon his servants to bring the Saints to a oneness, there is a
spirit resting upon them, and if you talk with them, they will say,
at once, "Yes, this is right, we must be one. This is the doctrine
that Joseph taught, and the revelations that were first given through
Joseph were for the Church to gather together. We were then commanded
to come out from the wicked and to consecrate what we had, lay it at
the feet of the Bishops, receive our inheritance, improve thereupon,
and be one—be as the family of heaven upon earth." This is the spirit
of the people, and they say: "Thank the Lord, I have prayed for this
for years and years. I have looked for and expected it, and I am
exceedingly thankful it has come."
I will now quote another portion of Scripture, which I think you are
pretty well acquainted with, if you read the Bible. It is one of the
last petitions that the Savior presented to his Father in heaven,
while he was upon the earth—a short prayer which he made on behalf of
his disciples. He had but very few, for, notwithstanding his many
miracles and wonderful works, very few seemed to cling to and have
confidence in him at all times and under all circumstances; but there
were a few who wished to and who did remain with him until his death,
that is, they stood a little way off; they said—"We are going to see
what they are going to do with him." But before Peter denied
him, and before he was taken by the soldiers, he offered a brief,
simple prayer to his Father. He had been talking with and exhorting his
brethren, and showing them the necessity of living according to the
faith that he had taught them, and he offered up this
petition—"Father, make these my disciples one, as we are one, I in
thou, thou in me, and I in them, that we may all be one; and I pray
not for these only, but for all who believe on me through their
testimony." This is a simple prayer. Did he who offered it mean
anything, or did he not? If he meant anything, what did he mean? How
much did he mean, and how did he calculate his disciples to construe
this short prayer in their lives, in their walk, faith and practice
after he was taken from them? How far, how much and wherein did he
want them to be one? Can any of you show to us exactly what he meant?
If you say he meant that everyone who believed on him should be one
in their belief, that is sectarianism. Take the mother Church—the
"Holy Catholic Church" —and the prayer of its members is that all may
be Catholics: "Father, I pray thee to make the people all holy
Catholics." This is the faith and prayer of the Catholics, and the
meaning they give to the petition of Jesus. The same with the
Calvinists; and when they present themselves before the throne of
grace, the burden of their petition is—"I pray thee, Father, make
these people one as we are one; influence them to leave the Catholic
Church, to revolt and come out from that wicked mother, that wicked
harlot, that wicked Church, and declare themselves believers in that
pure and holy doctrine that God has decreed all things that take
place." Go to those who believe in the doctrine of free will, which,
you know, comprehends many of the so-called Christian societies of the
world, and they come up with a double and twisted storm—"God
Almighty, make them all Methodists! Yes, let's all be Methodists." I
pray thee, Father, to take away the veil from the minds of this
people, that they may see it is free grace and free will! God be
praised, let's all be Methodists." This is how the sectarians explain
and define the meaning of that memorable prayer of the Savior that his
followers might be one; and you will excuse me for my manner of
illustrating it—I did this to illustrate facts just as they are.
Did Jesus mean this, or did he not? Had he any allusion whatever to
one here on the right, and to another on the left, each crying—"Lo!
here is Christ, and lo! there is Christ, He is not yonder?" And another
one pointing this way, and another that way, and so on to every point
of the compass? What does all this portray before the mind of the
rational being, the philosopher, one who has the spirit of revelation,
and who understands the words of life and has the keys of life to the
people; and to all who believe in the revelations of the Lord Jesus in
the latter days? Confusion upon confusion, discord, strife, animosity,
vexation, perplexity, warring to the knife and slaying each other. Oh,
the number of Christian wars there have been upon the face of the
earth! We can very readily and truthfully say that true Christians—the
members of the true Church of Christ on the earth—never take the sword
unless to defend themselves.
Brethren and sisters, we want to understand what the Savior meant when
he prayed that his disciples might be one. One in faith? Yes. One in
doctrine? Yes. One in practice? Yes. One in interests? Yes. One
in hope? Yes, and all concentrated in the kingdom of God on the earth
and the establishment thereof, the fulfillment of the Scriptures, the
gathering of the Saints, and the salvation of the inhabitants of the
earth. This is the oneness and the union the Savior meant. Let me here
ask the question, Did the Savior design that we should be one with
regard to faith in him, repentance of sin, baptism for the remission
thereof, the imposition of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, the
gifts and graces of the Spirit of the Lord, that there might be in the
Church first Apostles, then Prophets, pastors, teachers, helps,
governments, diversities of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of
discernment of spirits; also the gift of faith, so that if poison be
administered it should not hurt the believer; and if there should be a
necessity to take up serpents, it should be done without danger? Yes,
all this is included in the oneness prayed for by the Savior; and some
of the gifts I have enumerated have been witnessed by most of us. I
myself have seen rattlesnakes handled as you would handle a piece of
rope. I remember one night, when going to Missouri, in the year 1834,
I was spreading our blankets on the tall prairie grass, which was
pretty thick and heavy, that a rattlesnake was under my hands and
warned me of his presence by his rattles. I called to one of the
brethren who was helping, and turning back the blanket said to
him—"Take this snake and carry it off and tell it not to come back
again; and to say to its neighbors do not come into our camp tonight,
lest some one might kill you." He took up the snake and carried it off
several rods from the camp, and told it to stay away, and to tell its
neighbors not to come into the camp, for they might get killed if they
did. Many such circumstances have transpired in the experience of the
Elders of this Church; but we need not stop to relate them, for it is
well known that the gifts of the Gospel are in this Church, such as
healing, faith, speaking with tongues, discerning spirits, prophecy,
&c., and I need not dwell upon them now.
I will now ask the question, where is the individual who can draw the
line and show us that, when Jesus prayed that his disciples might be
one, he meant a oneness only in spiritual things, and that it was not
to extend to temporal affairs? Will any of you draw the line and tell
us? For I am certain that I have not wisdom enough to define the line
between spiritual and temporal things. I know nothing about faith in
the Lord, without works corresponding therewith; they must go
together, for without works you cannot prove that faith exists. We
might cry out, until the day of our death, that we love the Savior,
but if we neglected to observe his sayings he would not believe us. We
have his own words to prove this. There were a great many who
pretended to think considerable of him while he was here in the flesh;
but he said to his disciples—"If you love me, keep my commandments."
This was the proof he demanded, then works and faith went together.
The same principle holds good with parents and children. If any of you
have a child which says—"I love you, mamma, Oh, I love you dearly;"
you, to test the sincerity of the child's professions, say: "Well,
then, my child, you will desist from doing that which displeases me.
Come here, and I will give you a little work to do;" or, "I wish you
to sit down on that chair, and let that crockery alone;" or, "Do not
tear up that cloth, my daughter; if you love me, come and sit
down by my side." "Oh, I love you dearly," says the little girl, but
she keeps tearing up the cloth, or sticking pins and needles into the
flesh of the other children. "Mamma, I love you most dearly." "Well,
then," says mamma, "you must not afflict or give pain to your sister,
or your brother; you are naughty to do so, and you must stop this
mischief." But the child continues her naughtiness, still declaring
that she loves her mother, though she will not do one thing her mother
wishes her to do. Such a child needs chastisement; if soft words will
not answer, severity must. Is not this a fact? You have older children
who profess to be very fond of you; they will say: "Father, I think
everything of you," and yet they will take a course that is grievous,
annoying and disagreeable, and quite contrary to your feelings and
wishes. Will a father believe the professions of such children? Not
much, I think. To use another comparison: Suppose a young lady dearly
loves a young gentleman, who states to others that he is equally as
fond of her, and would be very glad to express to her his feelings,
but he never calls to see her; now though he may declare to others how
much he loves her, the young lady will say—"I do not believe a word of
it, for I know that he would make it known to me, if he did." He might
declare until doomsday, that he loved her, but, unless he told her so
and proved it by his works, she would say—"That is all folly, he does
not mean what he says." Neither will you or I believe that anybody
loves us and wishes to promote our joy and comfort, so long as that
person acts contrary thereto; neither will Jesus. And unless these
Latter-day Saints stop now, and go to work and prove by their acts
that they are the disciples of the Lord Jesus, He will spew them out.
We have gone just as far as we can be permitted to go in the road on
which we are now traveling. One man has his eye on a gold mine,
another is for a silver mine, another is for marketing his flour or
his wheat, another for selling his cattle, another to raise cattle,
another to get a farm, or building here and there, and trading and
trafficking with each other, just like Babylon, taking advantage
wherever we can, and all going just as the rest of the world. Babylon
is here, and we are following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of
the earth, who are in a perfect sea of confusion. Do you know this?
You ought to, for there are none of you but what see it daily; it is a
daily spectacle before your eyes and mine, to see the Latter-day
Saints trying to take advantage of their brethren. There are Elders in
this Church who would take the widow's last cow, for five dollars, and
then kneel down and thank God for the fine bargain they had made.
I have come to this conclusion, which I have preached for years and
years and years, and Joseph preached it up to the time of his death,
that the people must leave Babylon and confusion behind them, and be
the servants and handmaidens of the Lord; they must be His family.
They have gathered out from Babylon, and they must prepare themselves
to stand in holy places, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man.
I have been watching and waiting, just as steadily, and as earnestly
and faithfully as ever a mother watched over an infant child, to see
when this people would be ready to receive the doctrine, or the first
lessons or revelations given when the Center Stake of Zion was first
located to consecrate their property, and be indeed the
servants and handmaidens of the Lord, and labor with all their hearts
to do His will and build up His kingdom on the earth; and I have never
seen the time when we could organize one little society, or one little
ward; but, thank God, the time has come, the Spirit of the Lord is
upon the people.
Is it a new doctrine to us that God's people should and must be one in
everything? It is an old doctrine; shall I say it is as old as the
hills, as old as the mountains, as old as this world? Yes, I can say
it is as old as my Father in heaven; it is an eternal doctrine; it is
from eternity to eternity. Ask yourselves the question, Do you expect
to go to heaven when you depart this life? "Yes, yes, I am going to
the Paradise of God; I am going to dwell with the Saints of the Most
High in the presence of the Father and the Son." How many interests
will there be there? How many locations, or central places of deposit
for the affections, labors and wealth of all who dwell there? All in
one, all for God, all for his glory and his kingdom, and the extension
of his dominions through the immensity of space, kingdoms on kingdoms,
every heart and every breath, every voice and every eye, and every
feeling for the glory of God. Then ask ourselves—Is the Lord going to
have a Church upon the earth? Is the Lord going to have a kingdom on
the earth? Certainly, Daniel saw this in the days of Nebuchadnezzar,
and gave a description, or rather a hint, in regard to the
establishment of that kingdom, when the kingdoms of this world would
be handed over to the Saints of the Most High, and they would possess
the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom forever and ever.
Are we going to enter into the kingdom? Are we going to be prepared
for the coming of the Son of Man? Are we going to be prepared to enter
into the fullness of the glory of the Father and the Son? Not so long
as we live according to the principles of Babylon. Now we are every
man for himself. One says: "This is my property, and I am for
increasing it." Another says; "This is mine," Another: "I will do
as I please; I will go where I please and when I please; I will do this,
that, or the other; and if I have a mind to raise grain here and take
it to market and give it away, it is none of your business." It will
be said to all such persons, who profess to be Latter-day Saints—"I
never knew you; you never were Saints."
Now I wish to give you a little of our late experience with regard to
the Savior and his doctrines. We have organized in this United Order,
commencing at St. George. A thousand thoughts rise in my mind, looking
at the subject generally. "St. George! Are you going to send me down
to St. George? Why, it is like sending me out of the world!" But I
must not talk about this: suffice it to say that St. George is one of
the most beautiful places on this little farm—this world that we
occupy—this little farm of the Lord's, one of the choicest places on
the face of the earth. I see more wealth in that small place than in
any other location, of its size, in this Territory, or in these
mountains; and I always have.
We have organized a small Branch there, or, rather, I may say a
tolerably large one. I preached a good deal in St. George. It seemed
to be the only place we could begin our work; they were the only
people we could organize; but we did organize there. God designs to
make the people of one heart and one mind from Monday morning
to Monday morning again, and that everything they do on the earth
shall promote His cause and kingdom, and the happiness and salvation
of the human family. "Well," said they, "we do not understand; we
believe we ought to be one, and that we ought to go into the order of
Enoch. We understand very well that Enoch was so pure and holy that
his city was taken, and the saying went abroad that Zion is fled. This
we believe as firmly as you can." Then some others would say, "There
will not be one ward organized after the brethren go over the rim of
the basin." We organized every ward or town south of the rim of the
basin, and left them in tolerably good working order, so far as they
had advanced. The only trouble with them was, "they did not
understand." They would say, "It is right, and the Scriptures tell us
about it; but we do not understand the mode of its operation." One man
came to me, an old "Mormon," whom I have known over forty-two years,
just as we were organizing and said—"Brother Brigham, I have preached
for you all the time. I did the same for brother Joseph. Brother
Joseph preached this doctrine; is it not strange that the people do
not see it?" "Then," said I, "you are ready to put down your
name?"
His answer was—"I will think about it." You do not fully understand
your own faith, nor the doctrines you preach to the people, if you do
not understand this doctrine; and are not as ready to enter it as you
would be to lay down this mortal body and enter heaven if God should
call you, or to do any other duty. Suffice it to say, God will
establish this order on the face of the earth, and if we do not help
Him, others will, and they will enjoy the benefits of it.
When we came this side the rim of the basin, we found the people more
willing than south of the rim of the basin to come forward and
organize, for they felt that we have traveled as far as we can on our
present road, without going to destruction. One Bishop wrote to
me—"Please come and organize us. I am glad you are coming this way, we
want to be organized. I know that we have to consecrate to somebody,
and I would rather consecrate to the Lord than to the devil. We have
to consecrate to one or the other, and very soon too." He is a very
good Bishop; he is full of the spirit of this work, and cannot keep
from talking about it.
We now want to organize the Latter-day Saints, every man, woman and
child among them, who has a desire to be organized, into this holy
order. You may call it the Order of Enoch, you may call it
co-partnership, or just what you please. It is the United Order of the
Kingdom of God on the earth; but we say the Order of Enoch on the
same principle you find in the revelation concerning the Priesthood,
which, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of the Deity,
is called the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. This order is
the order of heaven, the family of heaven on the earth; it is the
children of our Father here upon the earth organized into one body or
one family, to operate together.
As individuals we do not want your farms, we do not want your houses
and city lots, we do not want your horses and your cattle, we do not
want your gold and your silver, nor anything of the kind. "Well, then,
what do you want?" We want the time of this people called Latter-day
Saints, that we can organize this time systematically, and make this people the richest people on the face of the earth. If we are the
people of God, we are to be the richest people on the earth, and these
riches are to be held in God, not in the devil. God tells us how we
may accomplish this, as plainly and as surely as he told Joshua and
the people of Israel how to cause the downfall of the walls of
Jericho. They were to march around the walls once a day for seven
days, then seven times in one day, and the last time they went round
the walls they blew their horns with all their might, and down fell
the walls of Jericho. We do not understand all about this, if we did,
we should understand that it was as simple as any of the acts of the
Lord: as simple as being baptized for the remission of sins. We want
now to organize the people. Says one—"Don't you want my money and my
goods?" We want you to put them into the kingdom of God, into the
vaults that are prepared, into the archives, the safe, the
institution, to help to increase means for the kingdom of God on the
earth. And what are we to have when we enter this order? What we need
to eat, drink and wear, and strict obedience to the requirements of
those whom the Lord sets to guide and direct; that our sisters,
instead of teasing their husbands for a dollar, five dollars,
twenty-five dollars, for a fine dress, bonnet, or artificials for
themselves or their daughters, may go to work and learn how to make
all these things for themselves, being organized into societies or
classes for that purpose. And the brethren will be organized to do
their farming, herding and raising cattle, sheep, fruit, grain and
vegetables; and when they have raised these products, every particle
be gathered into a storehouse or storehouses, and everyone have what
is needed to sustain him. But the people will stop going here, there,
and yonder, and saying—"I am after the gold," "I am after the
silver,"
or this, that and the other. They will stop this folly and nonsense,
for they have already impoverished themselves too much by taking so
unwise a course. Looking at matters in a temporal point of view, and
in the light of strict economy, I am ashamed to see the poverty that
exists among the Latter-day Saints. They ought to be worth millions
and millions, and millions on millions, where they are not worth a
dollar. Should they spend their means in folly and nonsense? No, not a
dollar of it, but put all into the general fund for the benefit of the
kingdom. Organize the brethren and sisters, and let each and every one
have their duties to perform. Where they are destitute of houses, and
it is convenient, the most economical plan that can be adopted is to
have buildings erected large enough to accommodate a number of
families. For instance, we will say there are a hundred families in
this place who have not houses fit to live in. We will erect a
building large enough to accommodate them all comfortably, with every
convenience for cooking, washing, ironing, &c.; and then, instead of
each one of a hundred women getting up in the morning to cook
breakfast for father and the large boys, that they may go to their
labor, while the little children are crying and needing attention,
breakfast for the whole can be prepared by five or ten women, with a
man or two to help. Some may say—"This would be confusion." Not at
all, it would do away with it. Another one says—"It will be a great
trial to my feelings, if I am obliged to go and breakfast with all
these men and women. I am faint and sick, and do not eat much, and I want my breakfast prepared in peace." Then build side rooms by
the dozen or score, where you can eat by yourselves; and if you wish
to invite three or four to eat with you, have your table, and
everything you call for is sent to you. "Well, but I do not like this
confusion of children." Let the children have their dining room to
themselves, and let a certain number of the sisters be appointed to
take charge of the nursery and see that they have proper food, in
proper quantities and at proper times, so as to preserve system and
good order as far as possible, that a love of order may be established
in their youthful minds, and they learn how to conduct themselves.
Then let there be good teachers in the schoolrooms; and have
beautiful gardens, and take the little folks out and show them the
beautiful flowers, and teach them in their childhood the names and
properties of every flower and plant, teaching them to understand
which are astringent, which cathartic; this is useful for coloring,
that is celebrated for its combination of beautiful colors, &c. Teach
them lessons of beauty and usefulness while they are young, instead of
letting them play in the dirt, making mud balls, and drawing the mud
in their hats, and soiling their dresses, and cultivate their mental
powers from childhood up. When they are old enough, place within their
reach the advantages and benefits of a scientific education. Let them
study the formation of the earth, the organization of the human
system, and other sciences; such a system of mental culture and
discipline in early years is of incalculable benefit to its possessor
in mature years. Take, for instance, the young ladies now before me,
as well as the young men, and form a class in geology, in chemistry or
mineralogy; and do not confine their studies to theory only, but let
them put in practice what they learn from books, by defining the
nature of the soil, the composition or decomposition of a rock, how
the earth was formed, its probable age, and so forth. All these are
problems which science attempts to solve, although some of the views
of our great scholars are undoubtedly very speculative. In the study
of the sciences I have named, our young folks will learn how it is
that, in traveling in our mountains, we frequently see
seashells—shells of the oyster, clam, &c. Ask our boys and girls now to
explain these things, and they are not able to do so; but establish
classes for the study of the sciences, and they will become acquainted
with the various facts they furnish in regard to the condition of the
earth. It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, according to the
revelations, to give their children the best education that can be
procured, both from the books of the world and the revelations of the
Lord. If our young men will study the sciences, they will stop riding
fast horses through the streets, and other folly and nonsense which
they are now guilty of, and they will become useful and honorable
members of the community.
I have been very much interested of late with regard to the studies
and researches of the geologists who have been investigating the
geological character of the Rocky Mountain country. Professor Marsh,
of Yale College, with a class of his students, has spent, I think,
four summers in succession in the practical study of geology in these
mountain regions. What is the result of his researches? There is one
result, so far, that particularly pleases me. There are some here who
know a man by the name of John Hyde, from London, formerly a member of this Church, who apostatized and went back; and his great
argument against the Book of Mormon was, that it stated that the old
Jaredites and, perhaps, the Nephites, who formerly lived on this
continent, had horses, while it is well known that horses were unknown
to the aboriginal inhabitants of America when it was discovered by
Columbus, and that there were no horses here until they were imported
from Europe. Now, since Professor Marsh and his class began their
investigations, they have found among the fossil remains of the
extinct animals of America no less than fourteen different kinds of
horses, varying in height from three to nine feet. These discoveries
made Professor Marsh's students feel almost as though they could eat
up these mountains, and their enthusiasm for studying the geology of
the regions around Bridger's Fort was raised to the highest pitch. In
their researches among these mountains they have formed the opinion
that there was once a large inland sea here, and they think they have
discovered the outlet where the water broke forth and formed Green
River. Here in these valleys and in these ranges of mountains we can
follow the ancient water line. This discovery of Professor Marsh is
particularly pleasing to us "Mormons," because he has so far
scientifically demonstrated the Book of Mormon to be true.
Here is the kingdom of God; do you want to enter into it, or not? Do
you want the future blessings of this kingdom, or do you not? Have
your choice; but whomsoever you list to obey, his servants you will
be, whether it is Jesus or the devil; please yourselves, have your
choice. But all know we cannot serve two masters acceptably; if we
love one, we shall hate the other, and if we hold on to one, we shall
despise the other. We must either be for the kingdom of God, or not.
But we shall organize this holy order here before we leave. We give
the invitation to all of you to come and get organized. Let us be one;
let us carry out the order that God has established for the family of
heaven.
God bless you.