I will state that I feel very much obliged to my brethren for the
generous feeling manifested to myself. Permit me, however, to say,
with regard to some of these ideas presented to the Conference by
Brother George Q. and which he has said, he has frequently presented
to me and others of the Twelve, that while I duly appreciate the
feelings and views of my brethren, and am not ignorant of the
proprieties of life, individually I would not wish to change my
position. Personally I care nothing about the outside show, the
glitter and appearance of men; but I do care about the great eternal
principles associated with the Church and Kingdom of God upon the
earth. And as has been stated, it was some time before I could make up
my mind to accept a proposition of this kind. And I accept it now
simply in the capacity of your servant for Christ's sake for the
benefit of the Kingdom of God and that all things may be conducted in
a proper manner.
Now we will let this pass, and talk about something else.
I have been very much interested in the remarks that have been made at
this Conference. It is now forty nine years since the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. There were then, as you
heard stated and as we very well know, six members organized. There
were however, more than six persons in the Church, as was remarked by
Brother Snow, the organization being effected for the purpose of legal
recognition, still there were only a very few, and as the spirit of
revelation rested down upon God's servant Joseph in these early days,
who like Adam, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Jared, Nephi, Moroni and others,
had the heavens unfolded to his view, and although the Church was so
few in number the principles and purposes of God were developed fully
to the vision of his mind, and he gazed upon the things that are to
transpire in the latter days associated with the dispensation that he
was called upon by the Almighty to introduce. He learned by
communication from the heavens, from time to time, of the great events
that should transpire in the latter days. He understood things that
were past, and comprehended the various dispensations and the designs
of those dispensations. He not only had the principles developed, but he was conversant with the parties who officiated as the
leading men of those dispensations, and from a number of them he
received authority and keys and priesthood and power for the carrying
out of the great purposes of the Lord in the last days, who were sent
and commissioned specially by the Almighty to confer upon him those
keys and this authority, and hence he introduced what was spoken of by
all the prophets since the world was; the dispensation in which we
live, which differs from all other dispensations in that it is the
dispensation of the fulness of times, embracing all other
dispensations, all other powers, all other keys and all other
privileges and immunities that ever existed upon the face of the
earth. At that time he was a feeble youth, inexperienced, without a
knowledge of the learning of the day. But God put him in possession of
that kind of intelligence, and what may be termed a scientific
knowledge of all things pertaining to this earth, and the heavens, if
you please, which was altogether ahead of all the intelligence that
existed in the world. He commenced as opportunity presented by
following the education he had received from the Almighty, by teaching
the principles of life and salvation, the principles of the
everlasting Gospel, by conferring upon others that priesthood which
had been conferred upon him, and by organizing a state of things that
was after the pattern of the heavens, that was calculated to live and
grow and increase, that had the principle of life and vitality within
itself, and that was calculated to draw together the honest in heart
and assimilate them in their ideas and views and feelings and faith,
and empower them to operate with him and with the Lord and with the
holy priesthood that had existed in former ages. And thus he commenced
to organize the Church with all its various offices under the direct
inspiration, guidance and revelation of the Lord. The First Presidency
was pointed out, the Twelve were also pointed out and designated, and
these quorums were ordained. The high priesthood was organized however
before these other quorums took shape. Then there were the quorums of
Seventies, then the quorums of Elders, then the Bishops, then the
quorums of Priests, Teachers and Deacons, together with the High
Councils and all that we know about these things. He taught us all
that we know about them; God taught him. Hence in the various
organizations of the several quorums of priesthood whether it relates
to the Melchizedek, Aaronic or Levitical priesthood, all of these,
together with the duties devolving upon each, were given by the Lord.
And hence the church that we are associated with is called the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hence Jesus Christ is the medium
through whom we are to approach the Father, calling upon him in the
name of Jesus; for there is no name given under heaven, nor known
among men, whereby we can be saved but the name of Jesus Christ. And
although they do not do it now, yet the time is approaching when to
him "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is the
Christ, to the glory of God the Father." And hence the religion we
profess is one that has been given us from the heavens. We cannot
dispense with it; we cannot dispense with any part of it. It is not of
man, but from the Lord God, our Heavenly Father, through our Lord
Jesus Christ, making use of his servant Joseph and those whom he
should call by revelation as the instruments to carry out the
purposes of God upon the earth. The priesthood we have received we
received not of man nor by man, but by revelation. And Latter-day
President Young, a little before his death, organized all the various
branches of the Church into Stakes, with the officers thereof,
carrying out the design of God and his revelations to Joseph Smith;
and placed them upon the foundation that was first laid by Joseph
Smith under the immediate revelations of the Lord. And God expects it
at our hands that we magnify our calling, and that we cleave unto him
as his servants upon whom he has conferred this priesthood. He expects
it at our hands that we shall magnify it, and not operate according to
our peculiar notions, but according to the will and law and guidance
and revelations of God in all things and under all circumstances; for
we are here as Jesus was here—not to do our own will, but the will of
our Heavenly Father who has sent us, and who has called us to this
high calling, and has made us to sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus.
In accordance with the order of God, the Twelve, the Seventies, the
High Priests and Elders have been abroad among the nations of the
earth, delivering the testimony which God gave to them, and the Spirit
and power of God has operated with us in our ministrations; and the
results of these operations and these labors, and the faith and the
self-abnegation and self-denial and the desire to do the will of God,
and the testimonies that have been borne, are manifested in the Saints
gathered today as we are in the valleys of the mountains. These
things have been brought about by the interposition of the Almighty;
we are, as such dependent upon him today, and as we ever were in all
the days of our lives, for guidance, for support, for revelation, for
the Spirit of God to guide us that we may not make any false steps;
but as a people we must magnify the Lord our God in our hearts and
honor him and observe his laws and keep his commandments. There has
quite a change taken place since this Gospel was introduced, as the
thousands of people who inhabit these valleys sufficiently attest. And
if we continue to progress in faith, in union, in intelligence, in
virtue, in purity, in knowledge, and especially in the knowledge of
God and in the observance of his ordinances, the work of the Lord will
continue to roll with tenfold rapidity. We are just commencing our
labors, and are just getting ready to perform the work that God has
laid upon our shoulders, and are just commencing to perform the work
that God intends us to accomplish; everything that has been prophesied
by all the ancient prophets, as contained in the Bible and the Book of
Mormon, and those things predicted by Joseph Smith, and every other
prophet of God, will as surely be fulfilled as we are here today,
without any faltering, or flagging, or hesitation.
We go on and attend to many things. Our organizations are very good;
but we need, I think sometimes, the breath of life from God breathing
into them all through, that, the Spirit and power of the Most High may
be in our midst, and that the power and blessings of God that come
through the ordinances may be in our midst, and that the power and
blessings of God, that come through the ordinances may be imparted to
us; and such will be the case if we are faithful in the performance
of the duties devolving upon us. It is not with us a question
of what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or what kind of houses
we shall live in; it is not a matter of so much importance as it is to
be doing the will of God to have our hearts engaged in his service, to
feel that we are building up the Zion of the Lord of Hosts, to feel
that we are recognized of the heavens, to feel that we are associated
with the priesthood behind the veil who have lived and operated in
time and are now operating in eternity; for they without us cannot be
made perfect, neither can we without them be made perfect. We need
their assistance from the heavens, and we ought to seek it all the
time.
Let me speak of this not only to the Twelve, but to the presidents of
Stakes and their counselors, and to all men holding authority, to seek
to God, seek for wisdom, seek for faith, and learn to approach God,
that we may draw down blessings from heaven and partake of that faith
which was once delivered to the Saints. We are trying to do some
things and are doing them pretty well. Do I wish to find fault? No. Or
to censure anybody? No. But I wish everybody would so live and act
that they would not censure themselves, that their minds would not
condemn them; for if your own hearts condemn you, God is greater than
your hearts.
We are doing pretty well. We are building our Temples, and there is a
laudable spirit manifested in relation to these things generally. Do
all do it? No. Have all this spirit? No. I wish they had; but then we
would be expecting too much perhaps. But there is a growing interest
in these things, which I am glad to give the Saints credit for. And in
speaking of our Temples, I sup pose there are no less than 500 men
engaged today in building Temples in this Territory. Some people
would consider this quite a tax upon them, and, I may say, we have
some who call themselves Latter-day Saints who have a little of this
feeling, not much, but a little of it. But men who feel right, they
feel that they and all they have belong to the Lord; they feel that
they are on hand to perform the work of God, to build up his kingdom,
to operate with him and with the holy priesthood, and to prepare
Temples to administer for the living and for the dead; that we may
indeed be not poor and helpless dolts; but feel that we are saviors
upon Mount Zion, and that the kingdom is the Lord's.
There is a good feeling manifested among the brethren and also among
the sisters, who are quite as zealous in most interests as the
brethren are. Notwithstanding the immense labors we are performing in
our building, for we are doing a good deal, we are not unmindful of
other matters. There is constant labor going on in the Temple at St.
George, with very little intermission, and a corps of persons steadily
engaged administering in the ordinances of the Lord's House there;
while in these other places, as you have heard read over, according to
the financial accounts pertaining to the Temple being built in Manti
and Logan—there has been expended in a short time on these two Temples
nearly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The brethren have taken
hold of it with a will, and there seems to be a feeling among many of
them to see who shall do the most, instead of who can do the least.
And notwithstanding this there is about fifty thousand, I think, in
round numbers, more tithing paid this last year than there was before
these things commenced. I speak this for the credit of the
Latter-day Saints. Honor, as the Scriptures say, to whom honor is due.
And I am pleased to see a spirit of that kind grow and increase among
the brethren.
There has been a good deal of care bestowed on the sending forth of
missionaries whom we have sent forth among the different nations
abroad and to this nation. There is a duty devolving upon the Twelve
and the Seventies especially, to see that this work is performed; and
we have been alive to this matter, and have aimed to call men that
would not be embarrassed or perplexed in their minds, but such as
would go forth as the servants of the Living God, who would not, when
they got about two hundred miles from home, commence to think when it
would be time for them to return; and the fruits are fast beginning to
be borne in the European, the Scandinavian and other missions, and
also in the United States. And we wish it to be understood among the
Elders and Seventies that we do not want men to go on missions who
look upon it as a painful duty for them to fulfill; we would rather
such men stay at home. But he that hath a desire to preach the Gospel
to the world, whose life is upright, pure and virtuous, and who is
capable of presenting the principles of the Gospel to the world; he is
the kind of man we are desirous to send. We do not want anybody to go
simply because it might be thought that a mission would do him good,
or that it might save him from some evil he might be likely to fall
into. We do not want men to go abroad representing the Captain of our
salvation to reform themselves; let the work of reformation be done at
home. We want men to preach the Gospel who are honorable and upright
men, and full of the Holy Ghost; and when such men go they go with our
faith, carrying with them our esteem and love and affection; and if
they need anything, we will give it to them. If their families need
anything, we will have them looked after, we will feed them and clothe
them and take care of them, and consider that they are our brethren
and not that they are poor, miserable paupers, or that their wives and
families are a trouble to us; we want to do away with all such
feelings. Let us cultivate the spirit of magnanimity and kindness, and
as the Lord blesses us, let us bless others; and that is all the
things of the earth are worth. Do good to all men, especially to the
household of faith. And by and by, as was the case formerly, those who
go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, will return rejoicing,
bringing their sheaves with them.
Furthermore, we have an auxiliary among our sisters here. Brother Geo.
Q. Cannon represented how they were imposed on in many lands and how
they had been. Why should they be? Are they not our mothers? Are they
not our wives? Are they not our sisters? Are they not our children?
Should we not protect them? Do we profess to be in the image of God,
holding the holy priesthood of God, and then would we treat the fair
daughters of Zion with contempt, or permit them to be injured or
imposed upon in any way? God forbid. They are flesh of our flesh, bone
of our bone; they are our helpmeets, and our associations and our
relations with them ought to be pleasant and agreeable and with all
long-suffering and fidelity. And then the sisters should turn round
and help to bless one another, and act as our teachers are
doing in other respects—teaching their sisters, looking after the poor
and assisting the bishops in the performance of their labors. And the
Relief Societies which have been organized have been of very great
benefit to the Saints of God. And I say, God bless the sisters, and
inspire them with more of that heavenly spirit, that they may assist
their husbands and their brethren and their children—their sons and
their daughters—to promote correct principles, to stem the tide of
iniquity, and to promulgate virtue, truth and purity among the Saints
of God. And I would say, it is the duty of the bishops and presidents
of Stakes to assist them all they can, which I believe they generally
do, to carry out everything that is good and praiseworthy.
There is another class of people among us doing a great deal of good;
that is our Mutual Improvement Associations; both Young Men's and
Young Women's. How much more pleasant it is to see our youth grow up
in the fear of God, trying to instruct one another in the principles
of life and salvation, than to see them ignore the laws of God. How
pleasing to us! How pleasing to God and the holy angels! Let us
encourage these things, and instruct our sons and daughters, that they
may grow up in intelligence, virtue, purity and holiness before the
Lord.
And then we want to study also the principles of education, and to get
the very best teachers we can to teach our children; see that they are
men and women who fear God and keep his commandments. We do not want
men or women to teach the children of the Latter-day Saints who are
not Latter-day Saints themselves. Hear it, you Elders of Israel and
you school trustees! We want none of these things. Let others who fear
not God take their course; but it is for us to train our children up
in the fear of God. God will hold us responsible for this trust. Hear
it, you Elders of Israel and you fathers and you mothers! Talking
about education, as I said before, Joseph Smith knew more in regard to
the education than all the philosophers and scientists of the earth;
and he knew it by the revelations of God. We want to get together to
train our children up in the fear of God, to teach them correct
principles ourselves, and place them in possession of such things as
will lead them in the paths of life.
I find it is time for me to quit. I feel to thank you for your
attendance at this Conference, and for the kind of spirit that has
been manifested here. And to thank the members of our choir who have
made for us sweet music; and I would say that our choir is a credit to
our Territory and to our people. And furthermore they are meeting
together for the purpose of cultivating the art of music, and that we
may be organized and be more perfect in relation to these things.
I would like to have said something about our Sunday Schools. I do not
believe we are behind any people on the face of the earth in relation
to these matters. I am informed by the general Superintendent that we
have 29,000 children attending Sunday Schools; and I would not be
afraid to say that that is more than attend the Sunday Schools in all
the Territories put together, outside of Utah. (A voice from the
stand—"And in half the States." ) Some one remarks, and in half of the
States. I do not know how that is. But they do say our children are
Utah's surest and best crop. Let us try to train them up in
the fear of God, that we may have his blessing to be with us.
I would like to have said something, too, about our cooperative
associations. I am pleased to inform you that the Cooperative
Institution of this city is doing remarkably well; it is on a solid
foundation and everything is moving along pleasantly and agreeably. We
have organized for some time a Trade's Union, through which all the
people of Utah can be represented. And while the Co-op calls upon us
to sustain them, which is right and proper, we want the Co-op to
sustain us. There are two sides to this question, hence we have an
organization called a Board of Trade in a number of the Stakes, and
expect to perfect them in all the Stakes, that the whole people may be
represented at our general board. Then we expect to spread and grow in
manufactures of all kinds, that we may become a self-sustaining
people, a people who shall be independent, under God, of all other
powers.
I will not detain you. God bless Israel, and all that bless Israel,
and let our enemies be confounded. And God grant unto us power to
serve him and observe his laws that we may have a claim upon his
blessings, and at last obtain eternal life in his kingdom, in the name
of Jesus. Amen.