On account of the breeze that is playing beneath this shade, brother
Brigham thought I had better put on my hat, but I never feel as though
I wanted to wear my hat when he is present. I consider that the master
should wear his hat, or hang it on the peg that God made for it, which
is his head, of course.
I feel tolerably well as to health today, but I suffer much from bad
colds, and have to be very careful, for I am often confined in my
house with colds. I took a very violent cold here last Sabbath, by
sitting in the draft, and I have not felt very well since, still I
feel ambitious in the cause that I have espoused. The things
concerning which brother Grant has this day been speaking are good,
and I believe in his doctrines because they are true, especially in
regard to our being one. I do know most definitively that unless we
are one we are not Christ's; and I also know that if we are not one
with brother Brigham, our leader, we are not one with Christ. Yes, I
know this, and my feelings are and have been with brother Brigham all
the time.
I have learned by experience that there is but one God that pertains
to this people, and He is the God that pertains to this earth—the
first man. That first man sent his own Son to redeem the world, to
redeem his brethren; his life was taken, his blood shed, that our sins
might be remitted. That Son called twelve men and ordained them to be
Apostles, and when he departed the keys of the kingdom were deposited
with three of those twelve, viz.: Peter, James, and John. Peter held
the keys pertaining to that Presidency, and he was the head.
How did these keys come to us? Did not Peter, James, and John, ordain
Joseph Smith our Prophet? They did. And Joseph Smith called and
ordained brother Brigham, brother Heber, brother Parley, and
others, enough to make twelve Apostles. Thus you see that there is
always a governing principle in the Church upon the earth; there is
always a Presidency, three who represent the Deity here on the earth.
Just think of your position; you have heard the teachings and
instructions of President Young, and his instructions are the word of
God to us, and I know that every man and woman in this Church who
rejects his testimony, and the testimony of those that he sends,
rejects the testimony of God his Father. I know that, just as well as
I know that I see your faces today.
Where will those go to that reject this Gospel? Why, in reality they
will not go anywhere. [A voice from the stand: They will not go
anywhere else, for they have no other place to go to.] They will
remain where they are, in hell, where my spirit was for a short time,
when I was in England. Where was my body during that brief period? It
was in Preston, on the corner of Wilford Street, but my spirit could
see and observe those evil spirits as plainly as it ever will after I
die. Legions of disembodied evil spirits came against me, organized in
companies that they might have more power, but they had not power over
me to any great extent, because of the power that was in and
sustaining me. I had the Priesthood, and the power of it was upon me.
I saw the invisible world of the condemned spirits, those who were
opposed to me and to this work, and to the lifting up of the standard
of Christ in that country. Did I at the same time see or have a vision
of the angels of God—of His legions? No, I did not; though they were
there and stood in defense of me and my brethren, and I knew it. And
all this not that there was any very great virtue in me, but there was
virtue in the Priesthood and Apostleship which I held, and God would
and did defend; and the evil spirits were dispersed by the power of
God.
Some people suppose that when they leave this state of existence they
are going into the paradise of God, but if they do not overcome evil
and subject themselves to the will of God and to him that is appointed
to lead us here in the flesh, they will become subject to those wicked
spirits. Angels will not come by legions to defend those whose faith
fails them when the destroyer comes, but he will be permitted to waste
the wicked. I never said that I ever saw an angel from God, though I
have dreamed about them; neither did I see those evil spirits with my
natural eyes, nor was I at the time asleep, but I saw them after I was
laid prostrate upon the floor.
When I recovered I sat upon the bed thinking and reflecting upon what
had past, and all at once my vision was opened, and the walls of the
building were no obstruction to my seeing, for I saw nothing but the
visions that presented themselves. Why did not the walls obstruct my
view? Because my spirit could look through the walls of that house,
for I looked with that spirit, element, and power, with which angels
look; and as God sees all things, so were invisible things brought
before me, as the Lord would bring things before Joseph in the Urim
and Thummim. It was upon that principle that the Lord showed things to
the Prophet Joseph.
I speak of these things because I do know that if you do not yield
obedience to true principles, and bring your wills into subjection
thereto, you will be overcome of evil. Jesus says, I have not come to
do my will, but the will of my Father who sent me. Upon the same
principle I say that I have not come to do my will, but to do the will
of him that sent me, even that of brother Brigham.
This is my place and my calling, and this is my wish and the
wish of brother Jedediah, of brother Amasa, of brother Parley, and of
every other Apostle that God has appointed and called upon this earth,
or ever will while we remain here. It is for brother Brigham to do the
will of Joseph, and for Joseph to do the will of Peter, for Peter to
do the will of Jesus, and for Jesus to do the will of his Father. That
is the chain that reaches from heaven to earth, and do you not
understand that it is so? If you will keep hold of that chain and keep
your hands strongly fastened in the links, you can reach into the
veil. But you must hold on firm and fast to the cable—why? Because
there is an anchor at the end of the cable, and that cable is fastened
to the ship so that it is made sure at both ends. That is the way it
is in a ship, and it is so with the kingdom of God.
My feelings are for you to learn to follow our leader, our Prophet,
our President. He will be our President in eternity, and Joseph is his
President and will counsel him, and you need not trouble yourselves,
but do as you are told and you will obtain salvation and go into the
celestial glory. You will then dwell in the same glory with Joseph,
with father Smith, with the Apostles and Saints; and by taking such a
course not one of you will fall, and I know it.
You have got to be organized and disciplined by the Priesthood, and
you have got to stick to that organization, for you cannot be saved
with a celestial glory unless you are saved by this Priesthood.
Brother Brigham says stick to it, and then we will all be saved in the
kingdom of our God.
Thousands of this world, with large herds of cattle and much substance
are fleeing to California or Oregon to escape the troubles, but they
will be caught in the snare. [President B. Young: They will, and they
will fallThe road on the Plains is full of emigrants
of that class, and there are several thousand Saints on the way here.
The handcarts are rolling, and those with them can sleep at night and
be up in the mornings, and the carts will jingle through the day; and
as soon as we can get teams, after our wheat is harvested, we shall
call on you to go back and meet them with flour and other comforts of
life; what do you say? [Yes, from many voices in the congregation.]
There are squally times in the east; they have got so that they cannot
really stand it, without drubbing each other with canes. The world is
in commotion; I have been talking about it here, and about the state
of affairs in this Church, and what we have got to do, and I cannot
get this subject out of my mind, no, not for one moment.
Brethren and sisters, take care of your grain; do not waste any of
your grain, for you will need it all; and do not make an unwise or
unsaintly disposition of it. I beg of you to attend to this counsel,
for I have told it three or four times; not because I profess to be a
Prophet, but because I naturally see the necessity for so doing. The
people are out of grain and out of bread, and I have but little
myself; and from what I see, I should think that very many had none,
for if you were to go to my house and stay one day, you would see
enough to craze you, for they come in crowds and are hungry, and I
feel to pity them, but I cannot feed all creation.
Suppose all this people had been wise and taken counsel, would they
have suffered the present destitution? No, they would not. Much of our
grain has been consumed by our enemies, by those who care not for what
they have to pay, for Uncle Sam pays their bills. Shall they have our
grain this year? Doubtless many of this people will sell their
grain to them at a low price, and thus they will be fed, while many
worthy persons will see straitened circumstances through lack of food,
and I see this naturally. This is a numerous people, and they have no
surplus of bread, not a particle, and our crop is very light in many
places; there are hundreds and thousands of men that have lost their
crops entirely. I understand that brother Grant has lost a great
portion of his crop, and thousands of acres have been parched up for
the want of water, and there will be but little wheat, not near enough
to supply the wants of this people, and bring them safely through to
another harvest.
In addition to our present number, according to accounts that I see,
there are five thousand Saints ready for the Plains at one place, and
five thousand more at another, besides those that are casually falling
into the ranks, and they have to eat as well as we, until another
harvest.
I speak of these things to warn and forewarn you to take care of your
grain and save it, and it will be better for you to do this, even
though in so doing you have to go barefooted. And it will be better
for the sisters to let fine shoes, fine dresses, fine bonnets,
ribbons, veils, laces, and all other imported finery stay in the
stores until they rot, than to let their grain go for such articles.
Will you take the course that you have been exhorted to take? If you
do not, a few men may not suffer, but the majority will. I do firmly
believe that our bread has been blest and multiplied this season, for
I know there was not enough in the Territory to sustain the people.
However, the present scarcity is one of the best things that ever
happened to this people, for it will teach them wisdom. This is one of
the poorest countries for occupancy for Gentiles that I have ever
seen, though for the same reasons it is at present the very best for
the Saints, for we can get along in it better than any other people.
There are those here who will censure brother Brigham and me,
notwithstanding all that we have done for them. [President B. Young:
We do not care what they say about us, if they will not steal.] There
is but little left in this Territory, so far as bread is concerned.
Brother Brigham and I have had to put our families on half rations, in
order that we might have wherewith to feed the destitute, and they now
say that they feel better than they did before; and I judge, from the
testimony that they have given, that it is best to keep them on short
rations, for they are fat and fair, and enjoy a good portion of the
Spirit of God.
Now, as anciently, the more some are blest, the more they complain;
the more the Lord pours out His blessings upon some, the more covetous
they are, and a great many of such characters will go to the devil.
Brother Brigham and I would rather see our families beg for a living,
go poor, penniless, and afflicted, and become sanctified, become
celestial beings, and enter into glory, than to see them transgress
the law of God. The bodies we do not care so much about, though we
intend to support them in time and eternity.
I believe that Joseph has got the Church organized in the spirit
world, and that he calls and sends the Elders to preach the Gospel to
the spirits in prison.
Inasmuch as we do right, we shall have good times and prosper; and the
majority of this people are honest and righteous, and they will be
saved in the kingdom of God, for they will cleave to brother Brigham
forever, and will be one family. And if I am not very much mistaken,
I shall be along with brother Brigham; and if there is anything
necessary for me to do, I will do it, though it takes my head off from
my shoulders, for I am to be one and will be one with those who will
be one with brother Brigham. I will go into the celestial kingdom with
him and with Joseph, also with Peter, Paul, Adam, Noah, Job, Daniel,
and all the ancient worthies, Prophets and Apostles, that ever lived
in this world, and we will dwell there forever. I am on the right
track; "Mormonism" is the pride of my heart, and I take no pride in
anything else. If I was driven to break up my home tomorrow, I would
not cry for anything which I have on this earth.
Do you suppose that I would cry at being compelled to leave my house?
Do you wish to know what I would do with it? I would say, let the
houses and everything else go. Just before I left Nauvoo, I had
finished me a good house, and when compelled to start, I told the
devil to take it and stick it in his hat, and I would go to the
mountains and get rich.
Many think that they are going right into the celestial kingdom of
God, in their present ignorance, to at once receive glories and
powers; that they are going to be Gods, while many of them are so
ignorant, that they can see or know scarcely anything. Such people
talk of becoming Gods, when they do not know anything of God, or of
His works; such persons have to learn repentance, and obedience to the
law of God; they have got to learn to understand angels, and to
comprehend and stick to the principles of this Church.
I feel to pray that the Lord may preserve you all from every evil. As
for the departure from this state of existence, it is but for a little
moment; and though I have not tasted death, yet I have seen in vision
the invisible enemies of God, and they were organized and arranged in
battle against one or two men, simply because those men were going to
proclaim the Gospel to the nations, and the devil did not like it; and
the devil will work against every man who goes into a new place to
preach the Gospel. As to the length of that vision, after they took
their departure, brother Willard Richards said that it was an hour and
a half that we were in the vision, though it seemed to me not to have
been a moment. One of the devils spoke, and said to brother Hyde, "I
have said nothing against you."
I did not contend with them, and I assure you it was enough for me to
look upon them; though I expect, after passing through the valley of
death, that I shall preach to companies and nations of those spirits
that are in prison. Those that were disobedient in the days of Noah?
No, but to those that have been disobedient in the days of Joseph and
Brigham, and that have been condemned for their sins; and we shall
have many of them to contend with.
They will come by and by in legions, but we shall have power to
overcome by the power of God. They will have great power in the last
days, and if you do not overcome them, you will fall into the same
spirit; and you will be as liable to be deceived in that state of
existence as you are in this, if you turn against God or this kingdom.
I bear testimony of this, and I wish you would listen to counsel and
lay aside every sin that doth so easily beset you, and turn to the
Lord with full purpose of heart.
Brother Brigham has fellow laborers here, and they are just as good
men as any that ever lived upon this earth. Adam and Jesus, and all
the Prophets, down to the present, have contemplated this work, and
would have rejoiced to live in our day, that they might have
participated while in the flesh, in the glories of the last days.
We cannot become perfect, without we are assisted by our
heavenly Father. We must be faithful and of one heart, and one mind,
and let every man and woman take a course to build up and not pull
down. See that you save your grain, that you may save yourselves from
the wicked of the world. Try to take care of everything that is good
to eat, for this is the work of the Lord God Almighty, and we shall
have times that will test the integrity of this people, that will test
who is honest and who is not.
Omitting prayer is calculated to lead the mind away from those duties
which are incumbent upon us; then let us attend to our prayers and all
our duties, and you will know that brother Brigham and his brethren
have told you of these things.
Rejoice in all things brought forth in these last days, for the time
will come when you will say that we indeed live in the last
dispensation.
The trials in the last days will be numerous, but to the faithful they
will be of but small moment, for they will live above these things,
they will increase in power. The work of God is bound to increase, and
just in that proportion will the devil's kingdom rise in power and
strength, and walk up to battle against us. The adversary is bent on
having a war with this people, we shall have him right by the side of
us, and you will find that he will keep you very busy, if you strive
to come off victorious.
We feel the responsibility that is resting upon us, and we wish to
save this people, if they will listen to our counsel, both temporal
and spiritual. I have to restrain myself, many times, from speaking of
things which pass through my mind. I naturally delight in truth and
plainness, this is my character, hence I make use of expressions and
figures which are plain and easy to be understood.
I wish to have you receive the truth and obey counsel, and become
thoroughly imbued with correct principles, that you may bring forth
that which is good, raise up righteous sons and daughters, and bear
off this kingdom, for it is beginning to work in you.
Take the boys here, the sons of our brethren and sisters, and you may
cut them into inch pieces, and they will not forsake this cause, but
they will defend it to the last. Some of them may be rough, and
perhaps some of them do not pray much, but send them into the
vineyard, and then you will see them shew forth the power that is in
them.
At present the Prophet Joseph's boys lay apparently in a state of
slumber, everything seems to be perfectly calm with them, but by and
by God will wake them up, and they will roar like the thunders of
Mount Sinai.
There is much work to be done: God is not asleep, and He will wake up
our children and they will bear off this kingdom to the nations of the
earth, and will bear testimony to the truth of this work, and of the
integrity and true character of Joseph, and Hyrum, and Brigham, of
Heber, and Jedediah, and the Twelve, and of thousands of others.
There are trying times ahead of you, do you not begin to feel and see
them? If you do not, I say you are asleep. I wish that the spirit
which rests upon a few individuals could be upon you, everyone of
you, it would be one of the most joyful times that brother Brigham and
I ever saw with the Saints of God upon this earth.
Let us be one; brethren, let us be of one heart and one mind; sisters,
listen to counsel, and then, as I have said a hundred times, you never
will want for flour and the comforts of life, from this time
henceforth and forever.
Do I believe that God can increase our substance, increase our flour
and our wheat, as He did those loaves and fishes with which
Jesus fed 5,000 people?
Supposing that there was a tub standing here and the people perishing
for want of water, could not I, were I beyond the veil, come and pour
in water? Yes, and you could not see me. Unless your eyes are touched
by the power of God, you cannot see an angel; it is as much as you can
do to see me.
Angels are ministering spirits, and do you suppose that they will see
this people want? Do you suppose that my Father will sit upon His
throne, and see us starve? No, no more than He suffered His servant
Elijah—to starve, He then inspired a bird to carry meat to His servant
Elijah, and He can do the same now.
Did He not cause manna to come from heaven? Yes, and there is plenty
more on hand.
I am telling the truths of God, and I am one with brother Brigham, and
I can bear testimony to him and of him, and our testimony is as good
as that of Peter, or of John.
Brother Brigham and I once started to travel with sixteen dollars and
fifty cents, and in five hundred miles we paid out eighty-two dollars,
and had some money left when we got to the end of our journey. Do you
not suppose that we believe in angels and holy beings, having visited
us on those occasions? Cannot angels furnish Saints with money? Our
wants were supplied, and we are witnesses of the fact, and we still
live, and shall continue to live, and bear testimony to this
generation.
Do you not think that angels can bring flour? Can they not go and take
it from those who have plenty, and put it in the empty bins, sacks,
and barrels belonging to good men, and that too without your knowing
it? It is very common for one to increase, and for another to
decrease.
Prepare yourselves for the future scenes through which you may be
called to pass.
May the Lord God of Israel bless you all, is my prayer. Amen.
- Heber C. Kimball