"Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing
willingly, I have a righteous reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is
committed unto me." These were the words of the Apostle Paul. Again he
said: "But 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." And he repeats this. Again he says: "But if our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them." I will say as Paul did, "Woe be unto me if I preach not
the gospel." I will say the same for the Apostles, the High Priests,
the Seventies, and the Elders, so far as they are called to declare
the words of life and salvation to this generation; the judgments of
God will rest upon us if we do not do it. You may ask why. I answer,
because a dispensation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has never been
given to man in ancient days or in this age, for any other purpose
than for the salvation of the human family. Again, the Lord says (in
sec. 1 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants): "And the voice of
warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I
have chosen in these last days. And they shall go forth and none shall
stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. Behold, this is mine
authority, and the authority of my servants, and my preface unto the
book of my commandments, which I have given them to publish unto you,
O, inhab itants of the earth. Wherefore, fear and tremble, O
ye people, for what I the Lord have decreed in them shall be fulfilled.
* * Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come
upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him
commandments; And also gave commandments to others, that they should
proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be
fulfilled, which was written by the prophets." Again, the Lord has
said, "Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of
Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of
my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming. *
* and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon. Wherefore, if ye
believe me, ye will labor while it is called today." This is the word
of the Lord to the Elders of Israel. And I say the same to the
Latter-day Saints. It is no light thing for any people in any age of
the world to have a dispensation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
committed into their hands, and when a dispensation has been given,
those receiving it are held responsible before high heaven for the use
they make of it.
I feel to back up the testimony given to us this forenoon by President
Taylor. I have had the same feelings resting upon me for the last
years of my life. I realize that our condition, our position, the
responsibility we hold, the relationship we sustain to God, and the
relationship we sustain to this great and last dispensation—I feel
that many of us as Latter-day Saints, hold too lightly these important
trusts committed to our charge. The angel of God, as declared to St.
John, the Revelator, while upon the Isle of Patmos, had come forth in
the last days, flying through the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, and to
every nation, kindred, tongue and people, Saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.
This Gospel was committed to Joseph Smith, and connected with this
Gospel was the proclamation, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the
hour of his judgment is come." This was the position in which Joseph
Smith was placed when he was in the flesh; it was the position of
those that were connected with him, his brother Hyrum, and others of
his father's house, as well as the Twelve Apostles, the Seventies, and
those early Elders of Israel who were called to make the proclamation
of this Gospel to the world. They were sustained by the power of God.
They were called and commanded to go forth into the world and preach
this Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, without purse or scrip.
This is the manner we traveled in early days. The early Elders of the
Church were called to pass through a great deal. Joseph Smith himself,
from the hour that he received the records from the hand of Moroni,
and commenced to proclaim the restoration of the Gospel, to the day of
his death, had to suffer tribulation. The whole world arose against
him—priest and people. What was the matter? Simply that Joseph Smith
was like other prophets and apostles. He brought forth a dispensation
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which came in contact with the
traditions of the people—traditions which have been handed down from
generation to generation. He was the first man since the day the Savior was put to death, and the Apostles and the Priesthood
taken home to God—he was the first and only man that ever attempted to
establish the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the ancient order of
things. But he was sustained in his work. He knew very well when he
undertook to introduce this Gospel that it would be unpopular, his
brethren knew this also; but being called of God, and a dispensation
of the Gospel having been committed to his hands and the hands of his
brethren, the Gospel had to be preached.
This is our condition today. O ye Elders of Israel who have received
the Holy Priesthood, we have this work laid upon our shoulders, we
have to take hold and build up this kingdom or be damned. This is our
condition; we cannot get away from it; the ancient Apostles could not;
we cannot. It is the greatest dispensation God ever gave to the human
family in any age of the world, and we are commanded to carry it
forward. We cannot afford to treat lightly this work. We cannot
undertake to serve God and mammon. We cannot undertake to serve the
world and fulfil our missions as Apostles and Elders of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We have got to take one side or the other. And I will also say
we cannot be fruitful in the things of the kingdom of God, except we
are diligent in searching for the things of God. It is our duty to do
so. We have been called by the spirit of revelation, by the voice of
God from Heaven, through the mouth of his prophets, to preach the
Gospel and build up this kingdom. This is the word of the Lord unto
us. The Lord said in the beginning, some fifty years ago, in the first
revelation almost which was given to us, that the harvest was ripe,
and that whosoever would thrust in his sickle and reap the same is
called of God.
I have given you my views and feelings with regard to these things. I
have my faith, my hope. I believe that God Almighty reserved a certain
class of men to carry on his word. They have been born into the world
in this generation. I believe this was the case with Joseph Smith. I
believe he was ordained to this work before he tabernacled in the
flesh. He was a literal descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt,
and the Lord called him and ordained him. He gave unto him the keys of
the kingdom. He received the record of the stick of Joseph from the
hands of Ephraim, to stand with the Bible, the stick of Judah, in the
last days as a power to gather the twelve tribes of Israel, before the
coming of Shiloh, their King.
We have been under the necessity of carrying this Gospel to the
generation in which we live. The Lord has never sent judgments upon
any generation which we have any knowledge of until he has raised up
prophets and inspired men to warn the inhabitants of the earth. This
is the course the Lord has dealt with all men from the days of Father
Adam to the present time.
I need not stop to tell you that we live in a day of darkness,
wickedness, unbelief, and transgressions of every kind; I need not
tell you this; the heavens know it, the earth knows it, the devils
know it, all men know it who are acquainted with the human family in
the day and age in which we live. The Lord told us fifty years ago,
that "Darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the
people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face." But He has
sent forth the warning voice to them. He has called upon all
men to repent and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that they may be
counted worthy to escape the judgments of God.
President Taylor treated this forenoon upon the law of Tithing.
Perhaps the Latter-day Saints do not want to hear much more upon this
subject; but I have felt a long time that we as a people were somewhat
ignorant of that law. We have looked upon it as a matter of little
consequence; we have looked upon it with a great deal of indifference
whether we pay tithing or not. But the subject was clearly set forth
this forenoon by President Taylor. He has no power to change this law,
nor has any other man; and if we do not obey it, we can lay no claim
to the promises made to those who obey it. These things are very plain
and pointed. The principle of tithing has been a principle of
sacrifice in almost every age of the world; in fact, it was peculiarly
so among the people in ancient days, and among even the heathen
nations of the earth. Now I have thought many times that some of those
ancient kings that were raised up, had in some respects more regard
for the carrying out of some of these principles and laws, than even
the Latter-day Saints have in our day. I will take as an ensample
Cyrus, on account of his temperance. He was one of the kings of the
Medes and Persians. I believe his father was a Persian and his mother
a Mede. To trace the life of Cyrus from his birth to his death,
whether he knew it or not, it looked as though he lived by inspiration
in all his movements. He began with that temperance and virtue which
would sustain any Christian country or any Christian king. And even
when he was sent in his youth to his grandfather Astyages, the king of
the Medes, he showed that he had been carefully brought up, and he
followed his early training in a great measure throughout his life;
while as king or leader of the Median armies, he conquered nearly the
whole world—in fact I do not know that he ever lost a battle. His
grandfather was living in luxury, and when young Cyrus was sent to him
he offered to serve him as a butler—only he didn't do as butler's
sometimes do—that is, taste the wine before putting it on the table.
Cyrus, when offered wine, said, "I am afraid it is poison." "You are
afraid it is poison?" "What makes you think it poison?" "Why,
because
I have seen it make you and some of the princes act very strange, you
would stagger and act very curious." He followed this principle of
temperance during his whole life. Before a battle he offered
sacrifices to the Gods; when he finished a battle and had a victory he
did the same thing. I have been struck in reading his history with the
course he took in this matter. He would never enter into revelry or
debauchery over the nations he had conquered. He taught such
principles until the day of his death. Before he died he told those by
whom he was surrounded, that he did not want his body put into a gold
coffin or a silver coffin; he simply desired his body to be laid in
the dust and covered with the earth. Many of these principles followed
him, and I have thought many of them were worthy, in many respects,
the attention of men who have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But the law
of tithing was carried out by all Israel, from the creation of the
world down to the present time—that is, whenever God had a people upon the earth they observed the law of tithing. And I believe, as
President Taylor has stated, that it is our duty to pay our tithes and
offerings before the Lord. It is a commandment of the Lord that we
should do this, and I do not feel myself called upon as a member of
this Church and kingdom to require the President of this Church to
attempt to change this order, or attempt to find fault with him
because he does not permit young men who curse and swear, who do not
pay their tithing, etc., to enter the Lord's house and there have
sealed upon their heads the highest blessings that were ever given to
Patriarchs and Prophets, who have sealed their testimony with their
blood. He has told the Bishops and Presidents of Stakes not to give
recommends to young men or old men, or anybody else, who do not obey
the laws of God in this respect, and I feel to back him up in this
matter, for I know he will be justified before the Lord. If we attempt
to please the world on the one hand and serve the Lord on the other,
we will fall.
I feel to say to my brethren who have received the holy priesthood: We
occupy a position in the world which is of great importance to us. We
have received the teachings of heaven; in fact, I believe there never
was a people since God made the world, who received more teachings
than the Latter-day Saints, for the last fifty years. The world has
rejected the light of truth, and the fulness of the Gentiles will come
in. But it is our duty to preach the Gospel to them, until the Lord
says, "It is enough." We must round up our shoulders, and bear off
this kingdom.
The Lord compared the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins; five were wise
and five were foolish; five had oil in their lamps and five had not.
Now the question is, how can we keep oil in our lamps? By keeping the
commandments of God, remembering our prayers, do as we are told by
the revelations of Jesus Christ, and otherwise assisting in building
up Zion. When we are laboring for the kingdom of God, we will have oil
in our lamps, our light will shine and we will feel the testimony of
the spirit of God. On the other hand, if we set our hearts upon the
things of the world and seek for the honors of men, we shall walk in
the dark and not in the light. If we do not value our priesthood, and
the work of this priesthood, the building up of the kingdom of God,
the rearing of temples, the redeeming of our dead, and the carrying
out of the great work unto which we have been ordained by the God of
Israel—if we do not feel that these things are more valuable to us
than the things of the world, we will have no oil in our lamps, no
light, and we shall fail to be present at the marriage supper of the
Lamb.
I have felt for a good while that we required stirring up with regard
to the law of tithing, and other things. The question is here: If this
is the work of God, and the Lord has given us commandments, will we be
blessed in obeying these commandments? The Lord holds our destiny in
his hands. The earth, the riches of the earth, the crops, the herds,
or flocks, our food and raiment are all the gifts of God to us.
Of course, we are required to practice what we preach. I believe in
that doctrine. Now, I know for myself, that the presidency of this
Church pay their tithing. As chairman of the Auditing Committee, I
know what their tithing is. The Twelve Apostles pay their
tithing. Bishop Hunter and his Counselors pay their tithing, as well
as a great many others in this Church and Kingdom. I would not preach
tithing if I did not pay it. I consider it my duty to pay my tithing.
I consider it is a law of God to me, and I am no poorer for obeying
it. I wish my brethren and sisters to take this principle to heart. As
the President has said, the Lord does not care anything about our
cattle, our gold and our silver. The law of tithing is a law of God to
us. Obedience is better than sacrifice. We are building temples to the
name of the Lord. What are we building them for? That we may enter in
and redeem our dead. The Lord has had his endowments a great many
years ago. He has ascended to his thrones, principalities and powers
in the eternities. We are his children. He has given us a law, and he
has placed us here on the earth to obey that law. We are here to fill
a probation and receive an education. I once read a man's view of
education—he was not a Mormon, but a man of the world—who said, "No
man is fully educated unless he can tell where he came from, why he is
here, and where he is going to." That being the case, I thought there
were few fully educated in the world. No man can tell where he came
from unless it is revealed to him. We have had these things revealed
to us in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. We have thus come to the knowledge that we had an existence
before we came here, and that we had a probation before we came here.
We are now upon our second estate, and our eternal destiny depends
upon the few years we spend in the flesh. We are placed here that it
may be seen which law we will keep. Our Heavenly Father has placed
before us the laws celestial, telestial and terrestrial. If any man
will obey the celestial law, he will be preserved by that law; all
the glory, power and exaltation, belonging to that law, will be given
to him. What does the Savior, the Son of God, say to us in our
Testament? He says, in speaking of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, that
"they who receive this Priesthood receiveth me, saith the Lord; for he
that receiveth my servants, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me,
receiveth my Father; and he that, receiveth my Father, receiveth my
Father's kingdom; therefore, all that my Father hath shall be given
unto him; and this is according to the oath and covenant which
belongeth to the Priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the
priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he
cannot break, neither can it be moved." Who in the name of the Lord
can apprehend such language as this? Who can comprehend that, by
obeying the celestial law, all that our Father has shall be given unto
us—exaltations, thrones, principalities, power, dominion—who can
comprehend it? Nevertheless it is here stated. How few there are on
the earth today, or in any other dispensation, who have been able to
abide the celestial law of God. It brings down the hatred of the whole
generation in which we live. No man can live the celestial law without
bringing upon his head persecution. It cost the Savior his life; he
suffered an ignominious death upon the cross. Joseph Smith sealed his
testimony with his blood, as also have others connected with this
Church and kingdom.
Now, our position is this: We have been chosen out of the world, the world hate us, our nation hates us, indeed the inhabitants
of the earth in a great measure hate us. Of course there are honorable
exceptions. But a great many despise us; a great many wish our
destruction. Why? Because we are trying to abide the celestial law of
God; we are preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and endeavoring to
carry out its principles. Now the question is, will it pay us to do
so? Will it pay us to be faithful? Will it pay us to pass through
whatever trials or afflictions, or persecutions, or even death itself,
for the kingdom of God, for salvation and eternal life, the greatest
of all gifts which God can bestow on the children of men? I say it
will, and I hope that the Latter-day Saints, that all men in
authority—that we will all be faithful before the Lord, that we will
remember our prayers, labor for the Holy Spirit, labor to know the
mind and will of God, that we may know the path to walk in, that we
may obtain the spirit of the Lord and the Holy Ghost, and that we may
overcome the world and magnify our calling till we get through this
probation. There is a long time hereafter. Our aim is high. There are
a few in this generation who have attempted to keep the celestial law.
I desire to keep that law, so that when I have finished my probation
here, I may get into the presence of my Heavenly Father, where our
Savior is, where the old patriarchs and prophets are, where Joseph
Smith and his brethren the Apostles and those who have lived faithful
until the day of their death are. That is my desire, and I say I
desire this for myself, I desire the same for my family.
I pray God my Heavenly Father, to let his blessings rest upon us; I
pray that his Holy Spirit may be with us to guide us in the path we
should walk in; I pray that we may magnify our calling and overcome
the world, the flesh and the devil, and inherit eternal life, for
Christ's sake. Amen.