I am thankful that the weather has become so mild that we can again
meet in this Bowery, which is large enough to accommodate the
congregation; also that we are here under comfortable
circumstances—happily situated, and trust that for several months to
come, none of the Saints will be under the necessity of coming here an
hour or two before the meeting commences, in order to obtain a seat
here, nor of going away because there is not room.
There has been a good deal said by the brethren who have just spoken
to you, and I have not heard anything but what pleases me, but what I
consider to be correct; their ideas and doctrines are good.
I am happy to see brother Joseph L. Heywood here again. He has had a
very tedious journey, and rather a wearisome sojourn at the Devil's
Gate, during most of the past winter. Many of the brethren and sisters
in this congregation can testify that the Devil's Gate is a place
rather subject to cold and storms, and that hardships are common from
that point to this.
Many persons are so constituted, that if you put them in a parlor,
keep a good fire for them, furnish them tea, cake, sweetmeats,
&c., and nurse them tenderly, soaking their feet, and putting them to
bed, they will die in a short time; but throw them into snowbanks,
and they will live a great many years. Brother Heywood would have been
in his grave long ago, if he had not led an outdoor life, and such is
the case with others; but he is again here, and we have the privilege
of seeing him.
It rejoices me to hear the brethren rise up and tell their feelings,
their faith and views. I was much gratified with the remarks made by
brothers William H. Hooper and Robert T. Burton, especially upon the
subject of obedience.
It may at first sight appear strange, and is so to an uninspired mind,
that any people should have a want of confidence and faith in a
righteous man on the earth, a lack which blights their hopes and faith
quicker than it does to lack confidence in their God. This is the
case, however curious it may appear, though we may hear some men
declare that they wish to have such confidence in their leaders as not
to enquire whether this or that is right, but to perform what they are
bid to do. No man will have that degree of confidence, unless it is
founded in truth. Here a question immediately occurs to the mind, will
it save the people to do as they are told by any man upon the earth,
if they are in the neglect of their duty towards their God and do not
enjoy the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ? The answer is obvious; no
one can have that implicit confidence in a righteous man, unless that
person is in the line of duty.
The difficulty with the whole world in their divisions and
subdivisions, is that they have no more confidence in each other than
they have in their God, and that is none at all, no, not one particle.
This confuses nations, and breaks them up; it weakens them, and they
tumble to pieces. It disturbs cities and countries, and really the
seeds of destruction are within those kingdoms where the people have
not confidence in each other.
The Apostle John, treating upon the love of God that should dwell
within us, writes, "For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" It is impossible.
This subject is not understood by the human family. Naturally they
have no conception of the character called "brother" by the Apostle.
As just observed by brother Hooper, they have in their minds and
creeds formed ideas of a great many characters that they call God.
With the majority of the Christian world there are three Gods in one.
With them that one God is three persons, and still but one, which
actually amounts to His being no God at all. Why? Because He has no
body, parts, or passions, consequently is nothing at all; their idea
virtually annihilates the being they profess to believe to be three in
one.
What effect has this doctrine, wherever the influence of the Christian
world extends? Wherever they preach their own doctrine they destroy
every idea of God in the minds of every person they have influence
over, consequently they know nothing of Him, and of course we cannot
expect the people to have confidence in Him. He, knowing the
weaknesses of men, is compassionate; and if they speak against Him, in
a manner derogatory to His character, misrepresenting His person and
speaking evil of His dignity, He attributes that to the delusion and
ignorance which His professedly Christian people have spread so
generally in the minds of the people, and holds them not guilty, in
consequence of their ignorance.
Let us even speak against a fellow being with whom we are acquainted and do understand, one whom we can see and comprehend, whose
life and conduct we are familiar with, and, unless faults are made
manifest that we have a privilege of exposing in that individual, it
will destroy our faith and confidence, and weaken us more than it
will to speak against a being that we know nothing of. This is
reasonable, and is according to good sound logic, sense, and argument.
It is folly in the extreme for persons to say that they love God, when
they do not love their brethren; and it is of no use for them to say
that they have confidence in God, when they have none in righteous
men, for they do not know anything about God. It is reasonable for the
Elders of Israel to be very sanguine and strenuous on this point. And
were I to be asked whether I have any experience in this matter, I can
tell the people that once in my life I felt a want of confidence in
brother Joseph Smith, soon after I became acquainted with him. It was
not concerning religious matters—it was not about his revelations—but
it was in relation to his financiering—to his managing the temporal
affairs which he undertook. A feeling came ever me that Joseph was not
right in his financial management, though I presume the feeling did
not last sixty seconds, and perhaps not thirty. But that feeling came
on me once and once only, from the time I first knew him to the day of
his death. It gave me sorrow of heart, and I clearly saw and
understood, by the spirit of revelation manifested to me, that if I
was to harbor a thought in my heart that Joseph could be wrong in
anything, I would begin to lose confidence in him, and that feeling
would grow from step to step, and from one degree to another, until at
last I would have the same lack of confidence in his being the
mouthpiece for the Almighty, and I would be left, as brother Hooper
observed, upon the brink of the precipice, ready to plunge into what
we may call the gulf of infidelity, ready to believe neither in God
nor His servants, and to say that there is no God, or, if there is, we
do not know anything about Him; that we are here, and by and by shall
go from here, and that is all we shall know. Such persons are like
those whom the Apostle calls "As natural brute beasts, made to be
taken and destroyed." Though I admitted in my feelings and knew all
the time that Joseph was a human being and subject to err, still it
was none of my business to look after his faults.
I repented of my unbelief, and that too, very suddenly; I repented
about as quickly as I committed the error. It was not for me to
question whether Joseph was dictated by the Lord at all times and
under all circumstances or not. I never had the feeling for one
moment, to believe that any man or set of men or beings upon the face
of the whole earth had anything to do with him, for he was superior to
them all, and held the keys of salvation over them. Had I not
thoroughly understood this and believed it, I much doubt whether I
should ever have embraced what is called "Mormonism." He was called of
God; God dictated him, and if He had a mind to leave him to himself
and let him commit an error, that was no business of mine. And it was
not for me to question it, if the Lord was disposed to let Joseph lead
the people astray, for He had called him and instructed him to gather
Israel and restore the Priesthood and kingdom to them.
It was not my prerogative to call him in question with regard to any
act of his life. He was God's servant, and not mine. He did not belong
to the people but to the Lord, and was doing the work of the Lord,
and if He should suffer him to lead the peo ple astray, it
would be because they ought to be led astray. If He should suffer them
to be chastised, and some of them destroyed, it would be because they
deserved it, or to accomplish some righteous purpose. That was my
faith, and it is my faith still.
If we have any lack of confidence in those whom the Lord has appointed
to lead the people, how can we have confidence in a being whom we know
nothing about? It is nonsense to talk about it. It will weaken a
person quicker to lose confidence in those who dictate the affairs of
God's kingdom on the earth, than to say "I do not know whether there
is a God or not, and I care nothing about Him." A man or woman will
not be prepared to be taken by the enemy, and led captive by the devil
so quickly for disbelieving in a being they do not know about, as
for disbelieving in those whom they do know.
To say nothing of names, creeds, or titles, brother Joseph taught, and
it is taught to the people now continually, to have implicit
confidence in our leaders, to be sure that we live so that Christ is
within us a living fountain, that we may have the Holy Ghost within us
to actuate, dictate, and direct us every hour and moment of our lives.
The people are urged from year to year, and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
to live very near unto the Lord, to forsake every sin, and cling to
the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and souls, so that we may know by
the spirit of revelation whenever truth comes to us.
How many hundreds and hundreds of times have you been taught that if
people neglect their prayers and other daily duties, that they quickly
begin to love the world, become vain in their imaginations, and liable
to go astray, loving all the day long to do those things that the Lord
hates, and leaving undone those things that the Lord requires at their
hands? When people neglect their private duties, should their leaders
lead them astray, they will go blindfolded, will be subject to the
devil, and be led captive at his will. How useless this would be! How
unnatural, unreasonable, and unlike the Gospel and those who believe
it!
How are we going to obtain implicit confidence in all the words and
doings of Joseph? By one principle alone, that is, to live so that the
voice of the Spirit will testify to us all the time that he is the
servant of the Most High; so that we can realize as it were the Lord's
declaring that "Joseph is my servant, I lead him day by day
whithersoever I will, and dictate him to do whatever I will; he is my
mouth to the people. And I say to the nations of the earth, hear ye
the servants I send, or you cannot be saved." This is comprehended in
the remarks just made by brother Burton, which comprises one of the
greatest and fullest sermons that can be preached in the world. And I
wish we had more Elders to go and preach just such sermons by the
power of God, that is, "I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God,
that this is the Gospel of salvation, and if you do not believe it you
will be damned, everyone of you."
That is one of the most important sermons that ever was preached, and
then if they could add anything by the power of the Spirit, it would
be all right. When a man teaches that doctrine by the power of God in
a congregation of sinners, it is one of the loudest sermons that was
ever preached to them, because the Spirit bears testimony to it. That
is the preaching which you hear all the time, viz.—to live so that the
voice of God's Spirit will always be with you, and then you know that
what you hear from the heads of the people is right. When you do not
so live, you are ignorant; and then when you testify, you testify to what you know nothing of. Live so that you can know and
testify to every principle that is right, not with mere lip service,
but from the heart be able to say truly, "I know that everything is
right."
As I have frequently said to this people, they are a good people. We
are striving to make the kingdom of heaven. Many think that this
people have got to make great sacrifices, but what have we to
sacrifice? Nothing, for all is the Lord's. But suppose that we had
something to sacrifice, they would be willing to do it; they would be
willing to do anything for the sake of salvation. They have already
forsaken their homes and friends, and come here to serve the Lord, and
now continue, shall I say continue to reform? Yes, continue this
reformation that has been talked about. Continue to improve
yourselves, to live so that your faith and knowledge will increase in
the things of God, that our minds may be opened to those things that
pertain to our peace and eternal salvation, and live no more in the
dark, whereby you are constrained to say, "I do not understand the
things that are taught, these are great and marvelous things, they
are beyond my comprehension; I do not know why it is that I feel as I
do many times; I have feelings come on me that I cannot account for."
If you live near to God, and every moment have your minds filled with
fervent desires to keep the law of God, you will understand the Spirit
that comes to you; you will know how to build up the Lord's kingdom,
and increase in every good thing; and it will be one continual scene
of rejoicing instead of mourning. Those who mourn and feel that they
have really endured sufferings and afflictions, and sacrifices to a
great amount for the kingdom of heaven, do not enjoy the Spirit of
their religion. They do not enjoy the Spirit of this Holy Gospel, for
they do not live near enough to the Lord so that Christ is in them
like a living fountain, like a well of water springing up to
everlasting life.
The persons who enjoy that Spirit are never sorrowful nor cast down.
They never endure afflictions and mourn because they suppose that they
have sacrificed for the Gospel, but they are always joyful, always
cheerful, with a happy smile on their faces, and, as brother Robert
said, it does make the devil mad. That is true, it makes him mad that
he cannot afflict this people so as to make them have a sad
countenance.
When you come across those who have a wonderful sight of trouble,
trouble with their wives and with their neighbors, it is those who do
not live their religion. Those who have the Spirit of their religion
feel hope bound in their feelings, and have a word of comfort for
themselves, their families, and their neighbors, and all is right
with them. Let us make the building up of the kingdom of heaven our
first and only interest, and all will be well, sure.
Have we reason to rejoice? We have. There is no other people on this
earth under such deep obligation to their Creator, as are the
Latter-day Saints. The Gospel has brought to us the holy Priesthood,
which is again restored to the children of men. The keys of that
Priesthood are here; we have them in our possession; we can unlock,
and we can shut up. We can obtain salvation, and we can administer it.
We have the power within our own hands, and this has been my deep
mortification, one that I have frequently spoken of, to think that a
people, having in their possession all the principles, keys, and
powers of eternal life, should neglect so great salvation. We have
these blessings, they are with us.
Have we the visible hand of God with us? We have. Many
circumstances transpired last year with regard to the immediate
providences of God. Can we see the visible hand of the Lord in His
dealings to us this season? We can. Any person who could have numbered
Israel in the valleys of the mountains, and the bushels of grain taken
from the earth last fall, would have said there is not enough grain
raised in 1856 to last the people to the first of April, 1857.
That was so obviously the prospect, that brother Kimball prophesied
that there would be harder times in 1857 than we had seen in 1856. I
told him that I would bring to bear all my faith, and all the power I
had, and all my ability against that prophecy, when he said the times
would be harder this year than they were last. Still there were no
human prospects, visible signs, means, or substance to prevent it,
according to the number of bushels of grain taken from the earth, and
the number of people in this Territory to be sustained therewith.
There was a better prospect for our suffering for want of food this
year, than there was in either 1856 or 1855, but I promised myself
that I should exercise my power against that prophecy. Brother Heber
says, "Amen," to that statement now. He said so then, and I know that
he would rather have it fail than to have people suffer.
Brother Heber says, "The wheat swells." I believe that. It increases
in the granaries. I have believed that principle for many years. I
know that God has dealt with me and with others in a way that cannot
be accounted for upon common modes of reasoning. I have heretofore
mentioned what some may think the trifling circumstance of a man's
finding money in his pocket that could not have been there, unless an
angel or some other person had put it there unbeknown to that man.
Flour and wheat have been found in barrels and bins, after they had
been taken out even to the scraping of the barrels, and that, too,
without the owner's knowing how the stock had been replenished. Who
put it there, is not for me to say; but I know who did not. Let the
people guess who put it there.
Have we any visible signs of the providences of God to us? We have, if
men have their eyes open to see for themselves. If this people called
Latter-day Saints could see by the visions of the Spirit the hand
dealings of the Lord as visible as some see, there would be nothing
but rejoicing among us from the oldest to the youngest, from the first
to the last, from the one side of this globe to the other.
We will now turn right round, and ask, are there afflictions? Yes.
People are taken sick and die, and we have not the power to keep them
alive; and I do not think I would, if I had power; and I do not think
I will when I have power, because I then shall have more wisdom than I
have now. Knowledge is power; and as I gain knowledge I gain power. If
we will consider these things, we will see that the visible hand of
the Lord is with us continually.
Let the Latter-day Saints in these valleys of the mountains ask
themselves this question, Do we, as a community, as a Church and
kingdom of God on the earth, as individuals, believe that if we had
shut up the bowels of our compassion last fall, and said to our
immigration, "Suffer and perish in the mountains, I have nothing to
spare, I cannot relieve you," we should have as much grain and
substance on hand as we now have? Would not every man and woman
exclaim, "We would have been in poverty and want?" What has made us
rich in this matter? One united effort by this people to bring men, women, and children out of the snow, and off from the Plains, and
keep them from perishing. "Here are the wheat, the barley, the corn,
the boys, horses, mules, blankets, saddles, &c., go, my brethren, and
bring those persons off the Plains." They went, and that, too,
cheerfully.
Brother Kimball says that that movement prevented his prophecy coming
to pass. If that did it, I wish I could as easily and cheaply turn
aside all prophecies of that kind and nature, for I do not wish this
people to suffer, to go hungry and naked, nor to be sick and
afflicted, or in pain. I want them to live and increase in every good
work.
Suppose the whole community should ask themselves this question, Do
you not believe that the Lord has favored and blessed us in
consequence of our doing right? Yes, we would reply at once, we
believe that our faith to our God and proving ourselves friends to Him
and His people, and being kind to the suffering poor, have caused His
blessings to be poured out upon us, and we are favored as we are. If
the people continue to be humble before Him, to keep His commandments,
to love and serve the Lord, and forsake those little trifling concerns
which pertain to the world, and to the spirit of the world, which is
the spirit of sorrow, anxiety, and trouble, and get the Spirit of the
Lord and live in it, we shall increase in the facilities of life; we
shall have the comforts of life from our gardens, farms, orchards,
flocks and herds, and we shall have means to gather up the poor from
every land.
This is the land of Zion. West of us is a body of water that we call
the Pacific, and to the east there is another large body of water
which we call the Atlantic, and to the north is where they have tried
to discover a northwest passage; these waters surround the land of
Zion, and we will bring the poor home to this land. These valleys are
nothing more than a temporary hiding place for the Saints, and if they
will do right here, no power can disturb them. Be kind to all, to our
friends, to the household of faith, and even to our enemies. Do all
you can to save everybody, and the Lord's hand will be over us for
good, and we will be preserved.
Hitherto there has been too much of a spirit to find fault, but I
expect that this spirit is very near kicked out of doors. And you may
still hear some saying, "There are hard times coming by and by; the
mob are coming; the crickets and the grasshoppers will eat us out."
They have tried that, and I have no more fears about one army than I
have about the other; though the crickets and the grasshoppers are the
greatest plague, for we can hit men, but when you hit one cricket or
grasshopper, the air is at once alive with them, and if you kill one,
two come to bury him.
Dismiss all feelings of fear, and say nothing about them. Let it be
the whole aim of the Saints to know how to build up the kingdom of God
on the earth. And if you want to know how to spend your time, inquire
from hour to hour what you can do to do good. If necessary, take off
your hat, and run through the streets for something to do. Go into the
garden, plant potatoes, set out fruit trees, sow peas, and put all
kinds of useful seeds into the ground. And when the devil tells you to
do some wonderful big thing, wait until you become some wonderful big
person, and reflect that you are yet only like one of the people, and
must take care of yourself.
I am glad that we have the privilege of again assembling in this
Bowery, where there is plenty of pure air and the people can be
comfortable. The ground under this shade is yet damp, although we have
had fires burning upon it to make it as dry as possible, and
it may be wisdom for those sisters who wear thin shoes, to bring a
small piece of oil cloth or carpet to put their feet upon. I would
rather see the sisters come to meeting with wooden bottomed shoes,
than to come with their fine morocco shoes and take cold. If you will
accustom yourselves to wearing wooden bottomed or thick soled shoes,
you can sit here with impunity.
Take care of yourselves, and live as long as you can, and do all the
good you can. Let us try to live until we can kick the devils out of
this land, and off from the earth. I want to live for this, to see
Zion redeemed, and the Church and kingdom of God cover the face of the
whole earth, and have one universal reign of peace. May the Lord bless
us. Amen.