Through my labors in giving the brethren and sisters their endowments,
and superintending the laborers from the different Wards, in addition
to seeing to those affairs more directly personal, my body is
considerably wearied, and that is the reason why I have requested the
Bishops to come with the brethren of their respective Wards, and to
bring the necessary tools and labor with the men, thus setting an
example, and not place that burden upon my back. I bless those
Bishops who came and labored with their brethren during the past week.
I should be relieved from such duties, but I am often compelled to
attend to them, or they would fall upon brother Brigham. I am always
willing to do all in my power to relieve him, but such cares and
labors do not all belong to him, nor to me nor to brother Grant, but
they belong to Bishops, and to those who are appointed to take the
immediate oversight of the labors, pertaining to public improvements,
to look after such matters, under the directions of the First
Presidency of this Church.
As brother Grant has just remarked, and as others have often taught,
brother Brigham has understanding, through the power and influence of
the Spirit, sufficient for teaching the Saints their duty, and if they
do not perform it, if this people do not save themselves by obeying
his counsels, they are bound to go to hell. I know this perfectly
well, and so does everyone who has the Spirit of the Lord dwelling
within him.
Compared with the hosts upon the earth, only now and then one will
receive the Gospel, and after that, only now and then one of those who
do receive the truth will be saved by it, and obtain celestial glory.
If all the Saints would obey counsel, doing as they are directed, is
there any difficulty in their being saved? No, no more than there is
raising a crop of grain. We have only to take a wise, judicious
course, listen to counsel, and obey those instructions which we
receive from this stand, from day to day, from Sabbath to Sabbath, and
from year to year. Can I save you? No, I can only advise a righteous
course, and encourage and aid in walking therein, it then remains for
them to take the course which I advise, and I always advise people to
adopt that policy which Joseph taught and advocated, and which brother
Brigham now lays before us, from day to day. This is what will save
you, and you cannot be saved upon any other principle. I have power to
save myself, and if I do not save myself, who will save me? All have
that privilege, and naught can save us but obedience to the
commandments of God. You say, that you have repented and been baptized
for the remission of sins, that you have received the gift of the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands, that you pray, pay your tithing, and
day by day, fulfil all the duties required at your hands; such a
course is saving in its nature. The most of those present have
received their endowments, their washings, and anointings, and have
made covenants to their God and their brethren, before witnesses, that
they would be faithful, that they would be true, that they would
listen to the counsels of the Lord's servants, and cease to do evil.
All who have done this have been pronounced clean, and will they then
go and pollute themselves with the wicked? I am sorry to say that a
few are unwise enough to do so.
Both men and women have also covenanted that they will have no
unlawful intercourse with each other. After all this, do any of you
make a practice of speaking evil one of another, of cheating one
another, of lying and deceiving? Yes, some who are under the covenants
just named, actually indulge in those evil practices, and I say to all
such, that if they do not repent of their follies and sins, their
washings and anointings will prove a curse instead of a blessing, and
will expedite their condemnation.
If a man sins to that degree that he is cut off from the Church, he
forfeits the blessings promised on condition of keeping his covenants.
When a man loses his membership in this Church, he also loses his
Priesthood, and of course the blessings of his endowments. Do not
flatter yourselves that you can retain the blessings of the Gospel,
and at the same time pursue a wicked course, for you cannot do it.
I feel the importance of these truths, and my mind is often exercised
and profited by contemplating upon them. The other night, as I lay in
my bed, so weary that I could not sleep, I reflected much upon the
principle of obedience, and the government of God in this Church. I
then, in my reflections, applied the principle to families in
every way, shape, and manner which I could think of, and said, in my
heart, I wish I had the skill of a ready writer and power to write
what passes through my mind. In the morning I called upon brother
Carrington and mentioned the circumstances to him, and I told him that
I wished he would write upon the subject of obedience, which he
promised to do at the earliest opportunity. I feel the importance of
this, for I know that this people cannot continue to prosper as they
have done, unless they do as they are counseled; all must be obedient
to the powers that be ordained of God.
If it is necessary for me to be subject to my file leaders, I wish to
know whether it is not equally for you, and for every High Priest,
Elder, Seventy, Apostle, and all others, to be obedient to the
Priesthood of those who are appointed to direct them? Is it not right
for all men to be obedient to their superiors? And if so, is it not
right for women and children to abide the same principle? My spirit,
my body, my family, and all I possess in this world are devoted to
this kingdom, and so I may say in regard to brother Brigham. These are
my feelings upon this subject, and I have had no different feelings
during the last twenty-five years.
Is there any difference in the wickedness of the world now and thirty
or forty years ago? I think there is. I do not now recollect of having
then heard of a divorce in all the region where I lived, and as for a
whore or a whoremonger there were few, if any, known in that locality,
and if such were found, they were considered unfit for civilized
society. But now look down and see what the world is! I have traveled
over some of it; I have traveled through most of the enlightened
portions of the United States, and much in England, and I have
generally found that those who are called the most enlightened are the
most corrupt. Does the sad condition of the world hurt my feelings?
Not particularly, for that is their own affair; but when the Saints
transgress I feel sorrowful. When brother Brigham comes here, and
chastises us through the spirit of revelation, or is moved upon to
instruct the Saints to their profit, if any portion applies to me, I
treasure it up, and humble myself before my God.
I will give you a key which brother Joseph Smith used to give in
Nauvoo. He said, that the very step of apostasy commenced with losing
confidence in the leaders of this Church and kingdom, and that
whenever you discerned that spirit, you might know that it would lead
the possessor of it on the road to apostasy. If then you have got this
spirit in your hearts, or in your families, and if brethren and
sisters, husbands and wives are contending and quarrelling one with
another, I say, there is the spirit of apostasy, there is a place
where the Spirit of God does not abide in its fulness. Do you suppose
that God, His Son, the Holy Ghost, or angels will dwell in a house
where there is quarrelling and loss of confidence in the leaders of
His appointing? Would you stay in such a habitation? Then let us
banish all strife and contention; let no children contend against
their parents, nor wives against their husbands, nor anyone against
the authorities which God has established. This should be the course
in every family, and in every quorum, and let all be actuated and
governed by the pure spirit and principles of eternal truth. Let my
family take my counsel, as I take the counsel of my President, and
they will go into celestial glory, where I am bound to go by walking
in that path.
Say to all the legions of devils between this and hell, "Walk in your
own course," and they will not have much power over us, nor
over our children. Why? Because we should live above their
allurements, and they would be obliged to go about more congenial
business, and God would defend us so long as we did not give way.
It is for us to learn to be obedient in our callings and to the
Priesthood, in our several quorums and families, and in all circles
where we associate together. This is a lesson which must be learned,
and when you learn the doctrine of obedience, you will have power to
control the weaknesses of your nature, to control yourselves in every
respect. But you never will learn this lesson, and gain this
knowledge, until you are willing to be controlled by those who lead
you in this kingdom.
I desire to stand in my place, to be beneficial to the Saints, to go
in and out before the house of Israel, pure and holy. This is my
character, and these are my wishes, notwithstanding my weaknesses,
which I admit; and this is the character of brother Brigham, and I
know it. God bless his soul forever, and he shall live forever, and go
into the courts of glory, and enjoy the society of the Father, of
Jesus, and all the Apostles; and I will be along with him there, and
so will my brethren who are faithful. We will stand so near each other
that the devil cannot get between us, and let all our brethren do the
same.
Every family should do so, and if they all did, what trouble would
there be? What could the wicked do if all the Saints stood faithful in
their own places? Do you suppose that they could commit whoredoms? If
no woman would bow to wickedness, where would be the whoredoms? Would
there be any? No, there could not be any.
After you have received your endowments, a wicked course will more
seriously affect you, it will, therefore, be requisite for you to be
much more careful how you trifle with holy principles, and transgress
your covenants. For this reason I wish the Bishops to take heed who
they recommend as worthy to receive endowments, for we shall require a
strict account from them.
We have placed Bishops in the different Wards throughout this
Territory, and they should be filled with the Holy Ghost, and know
every man and woman in their Wards, that they may be able to discern
who are worthy of receiving an endowment.
I have heard of some individuals saying, that if the Bishops come into
their houses and opened their cupboards they would split their heads
open.
That would not be a wise nor safe operation, for there are some hard
heads appointed to counsel and direct you in the path of
righteousness.
Brother Brigham and I were raised in the midst of mountains, and we
have never yet seen the time when threats would swerve us from the
line of duty.
I would like to bless all mankind, if they would take a course that
would justify me in doing so, and I have extended my hand to the
lawyers, judges, military, and civil officers of the United States,
and desire to treat them as I would my own children, but how have some
of them treated us? They have endeavored, with a few honorable
exceptions, to corrupt the morals of this people. I am opposed to
those who strive to work corruption for we wish to be pure, and their
course leads to death, hell, and the devil, while we desire to rise in
the scale of life and happiness. Amen.
- Heber C. Kimball