I am glad to be here and to bear my testimony of the truth. I shall
speak such things as may be presented to my mind by the Holy Ghost. I
know that I have the prayers of the Saints and of the faithful
servants of the Lord. I realize that their prayers are always in
behalf of those that are mouthpieces for the Lord.
I realize for myself that this is a time when it is necessary that
every man and every woman should enjoy the Spirit of the Lord. The
time has been when men and women in this Church and kingdom could pass
along without a great deal of the Spirit of the heavens to rest upon
them; but I want to observe to my brethren and sisters, that that time
has gone by; and no man or woman that professes to be a Saint of the
Most High can stand any longer in this Church and kingdom unless they
have faith in the Son of God.
Our Prophets and Apostles have long been teaching to the people that
the time was near at hand when everything that could be shaken should
be shaken—that that which could not be shaken should remain. You have
often heard it proclaimed from the stand that the time was near at
hand when the line would be drawn. The time has come that was spoken
of by the Prophet Micah, when we should discern betwixt him that
serveth God and him that serveth him not.
I realize, my brethren and sisters, that this is the day when we need
to have communion with the heavens—the day when we want the Holy
Comforter to abide with us continually; for I know it is a trying time
with the Saints; it is a turning point; and I know that none but the
pure in heart can stand.
There never was a time since the Church was organized, that I have any
knowledge of, when there was more necessity for the people being
united than there is at this time; for we are told that "union is
strength;" and this is what we want at this time. We all very well
know and understand that we have no friends abroad in the world out of
this Church.
When I consider this, I am glad that I can say today and bear
testimony that there is now more union among the Saints than ever
there was before, since I have been in the Church.
Can I speak good concerning Israel today? I can. I have no misgivings
in my feelings; for I tell you, my brethren and sisters, the Lord God
Almighty is on our side. He is for us; and who can be against us? I
know there are persons who are against us in their feelings. A few
such are now before me who have their misgivings: their faith is not
concentrated. Sometimes they look on one side of the picture, and
sometimes on the other; and sometimes, perhaps, the devils make them
believe that we are all going to be blown to the four winds by our
enemies.
I can tell you the Devil does not sleep in these times; and I
do not believe that he has slept any for a long time; but he works
powerfully with the children of disobedience: therefore I exhort you
to be obedient.
"Well," says one, "I thought we were obedient." It is true there
is a
very large majority that are; but this does not prove that they are
all so; and I know they are not.
I am thankful that things are as well with us as they are. I am
thankful that we have got Prophets and Apostles; and I know that the
Spirit of the Gods has rested upon them, and it is resting upon them;
and as long as the people will be obedient and do as they are told,
they have nothing to fear; for nothing can harm them. But I can tell
you what the Devil is doing. It is as the Apostle said—"We are not
altogether ignorant of the devices of Satan."
Now, Satan is hard at work, and the Lord is at work, the angels of
heaven are at work, the fallen angels of heaven are at work; and I
tell you, in the name of the Lord, there is a mighty war. "Well," says
one, "who will conquer and overcome?" The Lord Almighty will overcome;
his Saints and his servants will overcome.
I believe that the Scripture would apply very well to this people
which Jesus used to his disciples—"Fear not, little flock; for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
You perceive that they were small in numbers, for he called them
little. I can say to my brethren and sisters, "Fear not, for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Zion is free,
and I rejoice in it. Talk about revelation; if there has not been some
of the greatest revelations given within one year to the Saints of
God, then I know nothing about it. Says one, "I wish you would tell of
one of them." Well, I will; for nothing short of the Spirit of the
living God, right from the Gods of eternity, could have brought our
military into the organization that they are in now. I want to know
how the Prophets of God could have done that without revelation? They
could not have done it. Was there ever such an organization before?
No, never since the days of Moses. Then they had their captains of
hundreds, of fifties, and of tens; and no Prophets have gone into the
organization since that time; and I contend that this is by
revelation; and it was by the revelations of Jesus Christ that these
things were made manifest.
I feel thankful that we are where we are at the present time. We have
been driven; and sometimes I look at the present prospects of the
Church and compare it with the days of its infancy, and I am perfectly
astonished at the marvelous strides the work has taken. We have been
driven from one place to another and afflicted, until, last of all, we
have been driven into the mountains, to fulfil the words of the
Prophets; for it could not have been done in any other way. The
language of the poet will apply very well here—
"God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform."
I thank my heavenly Father today that there is so goodly a number of
the Saints in the valleys of the mountains; and I know that God will
work all things together for our good. Our enemies gave the kingdom
one more jog than they intended to have done. Before this we had
always been in a place where they could pick up a rock and throw it,
and it would fall on to us; but now they have to pick it up a good
many times before it will reach us.
[Voice: "And it will fall on to them."]
The time has come when this Church and kingdom can no more be
amalgamated with any other kingdom. What was the reason that the Lord
could not destroy Sodom? It was because Lot was there, and the
Lord told him to go out; and when he had gone out, the city and people
of Sodom were destroyed. The Lord has destroyed wicked nations at
various times; and he has declared that he would destroy the nations
of the earth, and that Babylon should fall; but that cannot be the
case so long as this Church is amalgamated, in any sense of the word,
with it; therefore the Lord has designed to cut the thread, and our
independence was declared the 24th of last July; and I was glad of it,
and I feel glad of it today. There is a good deal for us to do; and
we are required to straighten up and live our religion, so that we may
be enabled to sustain ourselves through the mighty struggle that is to
come.
I realize that it is time for the Saints to look about themselves; and
every man and every woman should be on the watchtower, wide awake,
and have almighty faith in the Son of God, and call mightily upon his
name. Although brother Brigham said here at Conference that there was
not time to pray much, he meant that we should not spend too much of
our time in praying; I suppose the war was uppermost in his mind, as
it is in everybody else's; but, in speaking to some brethren about it,
I told them that it was all "Mormonism."
You know there are some who neglect to pray, and there are others who
pray too much—or, in other words, they do nothing else. But I think
some of our sisters might be a little more diligent in their faith,
prayers, and good works, while the brethren are in the mountains to
stand in the defense of Zion.
I understand that some of the sisters have a great many things to
attend to. I have understood that, since our brethren have gone, the
sisters have undertaken to set things in order in the family. But I
think they had better let that alone. I know the Devil will try every
stratagem; and if he cannot make an inroad in one place, he will in
another; if he cannot get into the brethren, he will try to get into
their families, and he will work there and set them at variance with
each other.
I tell you it is time for us to cease quarrelling with each other. We
should be united in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in the
kingdom of God. If we are united, we shall stand and overcome: there
is no mistake about that at all. And if there should one-half of the
people apostatize and go away, the other half are pretty sure to
stand. I heard brother Brigham say that, if there are not more than
fifty that keep the faith and are united, the kingdom will be sure to
stand.
It is a great thing for the brethren and sisters to be united in the
cause of truth. I have traveled a great deal among the brethren,
especially in the southern settlements, and I never saw half the
union, the strength, the faith that is in the people at this time; and
as long as you will continue humble and faithful to the Gospel, and
keep the power of God in you, then our enemies cannot have any power
over us.
In every place where I have been and heard the Saints pray, they have
prayed for the Lord to confuse our enemies, to clothe them with
darkness, and to cause fear to come upon them; Has the Lord heard our
prayers? Yes, he has; for I have noticed dark clouds to be traveling
along the eastern mountains, and they move up and down as the troops
move; and my prayer is, that they may be clothed with snow. That has
been my prayer for some time; and I still continue to pray for
darkness to cover them.
Says one, "You are a hardhearted man." I cannot help that. I love to
pray for my enemies; and in doing so I have fulfilled the word of the Lord in that thing. I do not pray so much for our enemies that
are out here; but it is for the whole world. You know all
mankind—every class and society of mankind have got their artillery
pointed against this people.
The Devil and his emissaries are out against us. They want to destroy
our Prophet and to glut themselves with the blood of innocence. There
is not a spot where the Lord can tarry overnight outside of these
valleys of the mountains; the rest of the world is Babylon, in the
strictest sense of the word.
Oh, how the Devil does labor to diffuse the spirit of Babylon among
the people. To do this he has sent his emissaries across the Plains a
thousand miles to bring destruction upon the Saints of God; but the
Lord Almighty has defeated them in their plans. The angel of the Lord
has stood in the way as much so as in the days of the Prophets; and if
our asses have not spoken, our boys have, and the way of our enemies
is hedged up so that they cannot get here; and they never will, so
long as the people will do as they are told. This is a comfort to my
heart. How I have longed to see this day when the kingdom of God
should be free—when the Saints should enjoy their rights and
privileges as Saints of the Lord. This is what we have been laboring
for. It is what Joseph and all the Apostles have labored for day and
night, unwaveringly.
When I look back upon the exertions which have been made to spread the
truth among the nations, to gather up Israel, I see that it is beyond
all that can be imagined. I am not master of language enough to tell
the thing as I see it; but suffice it to say that this is the Zion of
the Lord—this is the only place where the Lord has a people. He has no
place only with the Latter-day Saints, because the Lord will not dwell
in unholy temples. He loves the pure in heart, and he dwells with
them.
Brethren and sisters, let us be encouraged; for the day is ours, the
kingdom is ours, all is ours; for the Lord is on our side, and we have
nothing to be afraid of from our enemies. We have more to be afraid of
from ourselves than anything else; and as long as men and women will
do as they are told and keep it in their hearts to do good
continually, they are safe.
There is no need to fear about anything. Some of the brethren and
sisters feel fearful; sometimes they are weak: they do not feel to do
wrong—they have no wish to violate any law, but they are subject to
temptations and weaknesses.
There are some who know what it is to be driven from their homes, and
that in the dead of winter, cold and barefooted; and many of those
persons are here, and have survived and come up to this place with the
Church. There may be trials equally as severe as those already past;
but if we do right, all will be well with us. There never was a truer
thing said, than that if this people have to leave here, it will be
for our good, for our salvation, temporal and spiritual, and they will
be better off than ever. But still, if the people will keep humble and
do as they are told, they will stay here as long as they have a mind
to, and then go back and build the Temple in the Center Stake of Zion.
Perhaps I do not feel right, but this is my feeling all the time—that
the Lord Almighty will deliver us, and we shall find everything to
work together for our salvation, for our good and welfare, and for the
welfare of Zion. I never heard nor read of any people under heaven,
when they were obedient to the Prophets of God—to those that led
them—I say I never heard of such a people being given into the hands
of their enemies.
When the Nephites were given up to their enemies, it was when
they became wicked and disobedient, and made derision of the Prophets
and Apostles that were sent unto them; but when they were obedient to
their Apostles and Prophets and to the servants of God, then their
enemies had no power over them. So it is and will be with this people.
I can speak good of Zion, for I know the people are obedient. I have
really thought in some places that the people would be willing to
sacrifice everything, if called upon to do it, and also to lay down
their lives for the cause of God and to carry out the counsel of the
servants of the Lord.
Every man and every woman seem determined to put forth their hands to
sustain the servants of God in the cause in which we are engaged. It
is generally said that actions speak louder than words, and with us it
is as brother Grant used to say, "Yankee doodle, do it;" and as long
as this people do this, all will prosper with Israel.
The Saints who are filled with the Spirit of the living God like to go
and hear the servants of the Lord proclaim the words of life and
salvation.
I feel thankful, my brethren, that things are as well as they are with
us; and I feel thankful every day and every moment of my life, and I
see and realize a great deal more than I can express; but I can truly
say that I am not discouraged in the holy warfare. I have always
believed, from the first moment that I heard this Gospel, that it is
the work of God, and that it will stand when all other kingdoms will
go to ruin and sink into oblivion.
We know that the kingdoms of Babylon must fall, and that this kingdom
must rise; for we know it is the kingdom of God; and I have always
known it ever since I embraced the work. I have had no doubts in
relation to its authenticity and truthfulness; but all the ground I
have gained and all the advancement I have made has been at the point
of the sword. To be sure I have been slow, but the matter seems to
be rooted and grounded in me; and my prayer is that the Lord Almighty
will preserve me in the faith, and that he will keep me as in the
hollow of his hand.
Everything goes to prove that this is the kingdom of God. I remember
that in the rise of this Church I used to argue with the priests; and
when they would contend that this was the kingdom of the Devil, I
would remark that it must fall; for a kingdom divided against itself
must fall to pieces.
This is the kingdom which Daniel spoke of, and I know it; and I know
that there are hundreds and thousands in these valleys of the
mountains that would lay down their lives before they would deny one
word of the principles of the Gospel to please anybody. There are many
who would suffer themselves to be massacred sooner than deny the word
of the Lord; but under all circumstances they will testify to the
truth.
I want my brethren and sisters to do right—to live by faith, that they
may be strong and powerful, and have mighty faith in the Son of God,
and power over our enemies, and strength to overcome them; and we
shall, ere long, become strong and terrible in the sight of our
enemies, when the children of Zion shall return to the land that the
Lord has designed for the building up of a temple in the last days.
I do not wish to take up a great deal of time; but I do wish to let
the people know that I feel everything is right with us as a people. I
do not say it is so with every individual; but I know that there are a very large majority who are right, and they show their faith
by their works. This pleases me, and it pleases all the servants of
God. I rejoice in these things continually; and, brethren, let us be
faithful, and we shall be immoveable; for they that trust in the Lord
are to be as Mount Zion, that cannot be moved.
When I am abroad, I try to do what I can to strengthen the Saints, to
build them up in the most holy faith, and to bless them, that they may
prosper and become a sanctified people, that we may all be prepared
for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ; for he has declared that he
would come to those that look for his coming without sin unto
salvation.
I believe that the time is not far distant when the servants of God
will commune more visibly with the heavens than they now do: the time
will come when they will commune with the angels; and I believe there
is a right place for it to begin.
I have understood, of late, that some of our brethren and sisters have
got a little ahead in this respect; but they had better let such
things alone, and be humble and faithful, and remember that we cannot
get higher than the head; for the fountain is as high as we can go. If
there are any who have a disposition to go ahead of their leaders, I
think they will find themselves in difficulty. Brother Brigham says,
"Tell them to go ahead." But I can tell you they will go till their
heads go against the dunce block, and that will bring them up all
standing.
I do not like to see men and women that want to be a little ahead of
anybody else—a little ahead of Prophets of God. The Spirit of the Lord
is liberally enjoyed by the Saints generally; and if they continue,
they will hold converse with the servants of God who are behind the
veil. But that time is not yet.
Some of the brethren and sisters tell of their receiving visits from
Joseph, Hyrum, brother Grant, and others. Such persons must look out
for their ship; for, if they do not watch, just as sure as you are
born, they will run under and be overcome. When a man or woman comes
and tells me that he or she is visited by the Prophets and Apostles
that are gone beyond the veil, and that they have these communications
day and night, and all the time—that they have the opportunity of
conversing with the spirits of just men made perfect—I will just say
that the Devil is in them, and not the Lord. I wonder if the Lord
loves them so much better than the Prophets that he would send to them
all the heavenly hosts?
I do not know that it is my business to say anything about this; but
brother Kimball told me I might say what I pleased. I can tell you the
Devil has left the great chair in hell; for his emissaries could not
accomplish what he desired they should; therefore he has come to see
to it himself. Why, bless you, Lucifer has nothing to do in the world;
for one of his imps can keep all Babylon going and keep them in
eternal night. But let a man go through the world, having the
principles of salvation in him, and I tell you the Devil and his hosts
will growl. But here, in the Territory of Utah, it is different: we
can stand forth and boldly declare our views and religious opinions.
Still, brethren, you need not think that you have yet got rid of them;
for the devils will be after the Saints of God: therefore be careful
and keep them out of your tabernacles.
"What shall I do?" says one. Why, keep your mouth shut when you have
no need to open it, and the devils won't get in at your ears. James,
the Apostle, said that the tongue was an unruly member, and that it set all the rest on fire; and there is considerable truth in
the saying. If you cannot keep your tongue still, put it between your
teeth and hold it there until you can control it; and I will promise
that, if you will do that, the Devil cannot do much with you; but I
can assure you that he will play upon the tongue. And you know when he
gets the women going, their tongues are as limber as a bird's wing.
I am not in the habit of saying much about the women. But they are
said to be the weaker vessel; but I tell you some of them carry mighty
heavy sail. I advise you, sisters, to take in your extra sail. Talk of
being the weaker vessel, and carrying such a superabundance of sail!
Sisters, live in peace with each other, and do not allow yourselves to
be faultfinding, but peaceable and happy together.
Some may enquire, "Do you not mean your own family?" Yes, I do
exactly; for I expect they need it as much as any other.
I saw the Devil's looking-glass once. In it the faults of others are
written in capital letters, but our own are all kept in the dark. When
the Devil presents his magnifying-glass, do not allow him to overcome
you. I have told you to shut your mouths; and now, when the Devil's
looking-glass is brought before you, I tell you to shut your eyes. You
have no occasion to read; for if you do, you will read the faults of
every creature but your own, especially of those that you are most
intimately associated with.
The Devil does not care how he cheats a man or a woman out of their
souls, so that he is able to accomplish that. He desires to torture us
all that he can. Let us get the Spirit of the Lord, and retain it; for
the work of our common adversary is to overcome the kingdom of our
Father, and he works in various ways and tries every stratagem in his
power whereby he can afflict the Saints of God.
One of the Apostles has told us that if we would resist the Devil,
being steadfast in the faith, he would leave us; and I know that he
won't have any power over us if we are faithful. I desire to be
delivered from his grasp and power; for I know he is a powerful foe.
He has spread his veil of darkness over the whole world, and he is
acknowledged to be the prince and power of the air: in a greater or
less degree he controls the elements, and endeavors to do it to the
destruction of the Saints; but the Lord Almighty controls him and
listens to the voice of his servants who trust in him, and he holds
them as in the hollow of his hand and under the pavilion of his wings.
The reason that the people are now so much united is because they are
living better than ever they were before; and the time is near at hand
when there will be a highway cast up for the people of God, and their
deliverance will be wrought out. The principles of salvation are
portrayed from this stand; and if we deviate from that way, Satan will
have power over us.
Many of you who are acquainted with the works of John Bunyan will
doubtless recollect the place where he talks about the trials of
Christian, and his description of the lions and the tigers in the way,
so placed and stationed on each side of Christian that, if he should
deviate from the narrow path, he is in the power of the lions and
tigers; but if he keeps in that path, he is safe.
Now, the Almighty has laws by which he works, and he has pointed out
the path, which is so plain that it has been said that a fool may see
to walk therein.
Let us be careful and do our duty, for we have got the game to play.
Let us be faithful and honorable and keep the Spirit of God.
Let us so conduct ourselves and so order our lives before our
heavenly Father, that we will feel the approbation of heaven, so that
we shall have the testimony of Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord, in us
day after day.
When we have this spirit in us we can say, All is well. Then, when I
meet a man or a woman and ask them how they are, I can feel well, for
I can see the Spirit of truth in them. I have met a number of the
Saints of late, and enquired, "How is it with you?" "Oh, all is right;
the truth triumphs." There never was a time, since the kingdom was
organized in the last days, when the Saints felt so well as they do
now. It is so in every place. The Saints feel this same Spirit on the
other side of the planet and upon the remotest island of the seas.
They feel better, and why? Because ZION IS FREE! The Saints know this,
feel it, and bear testimony of it.
We hear of wars and rumors of wars; and these are some of the signs
which Jesus spoke of when he said, "And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come." (Matt. xxiv. 14.)
The messengers of salvation have been sent from this place—scores and
hundreds of them: they have traveled thousands of miles over deserts
and mountains to go to hell, if you please, to bear testimony of the
truth. I have a testimony in my heart that the servants of God who
have been out for the few years past have been faithful, and they have
been to almost every nation upon earth.
What will come next? Why, they will be warned by thunderings, by
lightnings, by pestilence, and by fearful sights—men's hearts failing
them for fear of those things that are coming upon the earth. After
their testimony, these things will come; and I know that the time is
near at hand when Babylon will fall.
Let us be a sanctified people, and keep out everything that is
calculated to drive us asunder; for "union is strength;" and the Lord
has said that except we are one we are not his. I desire to see this
people united in one.
The Lord saw that it was necessary that there should be a reformation;
and he inspired his servants to call upon the people and to wake them
up out of their sleep; and if this had not been done, how would it
have been? How good the Lord was to wake us up by his servants who
stand upon the watchtower of Zion! They have called upon the people
to wake up, and the people have complied; and I thank my heavenly
Father for it. There is now a good feeling throughout the Territory
where I have been; there is union among the people; but still there
are some things that I could wish were otherwise.
If you will be humble and faithful to the counsel of the servants of
God, not a hair of your heads shall fall. I have felt to say to the
brethren whom I have blessed, "If you will trust in the Lord, there is
no weapon formed against you that shall prosper." I see now the reason
that I was so led; and I feel to assure them that the Lord is able to
preserve them by the Priesthood, and I do not think nor feel that the
brethren will have any fighting this season, but am rather of the
opinion that the Lord intends to fight the battles himself, and to
send them down to hell.
I am not a man of blood; but I want to see the cause of Zion flourish.
I know the feelings of my brethren who have been driven by the poor,
miserable devils from Kirtland to Missouri, and from there to
Illinois, then across to Mississippi, and over the Plains to the
valleys of the mountains; and yet the poor curses cannot let us alone.
I can tell you that the time is near when He will reign whose
right it is to reign; and when the Son of Man comes again, we intend
that he shall have a place where to lay his head, and not be as he was
when he came before. We are but few, but we are able to do mighty
things in the strength of Israel's God. Our enemies have got the arm
of Jehovah to fight against, and he will work for the salvation of
Zion; for the cause of the Lord hangs upon his arm; and inasmuch as we
do right, he will make this a sifting machine, and the hypocrites will
be found out, Satan's kingdom will be overthrown, the Saints of God
will possess the land, and it will not be a great while before the
Church will go back and take possession of their inheritances.
I can say, for the benefit of our brethren that are out in the
mountains, that there are hosts of angels with them all the time. I
have prayed that the Lord would be a strong tower, a hiding place, a
buckler, and a shield to his people; and I know he will be.
I see that the Saints are going to be free: they are no more going to
be bound with the cursed yoke of the Gentiles. You will never feel it
from this time henceforth and forever. We have worn it long enough,
as long as he wants us to wear it.
The servants of God want the chaff and bran to be sifted out. There is
no danger of the pure wheat being hurt; for it will stand through all
the processes. The pure gold will endure the burnings, and troubles,
and drivings.
Jesus had enemies when he was upon the earth. He has them now, and
always will have until he subdues the kingdom of Satan and reigns as
King of kings and Lord of lords. And that this time may be hastened is
my constant prayer.
May the Lord bless us all. Amen.