We have met again this morning to hear and receive instruction and
worship the Lord and honor Him upon this holy Sabbath day.
The heavens are full of knowledge, full of instruction, full of
revelation and of principle and decree, and I may say of judgment, all
to be made use of in their day and time, and we have a right to all
the knowledge, all the revelation, all the principles of truth, that
we can claim by faith and diligence in serving the Lord and in the
performance of our duty.
I look upon the Latter-day Saints as occupying a position, I may say
equal, at least, to that occupied by the people of any other
dispensation that God has ever given to man. We are a blessed people;
we are favored of heaven and have received at the hands of our
heavenly Father a great many blessings both of the heavens and of the
earth, and we, as a people, should be grateful to the Lord our God for
the many kindnesses He has bestowed upon us. We live, in fact, in the
dispensation of the fullness of times, the last dispensation
in which the Lord will reveal his mind and will to the inhabitants of
the earth, the last time in which the Lord will prune his vineyard,
the last time in which he will set up his kingdom upon the earth,
establish His Church, and build up His Zion, to prepare for the coming
of the Son of Man. And while we sometimes feel and have felt in days
that are past and gone, to complain because we meet with oppression,
persecution and affliction, yet I wish to say to my brethren and
sisters that these things are the heritage of the Saints of God. Any
people whom God calls will meet with opposition from those who will
not receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This has been the legacy of
the Saints of God in every age from Father Adam down to our own day.
Those that live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. I
believe myself, from the reading of the revelations of God, that it is
necessary for a people who are destined to inherit the celestial
kingdom to be a tried people. I have never read of the people of God
in any dispensation passing through life, as the sectarian world would
say, on flowery beds of ease, without opposition of any kind. I have
always looked upon the life of our Savior—who descended beneath all
things that He might rise above all things—as an example for His
followers. And yet it has always, in one sense of the word, seemed
strange to me that the Son of God, the First Begotten in the eternal
worlds of the Father, and the Only Begotten in the flesh, should have
to descend to the earth and pass through what He did—born in a stable,
cradled in a manger, persecuted, afflicted, scorned, a hiss and
by-word to almost all the world, and especially to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem and Judea. There was apparently nothing that the Savior could
do that was acceptable in the eyes of the world; anything and almost
everything he did was imputed to an unholy influence. When He cast out
devils the people said he did it through the power of Beelzebub, the
prince of devils; when he opened the eyes of the blind, the Pharisees
and priests of the day told the man to "give God the glory; we know
this man is a sinner." And so all his life through, to the day of his
death upon the cross. There is something about all this that appears
sorrowful; but it seemed necessary for the Savior to descend below all
things that he might ascend above all things. So it has been with
other men. When I look at the history of Joseph Smith, I sometimes
think that he came as near following the footsteps of the
Savior—(although no more so than his disciples)—as anyone possibly
could. Joseph Smith was called to lay down his life; he sealed his
testimony with his blood, and passed through some serious trials and
afflictions. In section 122 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—the
word of the Lord given to the Prophet while in Liberty jail—the Lord
showed him his condition and position. He refers there to the trials
and troubles he was called to pass through, and then compares them
with what He Himself (the Savior) had to endure. He says: "And if thou
shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the
sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if
the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become
thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements
combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my
son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be
for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou
greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall
remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days
are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear
not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." The
Lord showed him in this revelation that these afflictions were
necessary. We have been called to pass through trials many times, and
I do not think we should complain, because if we had no trials we
should hardly feel at home in the other world in the company of the
Prophets and Apostles who were sawn asunder, crucified, etc., for the
word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ.
How should we feel towards our enemies? President Taylor of late has
called upon us to exercise towards them the same spirit that was
manifested by our Savior upon the cross: "Father forgive them they
know not what they do." We should endeavor to exercise that spirit.
Our persecutors, those who would seek to destroy us, do not know what
they do. They do not comprehend us at all. Why, bless your souls, if
the veil was lifted from off the eyes of the President of the United
States, from off the eyes of the members of the Congress of the United
States, and from off the eyes of our enemies, if this veil were lifted
they would bow before the Lord and plead for these "Mormons;" they
would do this if their eyes were open to see the future consequences
of taking a stand against this Church and kingdom. But there is a veil
over their eyes, because of their works of evil; and the day will come
when all peoples will mourn who take a stand against the kingdom of
God, the Zion of God, the Church of God, and the Lord's anointed;
unless they repent they will, when they pass into the other world, go
into outer darkness, where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing
of teeth. It is impossible, however, for the Saints of God to inherit
a celestial kingdom without their being tried as to whether they will
abide in the covenants of the Lord or not.
Well, I feel we are a blessed people. We have prospered. The Lord is
fighting our battles. The Lord holds the destiny of this nation and
all other nations in His hands. Our enemies can go no further than He
permits them.
We live in a day and time when the Lord has decreed to set up his
kingdom for the last time upon the earth. That is the reason we have
the privilege of building these Temples and these meetinghouses in
the mountains of Israel. The Lord has set his hand to establish his
kingdom according to his former promises, and it is going to prevail
upon the earth. He has told us to fear not our enemies; that though
earth and hell combine against us, they shall not prevail, if we are
built upon the rock of Christ.
We have come to this earth upon a mission; and we have been gathered
to the valleys of these mountains that we may be taught and instructed
in the things of God; that we may magnify our calling before the Lord;
that we may become saviors upon Mount Zion; that we may have power to
go forth and warn the nations of the earth. I look upon the mission
of the Latter-day Saints as being as important as that of any
people that ever lived in any age of the world. I have often expressed
my views with regard to this. As Elders of Israel, very few of us
fully comprehend our position, our calling, or relationship to God,
our responsibility, or work the Lord requires at our hands. The Lord
has given unto us the Priesthood. This is conferred upon us that we
may administer in the ordinances of life and salvation. But to enable
us to perform our duties acceptably, there is one thing we need, one
and all of us, and that is the Holy Spirit. While in Winter Quarters,
President Young had a dream in which the Prophet Joseph Smith appeared
to him and said: "Brother Young, you exhort this people to obtain the
Holy Spirit; with it they can do anything that is necessary; without
it they cannot build up the kingdom of God." In one of my dreams while
in Arizona, I had the same admonition from President Young. I thought
he was attending one of our conferences. I said to him: "Can you speak
to us?" "No," he replied, "I have done bearing my testimony in
the
flesh; I have merely come to see the people, to see you, to see what
you are doing. But I want you to teach the Latter-day Saints to labor
to obtain the Holy Spirit. It is one of the most important gifts that
the Saints of the living God can possess. You all need this," he said,
"in order to build up Zion. If you have not this Spirit—the Spirit of
the Holy Ghost, the testimony of Jesus, the testimony of the Father
and Son—you cannot get along. But if you are in possession of this
Spirit, your minds will be open to comprehend the things of God." This
is true. There is not a man in this Church and kingdom today, who, if
he is in possession of this spirit, will set his heart upon the
things of this world. Any man that loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. We have received something better than the love
of gold, silver, houses and lands; we have received the promise of
eternal life. We have had conferred upon us the eternal Priesthood by
which our heavenly Father has created all worlds and redeemed all
worlds and has performed all his works from eternity to eternity.
Then, we should labor to obtain this Spirit while we are upon the
earth that we may overcome every evil. We have a mighty warfare on
hand. We have to contend against the world, the flesh and the devil.
There are temptations that surround every man and woman, that is, if
they attempt to keep the commandments of God, and no man or woman can
inherit eternal life without passing through this warfare in the
flesh. Other generations have had their turn. As a people it is our
turn today. The old patriarchs and prophets have gone, their missions
are ended, so far as their testimony in the flesh is concerned; but
they were valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ; they kept the law,
and they will inherit a celestial glory.
I often reflect upon the promises made concerning the Priesthood. The
Lord, in a revelation upon this subject, says, Doctrine and Covenants,
33rd to 41st verses: "Whosoever is faithful unto obtaining these two
priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling,
are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. * * *
All that my Father hath shall be given unto him. Therefore, all those who
receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my
Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved." Now, I
sometimes ask myself the question, Do we comprehend these things? Do
we comprehend that if we abide the laws of the Priesthood we shall
become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ? I realize that
our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, neither hath it
entered into our hearts to conceive the glory that is in store for the
faithful. We are placed in a position to be proven and tried; we must
be, we have been, we shall be, until we get through with our labors in
the flesh. The Lord told Joseph Smith that he would prove us in all
things, whether we will abide in his covenant, even unto death, that
we may be found worthy: "for if we will not abide in his covenant, we
are not worthy of him." Jesus Christ abode in the covenant; he kept
all the commandments while he was upon the earth. He even was baptized
by the hands of John, although it was not for the remission of sin,
but to fulfill all righteousness. There was no part of the Gospel that
Christ did not fulfill, and he called upon Joseph Smith to fulfill the
same. This he did. He laid down his life. He went to the spirit
world, and he is there watching over this people. He has power there,
and so have our brethren who have gone to the other side of the veil.
They are laboring for us. They are watching to see how we perform the
work left to our charge.
I hope we live our religion. I hope we strive to keep the commandments
of God. We occupy a very important position in the world. There are
very few of the inhabitants of the earth who are laboring to build up
Zion. There are very few, apparently, who are able to abide the law of
God. There are very few who are willing to sacrifice anything for
eternal life and salvation, and thousands will have to inherit a
kingdom other than the celestial.
Nevertheless, my brethren and sisters, we are laboring and progressing
in this work. Zion is advancing; the kingdom of God is rolling on. The
progress of this kingdom has never stopped from the day of its
organization; it never will until it has accomplished all for which it
has been organized and established on the earth to accomplish. We have
a great work to do. We are commanded to preach the Gospel to the
nations of the earth. The Elders of Israel have been doing this for
the last fifty years. We are still doing it, in the United States and
other parts of the world. We shall continue to labor among the
Gentiles just as long as the Lord says we must do so. But at the same
time we have now been commanded to turn to a branch of the house of
Israel. Here are the Lamanites, thousands and thousands of them
surround us. They look to us for the Gospel of Christ. It is our duty
to go to them and organize them, and preach to them the words of life
and salvation.
Then, again, we have temples to build in our day and time, that we may
go into them and do a work both for the living and for the dead. Our
mission is more extended and extensive than we realize. There have
been no Prophets, no Apostles, upon the earth for the last 1,800
years, that we are much acquainted with, except Nephi, who dwelt upon
this continent several hundred years after the death of Christ. There
has been no one upon the earth with authority to preach the Gospel to
the nations of the earth. Many generations have passed away.
Many thousands of millions have passed into the spirit world. We are
now at the end of the sixth thousand years. We are bordering upon the
millennium. We are living in the great and last dispensation, in the
which the God of Israel expects us, his servants, his sons and
daughters, to perform the work which has been left to our charge. It
is our duty to build these temples. It is our duty to enter into them
and redeem our dead. Joseph Smith is preaching to the spirits in
prison; so are all the Elders who have died in the faith. There are
millions of them there, and they must have the Gospel offered to them.
Joseph Smith and others cannot baptize the spirits in water, it is not
the law; but their posterity, their sons and daughters who are living
in the last dispensation, are expected to go into these temples and
there redeem their dead. This is a good work, and it is a great
blessing for men and women to have this privilege. We have one of
these temples finished, and we are doing a great work in that temple.
A hundred and sixty-two thousand persons have been baptized for the
dead, and nearly seventy thousand endowments have been given in that
temple. We have only just begun this work. We want the Logan temple
finished, as also the temple at Manti, that the people may go forth
and redeem their dead. Our forefathers are looking to us to attend to
this work. They are watching over us with great anxiety, and are
desirous that we should finish these temples and attend to certain
ordinances for them, so that in the morning of the resurrection they
can come forth and enjoy the same blessings that we enjoy. We are
living in the flesh and have the privilege of receiv ing the Gospel of
Christ for ourselves. Our forefathers had not this privilege; and as
their posterity when we meet them in the spirit world we shall have
the joy and satisfaction of knowing that we did our duty by them while
here upon the earth. We occupy a position in this capacity towards
them the same as we do to this generation. We occupy the position of
Saviors upon Mount Zion.
There are a great many things I might mention that are of interest to
the Latter-day Saints. We should humble ourselves before the Lord. We
have been called to set our houses in order, that we should seek to
obtain the Spirit of the Lord that it may enable us to magnify our
callings in the Priesthood. We are under great responsibility. It
won't pay to apostatize; "there is no money in it." Any man who
receives this Priesthood and tastes of the word of God, and of the
powers of the world to come—any man that turns away from these things,
apostatizes, and turns away from the Church of God, shall not, in
accordance with the revelations of the Lord to Joseph Smith, "have
forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come."
The Lord is laboring for his kingdom. In his hands he holds the
destiny of this people and of this generation, and if we will do our
duty he will sustain and uphold us and Zion will not be moved out of
her place. I am anxious to see the Latter-day Saints rise up and
magnify their calling. We (the Twelve Apostles, Seventies and others)
are called to go forth to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites and
organize them. I am glad of it. I have felt for a long time that we
should turn our attention to them. They are the literal
descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Lord is working in
their midst. The vision of their minds is beginning to be opened, and
they are to be taught the things of the kingdom of God. I have thought
sometimes that they have more faith than the Latter-day Saints. I
traveled among them for one year in Arizona and New Mexico. I visited
those that dwell in the walled cities. They have some seven villages
on the top of a mountain from 500 to 1,500 feet high. One thing struck
me very forcibly while there. Although a good many of these people are
superstitious, some of them sunworshippers and so forth, yet they
seem to be impressed with the idea that there is going to be a famine.
They have enough grain and dried squash laid up to last them for
years, and they think the day is not far off when they will need that
which they have stored up. Don't we believe that a famine will come? I
know some of our sisters are laying up wheat, I hope the Relief
Societies will continue to do so, and the brethren should help them. I
believe that the Latter day Saints ought to store up grain against a
day of want. The Bible tells us that prior to the coming of the Son of
Man there shall be wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, and
earthquakes. All these things will come to pass.
It is a good time with us. The Lord has blessed us. He has blessed the
earth for our use; and we ought to dedicate our families, our fields,
our crops, our herds, to God. We should pay our tithing according to
the law of God. We should attend to all the duties required at our
hands. We should not neglect our prayers. Men should seek to enjoy the
spirit of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit. We should seek
to do all the good we can, so that we may feel satisfied when we get
through.
I pray God to bless you with His Holy Spirit; I pray that he will give
us power to fulfill our calling in the Priesthood, power to build up
Zion, power to finish these temples in which we may redeem our dead.
This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.