When any of the Presidency of this Church, or of the Quorum of the
Twelve, or any of the Elders rise in this stand to speak, this people
look unto them, and expect they will enjoy the Holy Spirit
sufficiently to say something that will edify them. The people almost
unanimously look for this. I will say, on the other hand, that the
Presidency, the Twelve, and the Elders who preach in this house expect
that the people will have the Spirit of the Lord, that they may come
to understanding; and this is just as much required that they may
comprehend what is said unto them, as it is required of the brethren
who speak, to teach doctrine, principle, truth, and the revelations of
Jesus Christ. When the minds of the people are quickened and
enlightened by the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, that
they can appreciate and prize the principles of eternal truth
and the revelations which God has given through his servant Joseph, or
the things which he has revealed during the past winter through the
mouth of his servants unto the inhabitants of this city, or those
which he has revealed unto the inhabitants of the earth, then they are
prepared to be benefited by those blessings which are poured out upon
them. Any of you that have experienced this blessing—and I presume
that all have at times—have been astonished at certain periods of
their lives that there has been such a difference in their minds. I
know this is the case with myself, and I presume it is with others.
There have been times that the vision of my mind has been opened to
comprehend the word of God and the teachings of his servants. The
vision of my mind has been opened and quickened by the power of God
and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so that when I have sat here and heard
the Presidency and the servants of God teach the principle of
righteousness and the word of God unto us, I have felt the force, the
power, and the importance of these eternal truths which they have
presented unto our minds, while at other times the same truths may
have been taught, but they have passed off without making the same
impression upon my mind.
We have, as brother Franklin says, spent an interesting time the past
winter. Much truth has been spoken: men have been inspired by the gift
and power of the Holy Ghost to teach us the things of God; and this I
consider to be a matter of great importance to the people. I consider
it important that we labor to obtain that Spirit, to have it
increased upon us, and carry it with us, that when we hear teaching
our minds may be prepared to receive it. Why is it that this Gospel of
the kingdom has been preached to the world for twenty-five years, and
that there are but so small a number of the children of men who have
received those truths, been governed by them, and suffered them to
govern one single act of their lives? It is because their minds have
been darkened and have not valued the Gospel, or considered the
consequences of rejecting it. It is true we have a large congregation
here today, and that there are a few thousands in these valleys and
throughout this Territory. Yet compare them with the masses of
mankind, and how few they are. I am not capable of making a
calculation to say whether there is one to five or ten thousand who
have embraced the Gospel. One of the old Prophets said that there
would be one of a city and two of a family. This has been fulfilled in
many instances. When the Elders proclaimed the Gospel unto you; those
of you who are here received that word, meditated upon it, so much so
that you have been willing to forsake all that you possessed and come
to Zion. The seed has produced good fruit; it has caused you to come
to Zion; but there are millions of the masses who heard the Gospel,
but they have hardened their hearts and darkness has taken hold of
their minds, and hence they have rejected the Spirit of God which has
striven with them: they, in acting upon their agency, have given way
to seducing spirits and rejected the Gospel of Christ, and
consequently the Spirit of God has been withdrawn from them; and
because of this the Lord has been taking his Spirit from the nations
of the earth. We see the fruits of it. It needs no argument to prove a
truth so visible.
I will now say that inasmuch as many of us have received the Gospel
and gathered with the Saints of God, it is important that we labor
today—that we live under the influence of that Spirit, that it may
continue to increase and to govern us in our acts among the
children of men. Now, when a man has the Holy Spirit and hears the
plain, simple truths of salvation, they appear more valuable than all
else besides, and he is ready to sacrifice everything of a temporal
nature to secure himself salvation; but when people's minds become
darkened, they lose the Holy Spirit and the value of that Gospel, and
they do not realize the privilege and the honor of being associated
with the Saints of God in these valleys of the mountains, neither do
they maintain their allegiance to their Heavenly Father, and honor
his name upon the earth, or prize their association with those that
bear the holy Priesthood, and therefore they go into darkness. Why has
the word reformation ever been named in Zion? It has been because we
did not labor to keep within us that holy principle of life, that our
minds might be quickened day by day, and receive and prize those
truths delivered unto us. Now we marvel and wonder when we are
enlightened by the Spirit of God and the revelations which he has
given unto us; and when we are aroused to a sense of the importance of
these things, we then see the effect and the bearing they will have
upon us—not only the fitting of our minds to go into the world of
spirits, but to prepare us to meet with our Father in heaven. Now, we
should live in that way and manner that the Holy Spirit will dwell
with us, and so that we may be prepared to receive those truths which
are daily delivered unto us by Presidents Young, Kimball, Wells, or
any other man who rises up here to speak unto us the words of life. We
should give attention to what is said. As brother Kimball says, the
man who speaks to you from this stand is the center, and we should
give him our attention, prayers, and faith; and if we do this we shall
receive out of the abundance of his heart those things which will
benefit us. It should be our chief study to treasure up the words of
life, that we may grow in grace, and advance in the knowledge of God,
and become perfected in Christ Jesus, that we may receive a fulness,
and become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
The revelations of Jesus Christ teach us that the Savior was born in
the flesh; and the Father said that He did not give him a fulness at
first, but continued from grace to grace until he had received a
fulness, and was called the Son of God because he did not receive a
fulness at first. We in like manner should seek with all our souls to
grow in grace, light, and truth, that in due time we may receive a
fulness. The Lord has a great many principles in store for us; and the
greatest principles which he has for us are the most simple and plain.
The first principles of the Gospel which lead us unto eternal life are
the simplest, and yet none are more glorious or important unto us. Men
may labor to make a great display of talent, learning, and knowledge,
either in printing or preaching. They may try to preach the mysteries
and to present something strange, great, and wonderful, and they may
labor for this with all their might, in the spirit and strength of
man without the aid of the Holy Spirit of God, and yet the people are
not edified, and their preaching will not give much satisfaction. It
is the plainest and the most simple things that edify us the most, if
taught by the Spirit of God; and there is nothing more important or
beneficial unto us. If we have that Spirit dwelling with us—if it
abides with us continually, enlightening our minds by day and by
night, we are in the safe path; and when we have finished the work of
the day, we reflect upon it and are satisfied with it, feeling that
it is approbated of the Lord. It is our privilege to live in
this way, that all our time may be spent so that we have a conscience
void of offense towards both God and man. When we reflect on the day
that is past and see wherein we have done evil, we should labor to
improve and to advance in the things of the kingdom of God. I feel
that in order for us to prize the gifts of God, the blessings of the
Gospel, the privilege that we have of building tabernacles, and of
living here in peace, and kneeling down in our family circles in
peace, having in our society the Prophets of God, men filled with
wisdom, who are capable of leading us to salvation, and of leading us
into the paths of life, who do teach us the principles of truth, which
will lead us back to our Father and our God—I say, when we consider
these things we ought to prize our privileges as Saints of the Most
High. Brethren, we must invariably have the Spirit of God with us,
that we may ever be kept in the line of our duty.
I feel to exhort you in regard to these things, that we may prize
those blessings which God has given unto us, and pursue a course
wherein we may be justified of the Lord. Now, if we attempt to do
anything that is not right, the Spirit of the Lord will not approbate
us, but we shall feel condemned. The Lord has blessed us during the
past winter; He has poured out upon us a great amount of knowledge,
wisdom, and treasures, that we ought to prize. Now, as the spring is
coming upon us, and as we turn our attention to the plough and to
cultivating the earth, if we forget our prayers, the Devil will take
double the advantage of us. We have renewed our covenants by baptism,
and we have received great blessings from the Lord, and much of the
Holy Spirit has been shed abroad among this people. And, as brother
Richards has said—and I consider the counsel right—we should not only
reprove ourselves when wrong, but we should reprove sin wherever we
see it, whether in ourselves, in our streets, or in our quorums. We
should always show our disapprobation of those that are wrong—that are
sinful and wicked.
I do not feel, this morning, like occupying a great portion of your
time, but I do feel that the Lord is gracious unto us, and that we
should prize above all things upon the earth the words of eternal life
that are given unto us. As long as we are governed by the Holy Spirit,
our minds are strengthened, and our faith is and will be increased,
and we shall labor for the building up of the kingdom of God. And I
pray that our hearts may be inspired to magnify our calling and the
holy Priesthood, and honor God, keep his commandments, and live our
religion, which I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.