Brethren and sisters, while brother Samuel Richards was addressing
you, a great many reflections passed through my mind, a few of which I
will try to lay before you, in regard to the parable of the sower and
the seed. The Scripture reads—"Behold a sower went forth to sow; And
when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and
devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much
earth: and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of
earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they
had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the
thorns sprang up, and choked them: But others fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and
some thirtyfold." I have thought of this parable considerably this
winter. You will find that when the seed is cast into stony ground, it
will spring up quickly and grow rapidly, but when the sunbeams come
upon it with strength and power, it will wither and die. Have any
received the good word during what we have called the reformation, and
will they now wither and die? Or will they be like the seed that is
cast into good ground which takes root downward, and springs upward,
and bring forth the works of righteousness unto salvation? And now, as
the season advances, we will have to be more specially engaged in our
various business avocations, and shall not have so much time to spend
in hearing the word of the Lord as we have had during the past winter,
therefore let us see to it, that the plants now growing in our bosoms
do not wither and die.
I have told you, and others have, that we have no expectations in this
life of a worldly nature but what will go into the grave with us when
we go. "Mormonism" and the Priesthood which we have resting upon us
reach behind the veil, and what we have to do here is to prepare
ourselves in this channel for the blessings we expect to receive
hereafter.
It is a true remark, "He that seeks to save his life shall lose it."
What is there worth having outside of our faith and religion? If we
want to live either here or in eternity, this is the only channel
wherein we can obtain that which is really worth having. If we want to
be prospered, let us put on the yoke of Christ and keep it on, seeking
first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness, and all other
things will be added thereto. This is the only principle upon which we
can obtain aught that is of lasting worth, no matter what it is that
we want.
In order to redeem Zion, we had to come from Nauvoo to the mountains,
and we must abide here until the Lord shall say to the contrary. If we
want wives and children in eternity, we must be faithful stewards
over over those committed to our trust in time, that we may
receive an inheritance in eternity. If we want inheritances in this
world—if we want worldly possessions—we must be faithful stewards in
the things of this world, and hold them as from the Lord, always
keeping them upon the altar. No matter whether in spiritual or
temporal affairs, the principle is the same, faithfulness is required.
And if we do not feel willing to devote ourselves with heart, mind,
and talent, as well as our worldly possessions, to the cause of God,
we are not worthy to receive the inheritance to which we are looking
forward.
How is it with those who turn away and wither and die, after having
partaken of the good word of life, and partaken of the powers of the
world to come? In view of these things the Savior said unto the
generation in which he lived, "It shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for you." This
will strictly apply to us, if we turn away. Or might it not be said
with equal force, it shall be more tolerable for Carthage and Warsaw
than for us in that great day, if we turn away from the principles of
life and salvation that are poured upon us? There is no damnation so
complete as that which will come on those persons, who, after having
tasted the good word of God, after having received the principles of
life and salvation, and been made acquainted with the powers of the
world to come, again turn unto the beggarly elements of the world.
Then it becomes us to hang onto these principles and to this power—to
this principle of life and salvation which has been revealed to us—and
not let them slip from us, and we finally go down to perdition.
Do we see and appreciate the blessing of this Gospel which has been
made known to us? Sometimes I think we do, and at other times I think
we become careless and indifferent. This should never be, but we
should progress and increase in the knowledge of God and in faith, for
it is a treasure indeed, and is like all other things pertaining to
the kingdom of God. We must be faithful to increase in it, as well as
in light and knowledge. Let us get the truth and stick to it, and not
let it slip through our fingers.
We go to the ends of the earth, and proclaim this Gospel to those who
sit in darkness, and we feel desirous for the salvation of Israel—we
desire to impart to the world the good and saving feelings we possess.
This is good, and there is nothing in the world that begins to compare
with the things accomplished by the Latter-day Saints. They go upon
the principle of faith for their support, and they prosper. There is
no people equal to this people. They are the pure in heart, which
constitutes Zion. If they will only apply to their everyday lives the
principles which have brought them together, and faithfully live their
religion, they are the happiest people in the world, and a people the
Lord delights to bless, when He can do it without sending them to
hell; and there is nothing but what they will be able to accomplish,
inasmuch as they are faithful.
They love the authorities of this Church; they love brother Brigham,
and he has great influence over them. What fault has the world to find
with brother Brigham? None, except that the people are united in
sustaining him, and that his word and counsel are as the law unto
them. What right have they to find fault with or complain of this? He
has a just right to his popularity; Joseph Smith had a right to his;
the Lord gave it to them. And there is no governor, president,
emperor, or king, but what would be glad to get just such a
popularity, and is seeking for it all the time. They seek to gain an
affection in the breasts of the people over whom they preside, but
they have not that wisdom, and hence cannot obtain it, it is not for
them. But brother Brigham has obtained it, and all the rulers and all
the world are seeking the same thing and finding fault with him, and
would take his life, because he has that which they are seeking for
and cannot find. That fact of itself shows up their inconsistency.
Would not the governors of the United States be called the best men in
the world, if they had and could retain the popularity which President
Brigham Young enjoys? If there was any such person among them, the
people would say, "Let him be the governor, for his equal cannot be
found!" and yet they would destroy Governor Young, because the people
are willing to adhere to his counsel. They are afraid of the union of
Church and State, this they dread very much. Any person would like to
have all the popularity that brother Brigham has, but the people of
the world are afraid to trust any of their men with the affairs of the
nation, especially if the person happened to be a preacher, for they
have no confidence in each other nor in any of their numerous
religions. They have no confidence in their clergy's knowing anything
about politics or temporal affairs in general, but they say, "We know
more about such things than you do. It is your calling to administer
in spiritual things only; you may have the keeping of our consciences,
but when it comes to temporal matters you must stand aside." They
consider that their clergy, and of course their God, knows no more
about temporal things than they do about spiritual things. They leave
all spiritual matters to their sectional clergy, to whom they dare not
trust their temporal matters, but, on the contrary, do thrust their
clergymen from their national halls.
This shows clearly all the faith and confidence they have in their God
and in their clergy, for if they had any faith or confidence in their
God, they would also have in their clergy, who should be His servants.
But this is in strict keeping with their religion, for they go to
meeting to hear their clergy dilate upon an imaginative something,
filling the immensity of boundless space, sitting upon a topless
throne, and which they call God. We are entirely different, and I
rejoice that it is so. We have men to counsel and guide us in whom we
repose unlimited confidence, men who are before us and lead ahead, and
the counsels they give we feel to appreciate and abide both in
spiritual and temporal things. We hold ourselves ready to go at a
moment's warning to the uttermost parts of the earth to subserve the
principles of our holy religion, by making them known to others, to
save Israel and bring out those the Lord has scattered, to aid in
building up Zion, and in building temples of the Most High, wherein we
may go and receive the blessings of eternity. We hold our property—our
possessions—on the altar, ready at a moment's notice to be handed over
to subserve the cause of Zion.
Notwithstanding these are our feelings, our governmental and temporal
affairs are kept as distinct from our religious concerns as are those
of any other people, and far more so than are those of many others. We
have never organized a political party, as some people have done, to
enable us to express our peculiar conscientious notions about freedom,
slavery, and Catholicism, about which so much frenzied zeal has been
exhibited during the past ten years. Our holy religion does not
interfere with our political or governmental affairs, only to make us
more competent, faithful, and energetic in the duties
pertaining thereunto. It is eminently above all such considerations,
and only influences them, as it does all the varied duties of life, by
lending its aid, light, and intelligence.
These are the principles which unite us together; let us keep them
warm in our bosoms, and be alive and continue to increase in the
knowledge of God. Let us strive to have our minds expand, and let us
perform our duties with an eye single to the glory of God, and the
advancement of His cause. In this course we see our own salvation and
eternal exaltation, and find the road we ought to travel, and we
cannot find anything outside of this worth having. We are interested
in it; it is the best investment we can make. No matter how poor a
person may be, he can be faithful and work the work of righteousness,
and it is the poor and meek that will inherit the earth.
I ask my Heavenly Father to bless us one and all, individually and
collectively, and to preserve us and enable us to remain firm in the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may not go astray but cling to
the principles of life and salvation, cleaving to the Lord our God,
serving Him with willing hearts and minds perfectly, and do it because
we like to do it, being partakers of the truth because we love it, and
for the principle's sake, and because it is better than anything else.
It is meat, drink, clothing, and lodging to us, as well as everything
else worth having. If we will do this, we need not fear for the
future.
If we have our wives and children arising around us and multiplying
greatly, let us all be for God, and other things will come along in
their season. We sacrificed all things when we came into this kingdom,
laid aside our former associations in life, and left everything that
pertained to them, regardless of the future and of the consequences
resulting therefrom, and can we not keep on this same road, preserve
those feelings which filled our bosoms when we came into the Church
and kingdom of our God, and strip ourselves of every earthly tie for
God? We can do this, if we are disposed. We will do it, and I verily
believe that we will get the majority of this people at last. Many may
turn aside, but that makes no difference. Those who remain faithful
will get their reward, while those who turn away will, in a time to
come, see where they have missed it.
Let me exhort you to do the works of righteousness and be faithful in
the kingdom of God, and cleave together unto Him with full purpose of
heart, and work the works of righteousness all your days, and never
falter and fall. I know we shall not fall, but the kingdom will
increase and grow and spread abroad, and her stakes will be
strengthened, and her cords will be lengthened, and the kingdoms of
this world will be broken in pieces, and become the kingdoms of our
Lord and His Christ. We shall accomplish this work, or our children
will. The purposes of the Almighty cannot fail; the kingdom is set up
and established, never more to be thrown down.
We are aware that the world is arrayed against us, and has it not been
so from the beginning? But what have they been able to accomplish
against this people? If they have driven and scattered us, they have
scattered the seed still wider, and it will be so again. They do not
know who they are fooling with; they are fooling with the Lord. He
knows how to set up His kingdom, and if we are submissive in His
hands, like clay in the hands of the potter, we shall not again be
scattered and peeled. We have heretofore been driven measurably because of our unrighteousness, and of our unworthiness,
and God's inability through that cause to bless us, and because of the
wickedness of the wicked. How soon would another persecution have come
on us I cannot say, if the people had not turned around and sought the
Lord with penitent hearts.
I trust that persecution will be warded off now a few years longer,
and that the blessings of the Almighty will be drawn upon the people.
I know that He delights to bless His people, but He has to chastise
them like a parent has to chastise an unruly child. These
chastisements have not hindered the rolling on of His work, for it has
rolled on with accelerated power all the time. The people have had to
suffer, more or less, but we are in His hands, and if we want to draw
down His blessings upon us, we must do our duty, or the chastisements
of the Almighty will be upon us again, as in times past, for our good.
They will not impede the progress of His work, but it will go forth
with still greater accelerated power.
May God bless us and enable us to work the work of righteousness in
His sight all the days of our lives, for His Son's sake. Amen.
- Daniel H. Wells