I feel grateful for the privileges and blessings we enjoy as a people.
This seems to be the feeling of everyone that attempts to speak
before this congregation. But what are the feelings of thousands of
this people that appreciate their blessings and their enjoyments? I
know for one that I have never seen a day since I entered into this
Church, but what I felt thankful for the situation in which I was
placed. I have been many times poor as to the things of this world,
but I never saw the time but what I felt rich in regard to the
principles of life and salvation, that God has revealed to us.
I presume there are but few in this valley, and perhaps not one, that
has seen closer times than I have, or than President Brigham Young
has. I hear a great many people say, and even some of those who labor
on the Public Works, that they have nothing but bread to eat and water
to drink; well, I have seen the time, a great many times, that I had
not bread to eat, but there was plenty of water, though not half so
good as we have here in these valleys. I have thought a thousand times
how it is possible that men can have nothing under the heavens to live
upon but bread and water, when the valleys are full of vegetation, and
at the same time they will have plenty of potatoes, beets, carrots,
pumpkins, and everything of that kind, and still they say they have
nothing but bread and water! That is a mystery that never has been
un folded to me. I have never seen the time in my life but what I had
something to eat, if it was nothing but some horse beef, or something
of that kind.
Well, there are a great many who labor, and have their three dollars
and three dollars and a half a day, and they say there is nothing but
bread and water to live upon. Ask them how much of a family they have,
and you will learn they have only one wife, and no children, and are
paid from 18 to 20 dollars a week, and cannot get anything but bread
and water!
I merely speak of this because I have heard it so much. Perhaps they
cannot get meat, and perhaps they cannot get butter, nor sugar, nor
coffee, nor tea, but they have plenty of potatoes, and they have
plenty of beets, carrots, pumpkins, squashes, &c., &c., for there are
thousands of these things in the Tithing Office. I wish the brethren
would not come to President Young, nor to any other one, with that
complaint any more, until the potatoes are all gone. Why not say, "We
have to live on bread, and water, and potatoes, and pumpkins,
squashes, and all these good things?" Will you not be so candid as to
make that report the next time? I know perfectly well we are
comfortable as a people, and you may go into the United States, and
into the best cities and towns that there are in the United States,
and you cannot find so large a congregation as are here together, which is as well clad as you are today. If you could stand
where I am, and look upon this congregation, you would be surprised to
see the good clothing you have on; it is better than I ever saw any
congregation have in any part of the United States, or in any portion
of Europe that I ever was in; and we have the least cause of complaint
of any people that live upon the face of the earth; this I know. And I
know another thing, that a great many people are becoming so
proud—well, perhaps it is not pride, but they have got so that they
cannot dress and clothe themselves with anything that is not brought
here by the merchants. Many will bring in their wool, and their
linsey, and their good clothing that they make here from the wool, and
give it to clothe the Indians, for they are too proud to wear it
themselves. But the day will come when the merchants of the earth will
lift up their heads and their voices, and cry out, "We have no place
to sell our merchandise."
Will the time ever be that we can make our clothing? We nearly can at
this time. We can do it almost universally as a people. If there are
any who have not got the sheep, they can buy the wool cheaper than it
can be bought in the United States this day. You can buy it at from 20
to 50 cents a pound. I would like to see the people take a course to
make their own clothing, make their own machinery, their own knives
and their own forks, and everything else we need, for the day will
come when we will be under the necessity of doing it, for trouble and
perplexity, war and famine, bloodshed and fire, and thunder and
lightning will roll upon the nations of the earth, insomuch that we
cannot get to them, nor they to us. If you do not believe me I want
you to believe the Prophets; read the revelations that came through
brother Joseph Smith, and through Daniel and Moses, and through Jesus,
and through all the ancient Prophets. They spoke of these things, and
declare they shall come to pass in the latter days. Well, what period
is it now? Unto us it is the "last days," in which, the Lord says by
His Prophets, when you hear of war, and rumors of war, it will not be
long before you have it in your own land. Now are we as a people
preparing and qualifying ourselves for that day, lest it overtake us
as a thief in the night? It certainly will if we do not wake up from
our slumber.
There is a blessing that attends this people wherever they go, and
every man that comes to us, or is at a place when we come, I never
have seen the time but what they begin to get rich. Look at Nauvoo,
for instance, and see how poor and penniless we were, living in old
log cabins, and destitute; but we began to get rich, and many became
wealthy. There is no man upon the face of the earth that will be
favorable towards Zion and towards this people, but what he will
prosper temporally as well as spiritually. I have never seen a place,
since I was born upon the earth, in which I could make one dollar, but
that I could make 50 dollars among the Saints in the same length of
time. It seems to cost more to build a house here by one half than it
does in the United States, still it is easier to build, and to
multiply and replenish the earth, and raise food, and everything else,
in this place, than in any other that ever I saw. At the same time
there are a great many who murmur, and say it is the hardest place
they ever saw; that is a curiosity to me, when the blessings of the
Almighty attend us wherever we go; for we can build up a city in a few
days, or at the furthest in a few years, and it seems to be no trouble
at all. Brethren and sisters, let us try to appreciate our blessings,
and honor the calling we have received. At the same time there are a great many who disregard their profession, and tantalize
others who hold the Priesthood, and try to make it dishonorable; but
they cannot do it. I cannot dishonor it, but I can dishonor myself.
The Priesthood is a gift from the Almighty, and He has placed a
portion of it upon me to honor, and if I honor that calling, that
Priesthood will honor me, it will magnify me before God, and before
the world. I do know that when I take a course to dishonor myself, I
degrade myself in the eyes of heaven, and upon earth. When I trifle
with the Priesthood I trifle with the Almighty; and when I trifle with
President Young I trifle with the Priesthood, and that Priesthood will
leave me, and I will fall and I will become disgraced in the eyes of
heaven, and of all Saints; and I forfeit everything that I had
attained while I held that Priesthood, when I forfeit it; I forfeit my
salvation and every blessing I possess.
Supposing we all realized this, do you not think that those who have
the Priesthood, and take a course to pollute not only themselves, but
their brethren, and their sisters, and degrade themselves, and steal,
and lie, and take the name of God in vain, would repent speedily? How
do you suppose the Lord looks upon them? Now reflect one moment; He
looks upon them with less allowance than I do, and that in proportion
to the light and knowledge which He has. And how do angels look upon
them when they are sent forth to minister to those who will become
heirs of salvation?
We read in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants that when Peter and
James desired to depart, John desired to tarry, that he might
accomplish a greater work. "Well," says the Lord, "you may have your
wishes, and, as John wants to tarry to do a greater work, I will
authorize you, James and Peter, to assist my servant John to perform a
good work while he shall tarry." Now, if John has angels to administer
to him, why not other men who are servants of the living God? It is
just as reasonable that they should. I know it is so; I do not believe
it, but I actually know it; and that the God which I serve lives and
dwells in the heavens; and I feel to honor Him, I feel to reverence
Him, and to do a good work by His authority, that I may come into His
presence, and give up my stewardship with joy, and not with grief; and
dwell with Him at some future time. And when I give up my stewardship
to Him, if He considers me worthy, He can restore it to me, with an
hundredfold beside.
We are on trial, and let us prove ourselves by paying our tithing, and
fulfilling all our duties before God, and see if He will not pour us
out a blessing that there will not be room to contain it. How in the
heavens can you prove the Lord whether His word shall be verified, if
you do not step forward and do as He has told you? Gentlemen and
ladies, let me tell you one thing, your withholding does not
impoverish the Almighty, for you have not anything only what is His,
and you have not anything only what He gave you; and do you suppose
He has given all to you that He possesses? No. When He has given every
thing that you can retain, that you can watch over, and preside over,
He is not impoverished, because there is an eternal increase, and
there is no end to His income, and there is no end to His creations,
for they go on continually. You have not anything only what you have
received from the Almighty from day to day. Where do you get your
water, your meat, your bread, and the luxuries of life? Did not He
create them all, or, in other words, organize them? Were not the
elements thereof placed here upon the earth before you came here? One half of this people may draw away from the truth, or
two-thirds of them, or a quarter of them, or all but twenty, if you
please, and do you suppose it will hinder the salvation, the
exaltation, the happiness, and the heaven that pertain to those who
cleave to this Church? No, it won't affect them one hair. If you do
not pay one dime of tithing it will not impoverish the Almighty, but I
will tell you where the effect will be, it will affect yourselves,
your own salvation. If you neglect these things, I tell you the Lord
will neglect to bless you; it comes on yourselves individually, and it
stands you in hand, every soul of you, men and women, to arise and
prove the Lord, and see if He does not watch your faithfulness, and is
not ready to pour you out a blessing that you have not room to
receive.
Since President Young and others have dwelt upon tithing it is coming
in first rate, and Bishop Hunter has become frightened; "Good
heavens," says he, "what shall we do with the tithing? We have not got
room to put it." "Why," says I, "stretch out, Bishop." If
he does not
stretch out, he will, in comparison, be like an artificial globe, he
will become round, he will draw up, that is the trouble. Too many have
got the sweeny, and the skins are growing tight on their flesh, and
even on their bones. Some of the Bishops and Elders become so
contracted that it is too hard for them to pay their tithing when it
pertains to them as individuals, for it is an individual salvation.
Let us be one in these things, and be up and doing while it is time;
and it is time all the time, and it is time in eternity all the time,
and always will be; and when we get into the next stage of action it
will be time while we are there, and it will be eternity around us.
Let us go to work and purify our hearts—our tabernacles—and purify and
cleanse our houses, and let us rise up as a people. What say ye? Do
you feel inclined to do it? Let us show to the world that we are
Saints, for it hurts my feelings to see the steps that some Elders
here are taking right in the midst of Israel, rising up in clans to
steal from their brethren, and thinking we shall believe it is
someone else. Is that righteous? Is that the religion of Christ? Is that
doing as you would wish to be dealt by? Such characters will see
sorrow, they will see wretchedness, they will see misery; and may God
grant that their misery may begin to fall upon them, and increase,
that they may never rest until they repent, and wash away their sins,
and turn unto the Lord; I wish this on conditions you know. Well, here
we pray, and here we desire, that inasmuch as the world raise weapons
against Zion, or against God's people, we pray that these weapons may
fall upon their own heads, and not upon ours; we pray, inasmuch as
they dig pits, that they may fall into them instead of getting us into
them.
Bless your souls, I have no fear about any matters pertaining to this
people, if they would rise up and be as one man, and act by common
consent with the President, as his Counselors and as the Twelve do.
The Twelve feel to be one with the First Presidency, as they are with
each other. I do not fear this world, nor do I fear anything that is in
it, for where there is union and concentration with that man whom God
has appointed, there is a power that this earth cannot handle. Now the
world do not know this, but still they are fearful; there is something
out of sight which they fear. Again, if those who go forth to preach
the Gospel could speedily gather every one of the Saints from Europe,
Asia, Africa, the islands of the sea, and from wherever they are
scattered, there would be twenty thousand, yes, fifty thousand, converted, where there now are not ten. The lingerers are
right in the gate, like a dog in a manger; they will neither eat
themselves nor let anybody else eat; and they are an offense in the
eyes of the world, and they block up the work from rolling on. I wish
they were gathered into a brush heap and burned, that is those who
ought to be burned, and the rest gathered with us; for the Lord, in
the very first start of this Church, said, "All those who have entered
into covenant with me, and come into my Church, let them gather
themselves together into one place." Still, do you not see how
desirous people are to scatter here and there, and not go as they are
told; but they are for getting off by themselves, to partake of the
spirit of the world, and the spirit of selfishness; and they want to
own everything there is, that no person or being can get within miles
of them.
We are commanded to gather into one place, and purify ourselves, and
sanctify ourselves, that we may be prepared for His coming; for He
will come by and by, when He gets ready; the time is not very far
off, as many suppose; He will not come to the wicked first, but to
those who are virtuous, and have kept their covenants; and when He
comes to the wicked He will come in the clouds of heaven and in flames
of fire, and will take vengeance on them, and on those that know not
God, and do not obey His counsel, and His Priesthood, and the power He
has placed upon earth. To me, the word comes from brother Brigham as
the word of the Lord; but how many there are who disregard it. He is
the delegate that God has appointed to be Joseph's successor, and his
word is the word of the Lord, whether it is written or not; whether it
comes out as revelation or not, it is the word of God to those who
believe and practice it; and when this is done the blessings of the
Lord God will rest upon this people to that degree that you cannot
conceive nor imagine. As for riches, let us seek after the riches of
eternal life, and let us seek first the kingdom of God, and its
righteousness, and then all necessary things shall be added unto us,
both those that pertain to earth, and that pertain to heaven and
heavenly things. As to what little I have in this world, I have not
anything but what belongs to the Almighty; and if I have got anything
here in my possession that I am steward over, if it is wanted I want
He should have it, I do not care what it is. I know the earth is full
of the abundance of everything that is or ever was upon it; and we are
bound to prosper if we take this course, but if we do not we shall
experience the opposite; and when the opposite takes place it will be
worse, and more sorrowful, and more to be dreaded than anything we
have ever had to experience.
I wish many of you had been through the scenes that brother Brigham
and many others have. "What, do you want us to pass through the same
that you have?" Yes, and more abundantly. Do you think I will cry
about it? No; I will rejoice if you only stick to the faith, because
it will be for your good—for your happiness; it will give you an
experience that you have not got, and I do not know that you can have
it until you have been tried. You have never seen the day that you
have had to watch with your firelock in readiness; that is, you have
not had to watch President Young, with your fire-arms and other
weapons of defense, and not only to watch him, but to watch you
Elders. This was all the time the case in the former part of our
career in this Church, and we were happy then; were we not, brother
Brigham? [" Yes, sir."] and rejoiced all the day long that it was no
worse with us.
We talk of these things to you a great many times; well, we have pas sed through a great deal of tribulation. Though there may
be individuals who have passed through pretty close places, yet I
never saw a place where there was not a chance to get out sometime;
but have you, as a people, one in a hundred of you, passed through any
great trials? Many of you have been brought here free of expense, and
did not work to pay one dime of it, until you got here, and got
settled. Did we get carried in our early day? No, we had to look out
for ourselves, and then take a large back load besides.
Some say they do not want to work here for nothing and find themselves;
but we found ourselves, that is, we found ourselves right there.
Telling about finding ourselves! God finds us, and furnishes us with
everything we have, with the breath we breathe and the earth we stand
upon, and the water that we drink. Do you make all these things? No,
the Lord made them, and placed them here upon the earth for our use;
He made the wheat and organized it; we have the seed, and all we have
to do is to sow one kernel and get a thousand, to sow one bushel and
get twenty, forty, or eighty; to plant one bushel of corn and get five
hundred; to plant six bushels of potatoes and get three or four
hundred. Find yourselves, do you? Did you find the seed? No, you did
not, the Lord found it; when He came here He brought it with Him, and
He told His sons to sow it, and let it increase.
You are aware that my object in addressing you is to try to influence
your minds to do good, and take the right course, and listen to
counsel, and to the government of God as it is established upon the
earth. Do you suppose I would occupy this stand, were it not that
peradventure I might persuade you? I am exhorting you to faithfulness,
humility, and to be true to your integrity, and to your God, and to
one another, and to pray. There are a great many men will pray when
you ask them to pray, but I doubt whether they pray at any other time,
but they must keep up an appearance in our midst, and at the same time
carry on iniquity right here in the heart of Zion. As someone said
here last Sabbath, I wish things would take a little different course,
that we should have no necessity of exhorting you to faithfulness. I
wish you would exhort yourselves to faithfulness, and then practice
it, and then continue in it to the end. Let us go, to work and build
up Zion as well as build up ourselves, for when we build up Zion we
build up ourselves, when we enrich Zion we enrich ourselves. When we
build up the Public Works we enrich ourselves, for the public
improvements increase the value of our private improvements, and they
are connected together. Let President Brigham Young and his
Counselors, and the Twelve, leave this place and go to Fillmore, and
property in Fillmore will rise the moment we go there and commence to
build a temple. Lots, instead of selling for 25 dollars, will sell for
25 hundred. Take away the temple from here, and place it there, and
see what a change it will make; for where the carcass is, there the
eagles will gather together, and you cannot help yourselves. Do you
know it? Now let us go to work and build up these Public Works, and
make things look nice and comfortable. It will take us but a little
while to do a thing if we have means to do it; for the more means
there are, the more men can be employed; and after all true riches are
in labor and muscle, the sinew and the bone, more than in gold and
silver, and fine clothing. Did you ever see a piece of calico make
itself? It is produced by bone and sinew.
Some in the world say, "I never can believe the earth was made with hands, or if it was, it is certainly a curiosity for the Lord
to measure the whole of it in the hollow of His hand, and it is said
He did; He hefted it and weighed it in a balance. What does all this
mean? Does it not mean what it says, or does it mean something else?"
God made the earth, and He made it with His hands, just as much as I
ever made a vessel from clay with my hands. I shaped it, but the
elements were made before; I only took the material from the bank and
organized it and put it into such shape as my master told me. An
apprentice who goes to a trade has to do as his master tells him. Look
at it, we are apprentices, and we ought to become obedient to our
masters, that we may become workmen who need not be ashamed to present
ourselves before our masters, or before those who of right take
cognizance of us.
In Europe all the troops that are enlisted have to be taken and
drilled, and when they have been drilled for many years, they have to
learn to march with heads up, and eyes right or left, and all step
alike; after they can do this first rate they must then be examined by
the best military men, and when they are approved they are sent to
different parts of the earth to take stations. That is good, is it
not?
The Saints have to come to as careful discipline, and the day will
come when the wicked will have to come to it, and if they do not learn
to step right, they will be made to do it. I was speaking about it
yesterday, when I went with brother Brigham to see the review; they
are improving, no doubt, though our troops were not all there. We were
speaking about an open vision that we saw some years ago; it was not
seen in the dark, but we saw it with our natural eyes; President
Young, myself, brother Phineas Young, and many others saw it. We saw
an army start from the east, and go to the south, and there were
twelve men in a column, and one column came right after the other, so
that when the first stepped, the next stepped in their track; and they
had swords, guns, knapsacks, caps, and feathers, and we could see them
march with a uniform step from one side of the heavens to the other.
This we saw with our natural eyes, and looked upon it for hours; it
was the very night that the angel delivered the plates to Joseph
Smith.
This army marched to the southwest, and they marched as if there was a
battle to take place; and we could hear the clashing of their swords
and guns, and the measured tread of their march, just as plain as I
ever heard the movements of troops on the earth. John P. Greene came
to wake me up to look upon it. I am speaking of this to show you how
exact in our discipline and government we must be to prepare us for a
celestial being; we have got to begin to come to it, and I would like
to know when you will begin to prepare yourselves. The whole world
have got to see and feel the armies of heaven, and when they come they
will come with order, and when they are commanded to act there will be
no running away, and there will be no traitors in that army, but it
will be composed of virtuous Saints, who are clothed with the power of
God, and have the integrity of heavenly beings. They will not sell
whiskey, and stick up grogeries, and establish distilleries, and engage
in various other operations to pollute this people among whom they
have enlisted, even under the banners of Christ. Among the wicked
there will be disorder, but in the armies of heaven there will be
order. Things in heaven are in order, there is a pure government
there, and it must be observed, and strictly adhered to; this you read
in your Bibles. When the order of that government was threat ened, did not Michael the archangel, with the hosts of heaven that
were with him, cast Lucifer out, and all his votaries?
The world is in confusion, and shall we pattern after the world, or
after the armies of heaven? What do you say as a people? To pattern
after heavenly things is my religion, it is what I believe, and is
what I would like to practice, and what I would like to see the Elders
in Israel practice, and all who profess to be Saints.
To judge from my exhortation at this time, some of those who come in
from the States might think we are quite corrupt and wicked here; but
the gentlemen and ladies who have come in our midst, know that this is
the most virtuous and upright community that they ever lived with; and
if they ever become doubtful about it, let them go back to the States
after they have lived here. You know that it is said to be the most
celebrated place for good order. I say the majority of this people are
the best that ever lived, or dwelt upon the earth, according to their
experience. Is not that a pretty good recommend? But there are some
scoundrels, and when we think of it, we wish it were otherwise. But
you remember the figure that Jesus used; said he, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a net that is cast into the sea, and it brought
together all kinds. Don't you see them here? It is that, for one thing,
which makes me think it is "Mormonism;" if there were not such devils
here I might doubt occasionally; or in other words, might doubt, if
there was any chance to doubt, but there is none. Just look at the
different kinds of fish. There is a time coming for the net to be
drawn in, and all the fish drawn together, both good and bad; the good
will be put into baskets, and the bad will be cast away. You recollect
the passage. The day will come when we who prove faithful will dwell
on this earth in a Holy City, and it will be walled in, and there will
be fine buildings of every description in it; we have not a house here
that will compare with the most inferior that will be in that city.
Why do you not qualify yourselves, and prepare to go into that city
and kingdom where you can be still more useful?
Now look at yourselves, and scan yourselves, and see whether you are
fit subjects to go there. Are you without spot or blemish? If not,
awake and exert yourselves to work righteousness. What will you see
outside of that city? Dogs, sorcerers, and whoremongers, and those who
love and make a lie, and steal, and disobey the requirements of God,
and take His name in vain. Are they going inside? No; but a wall will
have to be built to keep the devils out, even in heaven; and still,
many do not deem it necessary for Saints to be gathered together and
wall in a city!
Awake, all ye Israel, from your slumber, and call upon God, and listen
to His counsel, and obey, and then we shall prevail, and not be
prevailed against; then we shall live forever, and see the devil cast
out of heaven, and destroyed with his works. I do not expect to live
forever in this old body, for I am going to have a new one. Then let
me magnify and keep this body pure, that I may be entitled to a new
one, and if I do not keep this pure I shall not be entitled to a
better; neither will any of you, except you honor this body. Now, will
you go and pollute yourselves, and lose the right and title to a
resurrection, to dwell with the Saints, and with God the Father, and
His Son Jesus Christ, who is my brother? You who do not wish to be
Saints, who do not care anything about righteousness, and desire to
follow the evil habits you have been accustomed to in other countries,
will you not please to leave us? Will you lift up your hands
and show yourselves? No. I cannot get a hand up, you keep down under
the curtain; but we will find you out by and by, and we will cast
nuisances out of this city; for in a city acknowledged by God the
Eternal Father grog shops cannot be tolerated. Look in the Eastern
States; we cast them out there as nuisances, and they never can be
tolerated here. Don't you say it will be better to take that course
than to have the chastity of our virtuous women violated? Drunkenness
and pollution cannot prevail while we dwell here, and when we remove
there will be nobody here but devils. Every place we have left has
become a literal hell. Look at Nauvoo, which we tried to build up, and
they would not let us, but killed our Prophet and Patriarch, because
we preached, and tried to practice, the same righteous course which I
am now exhorting you to pursue. That is what they drove us for. I know
all about it, I was there, and President Young was there. We never had
any peace in the States after we embraced "Mormonism;" even as soon as
I embraced it in my own country, men came into my house to drive and
mob me. They had no fault to find with me and brother Brigham, but
with our religion, because it was severe towards the wicked and
ungodly. Now, you who profess to be in the sheepfold, for Heaven's
sake be subject to the law and government of the Shepherd.
Have I said enough? I feel just as I say; I am honest. I am a servant
of God, and I intend to sustain His cause. When we came to this Valley
we came to leave wickedness and work righteousness, though we came
here because we were obliged to.
Brethren and sisters, may God bless you, and cause peace and plenty to
abound among you from this time henceforth and forever. Amen.
- Heber C. Kimball