I wish to inform you that I am here and doing what many years ago I
resolved to do—the best I can. Watch for the signs of the times. All
is right, and the Devil is not dead; for which we have great reason to
be thankful. If you do not know whether "Mormonism" is true or untrue,
I am perfectly willing that the Devil should assail you until you
learn for yourselves.
As brother Orson Pratt has just observed, the Elders of Israel have
labored long and arduously to preserve this people in the faith and
in purity. Notwithstanding all this, some men and women, when they
have an opportunity to join heart and hand with the thoroughly
corrupt, make it their meat and their drink to turn their backs upon
every upright principle and practice. We wish that such persons would
leave our society, for we do not feel willing to fellowship them.
I will say, for your consolation, that as soon as the time arrives
when this people have been proven sufficiently to satisfy justice,
mercy will interpose, peace be fully restored, and the valleys of the
mountains resound with the joyful voices of the Saints. Until then I
am perfectly willing that the people do without preaching. I will pray
with them and for them: what for? To keep the devils, the corrupt, the
hypocritical, the ungodly, and those that love and work iniquity in the kingdom of God? I say, God forbid.
I am accused by our enemies and by the enemies of the Lord Jesus
Christ of possessing great influence over the people of this
Territory; and I would to God that I had sufficient influence to make
every man and woman work righteousness and cease iniquity, and so live
that angels and the Spirit of the God of peace would dwell with them
day by day. But that influence I have not. I have an influence; but I
have only what the Lord has given me. No man will gain influence in
this kingdom, save what he gains by the influence and power of the
Holy One that has called him to truth, holiness, and virtue. That is
all the influence I have, and I pray God that I may never have any
different influence.
If I should lose my faith, forsake my God and my religion, I hope, and
it has always been my prayer, that I may never have influence over a
wife, child, friend, or neighbor to drag them down to hell. If I go
there, let me go alone. It has ever been my prayer that if I have
influence over the people, it shall be exercised to induce them to
forsake their sins and cleave to righteousness. I seek for an increase
of that influence, and seek to the proper source. It is my constant
prayer that I may have influence over the spirits of the children of
men to lead them from the power of Satan to the living God. But we
must be tried in our faith and in our patience. The whole man must be
tried to know whether he is for God or for the powers of
darkness—whether he will cling to that which is a hater of
righteousness, or to his Father and Savior.
There are thousands in this kingdom who are willing to die for their
religion, but are not willing to live it. This is a great difficulty.
The most ignorant, blind, and superstitious pagan upon the earth will
die for what we call their nonsense, though to them it is as true and
sacred as our religion and God are to us. What a man will suffer for
his religion is no proof whether it is true or false. Brother Pratt, in
his remarks, said that we should not be governed by tradition. Yet we
are, and so are the whole world, more or less; and those who are
traditioned in a false religion are as willing to die for it as men
and women are for a true religion and Priesthood. That a man is
willing to die for his religion is no proof of its being true; neither
is it proof that a religion is false when one of its votaries
apostatizes from it. Our religion teaches us truth, virtue, holiness,
faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ. It reveals mysteries, it
brings to mind things past and present—unfolding clearly things to
come. It is the foundation of mechanism; it is the Spirit that gives
intelligence to every living being upon the earth. All true philosophy
originates from that Fountain from which we draw wisdom, knowledge,
truth, and power. What does it teach us? To love God and our fellow
creatures—to be compassionate, full of mercy, long-suffering, and
patient to the froward and to those who are ignorant. There is a glory
in our religion that no other religion that has ever been established
upon the earth, in the absence of the true Priesthood, ever possessed.
It is the fountain of all intelligence; it is to bring heaven to earth
and exalt earth to heaven, to prepare all intelligence that God has
placed in the hearts of the children of men—to mingle with that
intelligence which dwells in eternity, and to elevate the mind above
the trifling and frivolous objects of time, which tend downward to
destruction. It frees the mind of man from darkness and ignorance,
gives him that intelligence that flows from heaven, and
qualifies him to comprehend all things. This is the character of the
religion we believe in.
Our ecclesiastical government is the government of heaven, and
incorporates all governments in earth and hell. It is the fountain,
the mainspring, the source of all light, power, and government that
ever did or ever will exist. It circumscribes the governments of this
world; and when men and women are filled with the power of God, they
can comprehend what the Prophet means when he speaks of the Lord's
weighing the earth as in a balance; and measuring the waters of the
great deep as in the hollow of his hand: that is, He comprehends all
things; and so can men who are filled with the Holy Ghost comprehend
all things needful for their salvation and exaltation. All human
governments and policies are weighed by them as gold is weighed in the
balance: they are comprehended by them with the same facility and
clearness that a farmer or mechanic comprehends his particular
pursuit. And no being possesses intelligence, in any degree, that he
has not received from the God of heaven, or, in other words, from the
Fountain of all intelligence, whether he acknowledges his God in it or
not. No man, independent of the Great Ruler of the universe, is
capable of devising that which we see and are well acquainted with.
All mechanism, good government, wholesome principle, and true
philosophy, of whatever name or nature, flows from God to finite man.
What for? To determine what he will do with it. It is for his
improvement and advancement in the arts of civilized life, morality,
and true religion. This has been taught you from the beginning as the
unmistakable features of our holy religion.
"Mormonism" is said to be different in Utah from what it is in other
countries. It should be very different. Let me explain. When the
Elders go forth to teach the people that Jesus is the Christ, and to
bear testimony to the truth of the Bible, though precious portions
have been taken from it, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the
revelations given through Joseph Smith, the servant of God, are true,
and to call upon the inhabitants of the earth everywhere to repent of
their sins and be baptized for the remission thereof, and receive the
imposition of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and to confer
the holy Priesthood, that believers may magnify their calling until
they are gathered, what then? They should find "Mormonism" more than
it was taught them in foreign lands. How should they gather? With the
same spirit they received when they received the Gospel. Then, when
they are gathered to the fountainhead, they are prepared to receive
the further things of the kingdom. Is this the true spirit of
gathering? It is, and is preserved by those who come prepared to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. But the long journeys, the
perplexities, perils, and temptations darken the understanding and
becloud the minds of many, insomuch that when they are gathered they
are not so well prepared to receive the further things of the kingdom
as they were before they started. This is a pity: it is very
lamentable. But such is the fact.
To some "Mormonism" appears very different here to what it did in the
countries of their nativity. Why? Because their eyes have become dim
and their hearts cold, so that they do not behold things by the Spirit
of God as they did when they first embraced the Gospel. In comparison,
they become as other Christians. The Christians of the 19th century
tell you how much light they received—how they were exalted on high: "Glory! Hallelujah! How happy I felt when I first got religion!"
How do you feel now? "Not so well." That is the experience of the
Christian world; and, unfortunately, it is the experience of many who
are called Latter-day Saints. Some exclaim, "O that we could feel as
we did when we first received the Gospel!" If you have not known and
understood more than you did when you first embraced the Gospel—if you
have not grown in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, it proves
that you are not yet worthy to receive further blessings. How can you
expect to receive blessings that you will not improve upon? Let every
man and woman that believes in the redemption of Zion, the gathering
of Israel, the calling of Prophets and Apostles in the last days, and
the building up of the kingdom of God, no more to be thrown down, come
here prepared to receive the mysteries of the kingdom and to learn the
further things of eternity, to bring heaven to earth, and in their
understandings be exalted to heaven; and would you see men and women
going back to the States and to California, and joining hands with the
most corrupt spirits that hell can spew out?
I am still here, and intend to remain; but whether I shall continue to
have faith enough to carry out my desires is not for me to say, though
I am one of the best hands in the world to fight dogs in flocks of
sheep; and I desire to stay until the last one is kicked from off the
earth, and a place prepared for the habitation of Saints, and they
prepared to receive the Savior when he comes.
Jesus has been upon the earth a great many more times than you are
aware of. When Jesus makes his next appearance upon the earth, but few
of this Church and kingdom will be prepared to receive him and see him
face to face and converse with him; but he will come to his temple.
Will he remain and dwell upon the earth a thousand years, without
returning? He will come here, and return to his mansion where he
dwells with his Father, and come again to the earth, and again return
to his Father, according to my understanding. Then angels will come
and begin to resurrect the dead, and the Savior will also raise the
dead, and they will receive the keys of the resurrection, and will
begin to assist in that work. Will the wicked know of it? They will
know just as much about that as they now know about "Mormonism," and
no more.
When all nations are so subdued to Jesus that every knee shall bow and
every tongue shall confess, there will still be millions on the earth
who will not believe in him; but they will be obliged to acknowledge
his kingly government. You may call that government ecclesiastical, or
by whatever term you please; yet there is no true government on earth
but the government of God, or the holy Priesthood. Shall I tell you
what that is? In short, it is a perfect system of government—a kingdom
of Gods and angels and all beings who will submit themselves to that
government. There is no other true government in heaven or upon the
earth. Do not blame me for believing in a pure and holy government.
Is man prepared to receive that government? He is not. I can say to
these Latter-day Saints, You are not prepared to receive that
government. You hear men and women talk about living and abiding a
celestial law, when they do not so much as know what it is, and are
not prepared to receive it. We have a little here and a little there
given to us, to prove whether we will abide that portion of law that
will enable us to enjoy a resurrection with the just.
While I was in England I heard much said about the revelation
touching the privilege of the living being baptized for the dead. A
High Priest, who had just come from America, thinking that he could
enlighten the Twelve upon the subject, said, "Brother Brigham, I heard
Joseph say that baptism for the dead was one of the first principles
of the Gospel, and that even the Twelve did not understand it." His
feeling was, "I am a High Priest, and the Twelve do not understand the
matter." I said to him, "My dear sir, do you understand all of the
first principles of the Gospel?" When I hear such expressions from
men, I know that they are very limited in their understandings about
the Priesthood.
A man who has had his mind opened to the operation of the Priesthood
of the Son of God—who understands anything of the government of
heaven, must understand that finite beings are not capable of
receiving and abiding the celestial law in its fulness. When can you
abide a celestial law? When you become a celestial being, and never
until then. When you hear men and women talk about living a celestial
law, you may know that they are ignorant of the fact that no finite
being is living in its fulness, or can. As it is written, we have line
upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, and
it is something that accords with the capacity of finite beings, and
you improve upon this, and the Lord will open your minds to receive
more, and let you see the order of the eternal Priesthood; but if you
do not live your religion, you cannot receive more.
Are the Latter-day Saints ready to receive Zion from above? Have they
wisdom and knowledge to receive and conduct themselves properly in the
society of angels? I think not. While I was in Far West, and the mob
began to gather there, determined to kill Joseph, he preached to the
people and said, "If you had faith and would live your religion, you
would prove the revelation to be true where the Lord says, 'I will
fight your battles, and, if necessary, send down angels to save you
from the wicked grasp of your enemies.'" There was an armed mob of
some 3,500 arrayed against some 300 of us. They sent in a deputation,
saying they wanted about three persons out of the town, for they were
calculating to destroy the people and the place. Some of those
self-glorious stars of "Mormonism" —stars that fell in that crisis,
looked round for the angels. They did not see them, and straightway
turned their backs upon their God and their religion, and joined the
enemy.
I was glad that they went. I felt then as I feel now. I felt and still
feel that I would rather have ten righteous men with whom to contend
with the wicked of the whole earth, than to have at my command the
corrupt of all creation. When I am brought to the test to fight for my
religion, which I trust I never will be, I will call men who are full
of the power of God for such an emergency.
Brother Pratt wishes that the miserable, dissatisfied spirits would
leave; but they will not all go. The question might be asked, "Why do
you wish them to go from this Territory?" We do not particularly care
whether they go or stay: they are at perfect liberty to please
themselves in that matter, because it is their constitutional right to
stay here, if they do not infringe upon the rights of others, and
observe the laws of the land as strictly as we do. The principal
reason why I do not wish them to go is because they will be constantly
troubling me to assist them back again. I had rather help somebody
else, for we have not means to spare for bringing those who
will apostatize to this country a second and third time. After they
have come back once and twice, they stay awhile and want to go away
again; and after they have been away awhile, they begin to learn that
this is the kingdom of God, and some of them want help to come back.
My faith reaches far beyond the faith of many touching the final
destiny of such persons, understanding that the Lord is more merciful
than human beings; and the faith of this kingdom goes far beyond the
faith of the Christian world upon this matter. There will not so many
people go into that awful place that burns with fire and brimstone,
where they sink down, down, down to the bottom of the bottomless pit,
as the Christians say—not near so many as the Christian world would
have go there. That gives me great joy, notwithstanding all the perils
and persecution we have suffered through the wickedness of the wicked.
Liars, sorcerers, whoremongers, adulterers, and those that love and
make a lie will be found on the outside of the walls of the city; but
they will never get into the bottom of the bottomless pit. Who will go
there and become angels of perdition and suffer the wrath of an
offended God? Those who sin against the Holy Ghost.
This kingdom
progresses. Who has eyes to behold the handiwork of the Lord? The
trials we have been passing through in this Territory, from our
enemies, we think are terrible; but these trials are only like a drop
to a bucketful, compared with what many of this people have heretofore
passed through. Contrasted with Missouri, our present and late trials
are very trifling, very light, and very easy upon us. You may let your
hearts be comforted, those of you who can see the hand of the Lord in
leading this people and re straining the wrath of our enemies. Can any
of you see? Yes, a great many. If your eyes were opened, you would see
his hand in the midst of the nations of the earth in the setting up of
governments and in the downfall of kingdoms—in the revolutions, wars,
famine, distress, and wretchedness among the inhabitants of the earth.
In these manifestations you would discern the footsteps of the
Almighty just as plainly as you may see the footsteps of your children
upon the soft earth.
The wonderful developments of his providence are ofttimes mysterious
to us, and we exclaim, "Really, I did not expect to hear such news,
nor to see such astonishing and unexpected results in the actions of
the righteous and the wicked." The Lord takes care of the whole of
that, and dictates their conduct for his own purpose and glory. He
makes the wrath of man to praise him, and that which he cannot bring
about to promote his kingdom and his purposes he restrains. The wicked
he permits to go far enough to produce a result that will serve his
purpose. "For my kingdom must be established upon the earth in the
latter days," saith the Father, "and I have given it to my Son Jesus
Christ. He has died to redeem it, and he is the lawful heir pertaining
to this earth." Jesus will continue to reign with his Father, and is
dictated by his Father in all his acts and ruling and governing in the
building up and overthrow of nations, to make the wrath of man praise
him, until he brings all into subjection to his will and government.
And when he has subdued all his enemies, destroyed death and him that
hath the power of death, and perfected his work, he will deliver up
the kingdom spotless to his Father. You may preach upon that text. It
is a source of great consolation to me, for it will be fully
accomplished, and all that transpires will be overruled to
redound to the glory of God.
A gentleman said to me, not long ago, "You 'Mormons' scare us. You
are
here in the mountains, and this expedition would not have been sent
against you, but you frighten us by taking such big strides.
'Mormonism' is but a few years old, and it has circumscribed the
globe; it has penetrated into almost every nation under heaven, and
bears down, in a remarkable manner, all opposition wherever your
people go. It seems to swallow up our religion, political policies,
and philosophy; and, if we do not stop you, it would appear that you
will finally swallow up the world." I replied, "If the people will let
us alone, we will preach the Gospel in peace, civilly, kindly, mildly;
and we will teach the people how to obtain that eternal life that is
proffered to all. But will they let us alone? No. And you think we
take large strides." He rose from his chair, saying, "You take ten or
twelve strides at once. While we go creeping along, you are away
yonder." "Well, you kicked us there, and we cannot help going. Every
time you kick 'Mormonism,' you kick it upstairs: you never kick it
downstairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it. And let me tell you that
what our Christian friends are now doing for us makes more for the
kingdom of heaven than the Elders could in many years preaching."
The Lord Almighty will exalt "Mormonism" and sustain his Priesthood.
Will he sustain wickedness? No. If we are wicked, we are wrong. We
should abstain from everything that is unholy—that is unrighteous;
that is the character of a true Latter-day Saint. Have we persons
among us who are degraded? Yes. As I have before told you, "Mormonism"
can beat the world as to the knowledge of God. The Saints know more of
God and godliness than all the world: they also know more of earth and
earthly things. Many are living so as to be saved in the celestial
kingdom, while all who do not embrace the doctrine of full redemption
will come short of attaining that glory. On the contrary, if you want
to see the principle of devilism to perfection, hunt among those who
have once enjoyed the faith of the holy Gospel and then forsaken their
religion. We have the best and the worst. Why the worst? Because the
Devil prompts men and women of the meanest and lowest grade to embrace
the Gospel and get a foothold in the kingdom of God to destroy it.
Will he destroy it? He will not: that is beyond his power. Can you
destroy a true religion by persecuting it? No. What destroyed the
Priesthood of the Son of God from the earth in ancient days? Was it
persecution? No. The Emperor Constantine embraced it and sent out a
decree for all his people to embrace it. Let this people be prospered
and all persecutions cease, and then every description of characters
would hasten to join this Church. The Lord so orders and overrules as
to keep out a share of them, though he suffers some to enter the
temporal fold. We understand the root and trunk of the tree of
wickedness, and we have many of its branches—more than we want. The
Lord desires a pure people—a people that he can own and exalt—that he
can bring into his presence; and that is what the Priesthood of God is
designed to accomplish. I would to God that the people would live so
as to receive the blessings of the Priesthood, increase in all
godliness, have their eyes open to see, their ears to hear, and their
hearts to understand, instead of falling away.
At times, seemingly good men falter in their feelings, and turn away
from their God and their religion to take the road that leads to
destruc tion. This makes my heart mourn. But those who are
faithful will come out triumphantly, for God has established his
kingdom on the earth, no more to be thrown down. It was thought by our
enemies, in the days of Joseph Smith, that if they could kill him,
that would be the end of this fanaticism, as they called it, and of
this fanatical race. But did that murder in the least shake this great
Latter-day Work? No, brethren and sisters—no. What did it effect? The
Church and kingdom of our God has risen from an individual family to a
great people, and we have been looked upon as a nation by our
neighbors, independent of all other people on the face of this earth;
and in their dealings they have dealt with us as such. Not that we
desire it, but it is so in the providence of our God. They are
determined, though they know it not, that they will make the kingdom
of God triumphant on the earth; and all the powers of earth and hell
cannot prevent it.
If we wish to be blessed, let us live our religion. If we promote the
kingdom of God, it will bear us off triumphantly. If we falter in our
feelings, and say that we cannot abide this tirade of persecution, but
must leave this place and people, we shall be left in darkness and
sink in iniquity, and shall be left by the kingdom far behind in our
sins. The person that forsakes the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ will
find himself ruined for time and eternity. How are they looked upon
who have received the spirit of the Gospel and forsaken it? Heaven,
with all its shining hosts, despises and pities them: they will not
have them, and hell is ready to spew them out. With a few exceptions,
they are despised by the good and wise among men, by the noble and
ignoble: all despise them, and they are in a most miserable condition.
I wish to have the blessed principles of civilization—of this
Christian nineteenth century—spread over Utah. I desire to see the
effect they will have on this ignorant people in the Territory of
Utah. The world say, "Poor people, how sorry we are for you! It is a
pity to have such intelligent men and women go to Utah to join those
fanatics. Let us send our Christian brethren there to civilize them."
And here, sure enough, they have their gambling tables of
civilization, and grog shops of civilization, and various other helps
and aids pertaining thereto; and they are working hard to spread the
principles of modern civilization. What would they do with their
civilization? "Oh this polygamy! It is a dreadful evil," when, at the
same time, they would say to me, if they dare, "Look here, brother
Brigham, can I have the use of one of your wives tonight?" It is not
so much polygamy that they are opposed to, but they hate this people
because they strive to be pure, and will not believe in whoredom and
adultery, but declare death to the man who is found guilty of those
crimes. This is the awful, unchristianlike conduct of brother
Brigham! It appears, by our late news, that among our Christian
brethren it is death to adulterers; and so say I, and I ask no odds of
such characters. I am able to take care of myself, with the help of
God and my good brethren.
Our faith and patience must be tried in everything, and it is not for
us to take judgment into our own hands. We must be tried, to prove
whether we can endure to be imposed upon and have our religion
derided, and not feel as some do when their names are called in
question. To illustrate, I will tell an anecdote concerning Captain
James Brown. When the emigrants were passing through here and were
asked by Captain Brown as to whither they were going, the
answer would be—"To the gold mines, G—d d—n you;" and
with them it
was." G—d d—n Joe Smith," and "G—d d—n
Brigham Young." But when it
came to "G—d d—n you, James Brown," the Captain was then ready
to
fight. I wish to know how much you can bear. You can hear the name of
Deity, of the Savior, and the names of all holy things abused; but
when it is "d—n you, Joe, Tom, or Dick," there is a fight on hand. You
have to learn to suffer abuse, and to be patient under it as the
Savior was, if they spit in your face or abuse you in any way. You
have to learn to hear your own names abused as you can bear to hear
the name of the Deity abused. A few years ago a person in our streets
was abusing the name of Deity, and another stepped up and boxed his
ears, saying to him that he should not use that name in such a
disrespectful manner. But some of these good Elders can hear the name
of their Savior abused with seeming satisfaction.
We are here, and we shall live and grow, and no power can hinder it.
I shall stick to the kingdom, God being my helper, and shall not let
go until this earth is revolutionized and all nations bow to the
Savior, and I be his priest and servant.
Cease bringing the names of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ
into disrespect, and learn to reverence those names.
I have detained you long enough. May God bless you, brethren and
sisters, that you may have power to guide yourselves, by the aid of
the Spirit, into all righteousness, independent of any power of man on
earth. I do not want any power over my brethren, only to lead them in
the way of truth, and to run parallel with them in the ways of truth
and righteousness.
God bless you! Amen.