I am pleased to meet with you, and I should have been so the other
evening, when you held your last meeting, but I thought it proper to
remain among our Lamanitish brethren, as they look to us for
instruction. We sent other brethren along, but I heard some of the
Saints felt a little disappointed because we did not come. We feel you
are our brethren and sisters, and that you are one with us, and we are
one with you, and with all who love righteousness.
We are endeavoring to build up the Zion of our God, that we may fill
the measure of our creation upon the earth, and fulfil the various
duties which devolve upon us, and also teach others to do the same. It
is for this reason that we travel around among the people; and there
are a great many people to see now. In a short time hence we shall
have traveled all through the Territory, visiting almost all the
settlements. We are building up Zion, and Zion is not confined to our
prominent cities, but includes all the cities of the Saints. We are
desirous that all should become acquainted with the principles which
God has revealed for the guidance, benefit, blessing and salvation of
His people upon the earth. These are our feelings towards you, and
towards all the Saints. And then, we have not any bad feelings towards
others, although the world generally are opposed to us.
You have a beautiful valley here, and have facilities for a large
settlement; and the water, perhaps, if properly managed, would not be
malad, or sickly.
Zion is growing, and the Lord has said it should; and it will continue
to grow, and it is for us to grow with it—to grow in intelligence,
virtue and purity, and in the knowledge of correct principles
ourselves, and then to teach the same to our children; to
cultivate these virtues in our own homes and in our little
settlements, and to have all our surroundings such as God, angels, and
all good men would approve. That our daughters may grow up virtuous,
pure and happy; that our young men may abstain from licentiousness,
from wrong actions, and from wrong speaking; that we ourselves may set
our children a correct pattern, reverencing the Lord our God, and
acknowledging His hand in all things—in the blessings we receive from
Him, in the food we have to eat, the raiment we have to wear, and
every temporal blessing that is conferred upon us, for all that we
receive and enjoy comes from Him. And we are told that with none is
the Lord angry, except those who do not acknowledge His hand in all
things. Seek for His blessing upon everything you engage in. If you
have a farm, dedicate it to God, and pray that His blessing may be
upon it. If you build a house, dedicate it to God; also your garden,
your cattle and sheep and all that you possess, and pray that His
blessing may rest upon you and upon everything that pertains to you.
I am told you have had rather severe times, that you have been a good
deal afflicted with grasshoppers and other things, and that for a
number of years you have had short crops; that, in fact, you have not
been able to raise sufficient wheat to bread your settlement. Well,
while this is so, we must bear in mind that you here are not the only
ones who have thus been afflicted. I am told that the crops throughout
our Territory are far better than the general crop throughout the
United States. The destructive insects and elements which you have had
to struggle against begin to appear in other regions, afflicting the
people of other places as they have you.
God has given unto us a land, but there are houses to build, farms to
open, fences to make, our wants to be provided for, our animals to be
taken care of, etc.: all these are necessaries that seem to crowd
themselves upon us. Bishop Hunter says, children never come into the
world with shoes and stockings on. No, nor clothes either, and if they
did, their clothes would soon be too small for them. We have to try to
make provision for the wants of our families, and to make them
comfortable. The difficulties that you have to contend with, we have
experienced; and as far as difficulties are concerned, none of us are
free from them. Men of wealth among us, as elsewhere, who command
their tens and hundreds of thousands, who have their every want
supplied, have more anxiety, care and perplexity than many of you, who
have to struggle for a comfortable living. And if you were placed in
their position you would be a great deal more uneasy than you are now.
We do not realize these things, but they are given unto us for our
experience, and we should learn to understand and appreciate the
position we occupy here upon the earth.
There is quite a fine opportunity now for men—good men, pure and
virtuous men and women to raise up a goodly seed. A Bishop has a good
chance, also his Counselors and those who are associated with him—and
he should seek to gather around him the most honorable, chaste and
virtuous men, and endeavor to elevate those over whom he presides; and
as things progress get better houses and better gardens and
surroundings in keeping with them. And upon everything we do we need the blessing of the Almighty; and we need to put our trust in
him. If, for instance, I was living here and was raising a family, the
first thing which I should do would be to dedicate myself and my
family, my house and garden, my land, my cattle, and everything I
possessed to God, and should ask his blessing upon them. Then every
morning when I arose I should kneel down to supplicate his blessing
upon me and mine during the day, to preserve us from evil influences,
accidents and dangers, and to otherwise bless our labors in obtaining
a livelihood. And then I would pray for those who presided over me in
the Priesthood. Joseph Smith, upwards of forty years ago, said to me:
Brother Taylor, you have received the Holy Ghost. Now follow the
influence of that Spirit, and it will lead you into all truth, until
by and by, it will become in you a principle of revelation. Then he
told me never to arise in the morning without bowing before the Lord,
and dedicating myself to him during that day. Some people treat these
things lightly. I do not; because I know that we derive our food, our
raiment, and all earthly as well as spiritual blessings from the
goodness of God our Heavenly Father. I know, furthermore, that as
President of this Church I should not know how to dictate if the Lord
did not help me. Should I desire people to yield to my ideas? I have
no ideas only as God gives them to me; neither should you. Some
people are very persistent in having their own way and carrying out
their own peculiar theories. I have no thoughts of that kind, but I
have a desire, when anything comes along, to learn the will of God,
and then to do it, and to teach my brethren to do it, that we may all
grow up unto Christ our living head, that we may be acquainted with
correct principles and govern ourselves accordingly: and if we have
our trials—why we are all tried. You see people well off, such as I
have referred to; they have just as many trials as you have. They may
have nice houses, and have at their command many comforts; but what of
that? Such things alone do not make people happy. It is a mistaken
notion that wealth makes people happy. Cattle, sheep, houses,
possessions, would not bring you happiness. The Scriptures tell us
that he that hath eternal life is rich: and the Lord has told us to
seek after the riches of eternal life.
We are here occupying a peculiar position. The Lord has called us from
the nations of the earth, and he has restored to us the everlasting
Gospel, and that Gospel is calculated to elevate us in time and
throughout eternity. Jesus, in speaking to his disciples, called them
his sheep; and in praying to the Father in their behalf, he said;
"Thine they were, and Thou gavest them me. * * I pray not for the
world, but for them which Thou hast given me; for they are thine * * *
Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom Thou has given me,
that they may be one as we are." That there may be nothing but harmony
and peace, and the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of intelligence
dwelling in all, that all may feel to promote one another's welfare,
and all try to enhance the happiness of the whole. That is how Our
Heavenly Father feels towards us.
Through some remarks already made I am reminded of my boyhood. At that
early period of my life I learned to approach God. Many a time I have
gone into the fields and concealing myself behind some bush,
would bow before the Lord and call upon him to guide and direct me.
And he heard my prayer. At times I would get other boys to accompany
me. It would not hurt you, boys and girls, to call upon the Lord in
your secret places, as I did. That was the spirit which I had when a
little boy. And God has led me from one thing to another. But I did
not have the privilege that you have. There was nobody to teach me,
while you have access to good men at any time who can direct you in
the way of life and salvation. But my spirit was drawn out after God
then; and I feel the same yet.
We are here as Latter-day Saints. What would you do? I would try as
much as circumstances would permit, without laboring too hard, to make
comfortable houses, to make good orchards; I would endeavor to make my
family comfortable and would try to promote their welfare.
Have you a school here? (Answer: Yes, sir). Have you a good teacher?
(Ans. A pretty good teacher). Well then, I would educate my children.
The teacher should be a man or woman who fears God, who not only
teaches grammar and the common branches of education but the
principles of the Gospel as well, that our children may grow up in the
fear of God. And then if I were the head of a house, I should consider
it not only a duty but a great pleasure to call my family together and
pray with them morning and evening, and to pray for them, and to teach
them to cherish this feeling and spirit. Do you think I would ever
want them to hear me swear? Oh, how ashamed I should be if my children
or my wives or any of my good brethren were to hear me swear. That
would be setting a very bad example; while we, as parents, are
required to set good examples to our children and to all men. And then
we ought to be honest with one another; we should be truthful and
never prevaricate. Parents, be truthful; let your children have
confidence in your word, so that if father or mother says anything,
they might say, "if father or mother says such and such a thing, I
know it is right, because father or mother said it, and they never
prevaricate or tell a falsehood." That is the kind of feeling we want
to cultivate among ourselves and with our families. And again we want
to be cleanly in our persons, in our houses and in everything. And
mothers, you ought to cultivate in your hearts the spirit of peace;
you ought to be like angels of God, full of every virtue. And the
father ought to treat the mother right. Has she her infirmities? Yes.
And so has he. What would you do under such circumstances—would you
bear with her? Yes, of course, and love her, and do everything I could
to promote her happiness; and instead of trying to perplex and annoy
her, I would bear with her in the spirit of love and kindness, and
cultivate that everywhere. And on the other hand, I would say to the
sisters, treat your husbands right, and make their homes pleasant. Is
there anything they would like to eat? Try to prepare it for them; and
let your children see that you love one another, that they may grow up
with the same feeling, and be led from principle to honor their father
and mother. These are the kind of feelings that will elevate us; and
we will try to educate and elevate the Indians around us; and when
they become educated, we will send them out to preach the Gospel among
their own people, as we have done among our race. Oh, if we could comprehend the glory, the intelligence, the power, the majesty
and dominion of our Heavenly Father! If we could contemplate the
exaltation, the glory, the happiness which awaits the righteous, the
pure and the virtuous, of those who fear God, even the Saints of the
Most High! If we could comprehend the great blessings that God has in
store for those people that fear him and observe his laws and keep his
commandments, we should feel very different from what we do. But then,
we do not. The Lord has brought us from among the different nations,
that we may be educated in the things of the kingdom of God. He has
conferred the Holy Priesthood for that purpose: and the very
organizations that we have of Stakes and Wards, with their Presidency
and Bishops, High Councils, High Priests, Seventies, Elders, Priests,
Teachers and Deacons, etc., are placed in the Church by the Almighty,
to educate and elevate us: and we are going around today lecturing on
the principles of education. Education in what? In everything. In our
morals; in our social position; in our religion; in everything
pertaining to time and to eternity, so that we may be happy in our
families, that we may prosper in our enterprises, and operate together
and have the confidence of one another, and do away with everything
that is wrong and dwell together in love and peace according to the
Gospel of the Son of God. This is the kind of feeling we want to be
educated in, and we want to start with it first in ourselves. As
fathers and as mothers we want to do right; and as children we must do
right. If they will not, as parents, we will set them good examples,
and be kind to them, and lead them as well as we can in the paths of
life. That is the spirit that dwells in our Heavenly Father. We want
to follow after him, and cultivate these principles in our bosoms and
in our hearts. For this reason we have various organizations in our
midst. We have our Bishops; and it is their duty to look after their
wards, and see that everything is moving along right, and that
everybody is doing right, and if there be any poor or sick, to feel
after them and relieve them; and then to enlist the sympathies of the
brethren and sisters, that they may also feel after them. Then we have
out Mutual Improvement Associations. Have you got one? (Answer, Yes,
sir.) What are they for? To instruct the rising youth. This is another
branch of our education. Our sisters, too, in their Relief Societies
are doing a good work. Continue in it. Our sisters know a great deal
better now to sympathize with their sex than the brethren; they can
better enter into their feelings. Carry on this work. This is another
part of our education. And referring again to our Young People's
Improvement Associations; how much I should have enjoyed such
privileges when I was a boy. But I had no such opportunity. I had no
Priesthood to teach me. You have privileges, young men and young
women, that we older folks had not. And this spirit and feeling of
improvement is not confined to one or two places; it is all over, and
a good work among the young is being done throughout the dwellings of
the Saints. And the Contributor, which I believe is the organ of the
Mutual Improvement Associations, is an excellent periodical; and the
young people ought to avail themselves of its pages by subscribing for
it, which, no doubt, is being done generally. This movement among the
young people is another branch of our education. Another is
our Sunday School movement. Our children should be taught by good men
and good women. Train their infant minds, and lead the little ones in
the paths of life that they may understand about the Church of Christ,
and be nurtured in the fear of God. By and by they will be men and
women in Israel. It will not always be as it is now. Men will not
always entertain towards us the feelings they do today. When they
find that we are not the people the world has held us up to be; when
we shall have proven to the world that we are not what they have
believed us to be, but that we are a virtuous and law-abiding people,
the honorable among men will acknowledge our worth. And the day will
come when it will be said of our children, as the old Prophets have
prophesied, that such and such a one was born in Zion. It will be
considered a great blessing and one of the greatest honors that could
have been inherited by our children to have been born in Zion among
the people of God. These people are not liars, whoremongers,
adulterers or thieves, as represented by our defamers, but they have
learned the principles of virtue and holiness, and such things as are
calculated to exalt and ennoble individuals, families and nations;
they are in possession of these principles, and are exalted by them;
and is it not an honor for a child to be born of such fathers and
mothers? Yes. Then let us be such fathers and mothers. If we have done
wrong, let us cease our evil practices and repent of all wrongdoing;
humble ourselves and become as little children before God. Let us lay
aside covetousness. We need not scramble, for there is not much to
scramble after. There is not so much in the riches of this world as
some people think there is. They cannot be compared for a moment with
the riches of the kingdom of heaven, which are within the reach of all
men who have not forfeited them.
Then we should treat everybody right, those who are not of us, as well
as our own brethren. Would I cheat a man because he is not in the
Church? The thought of such an act would bring the blush of shame to
my cheek; and I feel chagrined when I hear of men, who have entered
into solemn and holy covenants, doing such things. It is a common
thing among a certain class of men to say I made a splendid trade
today with Brother So-and-So. But did Brother So-and-So make as good
a trade out of you? If he did, all right. But if you, because you
happen to be a little smarter, or shrewder on a trade than your
brother, have got the better of him, it is not all right, it is all
wrong, and I do not think it a credit for a man to be possessed of
that kind of smartness. I do not think it a credit to anybody to want
something which belongs to somebody else. The Lord is trying us; and
some of you are already pretty well tried: and you try one another
sometimes. David, you know, said on a certain occasion, if it had been
an enemy he would have borne it; but it was his friend that did it,
and that cut him to the heart.
It is necessary that we should be tried, and that we should be cut to
the heart. And why? "For it became him, for whom are all things, and
by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through suffering." Why? In order
that we might have a High Priest who is acquainted with our affairs, and one who was tempted in all points like unto us. He was
tempted as we are. I have seen men tempted so sorely that finally they
would say, "I'll be damned if I'll stand it any longer." Well, you
will be damned if you do not. So you had better bear it; and go to the
Lord and say, O God, I am sorely tempted; Satan is trying to destroy
me, and things seem to be combined against me. O Lord, help me!
Deliver me from the power and grasp of the devil. Let thy Spirit
descend upon me that I may be enabled to surmount this temptation and
to ride above the vanities of this world. This would be far better
than giving way to sin, and proving yourself unworthy of the
association of the good and pure.
I am reminded of Elijah. There was a time in his life when we find him
alone in a solitary place. And it thundered and lightened, but God was
in neither. By and by a still small voice whispered to him, "What
doest thou here, Elijah?" Elijah told the Lord that they had digged
down His altars and slain His Prophets, and that he only was left; and
said he, they seek my life also. This was a gloomy picture; it was a
sad story to tell the Lord. But God understood the situation better
than Elijah did; and said he, I have reserved 7,000 men who have not
bowed the knee to Baal, in whom are the principles of integrity and
honor. Abraham was tried, and so was Job. Abraham was tried severely.
He was told to take his son Isaac, him that had been given to him by
promise, through whom all the families of the earth were to be
blessed. Now, said he, Abraham, take thy son and offer him as a
sacrifice. Do you not think that some would say, "I'll be damned if I
do." Abraham did not stagger. He be lieved that God had given him this
son in his old age, and that a great and glorious promise had to be
fulfilled through him, and moreover if he was sacrificed God was able
to raise him from the dead. He did not stagger through unbelief; but
he went in obedience to the command to offer up his son. A great deal
might be said, but it would take too long to show what Abraham
expected. But he did expect that his seed would inherit the Priesthood
through all subsequent time. And that is the meaning of that saying,
"In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed," not cursed. Abraham, through the spirit of prophecy, had
gazed upon his posterity as they should exist through the various ages
of time. And among other things he saw the days of Jesus, when he
should come; and we are told, he was glad. And after all this, God
told him to take the life of his son. What, and thus prevent your
posterity from coming upon the earth as you beheld it in vision? Yes,
and in one stroke of the knife blast all these glorious, these blessed
hopes. He approaches his son, and says, Come, Isaac, come with me upon
this mount. And they went. "Now, let us build an altar." And they
built an altar. And the boy was heard to say, Father, here is the
wood, and here is the altar, but where is the Lamb for the burnt
offering? Says Abraham: The Lord will provide the offering. Finally,
the father, choking, probably with the awfulness of the moment, as his
thoughts crowded upon him, says, My son, thou art the one that I have
got to offer up. Then at last he takes his son and lays him upon the
altar, and at the last moment he is seen lifting the knife to slay
the promised child, when the voice of the Lord is heard,
saying, Hold, Abraham, put not thine hand upon the lad. Look; there is
a ram caught in the thicket. Take that, and offer it as a sacrifice.
Would you, my brethren, like to be put in that position? And referring
to Job, he was also proven. It seems that at a certain time the sons
of God were gathered together, and the devil was among them. And the
Lord, addressing himself to Satan, said, Hast thou considered my
servant Job? Oh yes, but you have put a hedge about him. If you were
to serve me the same way, I would be as obedient as he. Possibly I do
not know about that, says Satan. Let me tempt him. Well, replies the
Lord, you may try. Then what do we read?
"And there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were ploughing,
and the asses feeding beside them:
And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have
slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped
alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire
of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the
servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The
Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have
carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the
sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also yet another, and said, Thy
sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest
brother's house:
And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote
the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and
they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Job received all this intelligence, sad as it was, without being moved
in the least to anger. He, we are told, rent his mantle, and shaved
his head, and fell down and worshipped, and said, "Naked came I out of
my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." We do not
always feel so. We used to say in Missouri, "Those damned Missourians
have stolen our cattle. Those damned Gentiles have done this and
that." But they could not do it if the Lord did not permit them. Here
is another evidence of our being in the hands of God, and we should
feel that we are in his hands; and then it will be all right. We will
not blame the devil, nor wicked, corrupt men; for they are of the
devil whose works they do. But we will say with Job, the Lord giveth
and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
The devil again appeared before the Lord, and the Lord said to him:
"Well, you told me that Job would do thus and so; but he remains true
and unshaken, although thou movedst me against him to destroy him."
Satan then answered and said, "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath
will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his
bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." And the Lord
said unto Satan, "Behold, he is in thine hand; but spare his life." Satan sallied forth again from the presence of God, and smote
Job with sore boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his
feet. And while in this condition we are told that he sat down in
ashes, and took a potsherd and scraped himself. And his friends
hearing of his misfortunes came and taunted him with being a
hypocrite, etc., as we are apt to do when a series of misfortunes
overtakes a man. But he would not be moved by this, although he was
stripped of everything and afflicted withal. At last his wife thought
she could not stand it any longer; she got worked up over it, and I
can imagine her saying to her husband Job, I would not stand it any
longer, I would curse God, and die like a man. Job still retaining his
self-possession turned and said to her, "Thou speakest as one of the
foolish women." "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and
shall we not receive evil? Naked came I into the world; and naked must
I return. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the
name of the Lord." And said he further, "Though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him. I know that my Redeemer liveth." Job was a man that
feared God and lived up to his privileges, and the Spirit of the
Almighty God rested upon him; and hence he says, I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter-day upon the
earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, and revel in
this brain; although I go down to the silent tomb, there to rot and
become as the dust of the earth, yet, in my flesh shall I see God; and
these eyes shall gaze upon Him. And I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that these eyes shall see him, and he shall reign in the
lat ter-days upon the earth. That the kind of religion those men had;
and we want the same kind of principle. After Job had been tried and
proven, the Lord lifted him up again, and increased his flocks and
herds and everything in the shape of earthly possessions which the
world calls good. And so great was the goodness of God extended to
Job, that we are told he was more blessed in his latter days than in
his former days. And it was as the devil had said, God put a hedge
around about him; and so he does about us, and we do not know it.
Here is Brother Cannon, for instance, who is soon about to go to
Washington as our Delegate to Congress, and you know the influence
that has been exercised against the people whom he represents, and you
know also that he, as Delegate, is not entitled to a vote. And
notwithstanding the devices and schemings of men and organizations,
that have used their influence directly for the purpose of bringing
inimical legislation against us, God has confounded them in all of
their plans up to the present time. Has not God put a hedge about us?
Yes, He has. And as long as we fear him, he will continue to do it;
and he will preserve us, and no power this side of earth or hell can
injure us.
One of the poets says—
"Shall I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others sought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas?"
And John, while wrapped in vision, saw an innumerable company of the
redeemed clothed in white raiment, singing a song that no man knew
save he that received it. And he inquired saying, Who are these
arrayed in white, and whence came they? These are they that came up through much tribulation, who washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. I have heard Joseph Smith say to
the Twelve, "God will get hold of your heart strings, and he will
wrench them to the very core." Has he done it? He has. The Twelve know
that he has. President Young knew it, and Joseph Smith knew it; and
finally he had to give himself up as an offering for this people. Have
we passed through suffering? We have. And shall we have more of it, to
face? We shall, if we be found among those whom John saw. We have got
to be sifted in the sieve of tribulation until we shall prove our
integrity to be true to God and man. Brethren, seek for the Spirit of
God upon yourselves, and all that pertain to you, and live so that
your prayers can be heard and answered upon your heads; and walk
according to the light of that which you have already received, and
the blessings of God will attend you. You can make a little heaven
right here among yourselves, if you want to; and you need not go
anywhere else for it. Live your religion, and you will be blessed in
time and all eternity. God bless you. Amen.