We meet here upon the Sabbath day for the purpose of partaking of the
sacrament, the emblems of the Lord's body and blood which were broken
and shed for us, and also to give and receive instruction as we may be
led by the Spirit of God.
It is well known to the Latter-day Saints—though perhaps not to
strangers—that no Elder or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints who enters into this Tabernacle knows who is going
to be called upon to speak to the people. Hence no man spends a week,
a day, an hour, or a moment to prepare a discourse to deliver unto the
people. We are all of us dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord, upon
revelation, upon inspiration, upon the Holy Ghost, in order to be
qualified to teach the people before whom we are called to speak, and
if the Lord does not give me the Holy Spirit this afternoon, I promise
you all you will not get much out of Brother Woodruff, whether they be
Saints or strangers. I have never seen a day since I have been a
member of this Church, that I have felt that any man was qualified to
teach saint or sinner, Jew or Gentile, the inhabitants of the earth
abroad or at home, only as he was moved upon by the power of God. I
have never believed any man was qualified from the days of Father Adam
to our day to go forth among the inhabitants of the earth with the
declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in a way and manner to
convince them or teach them the Gospel in its truth and purity, and in
the power of God, only by inspiration. I have never believed that any
man was qualified in any age of the world to build up the kingdom of
God, or do the will of God only upon that principle. And I have felt, both while abroad in the world, as well as at home, that
when called upon to teach the Latter-day Saints or anybody else—I have
felt as though my lips ought to be touched with a live coal from off
the altar, and my heart filled with inspiration from Almighty God.
When I think upon the day and age in when we live, when I think upon
this day and dispensation in which the God of heaven has set His hand
to carry out the fulfillment of the mighty prophecies contained within
the lids of the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, the stick of Judah,
I realize that in order to comprehend these things a man must be in
possession of the Spirit of the Lord day by day. In the words of the
Savior as recorded in St. John's Gospel, "This is life eternal, that
they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast sent."
I say many things when I am called upon to speak in the presence of
strangers that I do not confine myself to when addressing the Saints,
because the latter are acquainted with our principles, while the
former are not.
As Latter-day Saints we respect the rights of all men. We believe that
all mankind, men and women, in this and every other dispensation and
generation, have certain rights; that God has created all men with an
agency, I care not in what kingdom, empire, republic or place they
dwell. They have a right to enjoy their religion. They have a right to
worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences. "But,"
says one, "do you mean that in empires where an emperor holds the
rights and destinies of his subjects in his hands?" Yes. I mean there
is no emperor who breathes the breath of life who has the right to
deprive one of his subjects of the freedom of his religion. I will
tell you why. No emperor, no king, no president, no ruler of any nation
under the heavens has ever given his subjects life. Their life has
come from God, and God has granted them their agency and the right to
worship Him according to the light and knowledge they have. This is
the view entertained by the Latter-day Saints. And I have heard Joseph
Smith say that if he were emperor of the whole world, holding the
destinies of all men in his hands, he would defend the religious
rights of every man, whether his religion was right or wrong. And
especially ought this to be the case in this American nation, the
Constitution of which guarantees to all people the right to worship
God according to the dictates of their own conscience. This is the
broad platform upon which our government has been founded. I have
looked upon the Constitution of the United States as one of the best
instruments ever devised by man for the government of the inhabitants
of the earth. I look upon it as such today. And while we are willing
to allow the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, the
Catholics, and every sect under heaven, the right to enjoy their
religion undisturbed, yet we claim the same privilege as a people, as
a church, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
hence, in expressing myself here this afternoon with regard to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, or the kingdom of God, if I differ from any of
this congregation, I have a right to differ; the congregation has a
right to differ from me; and no man has a right to say, Why do you so?
The destinies of the whole human family are in the hands of God. I
shall be held accountable before the God of heaven—and so will
all men—for the course I pursue in this life.
There is one very peculiar feature with regard to the followers of
Jesus Christ, or those that have attempted in other dispensations to
obey the law of heaven, and that is, their unpopularity in the world
from the days of Father Adam to the present time. Trace it through
from the beginning, and you will find that men who were inspired by
Almighty God to go forth and proclaim any message to the inhabitants
of the earth, have been most unpopular in their day and generation.
You will find it has been so in the whole history of the world. You
may go back, for instance, to the days of Noah. Noah was a preacher of
righteousness. He was called of God. He was warned of God, and told
what to do to save himself and family. The world had become terribly
corrupt, and it was necessary that the people be called upon to
repent. To this end God Almighty raised up a prophet. That prophet was
Noah. He went forth as he was commanded and preached the Gospel of
Jesus Christ in its purity and truth. He was commanded to build an ark
on dry land. The people laughed at him and would not believe his
testimony. For one hundred and twenty years he warned the inhabitants
of the earth of the coming flood; but all that he could save were the
members of his own family, some eight souls. The flood came, and all
the inhabitants of the earth, save those who had entered the ark, were
drowned. Their spirits were shut up in prison in the spirit world, and
they remained there until after the death of Jesus Christ; and while
His body lay in the tomb three and a half days He went and preached to
those spirits in prison, where they had been shut up for thousands of
years.
As it was with Noah so it was with other Prophets who lived in ancient
days. You may trace the history of Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah,
and the rest down to the days of Jesus Christ, and you find they were
all unpopular in their day and generation. In consequence of the
wickedness that prevailed in the world, those Prophets were moved upon
to prophesy concerning the destruction of Babylon the great, Ninevah,
Tyre, and many other ancient cities; they declared the word of the
Lord to the inhabitants of these cities, but their testimony was not
believed; and because of their unpopularity, the Prophets were put to
death. Nevertheless, not one jot or tittle of their predictions fell
to the ground unfulfilled.
Then, again, you come along down to the days of Jesus Christ. You
trace His life from His birth in a stable to the tomb. Was ever a man
on the earth—a good man like the Savior—so persecuted, opposed,
ridiculed and derided as He was by the Jews, Pharisees, Sadducees, and
the different sects of that day? No matter what He did it was
attributed to him for evil. If He cast out devils it was attributed to
the power of Beelzebub. If He restored the blind to sight, they were
ready to cry out, "You give God the glory, this man is a sinner." And
so in all His works was He opposed, persecuted and derided. And His
Apostles shared the same fate. Every soul of them—with the exception
of John—had to lay down their lives and seal their testimony with
their blood. Some were beheaded, some were sawn asunder. Even in the
case of John they sought his life, but it was decreed that he
should live, and he remains on the earth to this day—although probably
there has been a change in his body—and will remain until the Son of
Man comes in the clouds of heaven.
I speak of these things to show that men of God in all ages of the
world have been unpopular. Jesus warned His disciples with regard to
this opposition. He said to them: "If ye were of the world, the world
would love his own: because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Why didn't the
world love the Prophets and Apostles in their day and generations. Why
does the whole sectarian world rise up against Prophets and Apostles
in this day and age of the world? Simply because in former ages they
rebuked sin, and in this age they do the same. They have been
plainspoken men. They have gone forth and declared the word of God as
they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
Now, with regard to the day and age in which we live. The Saints are
acquainted with our history as a people. They have a testimony to bear
that the world knows not of. A man must become acquainted with the
Lord, acquainted with the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
receive them before he is qualified to understand the work of God, or
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. We read of a man named
Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. Said he: "We know that thou art
a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be
born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's
womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God." This is the principle that has been
connected with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every dispensation of the
world.
As an organization, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
has been in existence now for 53 years. It was organized in the first
place with six members on the 6th day of April, 1830—organized by a
Prophet of God, a man raised up by commandment of God, by inspiration,
by revelation, and by the administration of angels. Every step that he
took was taken by commandment and revelation. He was given to
understand by the angels of God who administered to him that there had
been a falling away from the ancient order of things, and that now the
full set time had come when the God of heaven would again establish
His kingdom on the earth and call forth His Church out of the
wilderness of darkness and error and establish it upon the foundation
of the ancient Apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.
Now, any man acquainted with the Scriptures can clearly understand
that there is but one true Gospel. There never was but one Gospel.
Whenever that Gospel has been upon the earth it has been the same in
every dispensation. The ordinances of the Gospel have never been
changed from the days of Adam to the present time, and never will be
to the end of time. While there were many sects and parties in
existence in the early times, Jesus gave his disciples to
understand that there was but one Gospel. He told them what it was. He
declared unto them its ordinances. He commissioned them to preach the
Gospel to every creature. In the first place they were to preach faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ; next, repentance of sins; next, baptism for
the remission of sins. Baptism was an ordinance taught by the Savior
himself. We find, too, that He obeyed this ordinance, being baptized
in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. Why? To fulfill all
righteousness. It was a righteous law and it was a type of baptism to
be followed by the whole human family. "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Such was the declaration of the Savior to the twelve Apostles. People
were to be "buried with him by baptism unto death: that like as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life." What next? Men bearing the
Melchizedek Priesthood—Apostles and Elders—had the authority to lay
hands upon baptized believers for the reception of the Holy Ghost,
which they received and which led them to prophesy of the things of
the kingdom of God; and the signs followed those that believed. These
were the first principles of the Gospel. And Paul the Apostle, makes
this declaration: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed." He repeats this, and goes on to tell us what the Gospel is,
and what the Church of Christ is, and what it always has been. In the
Church were Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.,
and these were "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ." The Lord never had—and never will have to the end of time—a
Church on the earth without Prophets, Apostles, and inspired men.
Whenever the Lord had a people on the earth that He acknowledged as
such, that people were led by revelation. No man can find anything
contrary to this. When the Gospel was given to the Jews, all the gifts
and graces and powers thereof, accompanied it. It was accompanied by
the Eternal Priesthood—which is after the order of the Son of God,
without which no man can administer in the ordinances of life and
salvation. The Savior was a Jew himself. He came to His own father's
house, but they rejected him and put him to death. The Gospel was then
taken from the Jews and carried to the Gentiles. Paul warned the
Gentiles to take heed lest they too fell into unbelief. But the
Gospel was delivered to them with all its blessings and powers, and
remained with them as long as there was a man upon the earth that had
the power to administer in its ordinances.
Now, have the Gentiles had that church and kingdom of God in their
midst since the ancient Apostles were put to death? I think not. At
the present time there are some six hundred three score and six
different religions—different roads to heaven and to hell—in the
world; but none of these bear much resemblance to the Gospel as taught
by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. The whole Christian world today
rises up against these Latter-day Saints because they profess
to believe in revelation, in Prophets and Apostles. This has been the
case ever since the organization of this Church. Do we teach anything
that is contrary to the laws of God? We do not. Do we believe anything
that is contrary to the Gospel as taught in the days of the Apostles?
We do not. "But," says one, "how did you come by this Gospel?"
We came
by it through the administration of an angel from God. John the
Revelator, in speaking of the last day—the opening of the seals—the
blowing of the trumpets—and all that should transpire before the
second coming of the Son of Man—said he saw (among other things)
"another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come."
When the angel of God delivered this message to Joseph Smith he told
him the heavens were full of judgments; that the Lord Almighty had set
his hand to establish the kingdom that Daniel saw and prophesied
about, as recorded in the second chapter of Daniel; and that the
Gospel had to be preached to all nations under heaven as a witness to
them before the end should come, and that, too, in fulfillment of the
revelation of God, as given here in the Old and New Testaments. Joseph
Smith never attempted to organize this Church until he received
commandment so to do from God. He never attempted to baptize a man
until he received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the
Baptist (who was beheaded for the word of God and the testimony of
Jesus). He never attempted to officiate in any of the ordinances of
the Gospel until he received the Apostleship under the hands of Peter,
James and John. These men appeared to him. They laid their hands upon
his head and sealed the Apostleship upon him with all the power
thereof. And these angels told Joseph Smith to go forth himself and to
call upon other men to go forth unto the world and preach the Gospel
as taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles, and the Lord would back up
their testimony; that when they laid hands upon those who had been
baptized for the remission of sins, and who had received their
testimony, they should receive the Holy Ghost. This was the
proclamation to Joseph Smith 53 years ago.
Now, I want to ask this assembly, strangers and Latter-day Saints
alike, what position the Elders of Israel would have been in when they
went forth and made this promise to the inhabitants of the earth—the
promise that if they would receive of our testimony, repent of their
sins and be baptized for a remission of them, and have hands laid upon
them, they should receive the Holy Ghost—I want to ask, gentlemen and
ladies, how long those Elders would have taught this principle in the
nations of the earth if God Almighty had not backed up their
testimony? How long would it have been, in the absence of this
backing, until they would have been found out to be deceivers? Not a
great while. Is there another set of men on the face of the earth
today, that dare to go forth and make that proclamation to the world?
No; because, unless they were called of God to make it, He would not
back up their testimony, and it would be known who they were. We have labored upon this principle for 50 years. You cast
your eyes and you see a tabernacle in the desert; you see a city; and
you may travel for a thousand miles and you will find this Territory
filled with cities, towns and villages. By what power have these
things been accomplished? I came here on the 24th of July, 1847, with
a little handful of men as pioneers. What did we find? A barren
desert, as barren as the desert Sahara. No mark of the white man
here. No outward sign that a white man could live here. How has this
desert been made to blossom as the rose? Why this body of people from
almost every nation? I will tell you. We carried the Gospel to Europe,
the Islands of the sea, and the different nations of the earth; we
offered them the Gospel, and a class of men and women—two of a family,
and sometimes a dozen of a city—received our testimony, and when we
laid hands upon them they received the Holy Ghost. That Holy Ghost has
remained with them: it has instructed them and inspired their hearts,
and today you see Utah as it is. If the Lord Almighty had not backed
up the testimony of the Elders of Israel as He has done, Utah today
would have been as when we found it 36 years ago.
This is the condition of the Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith received
these keys, this Priesthood, this power, this Gospel by the
administration of angels from God, and this testimony is true. He also
received a record called the Book of Mormon, which is a record of the
ancient inhabitants of this continent. That record is true; as also
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, a code of revelations given
through the Prophet Joseph Smith. These revelations are true and
faithful, and they are being fulfilled as fast as time will admit. I
bear my testimony of these things to the world, for I know they are
true.
I traveled thousands of miles with Joseph Smith. I knew his
spirit. Many of the revelations given through him have been fulfilled.
I myself wrote the revelation that was given through him concerning
the war that would take place in this country between the north and
south. That revelation was published to the world for twenty years
before the war. It broke out just as predicted, and I refer to it
because it is one of the revelations that is fulfilled. Today we are
still preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord Almighty has set
His hand to establish His Church and kingdom on the earth, to build up
Zion in the mountains of Israel.
Now with regard to the Priesthood. We have been found fault with
sometimes because we profess to have the Priesthood. Let me say to
this congregation that our Heavenly Father performs all His works—the
creation of worlds, the redemption of worlds—by the power of the
Eternal Priesthood. And no man on the earth, from the days of Father
Adam to the present time, has ever had power to administer in any of
the ordinances of life and salvation only by the power of the Holy
Priesthood. You will find this to be the case in the whole history of
the Prophets of God. When Aaron was given the Priesthood he was called
by revelation. "No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is
called of God, as was Aaron." Jesus Christ himself had to be called of
God. He was a High Priest. He left the Priesthood on the earth with
his Apostles. They officiated in it until they were put to
death. It is by that power that we administer in this day and
generation. The Church and kingdom of God has continued to grow from
its first organization. It is true we have been called to pass through
many afflictions in our day and time. Nevertheless, the Lord has
preserved His people, and they still live here in the valleys of the
mountains.
We have an anxiety to honor God and keep His commandments, and to
honor our country and the Constitution of our Government. That
Constitution we believe was given by revelation, and whatever laws are
passed agreeable to it we desire to honor. It guarantees to all men
the right to enjoy their religion, to worship God according to the
dictates of their conscience.
"But," says one, "I would like to know how many wives you have. That
is a matter you have not said anything about." Well, now, I will tell
you a little anecdote in connection with Sidney Rigdon. The
circumstance took place a great many years ago, in Kirtland. A young
Elder just come in met President Rigdon on the street one day in the
vicinity of the Temple. Said the young man: "President Rigdon, will
you please tell me the meaning of the horns of the beast John saw?"
President Rigdon, drawing himself up, looked at the young man, and
replied: "My dear brother, there is a great deal between you and the
beast that John saw," and walked away. Well, I sometimes think it is
so with this generation. There is a great deal between the people of
this generation and the plurality of wives. There are a great many
principles that God has revealed in these last days that it is
necessary for us to understand before we come to that principle. But
as I have brought the subject up I will say a few words upon it. The
Lord has revealed to us that no kingdom, no king, no prince, no
president, no ordinance of marriage, no ordinance performed by any man
from the days of father Adam, will have any power or force after
death, except those ordinances are performed by men holding the
Eternal Priesthood. Is there a king, is there a prince, is there a
queen—will either when they pass the other side of the veil, find a
throne there? Would the Czar of Russia, who was assassinated by the
hands of the ungodly not long ago, when he went into the Spirit world
find a throne there? No. Why? Because the kingdom of the Czar of
Russia belonged to time. When he went into the Spirit world that was
the end of his kingdom and power. His kingdom had not been sealed upon
his head by any man having the power and authority of the Eternal
Priesthood. So in regard to all kingdoms and thrones. You may take Her
Majesty Queen Victoria—who has reigned a long time, and who is perhaps
as good a sovereign as has reigned since the days of William the
Conqueror. When she passes behind the veil she will find her kingdom
at an end, because it was not sealed upon her head for time and
eternity by any man having the authority of the Holy Priesthood. So I
will say to our friends here—the strangers within our gates—that any
man that marries a wife by any other authority than the authority of
the Holy Priesthood is simply married for time, "or until death do you
part." When you go into the Spirit world you have no claim on your
wife and children. The ordinance of having them sealed to you by one
having the authority of the Holy Priest hood must be attended
to in this world. Father Abraham obeyed the law of the patriarchal
order of marriage. His wives were sealed to him for time and all
eternity, and so were the wives of all the Patriarchs and Prophets
that obeyed that law.
I desire to testify as an individual and as a Latter-day Saint that I
know that God has revealed this law unto this people. I know that if
we had not obeyed that law we should have been damned; the judgments
of God would have rested upon us; the kingdom of God would have
stopped right where we were when God revealed that law unto us. Why
have we obeyed it? I obeyed it because I want my wife or wives with me
after death; I want my wives and children with me in the morning of
the resurrection; I want my wives and children organized in the family
organization, that I may dwell with them and they with me, throughout
all eternity, as well as with Father Abraham and other men who honored
and obeyed that law. This is the position we occupy. We have obeyed
the law because God has commanded us, and I bear record of its truth;
and so far as I am concerned, if I can have my wives and children with
me in the morning of the resurrection, so that I can dwell with them
and with those Patriarchs and Prophets who obeyed that law, it will
amply repay me for the trials and tribulations I may have had to pass
through in the course of my life here upon the earth. Many men suppose
that we have obeyed that law to gratify the lusts of the flesh. Bless
your soul, if that had been our object, we might have followed the
example of the people of the Christian world—committed whoredom and
adultery—without bringing upon ourselves the cares, pains, and
penalties that we have to bear by obeying this law. But let me tell
you that the Latter-day Saints look upon adultery as one of the
greatest crimes any man can commit in this world. It is next to
murder. No, this people have not obeyed that law because of a desire
to gratify the lusts of the flesh; they have observed it in obedience
to the command of God, and because it will have power and effect after
death.
I pray God to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us, that our ears may be
open to hear and our hearts to understand the things of the kingdom of
God, which is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.