I will read a portion of the 103rd Section of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, commencing at the 5th paragraph:
"But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my
people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour
unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.
"Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against
mine enemies from this very hour.
"And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their
God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until
the kingdoms of the world are all subdued under my feet, and the earth
is given unto the saints, to possess it forever and ever.
"But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to
observe all my words, the kingdoms of this world shall prevail against
them.
"For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors
of men;
"And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt
that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be
cast out and trodden under foot of men.
"But verily I say unto you, I have decreed that your brethren which
have been scattered shall return to the land of their inheritances, and
build up the waste places of Zion.
"For after much tribulation, as I have said unto you in a former
commandment, cometh the blessing."
I am thankful, my brethren and sisters, for the opportunity of meeting
with you today under such favorable circumstances, and partaking of
that peaceable influence which prevails always in the midst of
the Saints of God. It is a great blessing which God has bestowed upon
us in giving unto us peace. It is a blessing that is beyond price,
incomparably greater than almost any other blessing that we can enjoy;
for without it the other blessings that we might have would be, to a
great extent, obscured by the absence of peace.
I have been asked by a few whom I have met since my arrival yesterday
morning in the city, if there is not a great deal of excitement in the
east concerning us. Some of the utterances of the papers probably have
given this impression. But so far as my observation has gone I have
seen no greater excitement at this time than is usual, or has been
usual in years past, prior to the meeting of Congress. There is
doubtless a desire on the part of those who are anxious to do us an
injury, to endeavor, by misrepresentation and falsehood, to arouse
feelings against us, and to make it appear necessary to politicians
and public men that something should be done with us to check the
growth of this much feared organization of the Church of God. And it
is astonishing—it would be at least astonishing if we had not seen so
many instances of this character—how men resort to the most unfounded
falsehoods—falsehoods which do not have even the color or foundation
or the semblance of anything real and truthful—to accomplish their
purposes. But presuming upon the credulity of the public respecting
everything connected with our Church and our organization and
movements, men abandon themselves to the most reckless assertions
concerning us, without seeming to have the least fear of their being
contradicted, and thinking, appar ently, that anything they can say
about us, however false, will be swallowed by the credulous public. In
this very thing consists, to a great extent, the weakness of the
opposition that is arrayed against the Church of God. Falsehood has no
existence only so far as the mere relation or statement of it is
concerned. There is no foundation to it. There is nothing tangible
about it. It is a lie, and it may be said, therefore, to be
nonexistent. And this opposition against us—that is, opposition of
this character—can do us in the end no real injury, because truth must
eventually prevail, in our case at least. That which is real, that
which is true, that which is genuine, that which has an existence,
must in the very nature of things prevail in the contest with
falsehood and misrepresentation. In this consists, I may say, our
strength. We know that these statements which are made, so many of
them, concerning us are false, and we can afford to wait to see the
developments which will follow, especially when we understand, as we
do, that God, our Eternal Father, has made promises unto us concerning
this very condition of things to which I am now alluding. It is not a
new thing for us to have this to contend with. We have been warned
about it from the beginning, and in fact before the Church itself was
organized. The Prophet Joseph was told what he might expect, and what
all who associated themselves with him in the belief and practice of
the truth might expect, and the warnings that were then given, and
which have been so often repeated since to us as a people, certainly
have had the effect of preparing us—to some extent at least—to
encounter the evils with which we have been assailed and with which we have had to cope. God, our Eternal Father, as I have said,
has made promises unto us concerning this. We are not left to imagine
what shall be the result. The mind of the Latter-day Saint is not left
a prey to apprehensions and fears; for God, by His word, has removed
these, and has given us immutable promises which the experience of 53
years has proved to us to be reliable. We have proved them to be true
in the past, and we certainly can rely upon them for the future.
There is only one thing connected with this work—speaking for myself
individually—concerning which I have any fear, and that is ourselves.
I never had any feeling of fear while I was at Washington, and the
clouds were dark and menacing, and our enemies were threatening and
active in their preparations to assail us; I never had, I can
truthfully say, any fear as to the result of their operations so long
as the Saints at home were united and were seeking to keep the
commandments of God. But when I heard, as I did upon one or two
occasions, about division—for instance in election matters—and hearing
of brethren not being united upon questions of policy, then, I confess
that a feeling—a sickening feeling, if I may so describe it—would
sometimes take possession of me.
God, in the revelation that I have read to you, has plainly given a
promise unto this people, this Church.
"But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my
people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour
unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.
"Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against
mine enemies from this very hour.
"And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their
God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until
the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is
given unto the saints, to possess it forever."
Now, here is a promise that the Lord has given, He says, by a positive
decree. It is a promise given with conditions, and if the conditions
should be observed we may rest assured that the promise, in its
entirety will be fulfilled. There are no reservations about it, only
the reservation connected with the condition upon which it is made.
"They shall prevail" —that is if they keep His commandments, if they
observe the counsel which He has given unto us. Now in the next
paragraph he says:
"But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to
observe all my words, the kingdoms of this world shall prevail
against them." Our fate, therefore, as a people—that is, as
individuals at least—is plainly pointed out unto us in these two or
three paragraphs. The principle upon which we can be successful as a
people is given unto us so that we cannot be mistaken concerning it.
Also if we should be unsuccessful, if we should fail and become
subject to our enemies, the causes by which subjection shall be
brought to pass are plainly pointed out to us. The experience of the
years that have elapsed since this revelation was given in which these
promises are embodied, has proved to us most clearly the truth of the
word of the Lord here spoken. There has never been an hour since the
Lord gave this word unto the Church—not one hour—that they have not
prevailed over His enemies, when they have hearkened unto His
words and kept His commandments. Where we have been surrounded by
circumstances of the most threatening character, when there seemed to
be no possible way of escape, God has opened, in the most marvelous
manner, the path before this people and made it plain, and that which
has seemed like an impassable barrier before them has been removed,
and they have been enabled to pursue the path that was right for them
to walk in. We know by experience that when the Latter-day Saints have
been most faithful, have been most diligent, when they have been most
zealous in preaching the Gospel, in building temples, in carrying out
the word of our God as He has given it unto us, then the anger of our
enemies has been most fierce against us. But notwithstanding the
fierceness and the heat with which it has burned, it has been
powerless against this people to injure us or to interfere in any
manner with our growth, and with the accomplishment of the purposes of
God entrusted to us. God knows this is so, and we know it. We have
proved it to our entire satisfaction—it seems to me so at least. It is
no good sign for us to be beloved by the world, and to be spoken
kindly of by the world, however pleasant it may be to us, and however
much we may shrink from the opposite condition of affairs, and dread
its manifestation, and wish that it could be otherwise—and it is
natural to human nature to shrink from these trials—nevertheless it is
one of the worst signs for us as a people to be spoken well of by the
world, and to be free from threatenings, from opposition, and from
hatred. It is not the true condition for the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints to be in, to be petted by the world, to be fostered
by the world, to be spoken well of by the world, to be welcomed by the
world, to have favor showered upon it by the world, because we ought
not to be of the world, God having chosen us out of the world. Our
true condition is that which we occupy today. I welcome it; I thank
God for it; for the manifestations that I see around me concerning us,
bear ample testimony to me that the Latter-day Saints are striving to
keep the commandments of God; that they are doing the will of God, or
this anger, these manifestations of hatred, this intense opposition,
these groundless accusations would not have an existence against us. I
say this is the condition that God has designed that we should occupy,
and instead of our feeling to dread it, to wish it were otherwise, to
shrink from it, let us rather glory in it, thank God from the bottom
of our hearts that we are connected with his work and have the
privilege of taking part in such scenes as these—scenes in which our
predecessors, who have gone to the rest of our God, have shared, in
their day and generation. Let us thank Him that we live upon the earth
and have this opportunity—this great and glorious opportunity—of
showing unto Him that we are devoted to that Gospel that He has
revealed, to its principles, its ordinances, its endowments and
powers, and to the Church that is organized upon the earth, in the
plenitude of its power, in these last days. These are opportunities
for which we should be most profoundly grateful. Instead of shrinking
from them, instead of being sorry for them, instead of feeling to
dread them, we should have the opposite feeling, one of thankfulness
and gratitude unto God that we are permitted to share in them, and to
live at a time like the present. I thank God with all my heart
for this myself: and so far as these manifestations are concerned,
they cause only one feeling within me—have done so far—and that is a
feeling of rejoicing and thanksgiving within my bosom to see the
fulfillment of the predictions of the holy prophets concerning this
work, and the hatred of the world against it.
Now, what have we to fear? The only cause of fear in my mind is, as I
have said, concerning ourselves—divisions, differences of views, ideas
concerning the course that should be pursued, that may not be in
accordance with the mind and will of God. It is of the utmost
importance to us as a people that we should be united. Our strength,
our prosperity, our success in the past, have been due to union. It is
the union of the people that has been hated, and that has brought
upon us the persecution that we have had to contend with. That is all
that gives us importance in the earth. Strip us of union, and what is
there about 200,000 Latter-day Saints in the Rocky Mountains that is
at all remarkable or worthy of note? Well, we would be like 200,000
people anywhere else, full of division and strife, who do not amount
to anything or have any particular importance. But unite 150,000 or
200,000 people together, of one heart and of one mind, a people who
are increasing, and there is a power manifest that impresses men. They
feel that there is an unusual power and influence there which they
cannot comprehend, it is so different from the systems with which they
are familiar. The fact that these people are united creates a dread in
the breasts of those who dislike them. It is this, my brethren and
sisters, that has given us influence, that has given us importance,
that has made us what we are, that causes us to occupy the position
that we do. Take this away from us, and we are indeed, as this
revelation has said, like salt that has lost its savor, good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot of men. Take away
from us as a people the principle of union, and you take away from us
the salt that makes us the savor that we are today. And it is of the
utmost importance for us as a people, that we should keep this
constantly in view. It is against this and against that authority
which makes us a united people, that the whole of the attack against
us is directed. It is the revelations of Jesus Christ, through that
Priesthood coming unto us, giving testimony unto us by the Holy Ghost,
that has brought us unto this union, unto this oneness that is so
characteristic of this Church. It is against the authority that has
produced these results, that the whole strength of the adversaries of
this kingdom is directed.
We hear about plural marriage, or polygamy as it is termed. That is
merely a war cry. It is merely used because it is a popular
catchword, and they who use it know full well that they only use it
in that form and for that purpose; but that is not the real thing at
issue. There is something more than that, deeper than that, higher
than that, broader than that; but it is not necessary to let it be
known that they are aiming at that. Polygamy, therefore, answers the
purpose. It appeals to the ignorant; it excites the clergy; it stirs
up the passions of the impure, and it inflames the hatred that is
necessary to intensify this conflict. But if such a thing were
possible that polygamy could be wiped out today, without wiping out
our faith and making us apostates, and every man who has a
plural wife was to put her away, it would not lessen the hatred of
those who oppose this work—not one particle. Of course, if we became
apostates we would be like the world, and we would be of the world.
But I repeat, it is not polygamy; we know that. We know that the
fiercest persecution we have passed through in our experience was
anterior to the practice of polygamy, was when polygamy was not a
doctrine of this Church, when it was not a practice of any member of
this Church. Therefore, the hatred that is entertained today against
this work is not traceable to that doctrine nor to that practice. It
is the organization of the Church of God upon the earth. It is the
restoration of the Holy Priesthood. It is the authority by which man
is bound to man, by the effective bond of union that has been so
wonderfully manifest in the history of this people from the
commencement until the present time. It is that which is hated. It is
the gathering of the people together. As General Clark said, who led
the militia at Far West, when the brethren were prisoners, said he: "I
would advise you to scatter abroad, and never again organize
yourselves with Bishops, Presidents, etc., lest you excite the
jealousies of the people, and subject yourselves to the same
calamities that have now come upon you * * * my advice is that you become as
other citizens lest by a recurrence of these events you bring upon
yourselves irretrievable ruin."
Unwittingly he told a great truth pregnant with meaning. That is
really the great cause of hatred against this people. If you were to
divide up and cease to listen to your Bishops, to your presiding
author ities, to the Presidents of your Stakes, to the Apostles, to the
Presidency of the Church, what is there about you that would excite
opposition? What is there about you that would make you worthy of
newspaper notice? As I have said, you would be like any other number
of citizens who are not banded together by the ties of the everlasting
covenant and of the Gospel. Having had the truth, and having had the
savor of righteousness, you would be like salt that had lost its
savor, it would be good for nothing, fit for no other purpose but to
be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. This figure of the
Savior's in this revelation—and as He used it to His disciples—is a
most forcible and comprehensive figure. There is no article in the
world that is so utterly worthless as salt after it has lost its
savor. You cannot use it for any purpose, and it is good for nothing
except to be trodden under the feet of men. And how truthfully it is
exemplified in the history of this people. When a man has lost the
Spirit of God, become an apostate to the work of God, of what further
use is he? He is good for nothing. He don't make even a good
sectarian. And it would be so with us as a people if we were to lose
the salt of the Spirit of God; we would be good for nothing.
Now, there is only one way in which the commandments of God can be
revealed unto us. God has not left this in doubt. He has not left us
to grope in the dark respecting His methods of revealing His mind and
will unto His children. In the very beginning of the work of God in
these last days, to remove all doubt upon this subject, God gave
revelations unto this Church in exceeding great plainness, and there
was one principle that was emphatically dwelt upon and
enforced, namely, that there was but one channel, one channel alone,
through which the word of God and the commandments of God should come
to this people. The word of God was not to come from the people up. It
was not vox populi, vox dei, but it was to be vox dei, vox populi—that
is, the voice of God and then the voice of the people—from God
downward through the channel that He should appoint; by the means that
He should institute, that word should come to the people, and when
obeyed by the people would bring the union and the love and the
strength consequent upon union and love. And this has been the
peculiarity and the excellence of this work of God thus far in the
earth. Its excellence has consisted in this. Its power, its glory, the
glory that we have as a people, the glory that belongs to the Church
of God consists in this peculiar feature, that the word of God to us
comes from God and not from the people. It is received by the people,
accepted by the people, submitted to by the people, and this has
produced the union and the love, as I have said, that have
characterized the work thus far in its progress in the earth. Take
away from it this feature and it becomes weak as water that is
unconfined. There is no strength to it. There is nothing to be feared
about it. There is nothing to excite animosity or hatred. But give it
this feature and it becomes a power in the earth. Even if there were
only six men it would be a power. Let there be twelve and it is twice
the power, and you go on doubling it, and it increases in a
proportionate ratio, and it will do so, as long as that principle is
maintained and lived up to. God revealed that prin ciple in the
beginning. Oliver Cowdery—a representation of whose ordination is
given to us on this ceiling—received at the same time that the Prophet
Joseph did the Aaronic Priesthood. John the Baptist, who last held the
keys of the Aaronic Priesthood in the flesh upon the earth, laid his
hands upon Joseph, the Prophet, and him at the same time. He
afterwards received, in common with Joseph, the administration of
those who had held the keys of the Apostleship in the flesh on the
earth—that is, Peter, James and John. They administered unto him at
the same time that they administered unto Joseph, upon the same
occasion, and he became an Apostle with Joseph, being the second
Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, it
might be thought that a man thus favored, favored to receive the
Aaronic Priesthood, favored to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and
Apostleship at the same time with the Prophet, favored with the
privilege of baptizing the Prophet of God, and of sealing upon him the
gift of the Holy Ghost; it might be thought, I say, that a man thus
favored would have stood alongside of the Prophet and been of equal
authority in giving the word of God in writing unto the people. But
no. God drew a distinction and plainly told Oliver Cowdery that that
which he wrote to this Church should not be by way of commandment to
the Church, but by wisdom. The Lord said to him, "If thou art led at
any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by way of
commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not
write by way of commandment, but by wisdom." It was only one man's
privilege, one man's authority to stand pre-eminent in the
earth at one time holding the keys and giving the commandments of
God—or rather the Lord giving His commandments through him in writing
to the Church.
In the early days there was a man that was a witness to the Book of
Mormon, who had been selected by the Lord to handle the plates, to
heft them, and then to write his testimony concerning that which he
had seen and felt. He obtained possession of a seer stone—or as it is
called sometimes, a peep-stone. Through this peep-stone he professed
to obtain revelations, which he wrote. And the Lord gave a commandment
upon the subject, and Oliver Cowdery was commanded to take Hiram Page
by himself and talk to him upon the subject. He was instructed to tell
him that that which he had received through that stone was not of God,
and that Satan deceived him. He was told that this power was not given
to him, and "neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this
church contrary to the church covenants." That is, there was only one
man upon the earth who had a right to give to the Church commandments
concerning the word of God, and the conduct of the word of God, and
that was the man whom He had selected. Thus plainly in the very
beginning of this work, the very threshold of it, there was no doubt
left upon the minds of those who received the revelations of God
concerning the policy of the Lord in the building up of this work upon
the earth. You can see, readily, if you will reflect for a few moments
upon the subject how necessary it is that this should be the case.
Invest two men with that power, and what is the result? Why, there is
an opportunity for division. Invest twelve men with it, and you have
the same result to an increased extent. Invest the whole body of the
people with it, and what would be the result? You can understand this
by a very little reflection. It is not God's way of doing. It is not
God's manner of building up His kingdom. It is not the way that He has
founded His Church, neither in this day nor in any other day when He
had a church upon the earth. It is through this source that
commandments must come to the people of God. It is through this source
that the word of God has come to this people during the 53 years that
have now elapsed. The prosperity of this people, their success, and
the triumphs that have attended this work are due to this, that God
has chosen one man, and through him has given His word unto His
people, and by listening to His counsel, by obeying the manifestations
of God through him, they have been led in this career of prosperity
upon which we have entered, and in which we are now traveling. I wish
to impress this with all the power of which I am capable upon the
minds of my brethren and sisters who are here today, and upon this
entire Church. I wish them to understand it. I bear testimony, as a
servant of God, that this is the way, God having revealed it unto me
to my perfect knowledge, to my perfect satisfaction and understanding.
There can be no two channels; there is but one; God having chosen but
one. Now, as long as we keep this in mind we are in no danger as a
people—that is if we keep it in mind and obey it. I am willing to
stake my reputation—I never claim to be much of a prophet; I do not
talk much about prophecy—but as a servant of God I am willing to stake
my reputation in making this statement, that if you will
listen to the voice of God as manifested through His servant who
stands at our head, you never will, from this time forward until
eternity dawns upon you—you never will be overcome by your enemies or
by the enemies of God's kingdom. I know this as well as I can know
anything that has not been accomplished. There is danger among us of
becoming divided. We are menaced now by our enemies. They would like
to divide us. Already they have made a discrimination which they hoped
would be attended with some great results. They have by their laws
deprived the fathers of this people, the leaders of this people, the
men who have borne the heat and the burden of the day—they have
deprived them of those rights which belong to us as much at least as
they belong to them. They have sought to humble us in the dust. The
elite of this people, the foremost men, the men who have been the
foremost in enterprise and in every good work—and this is not saying
anything disparaging concerning those who are not of this class—have
been singled out just as you would single out of a conquered tribe of
Indians the chiefs. The chiefs have been marked, the ruling men have
been deposed, and another class have been told that they now can come
to the front. Why, it has reminded me of the tyranny which has been so
obnoxious in times past—the tyranny of Great Britain in her treatment
of the people of India. The ruling men all deprived of their power.
The king deposed. But this has never been done except as a result of
war. The king deposed; ruling chiefs, men of influence, authority and
power among the people, have been stripped of all, and another king
and other chiefs set to rule, by the authority of the conqueror. But
this has never been done unless as a consequence of war. But here in a
time of profound peace, in a Territory unexampled for its prosperity,
the wonder and admiration of every candid and reflecting mind; a
Territory of this kind, because our religion is not popular, and
because of our union that is so dreaded, the ruling men, without any
trial or conviction, without proof of any guilt, have been removed, so
to speak—that is, everything has been done that has been possible to
take away from them that authority and that influence which rightfully
belongs to them, which they have earned by long years of faithful
labor in the midst of the people, earned them legitimately and
properly, having no influence that they have received from ancestry
or from wealth—having no influence but the influence that God has
given them, and that they have earned by their own good deeds. These
men, in the attempt to break up this people; to divide them
asunder—these men have been told, "You step aside. We will strip you
of your power and of your influence. We will humble you in the midst
of the people. We will take away from you all the influence that we
can, and we will see if we cannot divide you by this process." That is
the object. It is, as I have said, to divide us, to arouse ambitions
in the minds of others, to endeavor to stir them up to pay no heed and
to disregard entirely the counsels and the examples of the men who
have been faithful, and who are thus thrust aside. What will be its
effect? Ask yourselves this question yourselves. You Latter-day
Saints, with you remains the answer. It is for you to say
whether the devices of the wicked are going to have the effect of
causing you not to heed the man of God, the man who holds the keys of
the Eternal Priesthood of God, the man chosen by eternity, by the Lord
himself; it is for you to say whether you by these devices, will no
longer pay heed and attention to his counsels. It is for you to answer
this momentous question. I am in no fear as to the result. I have no
doubts myself as to the result. There may be unwise persons among us.
There may be some who may not have faith. There may be some who may be
prompted by some improper ambition; but I am glad that in the
providence of God there is an opportunity given to all such to show
their true characters, if there be such among us. I accept all these
things as wise in the providence of our God, He having this work in
charge; I accept it as one of His divine providences in regard to this
work, to test this people, to prove us, to put us upon trial, to have
us learn ourselves; and not only this, but to show the world—the great
world of mankind, who are looking now with intense expectation,
watching the results of these experiments in Utah—that we may show
unto them that God is still with us, and that notwithstanding all the
efforts of the wicked, we are still a united people, willing to listen
to the voice of God, through his divinely appointed servant—the medium
that He has chosen. The world must know that the men through whose
administrations we have received these precious gifts of the Gospel,
are still the men who have authority with God, and who have a claim
upon His blessings and His sustaining care. These results I expect to
see wrought out by this that is now being done.
It is a most extraordinary thing that this Edmunds law—a law which is
so unconstitutional in every aspect—should now be looked upon almost
as a meritorious law, and that because we have not split into pieces
under its operation, and it has not produced the results designed by
its author, and those who urged its passage—it should now, as I have
said, be talked about as though it were a benign law, and designed for
our good; and because we do not accept it as such it should be
considered as a sufficient reason that there should be additional
legislation! It is a most extraordinary position to assume. Yet this
is the position that is taken by many.
Now, my brethren and sisters, I used a figure many years ago, when we
used to meet in the old bowery, before the new tabernacle was built,
to which I will refer today. It was at a time when there was
considerable talk about our moving away from here. Astrologers were
predicting this, and there were some who seemed inclined to put
credence in their sayings. In remarks upon one occasion I said, that
it had been my habit when I crossed the ocean—and I had been on both
the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans many times—when a storm came up,
or we appeared to be in danger from ice or any other cause—to watch
the captain of the ship. I noted his demeanor, and I thought that by
it I could form a correct idea of our danger. He knew the ship. He
knew her capabilities. He knew, probably better than anyone else about
our position and our danger, and therefore, as I have said, I took
pleasure in watching his demeanor. And so it is in regard to the work
of God. It is my privilege as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ to
have the revelations of Jesus. It is my privilege to live so
as to have the gift of prophecy, and to have wisdom and knowledge from
God. It is my privilege to have all these gifts and blessings resting
down upon me by virtue of my calling. If I am faithful thereto they
will rest upon me. But it is not my privilege to guide this ship. It
is not my privilege to write revelations or commandments to this
Church. Much as I may rejoice in the knowledge of God, much as I may
be possessed of the revelations of Jesus, that is not a privilege
which has been accorded unto me, nor has it been accorded unto any
other Apostle, or officer, or member of this Church, but one, and that
is the man whom God has chosen to hold the keys. Therefore, in times
of danger, whatever my own feelings may be—and as those who are
acquainted with me know, I have pronounced opinions generally upon
every subject that is brought up—notwithstanding this characteristic,
I look always, and always have looked to the man whom God has placed
to preside over His people. I watch his demeanor. I know that it is
for him to give the signal. It is for him to direct the movements of
the crew of the Ship Zion. It is for him to direct how she shall be
steered, so far as human power is necessary for this purpose, and when
there are no tremors in him, when there are no indications of fear on
his part, when he feels serene and confident, I know that I can do so
with the utmost safety, and that this entire people can trust in that
God who has placed a prophet, a seer, and a revelator to preside over
His people upon the earth. We need not be afraid. We need not tremble.
We need not give way to anxiety. That which we ought to do is to seek
for the mind and will of God. I wish that the men of Zion would do
this more than they do. I am jealous for my God. I am jealous for the
authority of the Holy Priesthood that He has bestowed upon men. I
dislike to see my brethren yield to the influence of those who are
outside of us, and who assail this work and say, "you are governed too
much by your leaders." When I see men doing that I fear and tremble
for them. They yield to an influence that is not of God, the influence
of the world, the influence that is fighting Zion. I like to see a man
loyal to this work, loyal to the cause of God, loyal to the Holy
Priesthood, determined to stand by it. It is all that has saved us
thus far; it is all that has given us power thus far in the earth, and
when we desert that, God will desert us and leave us to ourselves. I
am jealous, therefore, for my God. I am jealous for the Holy
Priesthood. I am jealous for the honor, the dignity of the man who
presides over Zion, and I always have been. Through my entire life I
have had this feeling. It is not a new feeling. It is one that was
born in me, and it continues with me, and I pray that it always may be
my feeling as long as I live upon the earth. I want to die having that
feeling; I know that it is the right feeling, and that we are always
in the right path when we are seeking the counsel of God through His
appointed servant.
God help you, my brethren and sisters; God help every man in Zion; God
help me and all who stand in leading positions in this Church to bear
this in mind, and to be humble, meek and lowly, obedient to the counsel
of God's servant, that in the end God may crown us in His celestial
kingdom, which I ask in the name of Jesus, Amen.
- George Q. Cannon