We meet together from time to time to attend to the worship of the
Almighty, because we think it is proper for us to pay due respect unto
the Lord God, our heavenly Father; we assemble ourselves for the
purpose of praying to him, of singing his praises, of speaking of
principles, doctrines, ordinances and other matters in which we are
individually and collectively interested, all of which is more or less
connected with the worship of our God.
There is something associated with our religious views that differs
materially from those of many others. The Lord has revealed unto us
his will, or law; he has given unto us a knowledge of the principles
of truth and righteousness; and he is seeking by the means he has
appointed—the medium of the everlasting Gospel, to prepare us for the
events that will necessarily take place in a short time, and to enable
us to introduce among men those pure, holy and heavenly principles
which exist with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and to prepare us, through the medium of the Gospel, to operate with him and
with the holy priesthood that has existed in former ages, in the
development of the purposes of God upon the earth. It is a great and
important work in which we are engaged, and we need continually the
direction and the guidance of the Almighty; for it stands to reason,
when we reflect upon it, that no man, as is spoken of in the
Scriptures, can know the things of God unless they are revealed to him
by the Spirit of God. We talk of these things sometimes rather
flippantly, and probably, in many instances without due reflection.
But when we look upon man as he is organized, and the limit and bounds
of his intelligence, and then reflect upon the position that he
sustains to the Almighty, we shall find that there is nothing very
mysterious in these remarks, but that there is a great amount of truth
and reason associated therewith. For instance, men know very little
about themselves, or about the things of man or how to control their
passions and habits and the various evils with which they are
surrounded and have to combat. They know very little about the true
condition of man and his relation to God, to the world, to the past,
present, or future, as is evidenced by the position of the world
everywhere wherever we turn our attention. We are beginning to find
out some few things in relation to the laws of nature and the earth on
which we dwell, but our knowledge of these things is very small
comparatively, and yet we boast sometimes quite freely of our
intelligence. But when we reflect on our true position, we know very
little in reality even about the world in which we live, or about the
properties of matter or the elements with which we are surrounded; and
yet a few years ago the world knew much less than we know today. I
can remember the time very well when there was no such thing as
steamboats. I remember sailing across the Atlantic more times than one
when no such thing as a steamboat was used for that purpose. I
remember the time, too, when there were no such things as locomotives
or railroads; and many of you know very well how it was in regard to
the telegraph, the photograph and a great many other things. They are
simply certain principles that exist in the laws of nature that have
been unveiled to us; but there are thousands of other things that we
know very little about. And then what do we know about the future?
What do we know about the heavens that are above us? We can get some
scanty ideas and we boast very much of them, but really there is not
very much to boast of when we reflect upon these things. These things
are simple principles that we have become acquainted with through study
and research by chemical analysis and the development of eternal laws.
We are simply becoming acquainted with some of the principles that
exist in nature. The question necessarily arises, who placed those
principles there? Who organized this earth on which we dwell and man
upon it and all creation as it exists? Some superior intelligence, or
power—we call it the power of God. "By faith we understand that the
worlds were made by the power of God, so that things which are now
seen were not made of things that do appear." There is not a particle
of the human system but what is full of intelligence and displays
forethought, prescience, design, skill and creative power; and
everything bespeaks the handiwork of a wise, intelligent, omnipotent
Creator, or God. When a little boy I used to ask myself, Who
am I? Where did I come from? What am I doing here? And why am I here?
etc. These things still puzzle us, at least many of them do, yet these
are thoughts we cannot help reflecting upon. We see children born into
the world, and we see spring and summer, autumn and winter follow each
other in regular succession, and we ask ourselves, By what power were
these things brought about? Why are we here, and what is the object of
all these things which we see around us? Not to say anything about the
worlds with which we are environed. For speaking of ourselves, we are
only a speck in creation; there is nothing to or of us scarcely, or in
the world we inhabit, in comparison to the myriads of worlds with
which we are surrounded.
Now we frequently want to know the object of our existence and why we
are here; and the Saints will still go a little further by asking, Why
have we to battle with the affairs of this world, and to struggle, to
be tried and tempted? And we go still further and ask, when we see our
friends pass away from this state of existence one after another, and
the body that was once full of life, animation and vitality now lying
helpless and void of life, and our minds reach back into the years
that are past and we think of the thousands of millions, yea, of
myriads who have inhabited this earth and who have gone into another
state of existence, and we are led to ask ourselves, Why is it thus?
And we are led to ask ourselves further, Why are we thus situated? And
why should we thus come into life, have an existence and then fade and
decay? And it is proper that we should have such thoughts and such
reflections. Who can unravel these things? Who can tell us upon
natural principles the meaning of this strange phenomena, the whys and
wherefores in relation to these matters? Nobody. We have peculiar
feelings and sensations in common with all men in regard to the
future. But what are the views, ideas and feelings of men generally in
relation to these matters? And if they have views, what is the source
of their intelligence? What scientist, philosopher, or divine can
unravel to us many of these mysterious principles which we see every
day exhibited before us? It is very difficult for man to comprehend,
and nothing as I said before, but the Spirit which organized the
creations of God can reveal those principles and give us a knowledge
of that fitness of things as they exist in the mind of the Creator, of
our relationship to God and to each other and the world in which we
exist and the worlds that are to come. Nothing but superhuman
intelligence, even the inspiration of the Almighty, can reveal these
things. We have ten thousand ideas, notions and feelings; the world is
full of every kind of theory in relation to these matters. But what
does it amount to? We may theorize as much as we please, but unless we
receive some communication from the beings possessing intelligence
superior to anything mortal, that are associated with these vast
creations and know something of their origin and object, what can we
know? We need communication with and revelation from God enlightening
us thereon, or we shall still be in the dark and know nothing
concerning the future and many things of the present and past. Some of
our poets in rather beautiful metaphor point us to some place "beyond
the bounds of time and space," where we are to look forward to a
heavenly place, the Saint's secure abode. There is something very pleasing about such reflections, but at the same time there is
something very foolish. I do not know how or upon what principle we
are to get beyond the bounds of time and space; it is beyond my
comprehension, and I very much question whether the person who wrote
it could; in fact I know he could not. We sing sometimes, too, about
"singing ourselves away to everlasting bliss." What is this and where
is it? How shall we enjoy it and under what circumstances? Certainly
those who talk about these things display no intelligence. We can
never comprehend anything about these things but by the revelations of
God either made directly to us or to us through others.
Now we Latter-day Saints are indebted—I was going to say to Joseph
Smith, for what knowledge we have; but this would not be strictly
true, for we are not indebted to him or any other man for the
knowledge we possess; we are indebted to the Lord, and the Prophet
Joseph was made use of by him as the medium to reveal, in the midst of
the chaotic mass that existed in the world, the principles of life,
light and intelligence and the laws by which the Gods are governed in
the eternal worlds, to teach us what course we should pursue, that we
might act wisely, prudently and intelligently, and comprehend the
position we occupy here upon the earth, and the relationship that
subsists between man and his Maker, and that we might understand
things pertaining to the future as well as things pertaining to the
present. And the religion we have had unfolded to us is to prepare us
to take part in these things both in this world and the world to come;
to teach us how to approach our Maker and to get further knowledge of
his laws and the principles of truth that have been revealed to us.
The world generally treats these things very lightly. The reason is
they do not comprehend them, and therein lies the difficulty. And we
only know them in part and see them in part and comprehend them in
part; but without communion with the Almighty we certainly should not
have understood anything at all about these things. There is something
very peculiar in the world and we as well as others are sometimes apt
to be quite narrow and contracted in our ideas pertaining to the world
in which we live and the people with whom we are surrounded. We are
told that "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal." And I would state further that all true intelligence
which men possess in regard to the laws, nature and their operations,
as well as any moral, scientific or philosophical ideas we may form
that are correct proceed from the same source, whether acknowledged by
men or not. And furthermore, whatever correct religious ideas that the
world possess in relation to the future state, proceed from that
portion of the Spirit that is given to every man to profit withal—not
unto us only, but to every man, and to the influence of that Spirit
all men are indebted for the degree of honor and integrity that
exists among men. It is true there is very little comparatively, but
for the amount there is they are indebted to God just as much as we
are. The Apostle Paul, on a certain occasion, said that God had not
left himself without witness. This is a general principle that exists
everywhere and among all mankind. But there is another principle which
is separate and distinct from that, and that is the principle that
brings men into closer communion with the Almighty. And what
is that? It is the Spirit of the Lord in a more eminent degree, and is
called in the Scriptures the Holy Ghost. How do men obtain that?
Through a certain medium that God has appointed, viz., by faith,
repentance, baptism administered by proper authority and laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now the Lord has had his
"witness" upon the earth in different ages of time. When he has had
this witness the Gospel has generally been associated therewith; it is
a part and parcel of the great program. There is a very foolish idea
prevailing in the world, that there was no such thing as the Gospel
until Jesus came. It is the greatest folly in creation. No Gospel
until Jesus introduced it! Say you, "Do not the Scriptures say that
life and immortality are brought about through the Gospel?" Yes. "And
did not Jesus introduce the Gospel?" Yes. "Well, then, if he came and
introduced the Gospel, why do you say that they had the Gospel
before?" They always had the Gospel whenever men had a knowledge of
God. It is the Gospel that brings life and immortality to light; it is
the Gospel that places man in a position to obtain a just knowledge of
God and of the eternities to come, of their position on the earth, and
of their position as it will be hereafter. It is that very principle
that brings, as we are told, life and immortality to light. And if you
will trace out the records of either the Book of Mormon or the Bible
or those of any people that have lived upon the earth, and find
anywhere a people that had a knowledge of life and immortality, then I
will point you out a people that had the Gospel. It was through that
principle that men before the flood had a knowledge of God and had
communication with him. It was through that that Enoch understood the
principles of heaven, and applied those to his position, and it was by
that power and through that principle that he, with the cities in
which he lived, was translated, as well as the thousands who lived
then and also after that time were translated; it was through the
principle and power of the Gospel that brings life and immortality to
light. It was through the same principle that Noah was saved; he had
communication with God, who revealed to him what was coming on the
earth and the results of it. God warned him and prepared him and told
him what to do and how to do it, and he pursued the course given him,
and he received his reward. It was through that principle that Abraham
comprehended God and had revelation and communication with him, for
without it he would have known nothing about God. But he understood,
through the records of his fathers, of certain privileges that are
mentioned in his history—certain privileges pertaining to himself and
his progenitors, which he traced clear back to the days of Adam, by
which he learned that he was an heir to the holy priesthood; and when
he ascertained this he sought an ordination from the Lord. And when he
was persecuted for his faith he left the land in which he lived, and
he did so at the insistance of the Lord: "Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will show thee." And the Lord greatly favored him and blessed him, and
said unto him: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed." Was that so? Yes, it has been fulfilled. Let us look
at this for a moment and see whether it has or not. Who were Isaac and
Jacob? Did they have communication with God? Yes. How did they obtain
it? Through the medium of the Gospel and through the promises made to
their father Abraham. And when Israel was in Egypt who delivered them?
Moses. And who was Moses? A descendant of Abraham. Did he lead the
people out of Egyptian bondage? Yes; God manifested his power in their
behalf. Did Moses have the Gospel? Yes, and so did Abraham. The
Apostle Paul says, in his epistle to the Galatians, "that God
foreseeing that he would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed." The Israelites had the Gospel preached to them in the
wilderness; but, as the Apostle says in speaking of them, "The word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it." But Moses did lead some of them into the presence of
God—those who were prepared to receive it; the others, when they heard
the thunders and saw the lightning and heard the voice of God, they
said unto Moses, "Speak thou unto us and we will hear; but let not God
speak with us, lest we die;" we are not prepared for this glory, for
this kind of manifestation which has been given unto us.
Well, they were foolish; they departed from correct principles, they
violated the laws of God and therefore incurred his displeasure, and
his Spirit was withdrawn from them, and the Gospel was taken from them
and they were left under a law of carnal commandments, and the law was
given them as a schoolmaster, we are told, until Christ
came. And what did Christ do? He restored the
fulness of the Gospel that they had forfeited, because of their former
transgressions. What next? We go to the promise made to Abraham, which
was that in him and in his seed all the families of the earth should
be blessed. Moses, as I have said was of his seed, and he was the
deliverer of the whole of that nation. And who were the prophets that
existed among ancient Israel? They were descendants of Abraham; and to
them came the word of God and the light of revelation. Who was Jesus?
After the flesh of the seed of Abraham. Who were his Twelve Apostles?
Of the seed of Abraham. Who were the people that came to this
continent—Lehi and his family, about 600 years B.C.? Of the seed of
Abraham. Who were the Apostles they had among them that spread forth
among the millions that then lived upon this continent? Of the seed of
Abraham. Who was Joseph Smith? Of the seed of Abraham; and he, we are
told, was to be the son of Joseph, and should himself be called
Joseph. And he was raised up for what purpose? To injure or destroy
mankind? No; but to bring life and immortality to light through the
Gospel. He, like other prominent men of God, came in the fulness of
times to do the work which the Lord had appointed unto him, being
called of God and taught of God; and being thus taught he possessed an
intelligence second to none on the earth. He introduced principles,
that no philosopher, or scientist, or all the wisdom of this world
combined was capable of developing; neither was it possible for
anybody to bring to light such principles, unless through the
revelations of God—principles of truth, principles of intelligence,
principles which affect man in time and in eternity;
principles which affect the world in which we live; principles which
affect thousands and myriads that have lived before; principles of
salvation that extend to all nations and all peoples living or dead,
pertaining to time and pertaining to eternity.
In what manner were these principles to be made known? How were men to
get acquainted with these things? By being brought into communion with
the Lord. And how was this to be done? Jesus, when upon the earth,
ordained and set apart others and told them to go into all the world
and preach the Gospel. What Gospel? That Gospel that brings life and
immortality to light; that Gospel that brings men into communication
with their Maker; that Gospel that will show us who we are and what we
are, and why we are here, and the object of our existence, and what
lies before us. Jesus said to his disciples in his day, "Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my
name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world." Was he with them? Yes. How did they preach? They called upon
the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins.
Who did? Men authorized of God and commissioned of him, and not by
somebody else. And what then? If they did this, they should receive
the Holy Ghost. And what should that do for them? It should take of
the things of God and show them unto them; it should bring life and
immortality to light; it should place them in communication with the
Lord; it should enable them to comprehend principles that no man could
comprehend nor ever ought to comprehend, without the Spirit; it should
bring to their remembrance things that were past; it should lead them
into all truth, and it, should show them things to come. Was it so?
Yes. Did they have that Spirit? Yes. The spirit of prophecy? Yes. The
spirit of revelation? Yes. Did they have the ministry of angels? Yes.
Was the vision of all truth open to their mind? Yes. They comprehended
the manifestations of God until the winding up scene, and until the
dead small and great shall stand before God, and until this earth
shall not only be redeemed but become celestialized, and celestial
beings inhabit it. They understood these things and prophesied and
wrote about them. Is it so with our Gospel? Precisely the same. Have
we had these things communicated to us? We have. Have the Elders been
called upon to go forth to the nation's of the earth to call upon
people to repent and be baptized as in former times? They have. Have
most of you heard this Gospel preached among the different nations of
the earth? You have. Have you received it? Have you obeyed it? Yes.
Did you receive the Holy Ghost accompanying it? You did, and you know
and can bear testimony of it. It is the selfsame Gospel; and why the
same? Because it is the everlasting Gospel, not something started
eighteen hundred years ago. Says John; "I saw another angel fly in the
midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, etc." What Gospel? The everlasting
Gospel; the Gospel that existed with the Gods before this world rolled
into existence or the morning stars sang together for joy; the Gospel
that was preached to Adam and which he preached to his posterity; the
Gospel that was preached by Enoch and Noah, by Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, and all the ancient prophets; the Gospel that was preached by
Jesus and his Disciples when he commanded them to go and preach it to
all nations; in fine, the Gospel that brings life and immortality to
light. It can be said of us as of them of whom it was said, "Ye have
been baptized into one baptism, and have all partaken of the same
spirit." Did they? Yes. It was not many baptisms, it was not many
faiths and many ideas and many notions; but it was "one faith, one
Lord and one baptism and one God who is above all, and through all, and
in you all."
There are a great many things associated with these principles in
which the children of men are very deeply interested and in which more
especially the Latter-day Saints are very, very deeply interested. The
Lord has gathered us from among the nations of the earth, just as he
told some of his ancient prophets, who wrote it, that he would do. And
one of them while wrapped in prophetic vision gazed upon the purposes
of Jehovah in relation to this generation, and saw the people of God
gathering together, exclaimed: "Who are these that fly as a cloud, and
as the doves to their windows?" And another says: "I will take you one
of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion." What
will you do with them when you get them there? "I will give you
pastors according to mine own heart, which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding." "Saviors shall come upon mount Zion,"
says another, "and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." Very peculiar
expressions and very significant some of these remarks are. Yet they
were made by men when under the influence of the Holy Ghost, the
spirit of revelation which unfolded to their view things that should
transpire in the latter days which is emphatically, what is called in
the Scriptures, "The dispensation of the fulness of times," when he
would "gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." He would gather his
people in one to commence with, and hence our position today in these
valleys of the mountains. Why are we here? We came here because it was
according to the eternal purposes of God that we should gather
together; and because God has restored this principle among other
principles through the ministration of holy angels, and by the
manifestation of his power by the revelation of his will through the
ancient priesthood that existed upon the earth. And what made us
gather together? You could hardly tell, many of you, if I were to ask
you. I know very well that when you received this Gospel in foreign
lands you could not rest until you gathered to Zion; and there was a
correspondent feeling among the Saints here to help to bring about
these things. Before the railroad across the plains was built, you
used to send out your teams as many as five hundred at a time. What
made you do it? It was the spirit of the gathering that associated itself with the latter-day dispensation, if there were time I
might tell you how peculiarly some people were moved upon.
The Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery baptized each other. Why?
Because John the Baptist appeared and conferred upon them this
priesthood, and they went and administered in it. Why did Joseph Smith
and others lay hands upon men for the reception of the Holy Ghost?
Because Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the priesthood and
of this Gospel in former days conferred that power upon them and they
operated in it. Why did the people feel inclined to gather? Because
Moses who was at the head of the gathering dispensation and to whom
the keys of this dispensation were given, came and conferred upon them
the power to gather the house of Israel and the ten tribes from their
dispersion; and when you received this Gospel you received this as a
part. This dispensation of the fulness of times embraces all other
dispensations that have ever existed upon the earth, with all their
powers. That is the reason you desired so to gather together, and for
these peculiar impulses which many of you could not account for.
Why do we build temples? Because Elijah appeared and conferred the
powers of his priesthood which were to "turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." And
why do you expend so much—even your enemies are complaining because of
the millions of dollars that are used in the erection of temples. Why
do you do it? Simply because God has commanded us to do it and we know
it and because the spirit attending this peculiar work rests upon us
until we feel its impulses in our very bones. And is it a trouble to
do it? No. We feel a pleasure in it. And then when we build our
temples we feel a pleasure in administering in them, not only for
ourselves but for our fathers and mothers and those of our progenitors
who have died without the Gospel and then to help to save all that
have been worthy of salvation that have ever lived upon the earth. And
we have got to continue our labors in this direction, we have only
just commenced; and if this little thing troubles men all the
consolation I can give them is that they will be worse troubled yet.
If others know not what we are doing, we do; we know in whom we have
believed, and consequently we operate in these things.
Now then, what shall we do? Continue to do good; continue to live our
religion; continue to carry out the purposes of God; continue to
humble ourselves before the Lord and cultivate his Holy Spirit that we
may comprehend his laws and know his will concerning us. You have
received the Holy Ghost. Now I will tell you a piece of instruction
that Joseph Smith once gave me, and it won't hurt you. Said he, "Elder
Taylor, you have received the Holy Ghost: now follow the leadings of
that spirit; and if you do, by-and-by it will become in you a
principle of revelation that you will know all things as they come
along and understand what is right and what is wrong in relation to
them." That is just as applicable to you if you can receive it and
live up to it and enjoy it.
Well, what are we? We ought to be the Saints of God without rebuke in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. We ought to be full of
charity, of brotherly kindness and affection and love one towards
another and love towards all men. We ought to feel as our heavenly Father does. What does he do? "He maketh his sun to rise on the
evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
He will save all men to such a degree of salvation and exaltation as
they are capable of receiving; but he cannot bestow upon people what
they are not prepared to receive. There is a celestial glory and a
terrestrial glory and a telestial glory; "There is one glory of the
sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for
one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the
resurrection of the dead." But there is, we must bear in mind, a
celestial glory which is one, and there is a terrestrial glory which
is one, etc. And we want as Latter-day Saints to comprehend the
position we occupy; and while God has conferred many great and
precious privileges upon us, we want to appreciate them and honor
them. Are we Seventies? We ought to be full of light and life and the
power and spirit of the Living God and feel that we are messengers to
the nations of the earth; we ought to feel the word of God burning
like fire in our bones, feeling desirous to go and snatch men from the
powers of darkness and the chains of corruption with which they are
bound, and lead them in the paths of life. We ought to be prepared to
go forth weeping, bearing precious seed that we might come back again
rejoicing bringing our sheaves with us. If we are High Priests, we
ought to magnify our calling in that portion of the priesthood and to
prepare ourselves for the duties and responsibilities that are
devolving upon us associated with that priesthood, that we may be
prepared according to the revelations we have received in regard to
these subjects, to preside over and among the different Stakes when
they shall be organized and to be prepared to operate in all things
according to the mind and will of God. If we are Elders we should seek
to magnify our calling in every particular, and put away from us every
evil and satisfy ourselves that we are accepted of God, living so that
it will be a pleasure as well as a duty to carry out the will of God
in all things. If we are fathers, we should treat our children
properly and train them in the fear of God; we should treat our wives
with mercy and tenderness and with love; we ought to bear with their
infirmities and sustain them in the pathway of life, pour joy and
happiness into their bosoms, and help them to bear the struggles and
difficulties that they have to cope with. If we are wives, we should
try to make a heaven of our homes. And as children and as parents and
as Latter-day Saints and as Elders of Israel, we should seek by the
prayer of faith to fulfil the various duties that devolve upon us,
that we may honor our God, magnify our calling and fill the measure of
our creation here upon the earth, and purge ourselves from all
unrighteousness, and be full of love, kindness, generosity and
philanthropy, and also full of honesty, of truthfulness and integrity,
feeling in our hearts to say, O God, search me and try me and prove
me, and if there is any evil in me, help me to purge it out from me,
and help me to honor and magnify my priesthood and every duty
devolving upon me. And as fathers and mothers we should never utter a
word or do an act that we should be ashamed for God, or angels, or our
children to hear or see. And if we will do right and cherish and
cultivate the spirit of God to the extent that it can prevail and
predominate in our midst, we will see Zion arise and shine, and the
glory of God will rest upon her.
God help us to do right and preserve our purity, keep his
laws and lead us in the paths of life, that while we live upon the
earth we may operate with him in the salvation of the living and the
dead, and be saved ultimately in his celestial kingdom, having fought
the good fight, finished our course, and kept the faith. In the name
of Jesus. Amen.