Our position, as Latter-day Saints, is such that unless we have the
guidance of the Lord our God, we are very likely to become involved
in a series of difficulties and troubles. This work cannot be built up
by man. Man's power, man's wisdom, man's skill, are all insufficient
to establish and to carry on the work of our God in the earth
connected with the building up of Zion. It is a glorious reflection
that from the time this work was founded in these, the last days, up
to present time, there has never been a moment when this people have
been destitute of the guidance of the Lord, and of the revelations and
counsel necessary to enable them to carry out the mind and will of the
Lord. At no time have we been left to ourselves. At no time have the
Latter-day Saints been at a loss to learn and to find out the mind and
will and counsel of God concerning them, either as individuals or as a
people.
There have been some ideas afloat among our brethren concerning the
authority and the power of those who have been in charge of the work
of God upon the earth. I have not heard so much of it myself of late,
perhaps, for the reason that my position has been such that I have not
had the opportunity of mingling with the people, and learning from
them their ideas and feelings respecting this matter. But at the death
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and probably for many years subsequent to
his death, some people seemed to have the feeling that when he died,
there died with him some power and some authority and some knowledge
that could not be regained very readily, and was out of the possession
of those who presided over the Church. This feeling may prevail to
some extent at the present time—the feeling that some great one has to
arise in our midst in order to revive the old power and restore it to
the Church, and to perform the mighty works that God has promised
shall be performed in connection with His Zion of the last days. I do
not believe that all the Latter-day Saints understand as they should—I
speak now in general terms—the authority, the gifts and
qualifications which God bestowed upon His servant Brigham; and there
were many who, after the Prophet's death, were not disposed to accord
to President Young the same rights, the same authority, the same
gifts, that they were willing to accord to the Prophet Joseph. The
Rigdonites—the followers of Sidney Rigdon—originated the idea that the
prophetic gift did not rest upon President Young, that he did not
possess it. The Strangites—the followers of J. J. Strang—labored to
the same end. Strang set up a claim that he had been designated by
Joseph to preside over the Church, and in fact, showed a letter with
the postmark of Nauvoo upon the envelope, in which he claimed that he
was thus authorized to preside. Others set up the same claim, and
circulated the same idea. William Smith wished it understood that the
prophetic office belonged to the Smith family, that it should be some
member of that family that should preside over the Church. He
entertained the same idea, and circulated it to some extent, that has
been entertained and circulated by the son of Joseph—young Joseph, as
he is called. And all these influences combined together have had the
effect, to a greater or less extent, to create in many minds the
impression of which I speak—that there was some withholding of power;
that there were some gifts and manifestations of power that ought to
be, but were not in the Church; that the prophetic gifts did not
follow to the same extent that God designed they should; that although
President Young and his Counselors and the Twelve were Apostles, the
apostleship did not embody in itself the same gifts, the same powers
that were exercised by the Prophet Joseph.
I remember, when on one of my early missions, meeting with an old
member of the Church in California, a man of some prominence at one
time, and of considerable experience in the Church, who contended that
President Young was not entitled to be called Prophet, Seer and
Revelator, or to be put to the General Conference as such. His idea
seemed to be that when the Prophet Joseph died, the office of Prophet,
Seer and Revelator died with him, and, therefore, this claim by the
leaders of the Church was a piece of assumption on their parts.
Now, how far these ideas have prevailed and are held I cannot say,
because, as I have remarked, my opportunities of mingling with the
people, as I did in former years, have not been such as to enable me
to speak from personal knowledge, and perhaps if I were to do so they
would not talk so freely with me about such things as they once did.
But I wish to say that those who look for some increased manifestation
of power to come in some form outside of that which we recognize as
the governing authority of the Church, are in danger of being deluded
and of being led astray. Such persons, if there be any, and I am
inclined to believe there are, are in just the condition that the
adversary would like people to be in, that he may have influence with
them.
Since my return from Washington, in the middle of August last, I have
heard more of new prophets and revelators, and their revelations, than
I have heard for several years. I do not know how many prophets I have
heard of who have arisen; I do not know how many revelations I have
heard of that have been given; but there have been quite a number. Many revelations have been sent to me by persons who claim the
right to preside over the Church and to be the Prophet of the Church.
President Taylor has been the recipient of a number of similar
communications, each one setting forth his claim to the presidency of
the Church, and to the prophetic office; and some of them requiring us
to accept the author as the person whom God has designated to be the
revelator to and the President of the Church. Where there is a feeling
to look for some authority outside of our present organization of the
holy Priesthood, you can readily see how the adversary could take
advantage of it, and puff vain, weak men up with the idea that they
are to be some great ones. No greater mistake can be indulged in than
for any person to suppose that there is not that authority in the
Church at the present time that is necessary for the establishment,
for the government and guidance, and for the building up and complete
control of the Church and kingdom of our God upon the earth, according
to the pattern which He has given.
God revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith the necessity of the
Priesthood, and until the Priesthood was bestowed, though he had the
gifts which constitute a Prophet, Revelator and Seer prior to
receiving it, having had the gift of prophecy, and revelations from
God, and having exercised the Seer's gift by looking through the Urim
and Thummim—he never attempted to act in any capacity beyond that in
which God authorized him to act. Although he possessed the gifts that
I have referred to, he never attempted to act in any ordinance of the
house of God, or that belongs to the Church of God, until he received
authority to do so. And that authority was not conferred upon him when
he first saw angels and had some of the gifts of which I have spoken.
It required the laying on of the hands of some personage or personages
who had the authority of the holy Priesthood. No, Joseph never ran
until he was sent. He exhibited in this the qualities of the man that
he was; because there are few men, as we well know, who, if they had
obtained the gifts that he possessed, would not have overstepped the
limit of their calling and authority, and done something beyond their
province. But Joseph did not err in this way; he had been too well
taught of the Lord, and therefore he waited. He never attempted to
preach the Gospel, or to baptize for the remission of sins. But when
he found that it was necessary for him to receive the Priesthood, he
called upon the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayer, and in answer to
his call and that of Oliver Cowdery, sent to them John the Baptist, a
literal descendant of Aaron who, by virtue of his descent, held the
keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he being the last man upon the earth
that held these keys. John had been ordained by the angel of the Lord
at the time he was eight days old unto this power, and to overthrow
the kingdom of the Jews, and to prepare the way of the Lord. Having
been thus ordained by the angel of the Lord, and having been baptized
while he was yet in his childhood, and holding the authority and the
keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he was a fit personage to come and
bestow the keys upon Joseph, who had been chosen to stand at the head
of this dispensation. He came, and he laid his hands upon Joseph, and
upon Oliver, and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, which authorized them to administer the ordinance of baptism for the
remission of sins. When Joseph received that authority he administered
the ordinance of baptism unto Oliver, and then Oliver unto him.
They afterwards received the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood,
under the hands of those who last held the keys of that Priesthood
upon the earth. When Jesus, you will remember, took His three
disciples into the mount, He was transfigured before them, and Moses
and Elias administered unto them; and at that time Peter was ordained
to hold the keys of that dispensation. He held the keys in conjunction
with his brethren, James and John. They came and unitedly laid their
hands upon the heads of Joseph and Oliver, and ordained them to the
authority that they themselves held, namely, that of the Apostleship.
In this way they received the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood,
and could administer in the ordinances that belong to that Priesthood;
one of which is the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Until that time they had not received that ordinance. Some might think
it strange that a man like Joseph, so gifted of the Lord, should deem
it necessary to be administered to by a man or men holding the holy
Priesthood, in order to receive the Holy Ghost. But it is upon the
same principle that the Son of God had to be baptized in order to
fulfill all righteousness; and yet He was a pure and holy being. And
when John said to him, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest
thou to me?" Jesus said to him, "Suffer it to be so now; for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness:" and John then administered
the ordinance of baptism to the Son of God, pure and holy as He was.
Our Savior could not, and did not, refuse to comply with any of the
ordinances which are placed in the Church for the salvation of God's
children; on the contrary, He set the example by going down into the
water and being baptized by John, given as the most humble of his
followers did. In like manner it was as necessary that Joseph should
be baptized, and have hands laid upon him for the reception of the
Holy Ghost—for there is no doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith was
called just as the Son of God, our Lord and Redeemer was called,
before the foundation of the earth, as Jeremiah in his record says he
was—and was ordained to be a Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and to
stand at the head of this last dispensation. Although this was the
case, it was still necessary that he should be baptized and have hands
laid upon him for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and also be
ordained to the Priesthood of Aaron and Melchizedek. You remember
reading in the Book of Mormon that the Twelve on this continent, whom
the Savior chose after His resurrection, are to be judged by the
Twelve Apostles that were at Jerusalem. It was with Peter, who was the
senior Apostle there, that the keys rested. He was at the head of that
dispensation; therefore, those that received the Apostleship on this
land were to be judged by the Twelve at Jerusalem. There the keys
were; and it was right and proper that Peter, with James and John,
should come and bestow them upon him who was to be the head of this
dispensation, namely, Joseph Smith.
In addition to this the Prophet Joseph informs us in his letter,
addressed to the Saints when he fled away from Nauvoo to
escape the hands of his enemies, that "It is necessary in the ushering
in of the dispensation of the fullness of times, which dispensation is
now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect
union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers,
and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam
even to the present time." He, therefore, received the ministration of
divers angels—heads of dispensations—from Michael or Adam down to the
present time; every man in his time and season coming to him, and all
declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors,
their majesty and glory, and the power of their Priesthood. So that
Joseph, the head of this dispensation, Prophet, Seer and Revelator,
whom God raised up, received from all these different sources,
according to the mind and will of God, and according to the design of
God concerning him; he received from all these different sources all
the power and all the authority and all keys that were necessary for
the building up of the work of God in the last days, and for the
accomplishment of His purposes connected with this dispensation. He
stands at the head. He is a unique character, differing from every
other man in this respect, and excelling every other man. Because he
was the head God chose him, and while he was faithful no man could
take his place and position. He was faithful, and died faithful. He
stands therefore at the head of this dispensation, and will throughout
all eternity, and no man can take that power away from him. If any man
holds these keys, he holds them subordinate to him. You never heard
President Young teach any other doctrine; he always said that Joseph
stood at the head of this dispensation; that Joseph holds the keys;
that although Joseph had gone behind the veil he stood at the head of
this dispensation, and that he himself held the keys subordinate to
him. President Taylor teaches the same doctrine, and you will never
hear any other doctrine from any of the faithful Apostles or servants
of God, who understand the order of the Holy Priesthood. If we get our
salvation we shall have to pass by him; if we enter into our glory it
will be through the authority that he has received. We cannot get
around him; we cannot get around President Young; we cannot act around
President Taylor; we cannot get around the Twelve Apostles. If we ever
attain to that eternal glory that God has promised to the faithful we
shall have to pass by them. If we enter into our exaltation, it will
be because they, as the servants of God, permit us to pass by, just as
the revelation says, "pass by the angels and the Gods, which are set
there," to our exaltation.
You know that Jesus said to His Apostles in ancient days, that they
should "sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
And Paul says, "The Saints shall judge the world." This is true.
Joseph, then, stands at the head; and then every man in his place
after him until you come down to the Elder, the most humble Elder of
the Church who has proclaimed the Gospel of the Son of God to the
inhabitants of the earth. He will sit as a judge to judge those who
have received or those who have rejected his testimony. He will stand
as a swift witness before the judgment seat of God against this
generation. He will lift up his voice testifying as to that which he
has done, and men will be condemned, and men will be justified
and women will be justified according to the testimony of the faithful
servants of God, each one in his place and station; but Joseph,
holding the keys, and presiding over all, subordinate, however, to him
from whom he received the keys, as he (Peter) will be subordinate to
the Son of God who placed them upon him; each one in his dispensation;
each one in his place: each exercising the authority of his
Priesthood; each man honoring God according to his faithfulness and
diligence in magnifying that Priesthood and calling that God has
placed upon him; and each woman in her place receiving her share of
glory and honor according to her faithfulness in keeping the
commandments of God, and honoring the Priesthood.
I present this matter before you that you may see that when Joseph
died he had embodied in him all the keys and all the authority, all
the powers and all the qualifications necessary for the head of a
dispensation, to stand at the head of this great last dispensation.
They had been bestowed upon him through the providences of God, and
through the command of God to his faithful servants who lived in
ancient days. There was no end scarcely, in many respects, to the
knowledge that he received. He was visited constantly by angels; and
the Son of God Himself condescended to come and minister unto him, the
Father having also shown Himself unto him; and these various angels,
the heads of dispensations, having also ministered unto him. Moroni,
in the beginning, as you know, to prepare him for his mission, came
and ministered and talked to him from time to time, and he had vision
after vision in order that his mind might be fully saturated with a
knowledge of the things of God, and that he might comprehend the great
and holy calling that God had bestowed upon him. In this respect he
stands unique. There is no man in this dispensation can occupy the
station that he, Joseph did, God having reserved him and ordained him
for that position, and bestowed upon him the necessary power. Think of
what he passed through! Think of his afflictions, and think of his
dauntless character! Did anyone ever see him falter? Did anyone ever
see him flinch? Did anyone ever see any lack in him of the power
necessary to enable him to stand with dignity in the midst of his
enemies, or lacking in dignity in the performance of his duties as a
servant of the living God? God gave him peculiar power in this
respect. He was filled with integrity to God; with such integrity as
was not known among men. He was like an angel of God among them.
Notwithstanding all that he had to endure, and the peculiar
circumstances in which he was so often placed, and the great
responsibility that weighed constantly upon him, he never faltered;
the feeling of fear or trembling never crossed him—at least he never
exhibited it in his feelings or actions. God sustained him to the very
last, and was with him, and bore him off triumphant even in his death.
While he was in possession of all his faculties, and likely to live
for many years to lead the Church—in fact the people believed that he
would live to redeem Zion—when he was thus situated, impressed by the
Spirit and power of God, he called together our leading men, and he
bestowed upon the Twelve Apostles all the keys and authority and power
that he himself possessed and that he had received from the Lord. He gave unto them every endowment, every washing, every
anointing, and administered unto them the sealing ordinances and
taught them the character of those ordinances, and revealed unto them
the doctrine of celestial marriage, and impressed upon them the
importance of their obedience to the same, and made it obligatory upon
them that they should obey it and carry it out in their lives, and
teach it to others. He taught these brethren that unless they did this
the kingdom would stop, it could not make further progress. And filled
with the power of God, he blessed them and placed those keys and this
authority upon them, and told them that he had thus ordained them to
bear off the kingdom. There was no key that he held, there was no
authority that he exercised that he did not bestow upon the Twelve
Apostles at that time. Of course, in doing this he did not divest
himself of the keys; but he bestowed upon them these keys and this
authority and power, so that they held them in their fullness as he
did, differing only in this respect, that they exercised them
subordinate to him as the head of the dispensation. He ordained them
to all this authority, without withholding a single power or key or
ordinance that he himself had received.
Thus you see these men whom God chose to hold the Apostleship received
all this authority from Him. Hence he told the people before he was
taken, "I roll this kingdom off on to the shoulders of the Twelve."
Probably there are some in this room who heard him talk in this
manner. I was but a boy at the time, but I remember it very
distinctly. He evidently wanted his brother Hyrum also to be
preserved, and for some time before his martyrdom talked about him as
the Prophet. But Hyrum, as you know, was not desirous to live away
from Joseph; if he was to be exposed to death, he was resolved to be
with him. Our revered President, who is present with you today, was
with the Prophet and his brother, the Patriarch, at the time of their
martyrdom, and was himself shot down, and his life almost despaired
of. But God in his providence reserved him for something else, and his
enemies did not have power to take his life.
After the martyrdom of the Prophet the Twelve soon returned to Nauvoo,
and learned of the aspirations of Sidney Rigdon. He had claimed that
the Church needed a guardian, and that he was that guardian. He had
appointed the day for the guardian to be selected, and of course was
present at the meeting, which was held in the open air. The wind was
blowing toward the stand so strongly at the time that an improvised
stand was made out of a wagon, which was drawn up at the back part of
the congregation, and which he, William Marks, and some others
occupied. He attempted to speak, but was much embarrassed. He had been
the orator of the Church; but, on this occasion his oratory failed
him, and his talk fell very flat. In the meantime President Young and
some of his brethren came and entered the stand. The wind by this time
had ceased to blow. After Sidney Rigdon had spoken, President Young
arose and addressed the congregation, which faced around to see and
hear him, turning their backs towards the wagon occupied by Sidney.
Now it is probable that there are some here today who were present on
that occasion, and they, I doubt not, could, if necessary,
bear witness that the power of God was manifested at that time, to the
joy and satisfaction of the Saints. It was necessary that there should
be some manifestation of the power of God, because the people were
divided. There was considerable of doubt as to who should lead the
Church. People had supposed that Joseph would live to redeem Zion.
They felt very much as the disciples did after the crucifixion: "We
trusted," said they to the Savior, whom they knew not, while speaking
of their Lord, "that it had been He which should have redeemed
Israel." They were saddened in their hearts. So the Saints were when
the Prophet Joseph was taken from them. Some even went so far as to
think that perhaps God would resurrect him, they had such an idea
about his continued earthly connection with this work. But no sooner
did President Young arise than the power of God rested down upon him
in the face of the people. It did not appear to be Brigham Young; it
appeared to be Joseph Smith that spoke to the people—Joseph in his
looks, in his manner, and in his voice; even his figure was
transformed so that it looked like that of Joseph, and everybody
present, who had the Spirit of God, saw that he was the man whom God
had chosen to hold the keys now that the Prophet Joseph had gone
behind the veil, and that he had given him power to exercise them. And
from that time forward, notwithstanding the claims of Sidney Rigdon,
notwithstanding the claims of Strang, notwithstanding the claims of
William Smith, John E. Page and others who drew off from the Church in
the days of Nauvoo; and notwithstanding the claims of other men who
have since drawn off from the Church and made great pretensions, God
has borne testimony to the acts and teachings of His servant Brigham,
and those of his servants, the Apostles, who received the keys in
connection with him. God sustained him and upheld him, and he blessed
all those that listened to his counsel. No man that ever obeyed all
his counsels and teachings was ever cursed, but was always blessed of
God; while those who disobeyed his counsel did not prosper. We have
all seen this. He led the people by the power of God into this
wilderness, taking upon himself such responsibility as no other man
dare take, which, of course, he was inspired of God to do. In various
ways God sustained him to the time of his death. All the authority,
all the power, all the keys, and all the blessings that were necessary
for the guidance of this people he held. He held them as his
fellowservants, the Apostles, held them; only he, being the senior,
had the right to preside, and did preside, God sustaining him in so
doing. Then when he died there was no need for any peculiar or
overpowering manifestation, such as was witnessed when the Prophet
Joseph died, because the authority of the Priesthood was recognized,
and among the Twelve there was no dissent. We all knew the man whose
right it was to preside, there being no doubt upon this matter. We
knew he had the authority. We knew that there was only one man at a
time upon the earth that could hold the keys of the kingdom of God,
and that man was the presiding Apostle.
Other names had at one time preceded President John Taylor in the
order of the Twelve. There were various reasons for this. Two of the
Apostles had lost their standing, and upon deep and heartfelt
repentance had been again ordained to the Apostleship. In both
instances this had occurred after the ordination of President Taylor
to that calling. Still, for many years their names were allowed to
stand in their old places and preceded his in the published list of
the Twelve. The revelation designating Presidents Taylor, Woodruff and
Willard Richards to be ordained Apostles was given July 8th, 1838;
John E. Page was called to the same office in the same revelation. He
and President Taylor were ordained at Far West before the Saints were
driven from there. Brother Woodruff being on a mission at the Fox
Islands, was afterwards ordained on the cornerstone of the Temple,
April 26th, 1839. Brother Willard Richards, when he was called, was on
a mission in England, and was ordained in that land after the Twelve
went there on their mission. In this way Brothers Richards and
Woodruff, though the seniors of President Taylor in years, were his
juniors in the Apostleship; he had assisted in ordaining them
Apostles. For some years attention was not called to the proper
arrangement of the names of the Twelve; but some time before President
Young's death they were arranged by him in their proper order. Not
long before his death a number of the Twelve and leading Elders were
in Sanpete when, in the presence of the congregation in the
meetinghouse, he turned to President Taylor, and said, "Here is the
man whose right it is to preside over the council in my absence, he
being the senior Apostle."
Therefore, as I have said, when President Young died there was no
doubt in the minds of those who understood principle as to who was the
man—it was the then senior Apostle. He was the man who had the right
to preside, he holding the keys by virtue of his seniority, by virtue
of his position in the Quorum; and he became the President of the
Twelve Apostles; and became President of the Church.
Now, let me ask you, is it necessary that somebody should rise up
outside of this Priesthood to be a Prophet, Seer and Revelator to the
Church? Is it not consistent with the wisdom and government of God to
acknowledge His servants who have been faithful all their lives, who
have proved their integrity before Him, who have never swerved to the
right or the left, and whose knees have never trembled, and whose
hands have never shaken—is it not within his power and his wisdom to
endow them with all the gifts and qualifications necessary for the
guidance of His Church? Certainly it is. There has never been a
moment, as I have said, since this Church was organized, since the 6th
day of April, 1830, when God has been without ministering servants
through whom he has revealed his mind and will to the people.
President Young might have received and given revelations to the
people in the same manner as the Prophet Joseph did. He had the
authority, and he did give his revelations to the people; he gave his
counsel. President Taylor has done the same. The Twelve in their
labors have done the same. They have taught the people the word of
God. The Twelve have the right, every Apostle has the right, to teach
the people by the spirit of revelation, by the spirit of prophecy and
the power of God. This people, as I have said, have been led by that
power and spirit; and it was in this way that ancient Israel was led
when Moses stood at their head. He had the authority, he held
the keys, and he received revelation from God concerning all the
people. It has been so in our day. We have had revelations; and we
have revelations still. Our brethren, Brothers George Teasdale, Heber
J. Grant and Seymour B. Young have been lately called by written
revelation, to hold the positions to which they have been assigned.
But is it always necessary to write revelation? Sometimes it is
necessary; sometimes it is not necessary, just as God willeth. When
the word of God is given through His servants, as for instance, this
morning through President Taylor making a certain promise; that
promise is just as binding as if written. If we live for it, it will
be fulfilled, just as much as if it were written. God has bestowed the
spirit of revelation upon His servants. In fact, no man, no matter
what his office may be, whether it be Deacon, Teacher, Priest or
Elder, Seventy or High Priest, or Apostle, has the right to teach the
people unless he does it by the light of the Holy Ghost, by the power
of God. He should not attempt to teach the people that which he may
have framed in his own heart to say to them. On the contrary, he
should treasure up, as God has said, continually the words of life,
and it shall be given unto him what to say, even that which shall be
suited to the circumstances of the people and of each individual. God
has made that promise to the Elders of this Church, unto those who go
out to preach the Gospel, and to every man who seeks to teach as he
should do—by the spirit of revelation. It is then carried to the
hearts of the people, and they are, and will be, judged by it, and
will be held accountable be fore God according to the spirit and
knowledge they may have received.
I have presented this matter before you, because I am led to think
there is not that disposition to look to and recognize the authority
that exists in the Church as it should be recognized. There is at the
present time a contest going on in our midst and the tendency to tear
away from the moorings of the Priesthood, from the authority and
influence of the Priesthood, receives every encouragement. The threats
that are being made by our enemies at the present time are for the
purpose of destroying the faith, the confidence, and the spirit that
are begotten in the hearts of the people towards the Priesthood of the
Son of God. If they could get you to repudiate your Bishops, the
President of the Stake; if they could get you to repudiate the
Apostles and the First Presidency, they would be satisfied; because
they would know then that they had struck a deadly blow at the kingdom
of God, so far as you are concerned at least. That is their aim all
the time. While, on the other hand, it is the aim of the Elders of
Israel to bind the people together, and to build up the authority and
influence of the holy Priesthood, because we know that in doing so we
are acting according to the mind and will of God, and not because we
want to exercise authority over you. You know very well that authority
has never been exercised over you improperly by any faithful servant
of God; that you never have had reason to complain because of anything
of this kind coming from the First Presidency, or from the Apostles,
or any good man; but on the contrary, the servants of God, of whom our
enemies complain, have worn themselves out in your midst, teaching you the doctrines of salvation. They have traveled under all
circumstances, visiting the people and teaching them the principles of
eternal life, and have worn themselves out at this labor. They have
not spared their bodies, nor refrained from neglecting all their
earthly affairs when necessary for the good of this people. It has
been characteristic of the Apostles and leading men of this Church;
and if we had not that spirit, it would be soon seen by the people,
and our influence would be correspondingly weakened. It is the aim of
the Priesthood at the present time to bind the people together, on the
same principle that you adopt, you that are shepherds, when the wolves
are around. You get your sheep together in as compact a manner as you
can, that no wolves can get access to your sheep. You feel it to be
your duty to take care of the flock that may be your own, or that may
be entrusted to your care, that not even a lamb may be torn to pieces,
or be carried off by either dog or wolf. It is the same with the
servants of God. The burden of this people rests upon them. It is upon
President Taylor night and day, I know. Every thought and desire of
his heart is for the salvation of this people, and to establish and
build up the Zion of our God. His feelings are to be a faithful
watchman upon the walls of Zion, a faithful shepherd of the flock of
Christ; so that when he goes hence, as Brigham has gone, he can report
to Joseph and those of his co-laborers that have joined him, that he
did his duty faithfully while in the flesh, in caring for and feeding
the flock of Christ. I know this is the feeling; and I know it is the
feeling of his co-laborers, his fellowservants. And it is because of
their intense love for this people, and for the salvation of the
children of men that they are impelled to do as they do. They would
have you listen to the voice of wisdom, to the voice of revelation, to
the voice of the Holy Spirit that is poured out upon us, which bears
testimony in your hearts that it is through His power that we have
been sustained, and which convinces you that we are His servants. You
know when you hear the servants of God, by the power of God that
accompanies their words, and by the testimony of Jesus that He gives
unto you, that they are His servants. This is your witness, and you
are our witnesses as to the truth of our claims and the divinity of
the authority which we exercise in your midst. We want to save you. We
want to teach you the plan of salvation. We want to point out to you
the way in which you should go. We do not ask anything of you of an
earthly character. We desire not to aggrandize ourselves. All we ask,
and we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, is that you will
be entreated of God, that you will listen to His voice, and walk in
the strait and narrow path that leads to lives eternal. And we promise
you that if you will do so, we will lead you into the celestial
kingdom of God, not of ourselves, but through the power that God has
given unto us, and that He will give unto us.
I pray God to bless you, my brethren and sisters, and fill you with
His Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- George Q. Cannon