We have assembled ourselves as Latter-day Saints for the purpose of
worshipping God, of listening to instructions, and administering one of
the ordinances of the house of God—the sacrament. I look upon the
sacrament as an ordinance of great importance to us; in fact, from the
days of Adam down to the days of Jesus Christ, there were sacrifices
offered; not only by Adam but by his posterity, by Moses and the house
of Israel, and all the generations of people who were led by the
Lord—sacrifices were offered as a type of the great sacrifice to be
made by the Messiah. They offered the blood of bulls, rams and doves
as a type of the great and last sacrifice and death of the Messiah,
whose blood was shed for the redemption of the world. Prior to the
death of the Savior, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was
administered to His disciples, and they were informed that they were
to partake of the bread as an emblem of the broken body of the Lord,
and of the wine—or whatever is made use of as a substitute—in token
of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I feel disposed here to make a remark and say, that if I were the
emperor of the world and had control of every human being that
breathes the breath of life on earth, I would give to every man, woman
and child the right to worship God according to the dictates of their
own conscience, and when I say this I speak the sentiments of Joseph
Smith, Brigham Young, the Presidency of this Church, the Twelve
Apostles, and all the Elders of Israel. This is the sentiment of all
the Latter-day Saints. What! Would you grant the Methodists this
privilege? Certainly. And the Baptists? Yes, certainly. And the
Catholics, the Shakers, the Quakers? Yes, and everybody else under
heaven. I would grant to all people the right to enjoy their religion
without molestation. I would even extend this privilege to the
Latter-day Saints; I would give them the privilege of believing in the
Bible and the organization of the Church according to the ancient
pattern with Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus being the chief
corner stone. Why would you do this? I would do it because God himself
does it. The God of heaven grants to all his children, every sect and
party of whatever name and denomination under the whole heavens, their
agency and the right to worship God according to the dictates of their
own conscience. The Lord forces no man to heaven. He places
before him life and death, light and darkness, truth and error, and
having before him all these principles, he is at liberty to worship
God and believe what he chooses. He alone is responsible to God for
his actions. Now, when I read the history of the world in days which
are past, when I note the illiberal spirit which was manifested, and
the blood which has been shed upon the earth—for the earth has been
deluged with blood, under what is termed holy wars, under the garb of
holy religion—I look upon it as the most ungodly and unrighteous thing
that was ever committed upon the earth. I look upon what is taking
place today in the same way. I marvel sometimes when I see the spirit
of our nation and the feelings of the sects of today toward Utah and
the Latter-day Saints. Have we ever stood in the path of any man, sect
or people with regard to their religion? No, we have not. We have been
willing at all times that men should preach their doctrines and
believe them, unmolested by us, and I would say, to express my own
feelings, that if a man believed he had to climb a cottonwood tree
three times a day, for salvation, I would never hinder him. No, this
liberty, this freedom, especially under the American Government of all
nations under heaven, ought to become universal. No man or set of men
should attempt to hinder their neighbors from enjoying their religion.
And while I say this, and while we grant all men this fight and
privilege, as we have done here in this city, this Tabernacle and
various other buildings having been opened to the clergymen of the
day, we have been perfectly willing, after we have heard all they have
had to say, to accept any truth they might have that we are not in
possession of. If there is a man in this world who has one truth which
I have not got, I am willing to exchange all the errors I have got for
that truth. But we as a people claim the same right we grant to
others. We claim the right to worship God unmolested by our
fellow men. The laws of God, the decrees of God, the oracles of God,
as well as laws of our country and the constitution of our government
grant this right to the human family—yes, even to the "Mormons," as we
are called, to the Latter-day Saints as well as every other class.
Then, why this tremendous furor among the sects of the day with
regard to these "Mormons" and their religion? The trouble is the world
do not know anything about our religion, they do not know what we
believe in, and if anybody forms an idea from what they hear abroad,
they hear anything but the truth. I have been amused sometimes—I have
of late—in reading the speeches delivered by gentlemen—clergymen at
that—who profess to have lived in Utah, and to understand this people.
One gentleman who professes to be acquainted here delivered a speech
in Rochester, before a missionary society, in which he stated that
"there were in Utah 620,486 young persons in the Mormon district, and
it was the youthful element that missionaries were working on." Well,
now, how does this gentleman make out 620,486 young people out of
140,000? I do not know by what process of mathematics, or by what rule
he arrives at this question. That gentleman knew just as well when he
made that assertion that it was false as I know. Our population is
only about 140,000. Mr. Conyer, who had lived here some six years,
stated "that there were 40,000 scholars in the mission, and he wanted
assistance to furnish his enlarged school." Well, now you take
40,000 scholars out of the total population of 140,000, and I do not
think you will have many for the Mormons. But all this is as near true
as anything you get abroad, and I really wish that gentlemen,
clergymen and everybody else who attempts to report Utah would tell
the truth. That is all we ask of any persons who visit us. But it
seems impossible for anybody to speak of Utah and the Latter-day
Saints—"Mormons" as they are termed—with any degree of truth;
but I
wish they would, it would be better for them, better for us, and they
would be under less condemnation.
Now, what are the principles in which the Latter-day Saints believe?
What is the dreadful crime which we have been guilty of for the last
fifty years? Why, the Lord has raised up a Prophet—Joseph Smith. He
sent an angel from heaven in fulfillment of the revelations of St.
John. And that angel delivered the Gospel to Joseph Smith; delivered
unto him power and knowledge to obtain the Book of Mormon, a record
containing the history of the ancient inhabitants of this continent
who dwelt here hundreds and thousands of years ago. He translated it
into the English language. Does the Book of Mormon contain a different
Gospel to that contained in the Bible? It does not. It gives a history
of the people who dwelt upon this continent anciently, tells where
they came from and how they came here, tells of the dealings of God
with them, and the establishment of the Church of Christ among them.
They were visited by Jesus after his resurrection. Hence he said,
"Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and
one shepherd." He also told the Nephites when he established His
church among them, that he had other sheep. They were the ten tribes
of Israel. The Book of Mormon is a history of the dealings of God with
that people; the Bible is a history of the dealings of God with Judah
and with the Jews and the twelve tribes of Israel: it contains in fact
a short outline of the dealings of God with the Jaredites and Nephites
from the building of the Tower of Babel down to the days of the Savior
and after His resurrection. The Bible is the Stick of Judah in the
hands of Judah, and the Book of Mormon the Stick of Joseph in the
hands of Ephraim. Both books contain the same gospel. There was never
but one gospel and there never will be any other revealed to the human
family. Hence Paul says: "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed." Now, if Joseph Smith had established any other
gospel on the earth than the gospel which Paul taught, that Christ and
His Apostles taught, and that was taught to Abraham, Noah, and the
antediluvian world, why we would have the curse of God resting upon
us. The great trouble with the so-called Christian world is that they
have spiritualized the Scriptures until there is not a semblance of
the gospel left. I never could find it. I never could hear a gospel
sermon in my life, and I sat under Dr. Porter and Dr. Hawes and other
great divines of the day. I never could hear a gospel sermon according
to the ancient pattern as was taught by Joseph Smith. Of course all
sects have had some truth. All sects have professed to believe in the
blood of Jesus Christ, more or less; all sects and parties have their various roads to heaven and to hell, but none of them
teach the Gospel according to the pattern laid down in the New
Testament.
It required an angel from heaven "to fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people," to
prepare them for the great judgments of our God, before the winding-up
scene. The angel has come: that Gospel has been delivered. It was
delivered to Joseph Smith. He did not receive his power from man, but
from the revelations of Jesus Christ. What did that Gospel teach? Why,
faith in Jesus Christ. "Yes, oh yes," say the Methodist, "we believe
in Jesus Christ." All right. Then the next principle was repentance of
our sins. "But," say the sectarian world, "we also believe in
repentance." Well, what is next? The revivalists who visited this
city, (Messrs. Sankey & Moody) believed in Jesus Christ, and they said
that if a person only came to Christ, he did not require to be a
Methodist, Baptist, Mormon, or anything else. Prophets and Apostles
were not required; all that was required was to come to Christ. But we
say there is something more required besides believing. A man has to
be baptized for the remission of his sins in order to enter into the
kingdom of heaven. That law of baptism has never been altered. Many
believe in baptism even by immersion, but not particularly for
remission of sins. What next? Having repented of our sins and been
baptized for a remission of them, we must have hands laid upon for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and when we have received the Holy Ghost,
it will be unto us as a principle of revelation, a testimony of the
Father and of the Son.
Well, what kind of a church are you going to have? Paul, in speaking
of the Corinthians, goes on to represent the Church of Christ as the
body of a man. He shows that every part of the body must act in
unison; the head, the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the feet, must all
work together in order that the body may be perfect, and that there
may be no schism. We are also told that God set in the Church
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers, for the
perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ. Now we have had independence of mind
enough to believe this doctrine. This is "Mormonism." It is faith in
Christ, repentance of our sins, baptism for the remission of our sins,
and the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. These
are the principles which we as Latter-day Saints believe in. We do not
believe that God ever had a church on the earth without Apostles and
Prophets in it, without inspiration in it. To do away with any of the
principles of the Gospel would cause a schism in the Church of Christ.
When you cut the head off a man he will die. He may live if he loses
an arm or a leg but if you cut the head off he will die. Precisely so
with the Church of Christ. We believe in the Bible; we believe in all
the prophecies; we believe God meant just what he said and said just
what he meant; we believe that the prophecies of the scriptures are of
no private interpretation; we believe in the second coming of Christ;
we believe that the judgments of Almighty God will be poured out upon
this generation. All the unbelief of the world will not stay the
fulfillment of the decrees of the Almighty. The unbelief of the in habitants of the antediluvian world in the days of Noah did
not stay the deluge. The unbelief of the inhabitants of Sodom and
Gomorrah did not avert the destruction of these cities. The unbelief
of the Jews did not avert the destruction of Jerusalem. We look for a
literal fulfillment of the decrees of God. We know as a people that he
has set his hand to establish his Church. He has set his hand to warn
all nations. The Holy Priesthood has been restored, not by the power
of man, but by the power of Almighty God.
As I have said, we believe in the Book of Mormon as containing a
record of the ancient inhabitants of this continent, and a clue to the
ruins which have been discovered in various parts of the land and for
which the world can find no origin. The whole history of these things,
however, is pointed out in the Book of Mormon, and if the world would
only take the trouble to read that book they would understand these
things more perfectly. The American Indians are a remnant of the
ancient inhabitants of this continent. Their forefathers were an
enlightened people. They had the Gospel among them and the power of
God was manifested in their midst; but when they became wicked and
turned away from God, the judgments of the Almighty fell upon them and
they were overthrown and destroyed by warfares. The Lamanites, now a
downtrodden people, are a remnant of the house of Israel. The curse
of God has followed them as it has done the Jews, though the Jews have
not been darkened in their skin as have the Lamanites. The fate of the
Jews in this respect is a standing monument to all infidelity. The
prediction of Jesus with regard to them has been liter ally
fulfilled. He predicted that they should be led away captive unto all
nations, and that Jerusalem should be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. When Pilate was ready to
release Jesus because he found no fault in him, the Pharisees and high
priests, being filled with prejudice, would not have it. They cried
out "Crucify him, crucify him, and let his blood be upon us, and our
children." The prediction of Jesus has been verified, and its
fulfillment is before the world today. The Jews have been trampled
under the feet of the Gentiles for 1,800 years, and they are today
being persecuted in European nations. Why? Because that curse of God
rests upon them and will rest upon them until Shiloh comes, until they
are regathered to Jerusalem and rebuild the city in unbelief. You
cannot convert a Jew. They will never believe in Jesus Christ until he
comes to them in Jerusalem, until these fleeing Jews take back their
gold and silver to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and temple, and
they will do this as the Lord lives. Then the Gentiles will say, "Come
let us go up to Jerusalem; let us go up and spoil her. The Jews have
taken our gold and silver from the nations of the earth—come let us go
up and fight against Jerusalem." Then will the prophecies that are
before you be fulfilled, The Gospel was preached first to the Jews and
then to the Gentiles, The Jews rejected the message: the Gentiles
received it, and unto them was given all the gifts and blessings of
the Gospel. But Paul told them to take heed lest they fell through the
same example of unbelief. Yet in time, we Gentiles, departed from the
kingdom of God, and the church went into the wilderness. There has not been an organization of the church of Christ on the earth from
the days of the ancient Apostles, until the days of Joseph Smith, who
came forth in this great and last dispensation, and who by inspiration
and power from on high again restored the Gospel. The world do not
believe this. We cannot help that. The unbelief of the world does not
make the work of the Lord of non-effect. The Lord has set his hand to
establish his church and kingdom, and the warning voice is to all men.
He has called his servant to bear record of this to all nations. This
is what the Lord is doing with these despised Mormons. And already the
members of nearly every sect under heaven have embraced this work,
though our numbers are small compared with the Christian world. We
expect this. As it was in the days of Noah and Lot so shall it be at
the coming of the Son of Man. These principles are true. The world
does not know what awaits them no more than they did in the days of
Noah, or in the days of the Jews.
But, why this furor against the Latter-day Saints? Do you know? "Oh,
yes, we do. You are Polygamists. That is what is the matter." Well,
indeed! Now, let me ask you a question. Were we polygamists when we
were driven from Jackson and Clay Counties? Why, the worst persecution
we have ever had, was before polygamy was revealed to us, or before we
received it. What cause, then, had the Missourians and others to drive
us in the beginning? "Oh, you believe in revelation, you believe in
prophets: we cannot bear these things, they are all done away with.
These things were only given in the dark ages of the world, but
today, living as we are in the blaze of the glorious Gospel, we do
not need them; but if you will believe as we do and scatter yourself
abroad among the Methodists, etc., and do as they do, it will be all
right." Now, gentlemen it is not polygamy. What do you care about
polygamy? What does our nation care about polygamy? What do the
sectarians care about polygamy? Bless your souls, nothing. But nine
percent of these Mormons may be polygamists. Dreadful! Why, have you
no evils in New York? Have you no evils in Boston? Have you no evils
anywhere? Are you all perfect? If so, you are pretty well off; you are
certainly prepared for salvation. But no, my friends, I will tell you:
If we were to give up polygamy today—if we were to say to our
government, "Oh, yes, we will give up polygamy" —why the next they
would say would be, But look here; you have got to give up something
more than that." They would tell us, as the Missourians did, that we
must quit believing in prophets, apostles and revelation. The same
feeling exists today as existed then.
We, Latter-day Saints, are called out of the world. We have received
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord Almighty has raised up Prophets
and Apostles in this our day, and has set his hand to establish the
kingdom that Daniel saw in fulfillment of revelation and prophecy. We
have been gathered out from the nations of the earth to these valleys
of the mountains. Zion is growing and increasing. This has been the
case from the beginning. There has never been an hour from the
organization of this Church but what our course has been onward and
upward. Even in the midst of mud and water, on the banks of the
Missouri River, where, by an edict of Governor Boggs, some 10,000 were driven—no matter under what circumstances we have been
placed, the hand of God has been over us. The Almighty has set his
hand to gather in the meek of the earth. And after our testimony, will
come the testimony of thunderings and lightnings. Read the revelations
of St. John: see the signs of the times, and prepare yourselves for
that which is to come. We trust in God. We cannot afford to deny the
Lord, we cannot deny his revelations. We have a code of revelations
called the Doctrine and Covenants. That code given through the mouth
of Joseph Smith, contains the most sublime revelations concerning this
generation that were ever given to the world. Many of these
revelations have had their fulfillment so far as time has permitted.
Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God. I traveled thousands of miles
with him, in fact the revelation he gave concerning the war which
would break out between the North and South, I wrote that revelation
myself as it was given by the Prophet twenty years before it was
fulfilled. That revelation was published to the world broadcast, and I
merely refer to it because it is a thing that is clear to the minds of
all men. All the revelations in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, will have their fulfillment in the
earth.
We are living in an important day. We are living in the most important
dispensation God ever gave to man. There is a great change awaiting
us; there is a great change awaiting Zion, our Government, and the
whole Christian world. The signs of the times indicate the coming of
the Son of Man in power and great glory. But before His coming the
Gospel has got to be preached to all nations. We have been preaching
the Gospel for fifty years, and by it a few have gathered out from the
nations of the earth to these valleys of the mountains. That is why
the world hate us. It is because the Lord has called us out of the
world to establish the everlasting Gospel. And I want to say to the
Latter-day Saints: Have faith in the revelations of God; have faith in
the promises which have been given. We should be preparing ourselves
for the great events which await us. Darkness covers the earth and
gross darkness the people. The Lord is withdrawing His Spirit from the
nations of the earth, and the power of the devil is gaining dominion
over the children of men. See how crime is increasing. Fifty years ago
when the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, there was not
one murder where there are a thousand today; there was not one
whoredom where there are a thousand today; and so you may go through
the whole black catalogue of crime. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap." "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured
to you." Look at the wickedness which is on the increase in the world,
covering the earth like the waters of the great deep. What will the
end be? Death, destruction, whirlwinds, pestilence, famine and the
judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked; for the Lord has
withheld these judgments until the world is fully warned. To this end
we have been laboring diligently for fifty years, so far as we have
had opportunity. But all these judgments will come. The seals will be
opened; plague will follow plague; the sun and the moon will be
darkened; and the unbelief of the world will make no difference to all these things coming to pass.
I have a desire with you, as Latter-day Saints, that we may keep the
faith, overcome the world, and magnify our high and holy callings. We
will be held responsible before the Lord for the light we possess. We
should be diligent and faithful in our labors, for if we turn our
backs upon the truth, once having known it, we will be under far
greater condemnation than those who rejected the truth. What we may be
called upon to suffer for the Gospel's sake is neither here nor there.
This nation and every other nation is in the hands of God. Your
destiny is in the hands of God. Men can go no further than the Lord
will permit them to go. But we should be faithful to God and to our
fellow men, ever ready to do what is required of us.
I pray God our Heavenly Father, that His blessing may be over us; that
the hearts of the people of our nation and other nations may be open
to the light of the Gospel, that they may not pursue the course the
Jews did, for we know what it has cost them. It will cost this nation
or any other nation the same to shed the blood of the servants of God.
Whatever course a nation pursues in this respect, it will have to foot
the bill. The constitution of our country is one of the best that was
ever given to any government. Our forefathers were inspired of God to
write that instrument. I have a respect for our government, flag and
constitution. I know this nation has been raised up by the power of
God for a certain purpose, and that to establish his kingdom upon it,
and inasmuch as we do our duty the Lord will sustain us. Those who
labor to establish the kingdom of God on the earth will be blessed,
and those who fight against the work of God, will be held responsible
for their actions.
I feel to bear my testimony to the truth of this work. I know Joseph
Smith was a Prophet of God, and I have a desire that I may be faithful
with the rest of my brethren that I may inherit eternal life, for
Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.