Jesus Christ, in his teachings, made plain the difference between the
powers calculated to destroy, annihilate, dissolve, reduce to native
element, and those which will eternally endure. In view of this, he
prayed to his Father for his disciples, and wished them to pay
particular attention to this one principle in their faith. The words
he is recorded to have made use of are—"Sanctify them through the
truth: thy word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world, even so
have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might he sanctified through the truth. Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one."
The Savior sought continually to impress upon the minds of his
disciples that a perfect oneness reigned among all celestial
beings—that the Father and the Son and their minister, the Holy Ghost,
were one in their administration in heaven and among the people
pertaining to this earth. Between them and all the heavenly hosts
there can be no disunion, no discord, no wavering on a suggestion, on
a thought or reflection, on a feeling or manifestation; for such a
principle would differ widely from the character of Him who dictates
them, who makes his throne the habitation of justice, mercy, equity,
and truth. If the heavenly hosts were not one, they would be entirely
unfit to dwell in eternal burnings with the Father and Ruler of the
universe.
A perfect oneness will save a people, because intelligent beings cannot
become perfectly one only by acting upon principles that pertain to
eternal life. Wicked men may be partially united in evil; but, in the
very nature of things, such a union is of short duration. The very
principle upon which they are partially united will itself breed
contention and disunion to destroy the temporary compact. Only the
line of truth and righteousness can secure to any kingdom or people,
either of earthly or heavenly existence, an eternal continuation of
perfect union; for only truth and those who are sanctified by it can
dwell in celestial glory. This truth we have, and we offer it, without
money or price, to the world who are beguiled, benighted, and deceived
by the artful mass of superstition, bigotry, tradition, fashions,
customs, cliques, and plans that have been growing and ripening from
the days of Adam until now, introducing discord, strife, animosity,
anarchy, and crime of every grade, suffering of every kind, and
premature death to millions. They are embracing shadows and trying to
retain that which will perish in their grasp and leave them desolate.
All organized matter must dissolve and return to its native element,
unless it is made pure and holy—capable of enduring eternal burnings.
All principles, principalities, powers, thrones, kingdoms, dominions,
communities, neighborhoods, and individuals, with their actions
public and private, their feelings and aspirations, that are not
concentrated in the oneness taught by our Savior, will come to
dissolution into native element. Says Jesus, "I and my Father are
one." They are one in their faith, purposes, and actions, the Savior
being subject to the Father in all things. Again, he says—"For I came
down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me." Again—"I come to do thy will, O God." Many more
of the sayings of
Christ might be quoted, which set forth this principle of oneness,
that I have upon my mind and wish to impress upon the minds of the
people.
I do not hesitate in saying that, if the people will concentrate their
faith and works to accomplish the great object of their existence,
their troubles, sorrows, anxieties, difficulties, contentions,
animosities, and strife would be at end. This idea I wish to apply
more particularly to those who are called to act in the capacity of
Presidents, Bishops, Counselors, High Councilors, and to every man
holding office in this Church; but I also wish it to apply to every
member, both male and female. I will say to my brethren and sisters,
Were your faith concentrated upon the proper object, your confidence
unshaken, your lives pure and holy, every one fulfilling the duties of
his or her calling according to the Priesthood and capacity bestowed
upon you, you would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and it would be as
impossible for any man to deceive and lead you to destruction as for a
feather to remain unconsumed in the midst of intense heat. I may not
be able to convince you of this fact, but I can tell you that it is
true. I can reveal principles that pertain to this oneness—to this
holiness of life; but to make the people believe and practice them is
another thing. I can preach the Gospel, but I cannot make people obey
its mandates when they are not so disposed: that is a matter left
entirely to themselves. I can tell you how to avoid your difficulties,
jars, contentions, and sorrows. I can tell you how to establish peace,
prosperity, plenty, and happiness in your midst, and how to maintain
them; but I cannot make you follow my directions, if you are not so
disposed. This is also a matter that is left entirely with yourselves;
and you must reap the reward of your own doings, whether they
be good or evil.
In some instances, the people lose confidence in their Bishops, and
the Bishops lose confidence in themselves and in the people. Were it
in my power to bring the people to understanding and obedience, I
would place them in such a degree of advancement that their Bishop
could not live in their midst, unless he administered in his office
with holy hands and with pure heart. Then, if he lacked the wisdom and
discretion to judge righteously between man and man, he would be
filled with the revelations of eternity, to enable him to judge like
an angel, to discriminate between right and wrong, to point out the
path of duty to everyone, and to designate what is required of each
person in his respective calling. But this advancement is for the
people and Bishops to obtain for themselves, through the means the
Gospel supplies.
I have lived in the days of Prophets and Revelators. I have been
subject to rule—to the powers that have been and now are. This is not
new to me. My own experience has led me, step by step, from day to
day, and from night to night. When fear comes upon the people that a
Bishop or President is leading them astray and introducing evil among
them, it proves to me that the people are wrong and are destitute of
the power of their holy calling. They are willingly deceived. It is
folly to say that a community of Saints who are living up to their
callings can be led astray by their Bishop or President. There is no
such principle in all the kingdoms God has made.
It may be that some pray that their Bishop may be led wrong, that they
may get rid of him. If so, is that taking a course to save the
children of men? Take a man of the weakest intellect of any in a Ward
and ordain him a Bishop, and then let every other man in that Ward be
filled with the power of his holy calling; are they not ready and
willing to give a word of counsel to their Bishop when they meet him?
Their faith is concentrated upon him; they pray for him early and
late, that the Lord will fill him with wisdom, enlarge his
understanding, open the visions of his mind, and show him things as
they are in time and in eternity. You all know that even such a man
would become mighty in the house of Israel, if he had the faith of his
Ward. The capacities of all sane persons are capable of enlargement.
You may take the weakest man in the Church, if he is faithful, and
ordain him a Bishop, and he will grow into wisdom, knowledge,
strength, power, light, intelligence, and the spirit of his calling.
If he does not thus advance, it is because he more or less forsakes
his calling and sets his heart upon something besides the holy
Priesthood that is placed upon him. There is not a faithful man in
this Church but what will increase in his understanding of the ways
and duties of life. His mind will expand, the visions of heaven will
be opened to him, and truth pertaining to all subjects of art and
science will increase within him.
Does not the weakest intellect of a properly organized person know
more at ten years of age than it did at five—more at twenty than at
ten—more at forty than at twenty, and so continue? Yes. This proves
that he has grown, increased, and expanded in his capacity from his
infancy. Now I will apply this to an officer in the Church. He once
knew but little; he now knows considerable. Any Bishop, under the
influence of the prayers and confidence of his brethren and sisters,
with a faithful and holy life on his part, will increase in faith and
good works, and the rich fruits of his mind will manifest from day to
day increased wisdom and intelligence.
You hear the remark that such and such a man is not fit to be a
Bishop. I acknowledge that many who are called to be Bishops are not
fit for the office, for it is one of the most important offices in the
Church to rightly administer in temporal things. A Bishop also
ministers in spiritual things, and is required to devote time to the
well-being and prosperity of his Ward, like a father to a family. It is
an office that keenly tries the patience, faith, and feelings of a
man. If the brethren and sisters prayed for that man continually, and
lived their religion, he would know how to settle certain business
transactions without running to me about this, that, and the other.
Brethren would not run to me about things as simple as, "So-and-so has
been building a fence on the line between us, and has put his poles
wrong end foremost. Will you not counsel him to turn them?" And
sisters are running to me about things as simple as, "Sister
So-and-so's hens have laid on my premises, and they do not lay with
their heads in the right direction." Does such conduct proceed from
true knowledge among the Latter-day Saints? No. I do not wish to talk
about such folly, neither to have my time wasted by visits upon such
unimportant subjects. I do not wonder that the Lord suffers us to be
more or less abused by our enemies. I do not wonder that the devils
laugh at our folly.
Let men and women who profess to be Latter-day Saints live their
religion, and they will be filled with wisdom, and all these little
trifling traits of life will vanish. If my brother or sister commits
an overt act, all I wish to know is whether the wrong was intended. If
so, I cannot fellowship you; but I will bear with the inconvenience
you have put me to. If no wrong was intended, all is right—we have
nothing to say. How is it? Do you seek unto the Lord early and late,
constantly, from morning until evening? Are your secret devotions and
the impulse of every moment filled with the desire to have the Lord
Almighty lead you, direct you, and prepare you for the discharge of
every duty in building up his kingdom on the earth and the promotion
of righteousness?
I do not wonder that some say that this or that Bishop is not fit for
his calling. It is true; for there are Bishops who condescend to
notice childish trifles, unworthy the notice of a child five years
old. They love the world—are covetous. Their minds are upon this,
that, and the other, instead of upon the duties of their office, which
are to them a secondary consideration. Such men are not fit for this
office.
I will here offer advice that may apply to every officer and member
in this Church, from myself down. I will say to wives, whose husbands
are unruly and will not walk in the paths of rectitude and truth, Live
your religion faithfully; and if you have sons and daughters, let them
do the same and be one with you, and you will burn the wicked man out
of the house, for he will not be able to resist the power of God that
is within you. Let the people in Wards live their religion; let every
man and woman be filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, and you will
burn out an unfaithful Bishop, without being obliged to complain of
him and quarrel him out of the Ward. If you are not one, you cannot be
Saints. How can we be one? Shall we seek to establish a perfect
oneness by means of the order God has instituted upon the earth? Or
shall we set up our individual judgments against that order?
If my individual judgment must be the standard, then farewell to
union—farewell to oneness. God can never save us upon any such
principle. He is the Author of our existence—the Giver of
every good and perfect gift, and he must be obeyed. If he has restored
the holy Priesthood to the children of men and organized his Church
upon the earth, it is time that we knew it. If we do not know it, let
us, in the first place, find out whether his Church is here or not; and
wherever we find it, with its keys and powers, let us bow to its
mandates and observe religiously its order.
I will here make a few remarks which I think will check some of the
complaints from women about their husbands. I acknowledge that many
women know much more than their husbands, and for this reason the
faith and confidence in them droop; they do not seek to uphold them in
the dignity of their position and calling. And again, maybe the
husband does not magnify his priesthood, follow diligently the duties
of his calling, and increase in the faith of the Gospel, as it is his
privilege to do. He should be the head of the wife all the day long. I
will venture to say a little more upon this point. I like to see
people consistent with the wisdom they profess to have. Were I a woman
possessed of great powers of mind, filled with wisdom, and, upon the
whole, a magnanimous woman, and had been privileged with my choice,
and had married a man, and found myself deceived, he not answering my
expectations, and I being sorry that I had made such a choice, let me
show my wisdom by not complaining about it. A woman's wisdom and
judgment has failed her once in the choice of a husband, and it may
again, if she is not very careful. By seeking to cast off her
husband—by withdrawing her confidence and goodwill from him, she casts
a dark shade upon his path, when, by pursuing a proper course of love,
obedience, and encouragement, he might attain to that perfection she
had anticipated in him. When the enemy once gets advantage over you,
he is very apt to improve upon it, and to gain a greater when he has
another opportunity.
If wives have wicked and unfaithful husbands, if children have wicked
and unfaithful parents, if Wards have unfaithful Bishops, and if there
are Presidents who are not capable of magnifying their Priesthood and
calling, let wives, children, and people seek unto the Lord to be
filled with that power of the Holy Ghost that will remove those
unfaithful persons to other quarters. Let them remove them by the
power of faith in such a way as not in the least to infringe upon the
rights of a single person, giving them no just ground for complaint.
Let all the Saints fulfil every duty, and manifest in their lives true
and full obedience to the commandments and requirements of the Gospel,
then our Bishops and presiding officers can say, "God bless you,
brother!" or "God bless you, sister! You are following your calling
and mission, and magnifying your being on the earth." If all the
people would so live, there would be no High Council or Bishop's Court
necessary to adjudicate upon matters of contention and strife. If a
man did not lay his poles on his fence to please me, I would go and
turn them, and he would be quite willing that I should be
accommodated.
I will give you a text: Except I am one with my good brethren, do not
say that I am a Latter-day Saint. We must be one. Our faith must be
concentrated in one great work—the building up of the kingdom of God
on the earth, and our works must aim to the accomplishment of that
great purpose. This people, I am happy to say, are fast improving. In
our testimony meeting yesterday, I could not refrain from weeping for
joy. What a peaceful, joyous, happy, heavenly spirit rested upon the
con gregation. Live so, my brethren and sisters, that you can
enjoy that Spirit all the time.
The brethren, in testifying yesterday, used the common expression,
"The Lord is here." If he was not here in person, he was by his
ministers, by his angels, by his Spirit. It is well for us that he did
not raise the veil; for if he had, we should have been consumed by the
brightness of his glory and the majesty of his power. The Lord was
here by his Spirit, and he is here in like manner today. The Spirit
of the Lord is in the midst of the people. Then why not yield perfect
obedience to his Priesthood? If we have it, we are in duty bound to
live to it and be guided continually by its sacred order.
Let every man stand in his lot and calling as long as he can, and not
complain that this Bishop and that President cannot perform his duty.
Why can he not? Because you are exercising your faith against him,
which, in many instances, is the reason why he is trammeled. If the
faith, spirit, and life of the people are right, they would not be
troubled with bad Bishops and bad Presidents, and I would not be so
troubled with affairs which should be attended to by others. Live so
that you can discern the things of God—so that you can at once
discern between the things of God, the things of man, and the things
of the Devil.
I would beseech and pray the people to so live that if I do not
magnify my office and calling, you will burn me by your faith and
good works, and I shall be removed. Salvation is what I am seeking and
striving for, and it is also your aim and object. The Lord has
restored the Priesthood in our day for the salvation of Israel. Does
he design to save anybody else? Yes; he will save the house of Esau,
and I hope to live until I see Mount Zion established, and saviors
come up to save those poor, miserable beings who are continually
persecuting us—all who have not sinned against the Holy Ghost. Our
labor is to save ourselves, to save the house of Israel, to save the
house of Esau, and all the Gentile nations—everyone that can be
saved.
The salvation offered in the Gospel is one of the most consoling, one
of the most merciful, one of the most magnanimous principles that can
be advanced in all the revelations of God to man. All the sons and
daughters of men will be saved, except the sons of perdition.
Brethren and sisters, I feel as calm and serene as the autumn sun of
our mountain home. All is right. I have minded my own business, and I
intend so to do. I have known many to become rich by minding their own
business. I have seldom seen enough affliction to prevent my dropping
to sleep in a minute after I had lain down to rest and my business for
the day was done, and sleeping as soundly as a healthy child in the
lap of its mother. God is at the helm. He guides the ship, and will
bring us safely to port. All we have to care about is to take care of
ourselves and see that we do right. Let us man the ship manfully,
every one standing faithfully and firmly to his post, and she will
outride every storm and safely bear us to the harbor of celestial
bliss.
I have said but a small part of what I wish to say, but I will give
way for others. God bless you! Amen.