There is one thing I wish to speak about which has already been
referred to, that is, in regard to your Temple. I can join with the
brethren in saying that I am very well pleased with the progress made
on that building, and with the energy and liberality that has been
manifested towards it. For one I have not a word of complaint to make
about anything; I think that things have been done and managed very
well. Some of the speakers have given the Trustee-in-Trust credit for
doing something towards it; but then, that is nothing, it is your
means not mine particularly, only as one of you. And what you have
done you have done outside of these things, and consequently I think
there is a little more credit due to you than to the Trustee-in-Trust.
The people in this Temple district have furnished about three-fourths
of the means, and the Trustee-in-Trust about one-fourth. Now we do not
wish to have any of the employees deprived of what is justly their
due; for the laborer is worthy of his hire—I did not like to hear some
of the remarks this morning to the effect that we were in debt; we
calculate to pay our debts as we go along, and then we feel that we
have acted justly and are free from all responsibilities and care; for
all just demands ought always to be met. We have kept things along
pretty well, and I think that we will be able "to put it through." I
have been talking with Brother Card, who is the superintendent of the
Temple, and also with the Temple committee; and I will tell you what I
am prepared to do, if you are prepared to follow suit, and thus stop
all remarks about tardiness of pay, for it is proper that all just
obligations ought to be and must be met. Brother Card thinks that the
sum of $20,000 will complete the building. I do not know whether his
figures are too much or too little, but if that is sufficient, it
seems as nothing compared with what we have already done. We have got
accustomed to it: and it is much easier doing a thing when you are
used to it than when you are not. There is a proposition to the effect
that a fifty cent donation be made; if that be done and the
people are willing to respond to it, all well and good; and whatever
amount is subscribed, I will, as Trustee-in-Trust, add my proportion
to it, according to the pro-rata in the figures mentioned. What do you
say, do you think you can stand it? (President W. B. Preston, I think
we can, we'll try), Brother Preston says he thinks you can or will be
found trying. I do not know what your donation will amount to, and
therefore I will undertake to say now that the Trustee-in-Trust will
be good for $5,000, which it is stated will be a fourth of the sum
required to finish the work. I would like to know now whether you are
willing that I, as Trustee-in-Trust, should help you to the amount of
$5,000? All that are willing raise up the right hand. (A forest of
hands went up.) I believe that is carried. (Laughter.) Now I want you
to put to that the sum of $10,000. (Here President Taylor's attention
was called to the fact that he had made a mistake, that the proportion
of the people would be $15,000 instead of $10,000.) I am reminded that
I have made a mistake, that it should be $15,000. Will the clerk
please give us the correct figures so that we may do things
understandingly. (The clerk ascertained that the Trustee-in-Trust had
paid more than one-fourth but not quite one-third.) We will not be too
precise about these matters, perhaps it would be as well to err on
that side as on the other, for in any event, we are all of us desirous
to see the work progress and have all our liabilities met. Well, we'll
let it go at $10,000. I propose to give you my portion on demand that
these men may get their pay, and then allow you a little time to get
in your harvest which will give you an op portunity to accomplish your
end of the matter. What do you say? The question was put to vote and
carried unanimously.
There were some remarks made about liquor drinking this morning, and
some people seem to think that there is a great difficulty about
managing these things, but I don't think there is if we can only
manage ourselves. I feel like giving you credit for what you have done
in this respect, and hope that you will be able to keep it up.
I want to state here, that God has organized His Church in such a way
that all of these matters can be arranged within the Church, law or no
law, if we will only do our duty, and each of us magnify our calling
and our Priesthood in the various positions that we occupy in the
Church and kingdom of God. And it is a much better principle than the
civil law, as the civil law is frequently perverted by
maladministration and made to operate in such a way as to trample on
the rights of man.
The organization of the Church is after the plan that exists in
heaven, and according to the principles that God has revealed in the
interest of His Church upon the earth and for the advancement and
rolling forth of his kingdom. We start in with the Teacher and with
the Priest, whose duty it is to know the position of all the members
in their several districts; if they do their duty they will know
really and truly the position of all those who come under their
charge. Their duty is very simple. What is it? They are to see that
there is no hard feeling existing in the breasts of the Saints one
towards another; that there are no dishonest or fraudulent acts, no
lasciviousness or corruption, no lying, false accusations; profanity
or drunk enness; and that the people call upon God in prayer in
their various households—the father and mother and children, and that
all perform their various duties and do right. I look upon it that the
Teachers and the Priests occupy a very important position in the
Church and kingdom of God; and that if they perform their duty aright,
there will be no hard speaking; there will be no hard feelings, no
bitterness or wrath; there will be no fraud, no lasciviousness of any
kind, no drunkenness, nor will there be any bitter or improper
feelings of any kind; for it is their right and privilege to look
after these things, and not only their right and privilege but their
duty; and if they do not fulfill this, they are not magnifying their
calling and Priesthood. But if they are and people are disposed to
listen to them, then everything will be right in regard to this
matter. And if there are those who are not disposed to listen to them
and to do right, then it becomes the duty of the Teachers, after
pleading with them and doing the best they can, to report them to
their Bishop; and then it devolves upon him to do his part, not in
anger or animosity or in the spirit of vindictiveness, but as a
savior, and the Teacher and the Priest ought to act in the same way.
And while God has organized His Church upon the earth after the plan
that exists in the heavens, it is for the various officers in the
Church to fulfill the duties devolving upon them, acting in all
kindness, long-suffering and mercy before the Lord, yet with justice
and judgment, that the law of God may be honored, that the principles
of righteousness may be exalted, that the workers of iniquity may be
ashamed, that the meek may increase their joy in the Lord, and the
poor among men may rejoice in the Holy One of Israel; that
righteousness and truth may prevail among the people of God; and we
may act not in name only, but in reality as the Saints of God, without
rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
If any persons then should feel that they are aggrieved by the acts of
the Teacher or the Bishop; if they should think that they have been
unnecessarily harshly dealt with, they have the right of appeal to the
High Council—High Priests selected from among the people and set apart
because of their fidelity, their integrity, their honor and their
justice—at least these are the kind of qualifications necessary to
fill this calling. And if upon an appeal to the High Council on any of
these matters (of course including drunkenness), they find there has
been unnecessary harshness, it would be for them to remedy the evil,
to see that justice is done and that no man is oppressed; on the
contrary that all have their rights, freedom, liberty and equal
justice in righteousness without fear or favor.
When things are attended to in this way they move along all right. If
professed Saints will not obey the law of God, but violate the
commands of the Almighty, they are not fit to be the servants and
handmaids of the Lord. We are told that they must be dealt with
according to rules laid down in the law of God, by the proper persons
that He has placed in His Church for that purpose.
I heard a man not long ago say that in the place he lived he had seen
a great many people drunk; it was one of those places abounding with
saloons in which they could get beastly drunk; and that some of those
who thus indulged were Elders, High Priests, etc. The man himself was a High Priest. If I had seen such men I should have gone
to them and told them what course to pursue to stop those infamies.
Every Elder in Israel ought to be on the watchtower as watchmen upon
the walls of Zion. Where iniquity prevails or evil of any kind, it is
for them to do what they can to stem the current of evil and to lift
up and exalt the people that they may comprehend correct principles,
live their religion and be prepared to receive the blessings of
Jehovah. When I was quite a boy—I was not a Mormon then, but I had
principles of humanity nevertheless—there was an old gentleman whom I
respected, he was a good man, a praying man—he had a wife who did not
want to pray, and who interfered with his devotions; she was uneasy
and turbulent, and a kind of thorn in his flesh. Under these trials he
got along very well, but it used to drive him to the Lord. After a
while she died and he married again; this time to a very amiable lady;
his wife was so pleasant and agreeable that the change in his
circumstances was very great. Being thus comfortably situated he
became remiss in some of his religious duties, and commenced by giving
way to the temptation of liquor. Seeing the course he was taking I
went to him. I felt a little bashful on account of my youth at the
time, but because of long friendship and out of respect for his many
good qualities, I felt it a duty to bring these delinquencies to his
notice; I told him that I had seen him drunk a few days previously,
and that it had hurt me very much to see him in such a state, as his
course had always been exemplary and he was a man whom I respected
very highly. He appreciated my good feelings, saying that he felt
disgraced and promised to mend his ways. Now that was not "Mormonism,"
but it was a correct feeling. Cannot we, as Latter-day Saints, do as
much good as those who are not Latter-day Saints? Cannot we go after
our brethren and sisters when they do wrong, with love and affection,
and lead them in the paths of life? But then, if they will not do it
after much persuasion, it becomes our duty to deal with them as the
law of God directs; but in doing this we ought to be full of love and
kindness one toward another, and not be harsh, acrimonious or desirous
to place them in a wrong; such feelings do not become Latter-day
Saints. We ought to cherish feelings of kindness and love and
long-suffering; but we do not want our charity to cover too many sins.
Everybody is at liberty to do this, whoever he may be, it being our
privilege to do good, to try to redeem and exalt our fellow men, and
to act as saviors upon Mount Zion. But when people will not do right,
are we to foster the wrong? No, God forbid. We talk sometimes about
the celestial glory, the terrestrial glory and the telestial glory, do
you think that a man will get the celestial glory if he does not abide
the law of the celestial kingdom? You Latter-day Saints know better.
Well, then, if men are disposed to do wrong, to violate the
commandments of God and yield to evils of various kinds, is a Bishop
authorized, or is the High Council authorized to cover up those sins
and allow them to go on? I tell you No, they are not. And if the
Priest and the Teacher do not do their duty, it is for the Bishop to
look after them to see that they do their duty. And if the Bishop does
not do his duty in this respect, it becomes the duty of the President
of the Stake to do it, to see that righteousness prevails, that the principles of truth are sustained, that the Gospel of the Son
of God is honored, and that the principles of equity, justice and
righteousness and the fear of God are maintained in their purity in
the Stake over which he presides. And if the President of the Stake
does not attend to this duty, then it devolves upon the First
Presidency to see that no iniquity exists in the Church. And when
these things are done we are then in a position to approach God our
Heavenly Father to ask and receive, to seek and find, and to knock and
have the door opened unto us.
And besides these offices, which are the leading, prominent media or
channels through which these things are reached, there are other
methods by which they can be adjusted. The Twelve, where they go, are
expected to regulate matters of this kind. We have a Quorum of High
Priests in each Stake, and it is for them to exercise themselves and
their influence individually and as a Quorum in the interests of
righteousness and virtue and the maintenance of the principles
connected with the kingdom of God. They have no particular position or
calling; they are ordained to the High Priesthood, and it is for their
President to meet with them and have them humble themselves before
God, and seek for the guidance of His Holy Spirit and the light of
revelation; "for this ordinance" we are told in the Doctrine and
Covenants, "is instituted for the purpose of qualifying those who
shall be appointed standing presidents or servants over different
stakes scattered abroad; And they may travel also if they choose, but
rather be ordained for standing presidents; this is the office of their
calling, saith the Lord your God;" that they may comprehend the
principles of law, of government, of justice and equity, and watch
over, not only themselves, but their families and friends,
associations and neighborhoods, and act as fathers in Israel, looking
after the welfare of the people and exerting a salutary influence over
the Saints of the Most High God.
Again, we have our organization of Seventies, and they ought to see
that there is no iniquity among their quorums—no drunkenness, no
whoredom, no fraud, nothing that is wrong or improper, unholy or
impure; but that they are men of God chosen and set apart as
messengers to the nations of the earth, and wherever they reside it is
their duty, and it is the duty of all men in Israel, to see that there
is no iniquity, to use their influence on the side of right, and to
put down wrong.
Then again, the same thing will apply to Elders. The Elder is ordained
in many instances to act as a standing minister among the people, to
preach to them, to instruct them as we are doing and as your
missionaries are doing and as others are doing, preaching among the
people at home, and frequently going abroad as circumstances may
require.
Now, while we are here, we do not want to hear a man laugh and say,
"Brother so-and-so is as drunk as a fool." Why do you not go to him
and speak of this evil to himself? Why do you not go and try to put
him on the right road, and tell him to walk in it? Why not ask him to
go with you before the Lord to confess his sins, to seek for
assistance to overcome his weakness? In doing this you help him, and
you help one another to do right, not in the spirit of laughter or
lightness; that is not becoming the Saints of the Most High,
but it should be in the spirit of kindly regard and affection.
We have also our Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, and I am
pleased to find so good an influence prevailing among them, yet there
are many things that are wrong even among them. They need watching
over; they require to look after one another and use a kind
supervisory care over their morals, and if any among them should go
astray, to admonish them and lead them in another path. Then we have
our Young Ladies' Associations; they are trying what they can do in
leading the female youth in the right way. And when they see the
daughters of Israel liable to be led astray, let them labor with them,
treat them kindly, preserve them from evil, and guide them in the
paths of life. We none of us are preserved only as we are preserved of
God.
Brother Joseph F. Smith spoke rightly this morning when he said, that
no man could guide this kingdom; he cannot unless God be with him and
on the side of the Elders of Israel. But with Him on their side, all
things will move on aright, and the intelligence and the revelations
of God will be poured out. His law will be made known and the
principles of truth be developed; or it is not the kingdom of God. And
we all of us ought to humble ourselves before God, and seek for the
guidance of the Almighty.
There are forces at work in the world that will in time overturn the
world, which are today sapping the foundation of all governments and
eating as a canker the foundation of all rule and dominion; and by and
by their thrones will be cast down and nations and empires will be
overturned, for God will arise to purge the world from its iniquities,
its evils and corruptions. And we have more or less of the principle
of insubordination among us. But there is a principle associated with
the kingdom of God that recognizes God in all things; and that
recognizes the Priesthood in all things; and those who do not do it
had better repent or they will come to a stand very quickly; I tell
you that in the name of the Lord. Do not think that you are wise and
that you can manage and manipulate the Priesthood, for you cannot do
it. God must manage, regulate, dictate and stand at the head and every
man in his place. The ark of God does not need steadying, especially
by incompetent men without revelation and without a knowledge of the
kingdom of God and its laws. It is a great work that we are engaged
in; and it is for us to prepare ourselves for the labor before us, and
to acknowledge God, His authority, His law and His Priesthood in all
things.
I have men come to me sometimes with some great complaints to make
about their Bishop. I hear them, but I either send them back to their
Bishop or to their President as circumstances dictate. Then I have
Bishops come to me finding fault with their Presidents. I send them
back to their Presidents, and write to those whose business it is to
attend to it. I acknowledge every man in his place and office, whether
President, Bishop, Priest, Teacher or Deacon; and then they should
acknowledge everybody over them, or God will destroy them. I tell you
that in the name of the Lord. I know what I am saying. I tell you it
is the word and the will of the Lord. Do not be wise above what is
written. Do not be too anxious to be too smart, to manage and
manipulate and to put things right; but pray for those that God has
placed in the different offices of this Church that they may be
enabled to perform their several duties. The Lord will sustain His
servants and give them His Holy Spirit and the light of revelation, if
they seek Him in the way that he has appointed, and He will lead them
and lead you in the right path. This is the order of the kingdom of
God, as I understand it, and not the other. And it is for us to learn
that order and be obedient to it. And thus by obedience to the law of
the Priesthood, drunkenness and all other immoralities can be rooted
out and overcome.
The work of God is growing and increasing, and it will continue to do
so until the words of the prophet will be fulfilled who said, "A
little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I
the Lord will hasten it in his time," but He expects every man in his
place to magnify his calling and to honor his God. And while there are
evils of the kind I speak of, there is a great amount of good, of
virtue, of self-abnegation, and a great desire to do the will of God,
and carry out His purposes. And it is for every man and every woman to
do his and her part.
The Relief Societies are doing a great work generally throughout the
land; and the Young Men's and the Young Women's Associations are doing
a great work; but I am sorry to say I sometimes hear of occasional
acts of fornication among our young people. Our young men go to labor
on railroads and mix up with the foul mouthed and corrupt, and I am
sorry to say, that once in a while they copy after their ways. Fathers
and mothers, look after your sons. You members of the different
societies, look after your members and try to save the erring and lead
them in the paths at life.
There is a great zeal and a great interest manifested in Sunday
schools, which is also very praiseworthy. It is a good work for us to
be engaged in. Continue in it. And let all perform their parts,
whether in Sunday school, in Relief Societies, in Mutual Improvement
Associations or otherwise; and let all seek to act with a single eye
towards the glory of God.
We are living in an important age. Time is marching on, and events of
great magnitude and importance are transpiring. The nation in which we
live has been moved against us. That is all right so far as God
permits it; but if we fear him and keep his commandments as a people,
no power arrayed against us can harm us. God will come forth to the
deliverance of his people, and he will save his elect if they will
only do right and obey his laws. We can do nothing unless assisted by
the Almighty, neither can this nation, only as he permits. If we do
right he has told us "the wrath of man shall praise me, and the
remainder I will restrain." God lives, and his eyes are over us, and
his angels are round and about us, and they are more interested in us
than we are in ourselves, ten thousand times, but we do not know it.
We become self-willed and captious, and lack in a great many instances
that liberality, kindness and charity that ought to dwell in the
bosoms of the Saints of God. The Lord is a great deal more interested
in his work than we are. We think a great deal about our farms and our
houses, our wives and our children, which is all very proper. He is
thinking about the redemption of the earth, the regeneration
of the world, the salvation of the living and the dead, and the
accomplishment of the purposes spoken of by all the holy Prophets
since the world began. And it is for us to be co-workers with him. He
is pleased with your efforts in building this Temple; and the angels
rejoice as they see you go forth to prepare a place in which you may
labor for the living and the dead. People will be called upon to
labor, as a mission in those Temples when built. And you will rejoice
too, for while you are engaged in the work of God, it always brings
peace and joy. A Temple built to the name of the Lord is a most
delightful place to labor in: we feel that we are saviors upon Mount
Zion, and that the kingdom is the Lord's, and that we are operating
for God and not for ourselves, but in the interest of our common
humanity and in the salvation of the world.
Let us attend to our duties and do not get up any quarrels in our
families. Husbands treat your wives with kindness and try to make your
home a heaven for them; and train your children in the fear of God.
Then you sisters, treat your husbands aright; be full of kindness, for
we are, as the old woman says, all "poor, miserable, independent
sinners." We have need of more long-suffering, we need the assistance
of one another, and the help of the Almighty. Let us try to do right.
There are a great many things open to my mind which I would like to
talk about; there are one or two, however, to which I will refer. We
have a great work to perform? Who? We Seventies, we Elders, we
Priests. What have we to do? We are required to build Temples and
administer in them. What else? We have to take the Gospel to the
world, as we have been doing and are doing, and to progress with it;
to advance correct principles among men, and to lead them in the paths
of life and salvation; to gather them to Zion and to teach them when
we get them here; to go on and control matters; to learn to manage
ourselves and our own affairs, and not trouble ourselves too much with
outside matters.
We talk sometimes about the nation being inimical to us. Whoever
dreamed of anything else? I never did. What did the Elders preach to
you, say 10, 30 or 40 years ago? It was that the people of the world
would grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Do you
expect it is going to get better? I do not. What did Jesus say in his
day? He said:
"If ye were of the world, the world would love its own," that is the
kind of love that exists in the world. It does not amount to much—it
is love today and hate tomorrow, as the case may be. But continued
the Savior: "Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." What did he say
again? "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice
and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Then there is
nothing strange about it, is there? Some people think that because the
priests of Baal lie so outrageously about us, that we ought to be
angry. Why, that is their profession; for they are of their father the
Devil, his works they will do, and he was a liar from the beginning.
By and by when we and they get through, we shall find that
all liars will have their portion with hypocrites and unbelievers; and
they together with whoremongers and sorcerers, will be found outside
the holy city. But we have to take the brunt of it. No matter, we can
stand it. As I said to some prominent gentlemen—Members of
Congress—who were here recently, You are cutting up rather peculiar
antics down in Washington. It does not matter much, however, as our
potatoes grow all the same. That is how I feel about it. Let them
attend to their father's business, and we will attend to our Father's
business, and trust in him and pursue that course that will be right
in his sight. We do not want to get up any excitement about anything.
Let us lean upon the Lord, seek to Him and ask for what we want, do
right and we shall receive. And while they are treating us badly we
will treat them as well as the circumstances will admit of, and follow
out the instructions of Jesus, who told us to do good for evil; and so
far as we are concerned we will save them if possible, in spite of
themselves.
The Lord is operating upon the Lamanites, and many of them are being
baptized into the Church. Some people think all that we have to do is
to baptize them, that they are a poor miserable set of outcasts. This
is not the case. Some of us were poor miserable outcasts before we
came into the Church, and we needed the ministrations of the Elders,
the teachings of the Holy Priesthood, and the blessings arising from
the organization of the Church. Do not you think that they need the
same kind of treatment? How would you like a mission, some of you High
Priests and Seventies, to proclaim the Gospel to that fallen race,
that Israel may have an equal chance with us, for God expects it at
our hands. We received that record (Book of Mormon) through their
ancient prophets and those same prophets are now beginning to
communicate with them and to unfold unto them the work that he has
commenced with us, and we shall have more of these things by and by.
It is proper that our feelings should be drawn out after those whom
the Lord is operating upon, that we may act in conjunction with the
Lord in leading them in the paths of life.
This is a duty that devolves upon you Elders of Israel, for as he has
commenced to labor with them we ought to be one with him. I have taken
the liberty recently to request the Twelve to attend to this; and they
will call upon the Seventies, the High Priests and others, that is,
they will if they do their duty. What do you think of it? I think that
the field is enlarging and that our labors are increasing and becoming
more extensive. We ought to feel like little children; we ought to
feel like humbling ourselves before God, seeking to be one and to
enjoy the light of His Holy Spirit, saying O Lord God, I am a poor
feeble creature, thou hast called me to Thy work and hast clothed me
with the Holy Priesthood; and now I want to magnify it; I want to be a
savior on Mount Zion; I want to preside anywhere, or preach anywhere,
or do any labor that Thou shalt call upon me to do, that I may feel
that I am Thy servant and that Thou art my God, and that I am for
Israel, and for the salvation of the white man, the red man and all
mankind. That is the position we are in. These are some of the things
of which you will hear more by and by. I thought I would only tell you a part as perhaps you could not bear it all.
God bless you, and God bless all Israel, and God bless all who are in
favor of righteousness, truth and equal rights; and may the Lord God
confound the enemies of Israel, and all who are opposed to just rule
and righteous government, in the name of Jesus. Amen.