It affords me pleasure to meet once more with the Saints in General
Conference assembled, where we may pledge ourselves again, and bear
our testimony, and raise our warning voices to the world in regard to
the great work that the Lord is accomplishing in the earth through the
instrumentality of his children who have enlisted under King Emanuel's
banner, and are willing to unite with him in accomplishing his
purposes on the earth. His kingdom is being established here in the
valleys of the mountains. Settlements are being formed, towns and
villages are springing up, and people, who have made a covenant with
God, are reclaiming the earth from the thralldom of sin and iniquity in
which it has so long been held in bondage; and instead of being in a
little city or town in Illinois, where we were not permitted to dwell,
we are here in the valleys of the mountains, possessing from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred towns, villages and settlements. The
Lord has thus strengthened the stakes, enlarged the bor ders, and
lengthened the cords of Zion, and he has reclaimed from the dominion
of the wicked the amount of the earth's surface that is now occupied
by his Saints, at least, so long as they hold it for him and his
kingdom, and themselves for his work. The world belongs to the Lord,
and he has the right to govern and control it, and he is going to do
so. We are preparing the way for his kingdom and coming, for he
certainly designs to come here just as soon as the people are prepared
to receive him, and perhaps sooner than some will be willing to
receive him. I have sometimes thought, that if he were now at the
gate, we should feel we would rather he would wait awhile until we
could fix up matters before he was introduced. The way is preparing,
however, and I feel to rejoice this morning that I can bear my
testimony to the increase of the numbers of the Saints of God, and to
the increase of faith and good works among them.
The dominion of the Lord is extending upon the earth, a little here and a little there, sometimes, perhaps, going a little too far,
and dodging back a little for a time, and then springing forward
again, and so going on, on every side. The Lord has made no mistake,
he understands what he is doing a great deal better than some of us
do, and I apprehend that a great many people are bringing about the
Lord's purposes unwittingly. Perhaps they would not do as well in this
respect as they are now doing if they understood, to the fullest
extent, the result of the course they are taking. But really the Lord
is at work with a great many people, some of whom see the kingdom, and
some do not; and he has even said that he will cause the wrath of the
wicked and ungodly to praise him, and the remainder of their wrath he
will restrain. This is true, and has been illustrated in the history
of this people. When they were driven from Nauvoo, the disposition of
their enemies was to destroy every vestige of the authority of the
holy Priesthood from the face of the earth; and that disposition still
exists in the hearts of a great many people, and if they had the power
they would carry it out. Well, the Lord, in the early days of the
Church, suffered enough of this disposition to be gratified to cause
the exodus of his people from Missouri and Illinois, and they were
finally kicked right into the middle of the floor, into these valleys
of the mountains; and when the purposes of the Lord were so far
subserved by the wrath of the wicked, he restrained them, and his
people have been blessed and prospered, and the earth has been made to
bring forth its strength for their sustenance, and we see prosperity
on every hand in the dwelling places of the Saints. A country has been
put into their possession, where the Lord can strengthen their feet,
and he is doing so, whether we understand it or not. Many will
doubtless make shipwreck of their faith, and will be led away by the
allurements of sin into by and forbidden paths; yet the kingdom will
not be taken from this people and given to another, but a people will
come forth from among us who will be zealous of good works, willing to
do the bidding of the Lord, who will be taught in his ways, and who
will walk in his paths. We, if we are willing, may be humble
instruments in the hands of God, in bringing to pass his great and
glorious kingdom.
We have a Temple pretty near ready to go into in St. George. It is
progressing very favorably, and is a magnificent structure, and in a
short time we shall be able to enter it, and receive blessings for
time and eternity, for ourselves and our dead. Let me say to the
Latter-day Saints, that the blessings of the Lord, even life for
evermore, are commanded here in these valleys of the mountains. I will
read a few words from the Psalmist—"Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious
ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard: even Aaron's
beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of
Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for
there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Anciently, this blessing was commanded in the mountains of Zion on the
eastern hemisphere, but in our day the Lord has revealed himself, and
has spoken from the heavens to his servant on the western continent.
Where the authority of the holy Priesthood is, dwells the blessing of
the Lord, and there has he commanded the blessing, even life for
evermore.
We are united in our faith, in our works, and in our feelings and
interests; and in every capacity that is possible the Latter-day
Saints should stand shoulder to shoulder, presenting before the Lord
and before the world an unbroken phalanx to resist the powers and
insinuations of the enemy and the approaches of evil in every
direction. The people here are increasing and multiplying, they are
disposed, as a general thing, to do as the Lord wants them to do; but
wickedness will creep in. We must purify our hearts. The Lord
says—"Son, give me thy heart." We must give our hearts to the Lord our
God, then he can accept of us. Many are called but few are chosen. We
are all called to be co-helpers with the Lord in establishing his
purposes in the earth, in sustaining holy and righteous principles,
and the institutions of high heaven which the Lord has revealed, and
the organizations which he has introduced in the midst of the earth.
We are called upon to sustain them, and to bear them off triumphantly,
to lay a foundation for the rule of truth, peace, and righteousness in
the earth, and to prepare the way for the ushering in of that great
and glorious kingdom of peace that will stand forever and ever. This
is the work of the Latter-day Saints, and the Lord will perform it
through the instrumentality of those who are willing and obedient in
the day of his power. We can have lot and part herein if we have a
mind to; so may all the children of earth; all they have to do is to
render obedience to the voice of the Lord, and the whole world ought
to be glad of the opportunity to do that. The Lord invites us to come,
he is anxious and desirous that we should come to him and learn of
him. He says—"Take upon you my yoke, for it is easy, and my burden,
for it is light; come, partake of the waters of life freely." "Turn
from your evils, for why will ye die, O house of Israel." The Lord is
talking to the people, and sending forth his warning voice to the
nations of the wicked and ungodly, and as it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man; the
righteous were saved and the wicked were destroyed then, so they will
be in these latter days, for the hour of God's judgment is come, and
the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of
his Christ, and they will be given to his Saints.
Who would not be a Saint? Why a great many people reject the word of
the Lord and have no respect for it whatever, and too many of those
who profess to be Latter-day Saints are in the same condition. It is
not a great while since the word of the Lord came through Joseph
Smith, the Prophet of the Lord, to this nation, to free their slaves,
and for the Government to pay for them out of the treasury of the
United States. Would the people receive the word of the Lord through
his servant? No, they would not. What was the result? Why a
fratricidal civil war in which thousands of millions of dollars were
spent, devastation was spread over the land and rivers of blood were
shed, and all this might have been avoided and the slaves liberated by
peaceful means at not more than one-tenth of the expense, if they
would have hearkened to the word of the Lord. Everybody can see now
that that would have been the best course to take, but nobody could
see it and nobody would receive it when it was given. Do not let us be
afraid of the word of the Lord. He never did and he never will reveal
a principle to the children of men, but what, if it be carried
out, will prove to their greatest interest and advantage. I merely
mention this to illustrate a subject which is quite familiar to the
Saints, but which the world do not know so much about.
Now, we are here in obedience to a great command, a command given by
the Almighty to his Saints to gather out from Babylon, lest they be
partakers of her sins and receive of her plagues. But if we are going
to partake of her sins in Zion, and to nourish and cherish the wicked
and ungodly, what better shall we be for gathering? Shall we escape
her plagues by so doing? No, there is no promise to that effect, but
if we practice the sins and iniquities of Babylon here in Zion, we may
expect to receive of her plagues and to be destroyed. We have duties
to perform here, which devolve upon us as Saints of the Most High. The
Book of Doctrine and Covenants informs us that things will be
revealed, in this the dispensation of the fullness of times, that have
been kept hidden from before the foundation of the world. Should we be
surprised, then, when a new principle is manifested among us from the
Lord through the channel of the holy Priesthood? Do we realize that
this is the channel through which the mind and will of God our Father
is made known unto us? Here is the Bible, of what is it composed? Of a
compilation of things made known to the children of men in former ages
through the instrumentality of the holy Priesthood. The word of the
Lord to the people has always come through that channel, and it always
will. It is the same authority that exists in the heavens, by which
the Gods themselves are governed, and by which they control all
things; and it is among the privileges of every man and every woman to
approach the Lord through this channel, and learn his mind and will
concerning them. And through this same channel a Bishop may learn the
mind of the Lord about his ward, the president of a quorum about his
quorum, and the President of the whole Church the mind and will of the
Lord concerning the people; and so through all the quorums and
organizations of the Church, from first to last, all may approach the
Lord through the channel of the holy Priesthood, and learn his mind
and will concerning them. It is the privilege of the father and mother
of a family to obtain the mind and will of the Lord, to enable them to
guide their children in the ways of eternal life. This is no child's
play, or fable. The Lord has spoken from the heavens, and we bear
testimony thereof to all the nations of the earth. Listen, then, to
his voice! It comes to all, it comes to the Latter-day Saints through
the channel of the Priesthood located here in the valleys of the
mountains. Hear it, all ye nations of the earth! Come up here, and
learn the mind and will of the Lord. Take warning, that you may escape
his wrath when his judgments shall be poured out, because they will be
just as sure as they were in the days of Noah. This is the work of the
Lord, and we bear testimony of these things continually in your ears.
You, of course, do as you please about receiving or believing our
testimony; that makes no difference in regard to the truth of the
matter. It is God's truth, and it is extending and will continue to do
so until it prevails and triumphs over every obstacle.
The Latter-day Saints have a work to do, not only in proclaiming the
Gospel and warning the people, but to build up Zion right here
upon the earth. Not afar off in some far distant sphere, but here,
where the Lord has planted their feet, in the valleys of the
mountains. And we must be united and must operate together, as far as
in our power lies, to bring to pass the purposes of the Almighty,
because righteousness, and peace and harmony must dwell in the
kingdom. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Is a
reformation needed amongst the Saints? Yes, it is needed with us all.
We must reform and continue to reform. We have inherited lies from,
and are full of the traditions of, the fathers. We have all imbibed
errors in our infant years, and the enemy is on the alert, ready to
enter in and to lead into by and forbidden paths the footsteps of the
young, that he may cause them to make shipwreck of their faith and go
away from the truth, the eternal truth of heaven. The world is waging
a warfare against this little handful of people in the valleys of the
mountains. Why? Because we have got the truth, the true faith of the
holy Gospel; we have the authority of the holy Priesthood that has
come down from heaven. They are anxious to destroy this authority and
the servants of the Lord who bear it, and they are anxious to uproot
and destroy us as a people. Then, in order to defend ourselves, let us
go to with our mights, unite as the heart of one man, and stand
shoulder to shoulder in building up the kingdom of God upon the earth.
If we have lost our faith in the work, why, of course, we can't be
expected to do anything more towards building it up; but if we are
assured in our own minds that this is the truth, that "Mormonism"
so-called, is the everlasting Gospel, that it has been revealed by
direct revelation from the Lord in these last days, and that we are
really his people, let us go to and reform our lives. There is need of
it, we have been slack, negligent and dilatory, and peradventure we
have done a great many things we ought not to have done; perhaps we
have been guilty of sins of omission as well as sins of commission,
and we need to repent, and to go down into the waters of baptism
inasmuch as we have the privilege, and have our sins washed away, and
have hands laid upon us for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and rise in
newness of life, with a firm determination that henceforth we will
divest ourselves of those evils, that we will keep the Lord's day
holy, attend to our meetings, partake of the Sacrament, and that we
will be more diligent in regard to the words of the Lord that have
been given to us, and that are given to us continually, for the stream
flows unceasingly through the channel of the Priesthood to the people.
Let us listen to the voice and the whisperings of the Spirit, and if
there be an obstacle in the way let us remove it. If we have hard
feelings one towards another, envyings, strifes, or anything that is
calculated to mar our peace and happiness, let us go and make that
right, and then come and partake of the emblems of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, through whose sufferings and death an atonement has been
worked out for our salvation. Every Latter-day Saint needs the
inspiring, refreshing influence of the Spirit of God to flow to him
continually. Reflect a moment, and remember that when the plants in
our gardens and fields are withering under the scorching sun, how
carefully we go along the water sects, clear out every obstacle and
turn in the water, so that it may reach and revive every plant, that
they may all live and grow. So should the Latter-day Saints
remove every obstacle that lies in their way to the reception and flow
of the Spirit of the Lord to them. If you have aught against your
neighbor or friend, go and make that right; if you have done any
wicked thing, broken any of the commandments of the Lord, repent and
be baptized for the remission of these sins, and turn away from them.
No man can get a greater evidence of the Lord's having forgiven him
his sins, than the knowledge that he has actually turned away from
them, and that he is living in obedience to the principles of the holy
Gospel. Every man and every woman knows this for himself or herself,
and if they have, then may they know that the Lord has forgiven them
their sins, and not without. A person may commit iniquity and think he
can hide it up; but let me say to such a person that you know it, and
that is one too many, and the Lord knows it, and that is two too many,
and out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be
established, and you will give this evidence against yourself sooner
or later. And all who have committed sin or transgression of any kind
must repent of it and be baptized for the remission thereof; and
unless they repent sincerely, with a repentance that needs not to be
repented of, they had better not go near the waters of baptism, for it
will be a solemn mockery before high heaven. I say that if you intend
to keep straight along in your own indifferent way all the time, stay
away, never offer yourselves for baptism, for that would be a mockery
and would only add to your condemnation, instead of being a benefit to
you.
I might enumerate what evils we are guilty of, but I do not wish to
confess the sins of the people, I have enough of my own. But let us
examine ourselves individually, and repent of that wherein we have
done amiss in the sight of the Lord. How indifferent we have been
about his word from time to time when it has been given to us! The
servants of the Lord have proclaimed his will unto us year after year,
and I sometimes think that we are preached to too much; but yet when a
principle is revealed from the Lord, the people are very reluctant to
take hold of it, which shows that we need to be instructed in regard
to our duties as Saints of God, that we may be so in very deed.
Latter-day Saints must progress, they cannot stand still; and if they
do not progress in the faith of the holy Gospel, and in the things of
God, they are progressing in the other direction, and they will
finally come to a point when the counsel of their minds will be
darkened, and they will be unable to see the kingdom.
This cause is great and glorious, and it is worthy of our utmost
endeavors and attention, and all that we have and are, or can be. It
is worthy of all the means we can control, and of all the talents and
ability that pertain to us in this life, for in it lie our best
interests, for by embracing and living according to the faith of the
holy Gospel, we shall be exalted in the scale of human existence, and
it is impossible to be otherwise. If we embrace principles of vice and
go in the ways of wickedness and wicked men, we are on the way to
death and destruction.
There are some amongst us, perhaps, who, in their feelings, have given
way to a spirit of faultfinding with those who are over them, it may
be with their Bishop, or with the President. If they persist in this
course, it will not be long before they give expression to their
feelings to some friend who is of like mind, and who
sympathizes with them, and it will not be a great while, if such
persons do not turn a short corner and repent, before they make
shipwreck of their faith, and they will go to the devil at last. How
many of us have seen those who have stood firm in the faith a great
while, and through whom the Lord has made manifest his goodness and
deliverances from time to time, in the laying on of hands and healing
the sick, and yet they have let the devil cheat them out of their
salvation at last, by causing them to commit some kind of iniquity,
peradventure adultery, and you know that the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants says that whosoever will do that will deny the faith anyhow,
unless they repent. If any have been guilty of any of these evils, it
is important, if they want salvation, that they repent, and do them no
more forever.
We read in this book, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, how people
may attain to the different degrees of glory, telestial, terrestrial,
and celestial, and we are told that it is by observing the laws which
pertain to these several kingdoms. There is no other way that I know
of. If we ever expect a celestial glory, we must observe the laws of
the kingdom where that glory exists; and so with any other degree of
glory. Well, then, as Latter-day Saints, we see that we have enough to
do. We have to be united that we may resist the encroachments of the
enemy, that we may be prospered and blessed in the earth, and work to
better advantage than we have been doing heretofore, and cooperate
with each other and with the Lord in building up his kingdom upon the
earth. If we can see that kingdom, let us go to and man the ship Zion.
I feel to bear my testimony to this great work of the last days, and
also in behalf of the people, that the predominating influence among
them is, in my opinion, for God. I am gratified exceedingly to be able
to make this statement, and to bear this testimony. Still we have need
to repent, that we may progress faster, that we may accomplish a great
work during the day, for the night cometh when no man can work. It is
incumbent upon each and every one of us to do all that in our power
lies, and not neglect our opportunity, for when once passed it has
passed forever. It is for us then to work for the Lord and his cause
and kingdom with all our might, mind, and strength, and to sustain the
principles and institutions of high heaven that he has organized among
his people, and so be prepared to receive that which may come; for we
may expect, if we have the living oracles among us, which we have, and
I bear testimony to it, that other new principles will keep coming
along as fast as the people are prepared to receive them, and a great
deal faster than a great many are prepared. I bear my testimony that
there is a constant stream of revelation concerning us here, and that
the mind and will of God is being poured out upon us continually. It
has not been slackened one particle, but it is right here with us
today. The Bible is a compilation of the revelations of God which
have been given in various ages, and it is good. But the living
oracles are for us. We are not called upon to build and enter into an
ark, like Noah was; the ark of safety that we have to build is
different from what it was in his day. But as Noah had to be guided in
laying the foundation and rearing the superstructure of his ark by
revelation from the God of heaven, so have we in these latter days;
and by the revelations of heaven, through the channel of the
holy Priesthood, we have to be continually taught in the ways of the
Lord, that we may walk in his paths. It is not for every man to go
after his own foolish notion, and the phantom of his own brain; the
kingdom can never be built up if everyone walks in the path he marks
out for himself. It is God's kingdom, and it is ours also, inasmuch as
we will make our ways correspond with his, and take a course to be
reckoned among his jewels when he makes up those upon whom he will
confer eternal riches.
This earthly probation is a day of trial. We have to pass through
tests and ordeals, and have to prove ourselves worthy to be numbered
among that great company who will stand as saviors upon Mount Zion,
with the very impress of Deity upon them—the name of God written upon
their foreheads. "These are they," says the Apostle, "who come up
through much tribulation." The Lord will have a tried people, those
who have proven their integrity before high heaven, and none others
will be counted worthy to receive and inherit the eternal riches. He
that endures faithful to the end, the same will be saved; but the word
endure is there, we have to endure all things. He that is faithful
over a few things, will be made ruler over many; but the word faithful
is there. We can't go indifferently along all the days of our lives,
and fly the track the very moment an obstacle is presented before us,
or a difficulty looms up in the way; we must overcome that difficulty,
and rise above that obstacle, and not swerve to the right hand or to
the left. So shall we prove our integrity before heaven, and, by
enduring to the end, we shall be saved in God's kingdom; and having
been faithful over a few things, we shall receive others, and be made
rulers over many things. You thus see that salvation today is gained
upon the same principle as that upon which it was gained in the days
of the Savior and his Apostles.
I feel to thank the Lord for his blessings, and that I can see his
handiwork in the midst of the people. I can see the increase of his
power and his dominion in the earth, for rest assured it is increasing
on every side, and in the hearts of the people, and we wish it to
increase more rapidly there for their own sakes, for your sake, for my
sake, and it is for our advantage individually. The Lord and one good
man, we are told, are a great majority, so it does not matter so much
to him how many there are on his side; the principal thing is for
those who profess to be his followers and servants to be faithful and
true in keeping the covenants they have made with him, and not be
everlastingly breaking the same, and thereby forfeiting the rights and
blessings they might otherwise enjoy. We can't be blessed, we cannot
stand, we cannot be made rulers over many things, we cannot receive
inheritances, kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions,
exaltations in the celestial kingdoms, unless we are faithful in all
things, if need be unto death; and if we fail in this we shall most
assuredly be clipped of our glory.
Let us, then, my brethren and sisters, live so that we may at least
have a reasonable hope of attaining to these great blessings which are
the gift of God. That we may do so and preserve ourselves in integrity
before high heaven, and be united together as the heart and voice of
one man, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- Daniel H. Wells