I made some remarks yesterday afternoon, in answer to certain
questions which have been put to me in relation to the principle of
Tithing, and I thought this morning that I would make a few additional
remarks on the same subject, and perhaps touch upon some other
matters.
I read over yesterday certain questions which have been asked me
pertaining to this matter; and I thought I would take the liberty of
answering these questions to this Conference. Perhaps there may be
some here today who were not here yesterday, and there may be some
here today who do not read the Doctrine and Covenants, and who are
not acquainted with some of the principles relating to this subject.
Therefore I will read again that which was read yesterday afternoon,
which will be found on the 418th page of the Doctrine and Covenants,
new edition. There may be some who have not this edition, and I will
say therefore that the same revelation will be found in section 107 of
the old edition.
"Revelation given at Far West Missouri, July 8th, 1838, in answer to
the question, O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest
of the properties of the people for a tithing.
"Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to
be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, For the
building of mine house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion and
for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church.
And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after
that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their
interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever,
for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.
"Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who
gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus
properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found
worthy to abide among you.
"And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it
holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my
statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most
holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of
Zion unto you. And this shall be an example unto all the stakes of
Zion. Even so. Amen."
The scriptures say that we shall receive line upon line and precept
upon precept; and therefore it is necessary sometimes, to carry out
these ideas in order that, where a people have been misinformed or
have not judged or heard correctly, they may be put right in relation
to all general leading principles. A feeling has more or less
prevailed among the people that Tithing is a matter to be decided on
exclusively by the individual paying it, and that if he pays it, all
right; if he does not pay his Tithing, it is not quite so right, but
it makes not so much difference. A good Saint perhaps, may be
honorable and upright and honest in dealing; may be a tolerably good
neighbor; he may be zealous to a certain extent, according to his
ideas and notions in regard to the propagation of the word of truth;
he may be active and energetic in many things, but if he does right in
the main, Tithing is a matter of very little importance; it is only a
temporary idea, it does not concern us much, it is only meant to meet
the financial affairs associated with the Church—and that is a matter
of very little importance.
Now it is proper that we should be correctly informed in relation to
these matters, and as I stated yesterday, there is a great diversity
of opinion existing among men, and even men in authority in the
Church, say, Bishops and probably Presidents of Stakes and others, in
relation to the principle of Tithing. Now, it is proper that we should
have a correct view and a proper understanding of this principle. We
are here to carry out the purposes and designs of God, and as I
under stand it we have been gathered together according to certain
revelations which have been given for the establishment of His Church
upon the earth, and that we, as a people, profess to be the Lord's
people, and under His guidance and direction. Each one, if he is
living his religion, is supposed to have the spirit of light, of truth
and intelligence within himself, the spirit of revelation, the Holy
Ghost given unto him by the laying on of hands which, if he follows in
all its guidings and dictates will lead him into all truth. Each man
and each woman is placed in the position that they can draw nigh unto
God through Jesus Christ: to have the light and intelligence of the
Spirit of God imparted unto them; but because of the weakness of man,
because of our many infirmities, and because of the powers of darkness
and of the many influences that have been at work from the
commencement of the world until the present time seeking to destroy,
to uproot and to overturn the principles of eternal truth, and to lead
men into error, darkness, confusion, and death, and because it is the
way and order of God, He has ordained a holy Priesthood for the
guidance, for the direction, and for the instruction of His people.
We are told that in ancient days God placed "in the church first
apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers;" and again, "He gave
some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers." For what? "For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of
Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." That was the
teaching of one of the old Apostles. Furthermore, the Lord has
instituted in the Church in these last days the same Priesthood that
formerly existed, and for the same purpose. We have, say, a First
Presidency; then we have the Twelve; then we have High Priests; then
we have Seventies; then we have High Councils, and Bishops and their
Counselors; then we have Presidents of Stakes, each Stake in its form
a compact body, with a President and his two Counselors, and Bishops
operating in their place and presiding over their various Wards, and
the High Councils operating in their place, with the Priests, Teachers
and Deacons operating in theirs, all working and operating together.
Then we have Relief Societies, and Mutual Improvement Societies, and
our Sunday Schools, and Primary Associations, and all the various
organizations and institutions which are organized for the instruction
of the rising generation, male and female. Thus we have the various
officers in the Church performing their several duties with honor,
integrity and truthfulness before God, looking after the interest, the
welfare and the happiness of those that are associated with and that
are under their jurisdiction. Then these various Stakes, in their
organizations, with their Presidents, are subject to the presiding
authorities, and the Presidents thereof have to render an account to
the Presidency of the Church; and the Presidency of the Church ought
to be able at all times to render an account to their Heavenly Father.
This is an order, as I understand it, that is introduced by the
Almighty, and by Him alone. It is not of man, nor did it proceed from
man, neither can it progress nor be perfected by man without the
direction of the Almighty. In fact, with all these helps, with all
these organizations, with all these principles, owing to the weakness
and infirmities of man, we find it difficult to preserve in purity
those sacred institutions that God has given unto us, and we
continually need the greatest care, humility, self-denial,
perseverance, watchfulness and reliance upon God. We talk sometimes
about free will; is that a correct principle? Yes; and it is a
principle that has always existed, and proceeded from God, our
Heavenly Father. When God revealed Himself to Joseph Smith it was
optional whether he obeyed His counsel or not; I suppose, however,
looking at things as they exist, and as they are in truth, God
understood that he would do it, he having been selected for that
purpose a long, long time ago; and that the Lord knew that he would
adhere to those principles and would carry out the designs of Heaven
as they should be communicated unto and required of him. We received
the Gospel; was anyone forced to obey it? Was there any coercion in
any possible way manifested toward us? Not that I know of. Was Oliver
Cowdery, who was the second Elder in the Church, obliged to receive
this Gospel? No, he was not. Was Hyrum Smith obliged to receive it?
No, he was not. Were any of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon—the
Whitmers and others? No. And after they did identify themselves with
this Church, were they com pelled to stay in it? No. Have any of
the members of the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventies, the High
Priests, or the members of the High Councils, or the Presidents of the
Seventies, or any class of men in this Church, been compelled to
occupy the position to which they have been called? I do not know of
any, do you? I know there was no coercion used with me further than
the force of truth recommending itself to my mind, neither was there
with you further than the power of truth operating upon your minds.
And after you received the Gospel were you compelled to leave your
homes to come here? No, you were not. In fact, it was your desire to
come here, and you could not be kept back from coming, because you
were impelled by the spirit which the Latter-day Gospel inspires to
come to the land of Zion. If this is called compulsion, it is not the
compulsion of man, but the operation of the Spirit of God, which you
received through obedience to the Gospel.
We may here ask, in acting under the dominion or control of the
Priesthood are any of you forced to do anything you do not want to? If
you think you are in any possible way, I absolve you from it today,
every one of you. These are my ideas about the rights of men. It is
"all free grace and all free will," as the poet has it. We have not
been coerced to come into the Church, we are not coerced to remain in
it. But we have taken upon ourselves a profession of faith in God, and
as Latter-day Saints we believe that God has spoken, that the heavens
have been opened, that the everlasting Gospel has been restored to
man, and we believe that God has organized His Church by revelation,
through his servant, Joseph Smith, in the form that we now have it.
This is our faith. We cannot help that faith. I cannot help my faith,
neither can you help yours. There was from the first, scriptural
evidence adduced and a certain kind of reasoning used to enlighten our
minds. We believed, after hearing the preaching of the Gospel, that it
was our duty to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of
our sins, and to have hands laid upon our heads for the reception of
the Holy Ghost. And when we received that Holy Ghost, which takes of
the things of God, it showed them unto us; and then we were placed
upon another footing from what we were before; and that Spirit has
enlightened our minds in regard to those things of which I have
spoken, as well as in regard to many others. If God has revealed unto
us certain things can we help our faith in them, and can we help
knowing this to be the Church and Kingdom of God? No. Can I? No. Can
you? No. What would men have to do to deprive me of this faith? They
would have to cut off my head, or in some other way to kill me; and
then they could not change my faith, that would be impossible. If a
man knows a thing, he knows it, and he cannot unknow it. There is one
way whereby we can unknow these things, and that is by giving way to
evil influences, to the powers of darkness, and by departing from the
light of God; and then the light within us becomes darkness, and then
"how great is that darkness." But when you talk about controlling a
man's faith, it cannot be done; and I would say to people who are bent
upon having me change my faith, all you have to do is to cut off my
head, and even that would not do it, because I would still be myself
entertaining the same faith in the next world. And there fore,
all that men could do toward accomplishing this object would be to
destroy the body, but that principle which God has implanted in our
hearts it would be impossible to destroy; hence says Jesus, "And fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Now, speaking again of the organization which I have referred to,
connected with it are laws which are calculated to lead us on from
strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge, and from
intelligence to intelligence, until we shall all see as we are seen
and know as we are known. And hence God has given for this purpose the
various offices that exist in the Church and Kingdom of God. I would
further ask, What is this Priesthood given us for? That we may be
enabled to build up the Zion of our God. What for? To put down wrong
and corruption, lasciviousness, lying, thieving, dishonesty and
covetousness, with every kind of evil, and also to encourage faith,
meekness, charity, purity, brotherly kindness, truthfulness,
integrity, honesty, and everything that is calculated to exalt and
ennoble mankind, that we may be the true and proper representatives of
God our Father here upon the earth, that we may learn to know His will
and do it; that His will may be done on earth as in heaven. And hence,
Zion is spoken of as being the pure in heart.
When the disciples of our Lord asked Him to teach them how to pray,
what did He say? "When you pray say, "Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we for give our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever. Amen." Besides other things they were taught to pray
that God's kingdom might come. Why? That the earth might be delivered
from oppression, cruelty, tyranny, from corruptions, infamy,
licentiousness, debauchery, and all the evils that afflict humanity,
and which have been introduced by the powers of darkness for the
overthrow and destruction of the human family. Jesus stands forth as
the great propitiator between God and man. He came here as the
representative of His heavenly Father, He is our great High Priest,
and he lives to intercede for us before the throne of God, who is also
our Father, Jesus being our elder brother.
Now, then, God has gathered us together for a purpose, and that
purpose is to build up Zion and to establish His kingdom on the earth
and He could not do it in any other way that I know of than the way in
which He is doing it; He may however have some other way, but if He
has I am not acquainted with it. It is sufficient for us to know that
He has chosen this way. Very well. We are taking hold and are doing a
great many good things. I feel very much interested in the labors
which are being performed. My heart is drawn out in many instances to
many peoples and organizations that are engaged in trying to teach the
people the ways of life. When I see the Twelve thus engaged, traveling
about from place to place teaching the pure principles of the Gospel
of peace, I feel like saying in my heart, God bless you, and God
sustain you; and all Israel ought to have the same feeling. Then when
I see our missionaries doing the same thing not only in our
midst but elsewhere, seeking to promote the benefit of men, to
introduce correct principles and to expose error, and to lead men to
the truth and to gather them to Zion, I feel to say, God bless you in
all your operations, and may the Spirit and blessing and power of God
be with you; and all Israel ought to sustain such men who are engaged
in such beneficial labors. Then when I see our Sunday Schools in
operation, with our young men and women, and in many instances the
aged men and aged women taking an interest in our youth and trying to
train up the rising generations in the paths of life, I say to all
such, God bless you and may His peace and blessing be upon all who are
interested in the welfare of Israel. And again when I see our young
men and young women associating themselves together for mutual
instruction and edification, learning to comprehend correct principles
and educating themselves to become efficient laborers in the work, the
great, the important, the eternal work of God which He has committed
to us—when I see our young men and women engaged in that way, I say to
such, God bless you, and may the peace and the blessing of God be with
you. And when I see our juveniles who are organized as Primary
Associations, brought together and taught to sing the praises of God,
and to comprehend the principles of the Gospel—and in many instances
their parents scarcely sense the responsibility God placed upon them
when He placed these precious jewels in their care, making them the
fathers and mothers of lives—when I see our brethren and sisters
engaged teaching these children to lisp the praises of God, and to
honor and obey their parents and to do that which is right, I say God
bless them. And when I see our Bishops engaged in doing the will of
God, and exerting themselves to promote the welfare of His people over
whom they preside, and seeking counsel from God and other sources, and
doing all they can to build up Zion unselfishly, with pure hearts and
clean hands, I say, God bless you and may the spirit and power of your
office rest upon you, that you may magnify it and honor your God. And
when I see the Seventies and Elders go among the nations of the earth,
as many have done before, trying to benefit mankind, trying to snatch
them from the fearful calamity that is near at hand, but people do not
know it, when I see men going forth to accomplish the purposes of God
and gather out His elect, I say to such, God bless you; and I feel
desirous and hopeful that these men may be able to present the eternal
truths of heaven in such a way that the honest in heart may see and
admire them, and participate in the blessings resulting from obedience
thereto.
We are here, then, to build up Zion. We have a temple going up here,
and we have others in course of erection in other places. Now, while
we have no disrespect for the world, no disrespect for the nations in
which we live, or for the authorities thereof, if they act wisely,
well; if they do not act wisely it is not so well. No matter about
that; we can trust them in the hands of God. We are the friends of all
men, and are the friends of this nation; we are the friends and
supporters of the Constitution of this nation, we are the friends of
right, of freedom and of good administration and good men everywhere,
and that on the principle of which I spoke a while ago—on the
principle of freedom, liberty, believe, and let believe, worship, and
let others worship, worship as you please according to the dictates of
conscience, and let others do the same. It is for us to be governed by
correct principles, and as far as it lies in our power to extend to
all men this right, and then maintain, on correct principles, our own
rights, the rights of others and the rights of God. These are my
feelings in relation to this matter. But the world do not comprehend
our principles; they cannot. But we can afford to teach them the
Gospel even if we are abused for doing it; we can deal justly with
them, and then suffer their abuse. No matter. We can do all this and a
good deal more, and also advocate the rights of men, look after our
own interests and welfare, and the interest of the community we are
associated with and sustain all just laws and correct principles. And
then we can leave those men who violate correct principles in the
hands of God. But they cannot comprehend these things, they do not
possess that spirit which alone enables men to fulfil those
principles, which are given by the Almighty for the benefit of the
human family. We do understand them, I mean, those who are faithful to
their profession, as Latter-day Saints; but some of us possess the
spirit by which they are actuated, and I am sorry when I see it. But
as a people we are not of the spirit of the world; we are here not to
pattern after the follies of the world, but to build up Zion, the
Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth; and God has given unto us a
portion of His Spirit, that we may seek after Him, and seek to carry
out His will, and He will continue to enlighten our mind, and we shall
grow and increase, and our path will be as that of the just, growing
brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Do the world understand
anything of the religion we have received? No. It is nothing new to
say this; this was understood long, long ago.
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither indeed can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned;" and when they do not possess
the spirit of truth, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, by which alone
they are understood, how can they comprehend them? Well, having said
so much, let me come back to the question of Tithing.
The people were anxious at the time the revelation was given in Far
West, to know what the Lord required as a Tithing from His Saints. I
was there at the time; it was in 1838—quite a little time to look back
to. Some time, however, before this revelation was given, God had
revealed the principle of the United Order, which, as you know, the
people could not abide; and when we come to think about it, it could
hardly be expected that they could do so, they having been in the
Church but a short time, taken out of the world, with all the
prejudices and weaknesses that you and I have. But the time will come
when we will obey these things as they are given by the revelations of
God, and it will not be a hardship either; it will be a pleasure to
those who are under the influence of the Lord. But like all other
things, it will be "free will and free grace."
Now, then, we come to this. Here is a command given; who to? Not to
outsiders, not to men of the world, not to people who do not believe
in God nor in His laws; but it is given directly to us who profess to
have faith in Him, in His laws, and in His Priesthood. The
question then is, what is our duty, as we have not obeyed the other
law? I will remark here, incidentally, that when this law of Tithing
was given, a great many people were gathering up to Far West and to
that district of country, as we are to this country; but it would
apply more to our early settlements than at the present time. This
people thus gathering to Far West, were told that it was required of
them to give their surplus property—I will read it.
"I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the
bishop of my church of Zion, For the building of mine house, and for
the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the
debts of the Presidency of my Church. And this shall be the beginning
of the tithing of my people." What then? "And those who have thus been
tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, and this
shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood,
saith the Lord."
Now, here is a people, of whom we form a part, who met together to ask
the Prophet of the Lord to inquire for them the will of the Lord
concerning this matter of Tithing; and He gives it in these words:
"And this shall be a standing law unto them forever."
I will ask, has the Lord ever annulled this? No. Then it stands in
full force today to this people. Then again:
"Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who
gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus
properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found
worthy to abide among you."
That is very plain talk. Is there any compulsion about it? No; but if
they do not do it they shall not be considered worthy to abide among
you. What are we to make of it? As I said yesterday, I did not make
it; President Young did not make it, neither did Joseph Smith make it;
but by the request of the people he asked the Lord what His will was,
and this was the answer; and this was given in 1838. And does it not
seem strange that we do not comprehend it? I think it does sometimes.
Here we have had the Doctrine and Covenants in our hands, which
contain this revelation, since the year 1838; that is nearly forty-two
years ago. We have had forty-two years to study this doctrine, and it
is as plain as you can make it, and yet it would seem that we cannot
understand it. Do we want to understand the laws of God? If we do, and
will read these things under the influence of that spirit which I have
referred to, I think that we will understand our duties without much
trouble.
Now then, if Zion—we were talking about building up Zion—I am not
going to enter into the whys and wherefores of these things, but will
say it is a test to the people of God, or for us who profess to be,
that we may know whether people will observe a certain specific law
given by the Almighty or not, and thus have a proof of their fidelity
and obedience. Now, if we abide this, all well and good; if not, it is
written, "They shall not be found worthy to abide among you." What
will you do with them? I often think that there are a great many
people who are not worthy to abide among us; don't you? And then if
God were to put judgment to the line, and righteousness to the
plummet, most of us would be in a very poor fix. I will tell
you what I think should be done, and that is why I am treating upon
this subject today. I think the people ought to be instructed in
these things, and then if they do not live up to them you will not
then be held responsible to the authorities that preside over you. The
Lord tells us that they shall not be worthy of a place among us. Do we
want to alter that? Not one iota. Would I wish to be harsh to men that
are ignorant? No, I would not; I would bear with them, and teach them
and instruct them. And if I were a Bishop I should instruct my
Teachers to do it; and then by and by, after they were fully informed,
and had every opportunity to become acquainted with things, we might
take final action in relation to their standing. I would not wish to
enforce that law at present, until men were thoroughly informed. For
instance, the case I referred to yesterday. There were two men; one
paid $100 in tithing, the other paid $25 in tithing. Both of them
owned about the same amount of property; but the first paid his
tithing, the other did not. The second, however, paid some $75 in
donations; but he did not pay his tithing, he only paid a quarter of
it. That now may have arisen from ignorance with regard to the law.
The last paid out as much money as the first; and he may have been
wrongly taught. Some of the Bishops do not understand these things,
and yet we have had this doctrine given unto us for forty-two years.
Has a man a right to turn and change things as he pleases? I have not,
and I do not believe any other man has. And if any Bishop or a
President of a Stake or anybody else tells you that you can do as you
please about the disposition you make of the means you pay, as long as
you pay a certain amount, or you may pay it on Tithing or not, as you
please, I tell you that he teaches false doctrine. But should we be
hard with such people? No. If they have been under influences of this
nature and been wrongly taught, I will say, as a certain party said to
me who had been doing these things, "I will switch off and pay my
Tithing according to the law." You, Bishops and Presidents of Stakes,
switch off and get the people to do things right. There is no
commandment about donations, but there is about Tithing; and I am not
at liberty to change this, neither any other man.
I will follow this subject a little further. We are talking about
building up Zion. Here is where the thing applies itself with great
force to me as well as to you, when you comprehend it as it exists and
see it by the light of the Spirit of Truth. For it is written: "And I
say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and
by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my
judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold,
verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you." Well,
we are talking about building up the land of Zion, which is one of the
things we are here for. And God has said that if we do not obey this
law, it shall not be a land of Zion unto us. Does this apply to us? I
will read a little further: "And this shall be an ensample unto all
the stakes of Zion." Now, I speak these things for your information. I
will go a little farther upon the subject. A person wrote me a letter,
stating that a young man had applied to a certain Bishop for a
recommend to get married. He asked him if he had paid his
Tithing. He answered, No. "Well," said the Bishop, "We are instructed
not to give recommends to those who do not pay their Tithing." "But,"
said the young man, my father I suppose paid my Tithing for me." If
this was so, that would be very proper, especially in farming
districts, where the grown sons assist in cultivating the farm, and
the daughters, perhaps, assist in making the butter and cheese, etc.
When the Tithing on the whole is paid, that is all straight enough,
because what is made is the proceeds of the united labor of the
family, and the family are all, of course, represented until they come
to age. And then what? Why then comes another state of things. "Have
you paid your Tithing since you left your father?" the young man was
asked. No. Why? I have been careless and indifferent and I have not
done what was right. Well, if you haven't paid your Tithing, and you
seem to have forgotten God, why is it that you want to get married
according to the laws of God? Why not get married in some other way,
seeing that you observe not the laws of God? Well, in the first place,
my father and mother wish me to be married according to the laws of
God; and then my intended wife's father and mother want us to be
married in that way; and again, the girl has told me that she will not
have me unless we get married in that way. I will here remark, I think
this very sensible and creditable on the part of the young lady; I
think she acted very wisely, and I wish all our young sisters felt the
same, and they ought to on a matter of such importance to them. Says
the young man further: "I have a desire to keep the laws of God, for I
was born in the Church, and I have grown up with such feelings, but I
was not man enough to practice them. But if you give me the recommend
I will try and do it in the future." But the question is, under these
circumstances, should the recommend be given? I could not do it,
unless there was some visible manifestation on his part to mend his
ways and to make up the thing he had been deficient in. "Why," it may
be asked, "Is it not better to have our sons married in the right way
and be kind to them, than to see them go elsewhere to be married." As
I said yesterday, as I say today, if it were a son of mine I could
not give him the recommend; and other men's sons under the same
circumstances are no better than mine. It is principle we are to be
governed by. I am not here, you are not here to carry out our own
designs, and feelings, and purposes. Why, Jesus himself did not come
to do that. According to His own words, He came not to do his own
will, but the will of his Father who sent Him. And we are here not to
do our own will, but the will of the Father who also sent us, and who
has called us to our holy and exalted calling. And what shall be done?
Unless this young man could convince me, if I were a Bishop, that he
was sincere in his heart and made some satisfactory attempt at
fulfilling this law, I would not give him a recommend. What? Would
Elders of Israel take men into the House of God, would you, because
God has revealed some of the greatest blessings that can be conferred
upon humanity, blessings which thousands and tens of thousands of good
men sang about and prayed about and longed to receive, but who died
without enjoying them, should we take a man, a man whom this Book
says, shall not be worthy to abide amongst you, should we, I
say, take him through the House of the Lord and confer and seal upon
him blessings and lives eternal, and thrones and principalities and
powers and dominions, and introduce him into the society of the
highest intelligences that exist in the eternal worlds? I forbid you
to do it in the name of the Lord. We cannot do it, we are not at
liberty to do it, neither are we at liberty to use our judgment in
regard to it either. If we bear with men in their weakness and
infirmity and are obliged to carry a lot of men like so many
automatons, the time will come and it must come when they will be shut
out, they will not be found worthy to abide among you; they are not
worthy now. But we have to bear with them until they are better
informed; but until then they must do the best they can, for they
cannot go into the House of the Lord, they cannot be sealed up to
eternal lives, they cannot have part in the blessings which God has
conferred upon us until they bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
I will take it in another point of view. We pay our Tithing and we pay
Temple donations, we attend to the duties of the House of the Lord; we
go forth and proclaim the Gospel of peace to the nations of the earth;
we convert people, under the blessing of God, and they come to a
knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, and we continue our labors
to build up Zion; looking at it in this light, would it be just, after
we have laid out our means, would it be in accordance with the
principles of equity to grant this privilege to such men, a privilege
which we have earned and, in a certain sense, paid for? It is
generally the case that they are the first to rush forward and want
certain blessings without earning them. Jesus said in His day that the
"kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force." These are some of that class who crowd in where they are not
worthy to tread. These temporal matters they assume are of very little
importance, they are of very little importance judging from the way
that many of us labor; but they are of very great importance when
weighed in the balances of truth, the principles of eternal life which
God has revealed are of the utmost importance to the Saints, both to
the living and the dead, to the myriads of men that have lived and
that may live, these things are of vast importance.
I thought I would talk a little upon this subject this morning. I will
now offer a few remarks upon another subject. We talk sometimes about
justice; and I have noticed the spirit manifested among us sometimes,
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." This is something that
really does not belong to us. We are full of infirmities. We pray to
the Father to forgive our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass
against us. How often do we sin against God? Many times, and ask His
forgiveness. How often should I forgive my brother? I hear people say,
"here is such and such a man, he has wronged me, and I cannot forgive
him." Then you have not the true spirit of the Gospel. "But he has
acted so meanly towards me, he has injured my reputation, and he
sought to do it." Bless your soul, he cannot injure your reputation if
it is good; on the contrary, by taking a correct course, according to
the spirit of the Gospel, he that has traduced you will respect you
and will be the sufferer, not you. It is our duty to forgive our
brother seven times, yes, seventy times seven, when he turns to
you and seeks your forgiveness; and we should forgive men in our
hearts whether they ask our forgiveness or not. And what about our
enemies? What shall we do with them? Offer them peace and forgive them
the first time. And what then? Go again the second time and forgive
them? Yes, if they ask forgiveness. And the third time? Yes; but the
fourth time the Lord says thine enemy is in thine hand, do with him as
seemeth thee good. You have then fulfilled the law; and even then, if
you are merciful, it is said it shall be accounted to you for
righteousness. This is the law of the Gospel.
I am desirous to see the people observe this law of Tithing, because
it is a plain and direct command to us. Not that I care anything
personally whether people pay their Tithing or not, and I do not think
the Lord cares much himself. The gold and the silver are His, and so
are the cattle upon a thousand hills; and to Him belongs power to
command all things. And what we do possess of this world's goods is
given unto us to make a wise use of, because we cannot take them with
us when we shall be called hence. It is for us, as Saints of the Most
High, to be honest and upright and take a correct course, to be full
of integrity and maintain correct principles everywhere and at all
times. If our enemies cannot afford to treat us aright, we can afford
to treat them aright. But we will not barter away our rights, but
leave ourselves in the hands of God, and seek to Him for His guidance;
and if we keep His commandments, God's blessing will rest upon us.
Therefore, in regard to this, it is not a matter of pecuniary interest
that prompts me to speak to you; it is a test of faith which God has
given unto us, and which affects us all and that for some reason known
to God. But speaking of ourselves, it is positively stated, as before
referred to, that those who do not observe this law shall not be
considered worthy to abide among us; and further, that this shall be a
standing law unto all the Stakes of Zion. Again, the Lord says: "If my
people observe not this law, etc., it shall not be a land of Zion unto
them."
We have to build up Zion, and make it the praise of the whole earth;
but to do this acceptably to God, we must be governed by the
principles of purity and honesty; truthfulness and integrity and all
the sterling virtues which God has pointed out for man to be governed
by. And when the Saints arrive at this state of perfection, thus
fulfilling this scripture with regard to the greatness and splendor of
Zion, God will make His people not only the richest of all people in
spiritual things, but also in temporal things.
God bless you, in the name of Jesus, Amen.