I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for the privilege of meeting with
you again and am happy to say that I am as well satisfied with my
labors during the last six months as any of the labors of my life.
Here let me ask, are you, my brethren and sisters, satisfied with the
labors you have performed during the same length of time? This is a
question you will have to answer for yourselves to your own
consciences. If you have done well you will be blessed, and you will
feel satisfied; if you have suffered yourselves to do that which is
wrong towards yourselves or towards any other person on the earth, or
to the providences of God, or to our Heavenly Father, your consciences
will judge you.
I am aware that you wish to hear something of our labors in the South.
I will say that we have had a blessed time, such a time as no other
people on the earth have en joyed for many centuries, that we have any
knowledge of. We have been permitted to enjoy privileges for the
possession of which we have been striving and laboring for many years.
For almost half a century we have been exerting ourselves that we
might have the privilege of entering into a Temple of God, there to
officiate and receive the ordinances of his holy house, both for
ourselves and for our friends that have slept without the Gospel. This
privilege and blessing we have not enjoyed until within a very few
months past. The feeling experienced by those who have participated in
the blessings administered in the Temple is something which cannot be
described to your understanding. Those only who have shared with us in
the Temple ordinances know for themselves the satisfaction there is in
realizing that we are indeed co-workers with our Lord and Savior; that
we bear a humble part in the great work of sal vation; that we
have the privilege of receiving and obeying the truth, and of securing
to ourselves that happiness which the Gospel alone affords; and not
only of performing these ordinances for ourselves, but of doing the
necessary work for our parents and forefathers who have slept without
the Gospel, that they may partake also of the waters of life, and be
judged according to men in the flesh. This is a privilege, a blessing,
which no one can sense unless he is in possession of it. We are happy
to know by our faith and feelings through the spirit of revelation
within us that our labors have been accepted of the Lord. We have
enjoyed ourselves exceedingly in the society of each other; the aged,
the middle-aged and the youth have rejoiced and been made glad in this
glorious work.
When I look upon the youth, our young brethren and sisters, who are
more or less unacquainted with the great principles of life and
salvation, I wish that they could enjoy what a few of our young people
did this past winter, their minds would be detached from the trifles
and follies of this weak world, and they would be placed upon more
sacred things, upon the principles that are calculated to exalt them
and ennoble every feeling and desire of the heart.
The Latter-day Saints present a strange spectacle to those that enjoy
the spirit of revelation. To see them following after the spirit of
this world and gratifying the lust of the eye and of the mind, like
the rest of mankind who have never enjoyed the spirit of the Gospel of
life and salvation; and yet not so very strange when we realize the
power of the enemy and the thousands of snares which he lays for the
feet of the unwary, to draw the people astray from the things of God.
Still, when we view the great object of our life, our being here upon
the earth, being brought here expressly to receive that experience by
which we can discover between right and wrong, between good and evil,
between light and darkness, and obtain that experience that angels
have, that the gods have, and that all exalted beings have, and
remember that we are put in possession of those principles that make
us wise unto salvation, that we should stoop to the sinful deeds and
sinful reflections that many do, is marvelous and strange. When I
think of these things I am impressed with the great importance of this
life and of exercising ourselves in the privileges that God has
granted to us to prepare our hearts through obedience to the Gospel of
the Son of God, for a high station, for a high exaltation in worlds to
come, such as we cannot receive whilst clothed in this mortal
tabernacle. But still, in this life we can receive little by little,
and more and more, growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth,
until our minds are able to comprehend many of the great things of
eternity; and thus prepare our hearts, by overcoming sin and the
weaknesses of humanity, for that exaltation already awaiting the
righteous.
Sometimes I am so exercised that I chastise the people very severely;
but I will say to the Latter-day Saints that I have no chastisement
for any unless they deserve it, and if I myself am found guilty of the
same wrongs, I receive to myself a portion of the rebuke which I give
to others. But my feelings are very acute; what I see and hear
ofttimes causes me sorrow and wonder, and I feel to exclaim, "O Lord,
have mercy upon us, thy people!" How easy it is for us to forget the
Lord who atoned for us, and to depart from his ways, giving way
to the false influences that are continually prompting our minds to
lust after the things of this world in their corrupt condition. All
this is strange to the mind opened to see and understand the things of
God and the things of eternity as they are. If we possessed that
power, that influence over ourselves, a proper portion of that
stability that belongs to the heavens, when we once embraced the truth
there would be no necessity for our being chastened, no necessity for
our being called upon to refrain from this or that wrong; but the
weakness of the flesh is so great that we need continually the
influence of our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to
hold us to the truth, in order that we may not fall away therefrom and
finally wander into the darkness of the world, forsaking God and the
faith we have embraced.
It is astonishing that men should do so when we consider things as
they are, and witness the continued love and kindness of our Heavenly
Father, in again speaking from the heavens, revealing himself and his
everlasting Gospel to the children of men, as well as the ordinances,
laws, rules and regulations of his House which affect the salvation of
both the living and the dead.
How is it with my brethren and sisters here? Are they awake to the
things of God? If they are we shall have no need of calling upon them
from day to day, from week to week. Brethren, will you put forth your
hands and rear these Temples, these buildings wherein we can enter and
officiate for ourselves and our progenitors, preparatory to the coming
of the Son of Man, which coming draws near? Will we build up the Zion
of God before entering into the millennium of rest, when wickedness
will be taken away from the earth? Then the Latter-day Saints will be
able to go forth without being persecuted by their enemies, and
opposed on every hand by the alluring spirits that are constantly
tempting them away from the things of God to follow after the things
of a fallen world. Then the Saints will enjoy the privilege of
building their Temples unmolested, redeem their friends, and make
ready for the time when the nations shall come up to the presence of
God the Father, to be judged according to the deeds done in the flesh.
There are a few of the brethren and sisters who understand things as
they are, and who are ready and willing to devote their time and their
means for the salvation of the human family. If there are any hearts
or spirits in this city, or elsewhere, that are fearfully wondering
whether or not we are going to be destroyed, or whether this Church
will endure and become the mighty power in the earth, according to the
predictions of the servants of God, I will say to all such trembling
souls, You need entertain no such fears. You need have only one fear,
and that is with regard to yourselves, lest you should leave the light
that the Lord has imparted to you and wander into darkness, returning
to the beggarly elements of the world, lusting again after the things
of the world in their sinful state. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof; even the very things which we are so tempted to
covet, through lustful desires, in and of themselves are pure and
holy, for they are the Lord's; but we wish to possess them
unrighteously and not according to the will of God. This is the sin
which is upon man. Everything which we see and which pertains to this little earth, belongs to the Lord, and the whole of it will be
given to his Saints and they will enjoy it forever and ever. But at
present the earth is groaning under sin in consequence of the
wickedness of the children of men, and it is longing to be delivered,
as are the Saints that have slept, whom the Apostle John saw and
heard, when he was an exile on the Isle of Patmos. When will the earth
be redeemed, when will Jesus come to receive the Church as a bride,
when will he come to reign King of nations as he now reigns King of
Saints, when will he banish wickedness from the earth, and when will
the Saints have power to overcome sin? When we learn to sanctify the
Lord God in our hearts. As fast as we learn to conform our individual
wills to his will, overcoming sin within ourselves, will we have power
to subdue sin in those that surround us, and in this way the whole
earth will be redeemed from wickedness. The curse which has been
brought upon the earth through the Fall will be removed through the
faith and virtues of the Saints. When we become sanctified in the
truth, and our faith, through the Gospel of the Son of God, becomes
sufficiently powerful we will be able to remove the thorns and
thistles and obnoxious weeds that grow immediately around us, and to
bless and sanctify our gardens and farms, so that they will bring
forth spontaneously the fruits and flowers, the cereals and vegetables
that sustain life; and upon this principle as righteousness extends
will the whole earth eventually be redeemed and sanctified, when all
things will be as they were in the beginning, when the Lord finished
the earth and pronounced everything to be "very good." This is the
nature of the great latter-day work in which we are engaged, and were
it not for the confident assurance that we have of successfully
accomplishing it, I would tremble, and fear might enter my heart.
Why is the whole Christian world concerned about your humble servant?
They say Brigham Young is not fit to live, that he ought not to be
allowed to remain upon the earth. Would they remove him if they had
the power to? Yes, many who call themselves Christians would join in
the act, and many others would consent to his death! Not the
highminded and honorable of the earth, and those who serve God and his
Christ; but the bigot, the hypocrite, the wicked and the ungodly
would. Why? Simply because they represent their master, the devil, who
is carrying on a warfare with the heavens, and their hearts are
opposed to God and to all that represent him. This conflict always has
been, and will be until the winding up scene. If I had to depend upon
my own wisdom and power, in connection with that of my
fellow laborers, I might well tremble and fear. But I depend not upon
human wisdom or human power. I occupy the position that God our
Heavenly Father has placed me in, and while I exercise myself in the
duties that he has committed to me, seeking to build up his kingdom
and establish righteousness upon the earth, holding the dominion for
him and for the family of Christ, I tremble not, I fear not, neither
do I care for the insults of the world, for the Lord is my bulwark, my
shield and my deliverer. But have not some of the wicked succeeded in
removing others from the earth? Yes, they killed Joseph and Hyrum
Smith, while under the pledged faith of the State of Illinois; and at
Haun's Mill, Missouri, they massacred about eighteen of our brethren and sisters, innocent men, women and children, without the
first cause or provocation; and furthermore, the perpetrators of these
and other murders were never brought to justice; in fact, the press of
the nation advocated the destruction of "Mormonism," and on the death
of the leaders of our Church, all the consolation that public opinion
afforded their bereaved families, as well as the members of the
Church, over which they presided, was that that would put an end to
"Mormonism." But will the Lord overlook and forget such crimes? No,
for the blood of the innocent is continually crying unto him for
vengeance, which he will administer in his own due time. He has
already vexed this nation and given the people time to pause and
consider their conduct; and if they repent not by turning from their
corruptions and wickedness, he has only to say to the innocent, and to
the Latter-day Saints, "Wait a little, wait a little, and their cup
will be full to overflowing." I have said to my brethren and sisters,
and I say it now, Go to Jackson County, and to Caldwell County, where
the lives of Latter-day Saints have been taken and from where they
have been driven; go to the region of Haun's Mill, where so many were
massacred because they had come up to the western part of Missouri,
and it was said they were "Mormons," and you will find that we, in all
our persecutions, have not suffered so much as the characters who
executed judgment upon the innocent. If I were asked today if we as a
people had suffered persecution, I would say, "No, nothing worth
mentioning." This has ever been the case with the righteous, and it
ever will be. For when their lives are taken for the Gospel's sake,
they go to the Father, to the paradise of rest, where they are free
from the influence and power of sinful and wicked men. But how
different with the wicked and ungodly! When they die their sufferings
which cannot be described, only commence. But have we received enough
to understand that the wicked are a rod in the hands of God to chasten
his children? If you do not, it is time that you had learned it, for
it is even so; and if we are chastened, it is for a purpose, probably
to bring us to a sense of our duty, that we may know the hand-dealing
of the Lord towards us. But were we ever destroyed? No, neither will
God permit us to be, so long as we are desirous of being his servants,
and of doing the work given us to do. Although it was necessary that
Jesus should suffer on the cross for the sins of the world, still it
might be said of those who took an active part in the deed, as well as
those who consented to it in their hearts, "Woe unto them by whom this
offense came." Many of the Prophets have sealed their testimony with
their blood, that their testament might go forth with force and not
return void. As in ancient days, so in modern days. When Joseph Smith
sealed his testimony with his blood, his testament, from that moment
was in force to all the world; and woe to those who fight against it.
What will we do to them? Nothing at all, but preach the Gospel. They
may lie about us as they please. If we will faithfully mind our own
concerns, live our religion, do good to all men, preach the Gospel to
the nations of the earth, gather up the honest in heart, build up and
establish Zion in the earth, send the Gospel to the House of Israel,
and live and serve God in all things, all will be well with us, we
have no cause for fear in the least. When the Lord deems it necessary
that his servants should seal their testimony with their blood,
in order that his word may be strengthened and of greater force in the
earth, so let it be; they are received into the arms of Jehovah, they
rejoice in the society of those who are waiting patiently until the
trump shall sound, when the sleeping nations shall awake and their
bodies come forth to be reunited with their spirits, and the faithful
enter into a fullness of his glory. With them all is well, all is
right.
But do we live our religion? The only fear I have is that we are not
as faithful as we should be. We give way to passion, we yield to
temptation; whereas, we ought to live so that the Lord can strengthen
the position of his people and multiply the righteous, how fast and to
what degree is not for me to say. But if the Latter-day Saints were as
righteous and as holy as we are capable of being by reducing to
practice the doctrine we have received, I am sure that the Lord could
hasten his work, and he would cut it short in righteousness, it would
be consummated much quicker than he can in our present condition. The
acts and condition of the people here on the earth must be considered,
the same is held in remembrance before the throne of God, for he
requires of his people to act with him in all things pertaining to the
building up of his kingdom upon the earth. But his grace is always
ready, his Spirit is always waiting, and the light that Jesus brought
into the world is always with the people, teaching them the right from
the wrong. He is the light of the world that lighteth every man that
cometh into the world, and if the whisperings of his Spirit and its
dictates were hearkened to and obeyed, all men everywhere would grow
in the truth, much faster than we Latter-day Saints are doing. It is a
source of mortification to know that men and women who have been in
this Church from twenty to forty years should still be so prone to the
weaknesses of the flesh. What do I see? If I do not witness it with my
own eyes, I hear of it through those who do—men, ofttimes of long
standing in the Church, drink a little, they swear a little, smoke or
chew a little, and indulge their appetites in those things which the
Lord has warned us against, and which he has said are not good for
man. They, too, can spend their time wandering about these mountains
hunting for gold and silver, they can mingle and associate with those
whose lives are records of vice and immorality, and who are ready to
oppose God and traduce the character of his servants. Can Saints of
God, Elders in Israel, who are exercised by the power and spirit of
their holy calling, who have within them the gift of eternal life, can
they be guilty of such things and stand approved before God? No, they
cannot; and I say, shame upon such men, they are a disgrace to
themselves, and their actions are a disgrace to the name of Saint. It
is a disgrace, too, to the sisters, as well as the brethren, who
thirst after the vain fashions and foolish practices of the world.
Cease to pattern after those who know not God. How would such conduct
compare with the conversation and deportment of the angels whom we
expect to meet? Would they want to adopt the practices and fashions of
the wicked world? No, they have higher aims and holier aspirations,
they live above vanity; so should the Latter-day Saints. Our hearts
should be pure, entertaining such things only as are comely, chaste
and praiseworthy before him. This is the course of life that he
expects of us.
I have a great many reflections, especially when alone, I
converse with myself upon these eternal things, things which the
frivolous, the vain, and those who are engaged only with the things of
this world, never think of. With regard to the society of heaven,
their conversation and deportment, consider the magnitude and
greatness of the character of holy beings, contemplate the expanse of
eternity and the life that is before us, and then how insignificant
appears this world as it now is! Still, in our humanity, in our fallen
condition, that divine influence is more or less with us, and if we
would preserve ourselves to dwell with the holy ones of heaven and
have joy in our being, we must faithfully adhere to and practice the
principles of eternal life; and in doing so, he will add for our
comfort and enjoyment all things necessary pertaining to this life.
Fear not with regard to the success of this Church and kingdom. Rather
fear you should not be counted worthy to be numbered among the
sanctified when Jesus comes to make up his jewels; rather fear lest
you should be found in the condition of the five foolish virgins whose
lamps had gone out and who were unprepared to meet the bridegroom
because they had no oil. Remember, Latter-day Saints, there were five
wise and five foolish, an equal division, and yet they were all
virgins. The application is a just one and has a direct bearing on us,
as Latter-day Saints. The wise among us will take heed, will hearken to
the instructions and counsels of the servants of God, will pattern
after Christ, and thirst after the things of God, and our lamps will
be trimmed and burning, and we will be prepared to meet the bridegroom
when he comes, and they that are ready will enter in with him to the
marriage; and whether or not the door be shut upon those not so well
prepared is a matter that belongs solely to him, and he can do just as
he pleases about it. I want to have oil in my vessel, so that in case
I should, in consequence of the weakness of the flesh, slumber a
little, on arising my lamp would be trimmed ready to burn. This is
doubtless your desire. Then live for it; mingle not your voices with
the wicked, seek not after the delusive things of this world in their
present state. But is not the Lord going to give the earth and the
riches thereof to his Saints? Yes, that is the promise, and he has
spoken it by the mouth of many of his Prophets. But when will this
inheritance pass into the hands of his people? When we shall have
sanctified the Lord in our hearts, sanctified our bodies and spirits
in the truth, and we become pure and holy, free from selfishness and
from every sin; and until we shall have reached this state of
perfection, we never need expect these things committed to our care,
for he will not do it. When the judgment is given to the Saints, it
will be because of their righteousness, because they will judge even
as the angels and as the Gods, and not as the wicked do at the present
time, who care not for God nor for justice, who care not for truth nor
mercy, love nor kindness, who judge according to the wickedness of
their hearts. I am very thankful that it is not our province, in our
present condition, to judge the world; if it were, we would ruin
everything. We have not sufficient wisdom, our minds are not filled
with the knowledge and power of God; the spirit needs to contend with
the flesh a little more until it shall be successful in subduing its
passions, until the whole soul is brought into perfect harmony with
the mind and will of God. And we must also acquire the discretion that God exercises in being able to look into futurity, and
to ascertain and know the results of our acts away in the future, even
in eternity, before we will be capable of judging.
Let us live so that we shall be ready for any dispensation of
providence. It is said He will come as a thief in the night. We had
better be on the watchtower, waiting in readiness for him, than to be
putting off the time, for peradventure we might put it off until it is
too late.
I have something to say to the Latter-day Saints about their temporal
affairs, how we should live temporally, taking proper care of that
which is committed to our charge, and using it for the benefit of
ourselves and others, which I will tell you on some future occasion.
On the second Saturday and Sunday in May, the 12th and 13th, we will
hold a two days' meeting here, or, if you choose to call it so, a
District Conference of this Stake of Zion, to which you, and as many
as can make it, convenient to attend, are invited. If you will come
with clean hands and pure hearts, full of faith, so that the Lord can
pour out his spirit upon us, we will have a time of rejoicing. God
bless you. Amen.