One of the many evidences of the truth of the Gospel which we have
embraced is the experience of young brethren, some of them born in
Utah, others who have come here in their childhood and have grown up
in the midst of the people, and who are occasionally sent out into the
world to advocate the Gospel of Christ. We find that every one of them
who is faithful to his trust, who attends to the duties imposed upon
him, and keeps himself unspotted from the world, returns with a
testimony of the truth in his heart. He is able to say that he knows
the work is true independent of the instruction which he may have
received or the testimony which he may have heard from others, and he
is able to say that he has received this witness from God to his own
soul. Now the testimony of the young brother who has spoken this
afternoon is the testimony of all our brethren who go out in like
manner and return in the same way. And there is another thing
connected with this which corroborates it, and that is if any of our
missionaries go out into the world and become contaminated, fall into
the ways of the world, transgress the commandments of God, and stain
their garments with impurity, they lose that testimony, and when they
return they do not come back full of confidence and of zeal, they do
not come back with the spirit of union in their hearts towards the
rest of the Church, but they go into the dark, they become full of
faultfinding, they fall away, and finally make shipwreck of their
faith.
It has been truly said this afternoon, that the bond of union which
binds the Latter-day Saints together, is this testimony, or the spirit
by which it comes. We are not bound together by any cast-iron rules or
ceremonies, nor are we held together by the power of men who preside
over us, as is supposed in the world; but the bond of union which
unites us, is the inspiration of the same spirit. We have obeyed the
same Gospel in the same way; we have been baptized by one spirit into
one body, whether we were previously Catholics or Episcopalians,
Methodists or Baptists, Congregationalists or Quakers, Theists or
Infidels—no matter what our faith or lack of faith may have been
before, when we received this Gospel we all received the same truths
in the same fashion, and being baptized by one baptism, we were
prepared to receive the same spirit, and that spirit resting down upon
us enabled us to see eye to eye.
It is claimed by some people in the world that it is impossible to
make different people see alike; that it is a matter of
impossibility to bring all people to the unity of the faith. It is
claimed that as our countenances differ, so do our dispositions and
our minds, that what will convince one person will not convince
another, and therefore that it is impossible to make a body of people
all understand alike, and if they do act together it must be through
some compulsion. Now, I regard this as a great mistake. I know it is
not true by my own experience and by what I see here among the people
called Latter-day Saints. I know that it is possible for a great
number of men and women to be brought to see things exactly alike. We
may look at this outside of religious matters. If a number of us take
a problem in geometry, as soon as we all understand the principles
which govern it, are we not able to solve the problem in the same way?
Certainly. So with a sum in arithmetic. So in regard to any branch of
exact science. It is supposed, however, that theology is not a
science, cannot be made a science, that it is a mere matter of
opinion, and that as people differ so much in opinion in other things,
they will be bound to differ in their views in regard to religion. But
these ideas are founded on fallacies. Theology, properly speaking, is
not a mere matter of opinion. What is called religion in the world, I
admit, is a matter of sentiment and opinion, and one man's opinion is
just as good as another—and in some respects, as the Irishman said, "a
great deal better." One reverend divine's opinion is just as good as
another's, for they differ just as much as the people do whom they
teach. And so the idea prevails that religion is a mere matter of
opinion, and therefore we can expect nothing but division. But true
religion does not come from man. True religion comes from God, if
there is a God. Our young brother this afternoon, says he knows there
is a God. It is no matter of opinion with him. He knows that God hears
and answers prayer, and you may find thousands of men and women here
in Utah, who are willing to bear the same testimony. They do not hold
this as a matter of faith alone, it has become knowledge to them. They
know that there is a Supreme Being, that He is a personage, that He
hears and answers prayer, and He has demonstrated to their entire
satisfaction not only that he lives, but that the Church of which they
are members is his; that this work in which they are engaged is his
work; that he has established it, that he is rolling it on, and that
he will sustain it and bring it to a glorious consummation, no matter
what earthly power may intervene. Now, I say if there is a God, and if
that God made this world upon which we live, and if he is our Father,
the Father of our spirits, then he has the right to control the earth
and all the people that live thereon, and it is unreasonable to think,
if there is such a Being who made the earth and formed the creatures
that dwell upon it, and who guides and controls their destinies, that
he will never manifest himself to his creatures. It is unreasonable to
me to think that. We have a book here called the Bible; we have
another book called the Book of Mormon, and here is another called the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants. In each of these books it is declared
that there is a God, and that he has revealed Himself. The Bible gives
a history of some of the revelations of that Divine Being to people
on the eastern continent, in Palestine particularly. The Book of "Mormon" gives an account of some of the revelations of the
same Being to the ancient inhabitants of this continent, the
progenitors of the American Indians, civilized persons from whom the
American Indians have descended, for they were not always the despised
beings they are at present. The Book of Doctrine and Covenants
contains revelations from the same Being, given in the day and age in
which we live. Each of these books corroborates the others. They run
together like three drops of water, or, to make scriptural reference,
like the three measures of meal in the parable. In each of these books
the testimony is given of a God, and also the fact that he will reveal
himself to those who rightly approach him. If this be true, if the
united testimony of the Bible, the Book of Mormon and Book of Doctrine
and Covenants is true, then it is possible for the inhabitants of the
earth to obtain knowledge from God, and further than that, if these
books are true, knowledge has been sent down from on high, religion
has been sent down from heaven, for the guidance and benefit of people
dwelling on the earth. If these books are true, God, at different
times in the world's history, has called and appointed men to be His
representatives—not to represent his perfection, because they were
only human beings, but to represent certain truths which he revealed
to them for the benefit of their fellows, and in some instances, for
all the people dwelling upon the widespread earth. If these books are
true, Jesus, who died on Calvary, was the Son of God, and he sent out
his Apostles unto all the world to preach the true religion. Now the
religion that God gave to these men in any age, whether we find it in
the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Book of Doctrine and Covenants
is not the religion of man. It did not spring out of the human heart;
it was not framed by men meeting together in conclave; but it came by
revelation from the Supreme Being. He manifested it to mankind. I know
that there are a great many different things called religion in the
world that have come out of the hearts of men, at least in part if not
altogether. They have taken some of the things written in the Bible,
they have reflected upon them, and then have added a little of their
own opinion concerning these things. They have taken a part of what
God has revealed and added their own notions to it. But true religion,
the religion of God, must come from God. The religion of Jesus Christ
must come from Jesus Christ, and not from man. If religion comes down
from God to man and man receives that religion and the spirit of it,
they will all come to the same understanding concerning it. Being
baptized into one body, they will comprehend it alike. Having the same
light they will "see eye to eye." And according to the Scriptures,
there is to be a time when all people shall see alike. "Thy watchmen
shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for
they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion," so
says the prophet Isaiah. And there is to be a day when all people that
breathe the breath of life will know God, from the least unto the
greatest. They will be able to bear the testimony our brother has
borne this afternoon, and no one will have need to say to his
neighbor, "Know ye the Lord." But if religious affairs go on as now in
the world it will take a long time to accomplish the change, will it
not? Well, the Latter-day Saints, as I said just now, are able to
bear this testimony. Why? Because they are better than anybody else?
They make no such assertion; but if they are no better than the people
of the world they have not very much to boast of. I have traveled a
good deal and know the doings of the world, and if the Latter-day
Saints are no better than the majority of the people, they have
nothing particular to boast about. But we do not claim that we can
bear this testimony because of our extra goodness. We do not say,
"Come not near unto us; we are holier than you." We have no such
disposition or spirit. But having heard the principles of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ as taught by the Elders of this Church and reflected
upon them, prayed about them and compared them with the old
scriptures, we came to the conclusion that they were true, because
they corresponded in every respect with the teachings of Christ and
his Apostles. And let me say, in passing, that this cannot be claimed
for any religious sect in the world—we do not call our Church a
sect—there is no religious sect in the world whose creed, ordinances,
formula, and Church government correspond, in every particular with
that we read about in the New Testament. But we find on close
comparison that the doctrines taught by the Elders of this Church
correspond in every respect with the doctrines taught by Jesus and his
Apostles. They made the same promises to us that the ancient Apostles
did. On hearing this we prayed about it; we sought wisdom from God; we
did not turn away from these men because their names were cast out as
evil; but we turned to the Lord. He heard our prayers and answered
them, and stamped the truth of their testimony upon our hearts. We
were baptized, and being baptized we received the testimony that our
sins were remitted; for we came forth from the liquid grave to a new
life, we had "put off the old man with his deeds" and "put on
Christ"
to walk after the pattern of his life. And when the Elders laid their
hands upon us, according to the order of confirmation, that God
established in the Church, the Spirit of the Almighty rested down upon
us, and filled our hearts with sweet satisfaction, and with the
knowledge that we had received the truth, and we were filled with
light, communication was opened up between us and our Father. We
received peace, revelation, knowledge and wisdom, gifts and powers for
our own individual benefit as members of his Church. The Holy Ghost
bore testimony to us that God lived, that the religion we had received
was his religion, and that Spirit, to those who have been faithful and
listened to its whisperings, has been a continual guide, "a light to
their feet and a lamp to their path," a continual monitor, an abiding
witness, which brings things past to their remembrance, confirms the
things of the present, shows us things to come, and bears record of
the Father and the Son. It is this that has drawn this people here.
The Latter-day Saints received this Spirit wherever they dwelt on the
face of the earth, when the Gospel came to them. We have come a great
many of us from various parts of Europe, the different States of
America, and from other countries and nations, north and south—we have
all come here and embraced the same faith, we see many things eye to
eye, understand alike and work together, not because we are forced to
do so, as some people im agine, by the craft and cunning of men
who understand human nature, but because we have received the same
spirit. Men who oppose this work—"Mormonism" as they call
it—leave
this matter out of consideration altogether. In consequence of this
they can never comprehend this work, they cannot discern the cause of
the union of this people; they cannot account for the work
accomplished by the Latter-day Saints, in spite of all the opposition
and persecution they have had to endure. But the real cause of our
union is the Spirit of the living God, which rests upon us. That
Spirit led us here, and we are here to stay. We are here to do the
work which God designs shall be done. We are willing to make any
sacrifice—if there be such a thing as sacrifice—because God Almighty
has enlightened our minds, because we know that he lives, that he
hears and answers our prayers and gives us the blessings we ask for
when they are good for us, and withholds them when they are not; for
like children we are apt to ask for razors to cut our fingers with.
God answers our prayers when it is wise to grant the things we desire.
This testimony which we have received is not imaginary, it is not a
phantom, it is a fact, and the same testimony has been experienced
wherever this Gospel has gone. It is claimed that Joseph Smith was an
impostor. We say we know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The
promises he made have been fulfilled. When the Elders were sent out
to proclaim the Gospel, they made the promise to all who should obey
it, that they would receive the testimony I have been talking about.
Could man have bestowed this testimony? No. But we received it and we
know it came from God, and as I said before, wherever people have
received this Gospel, this religion that the Lord has something to do
with personally—they receive the same testimony, and when they seek
for the gifts of the Gospel, they obtain them if they ask in faith. I
speak now of the gifts enumerated in the Bible, that were manifested
in the ancient Church. They are now manifested in this Church; for it
is the Church of Christ, and it is established on the same basis that
it rested upon in the first place. In the Church now is the power of
the holy Priesthood, the authority of the Apostleship, and of all the
different offices of the Church, as was the case in the Church
anciently. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is joined
to the Church of the Firstborn behind the veil. This is not the
church of man. The principles we have received have not sprung from
the brains of men. They have been revealed from God. This Gospel is
now being preached as a witness to all nations before the end shall
come. Jesus promised this to his disciples just before his
crucifixion. He gave a number of signs, "Behold the fig tree, and all
the trees. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own
selves that summer is nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these
things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand."
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for
a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." This Gospel
of the kingdom, the Gospel that Christ preached, has been sent down
from heaven in our own time, and is being preached as a witness to all
the world—not preached for hire or proclaimed for money; for the
Elders go out without hope of pecuniary reward, in fact in
most instances they pay their own traveling expenses in order to bear
their testimony. And wherever people receive that testimony they
receive this spirit and they know it is true, and that is the power
which bound them together. No human being could weave such a tie as
that which unites the Latter-day Saints. It is a heavenly union among
themselves, and it is a union between the heavens and the earth. The
Saints are gathering from all nations to the place which the Lord has
appointed, and are building temples to his name for the benefit of the
living and the dead. We have come out of the world, and therefore the
world hate us; we have turned our backs upon our former friends and
kindred, and have formed new relations and new associations. We have
experienced the influence of the Spirit of God, and our desire is to
bear testimony to the truth of this work, which shall roll on until
the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and
his Christ, and until "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
That is our work, that is what we are here for. If we are accumulating
any earthly wealth here, it is by the blessing of God that we may the
better accomplish his purposes, that we may help to build up his
kingdom on the earth, that wickedness may be swept from the earth,
that he whose right it is to reign may come and take possession of his
kingdom.
Now, my friends, the time at my disposal has nearly expired, but
before sitting down, I desire to bear my testimony, in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, that I know this is the work of God; I know that
God lives and that he hears and answers the prayers of the faithful;
and I know this work will prevail. I know that no earthly powers can
retard it. The combined powers of the earth—Presidents, Kings,
Emperors or Governors—cannot stay the progress of this work, because
the great Jehovah hath spoken it. This is the way, walk ye in it.
Avoid evil and choose the good. "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in
heaven is perfect." I know this work will roll on, though all the
world is against us. We are a little handful of people compared to the
nation of the United States, but true strength is not in numbers. I do
not mean when I make such a comparison, that all the millions of this
nation are against us; many are opposed because they do not know us,
they do not know our object, they do not know our spirit, they do not
know what manner of men and women we are. They think we are a set of
fanatics. But it is principle that has brought the Latter-day Saints
to dwell in these valleys and we live and labor that out of this
Church may be built up the kingdom that all the prophets and inspired
men of God have seen from the beginning, upon which the glory of God
shall shine, and over which the Lord shall rule. This work will
prevail, no matter what opposition may be brought to bear against it.
If this whole nation should rise up and other nations should join
them, with the object of destroying the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, they could not accomplish it. Our kind Methodist
friends are anxious to see "Mormonism" stamped out; but the more they
attack it, the stronger they will make it, as the more united will be
our people, and the firmer our desires and our determination to roll
on the work of God, and live as He directs. The best policy,
therefore, for the Methodists, or any other sect, to pursue,
is to let us alone. However, they cannot let us alone, for there is an
influence—the influence of the evil one—which is antagonistic to this
work, and stirs up the hearts of the wicked against it. All manner of
lies are circulated concerning us, which, however, only serve to
increase our strength. If we were let alone there might arise internal
divisions; but while we are hated and derided by the world,
misrepresented and maligned, by preachers and editors, and men who
profess to be men of God, we shall become more and more consolidated,
for all this only unites us more together. It is according to human
nature that it should do so, and in all this we can see the providence
of God. This will continue and prevail. I know it just as well as I
know that I am here. The general outline of the work to be performed
in this generation is clearly mapped out in my mind. And if the
Latter-day Saints will keep the commandments of God, and walk in the
path they have commenced to tread, revelation and knowledge and wisdom
will be given to them from on high, the servants of God at the head
will be filled with revelation to feed the flock of Christ, and this
work will roll forth in strength and power in the earth, until all
things which have been predicted by the Prophets are fulfilled.
May God hasten the day and help us to be faithful, that when His
kingdom is established, we may be worthy of a place therein, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Charles W. Penrose