I can say amen to what brother Pratt has just said. I think I can with
propriety say to him and a great many of the Elders of Israel that
they may dismiss those little doubts that brother Pratt has spoken of
in regard to proving faithful. You who are in the Church and have been
a long time faithful, the Lord will never suffer to so fall away that
you cannot be saved. I hardly know of a man who has been in the Church
fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years and longer, but what had better
be thankful that that time is past, and not wish to live it over
again, for fear he would not do as well. True, some of the brethren
have taken missteps—have dealt amiss in some instances, and have not
done so well as they could, had they lived so as to have known more;
but I am satisfied with them, if they will continue to learn and
improve upon their gifts and become perfect; otherwise, I shall not be
satisfied, either with myself or with my brethren, the Elders of
Israel. The knowledge we now have in our possession is sufficient to
guide and direct us step by step, day by day, until we are made
perfect before the Lord our Father. If we do not take a course to
sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and attain to perfection, I do
not intend to be satisfied with either myself or anyone who comes
short of this.
When I came into the meeting, brother Pratt was speaking upon the
principle of covetousness, which is idolatry. This a matter that ought
to be understood, though it is as impossible to make those understand
who are not seeking to know, as it is to make blind people understand
the difference between colors. It is a hard matter to so bring some
to their understanding that they will comprehend, recollect, and
practice correct principles. Preaching the word to Saint or sinner is
of but little moment, unless there is a place in the hearts of the
hearers to receive it; otherwise it is to them like sounding brass and
a tinkling cymbal. To enjoy the light and power of the Holy Ghost day
by day is prayed for by brother Pratt; but the preacher does not need
it any more than the hearers. The preacher needs the power of the Holy
Ghost to deal out to each heart a word in due season, and the hearers
need the Holy Ghost to bring forth the fruits of the preached word of
God to his glory.
We need not refer to the traditions of the fathers with regard to the
manifestations of the covetousness we see so much of. Observe the
customs and habits, not of the fathers, but of the children—our
brethren and sisters here. We see men, from twenty years up to old
age, who are entirely overcome by their desire to obtain gold. It is
asserted that there are 75,000 people at Pike's Peak. What business
have they there? Simply to worship the god of this world. He was said
to be there, and they flocked there to worship him. A little
gold dust was found near Pike's Peak; the golden god—the god of this
world—was hoisted, and what is the result? Priests and people, the old
and young, rich and poor, wise and foolish, noble and ignoble, are all
running after this god.
Are all who profess to be Latter-day Saints entirely free from this
Mammon worship? No. You have heard "Oppression!" sounded from Maine to
Texas, from Texas to California, then to Washington Territory, in the
British Provinces in America, in England, and all over the
world—"Great oppression in Utah!" because we exhort the people not to
be such fools as to run after the golden image; and sometimes we tell
them that we will cut them off from the Church, if they do. This has
caused this great outcry. Some who have come here this season
expressly to enjoy the privilege of their religion are not satisfied,
but want to go where there is more money. Money is their god. Go—go
after it and worship it as much as you please, and trouble us not. Go
your way rejoicing as much as you can; but you will have sorrow in
that course. Instead of bettering your condition, you will make it a
great deal worse. Your spirits will sink into darkness and
wretchedness, and you will go your way mourning instead of rejoicing.
It is reported that thousands of persons will soon be on Strawberry
Creek, a little east of the South Pass. What are they after? Someone,
they say, has found sand with a little gold dust in it. There is their
god again, and hosts are coming running after it. The world is after
riches; riches is the god they worship. It is a marvel that they do
not discover the emptiness of earthly riches, when hundreds are going
out like a candle burnt down in the socket. We know that we are here,
and how soon we shall go hence we know not. Perhaps some of us may be
called from this life before tomorrow morning, and some, perhaps,
before sunset will pass into the spirit world. But that does not
lessen the appetite for gold. I do not know that a miser's appetite
for gold would be lessened in the least degree, if he knew that he
would be required to leave it tomorrow.
Such riches can give no real enjoyment. There is no happiness in gold,
not the least. It is very convenient as an article of exchange, in
purchasing what we need; and instead of finding comfort and happiness
in gold, you exchange it to obtain happiness, or that which may
conduce to it. There is no real wealth in gold. People talk about
being wealthy—about being rich; but place the richest banking company
in the world upon a barren rock, with their gold piled around them,
with no possible chance of exchanging it, and destitute of the
creature comforts; and they would be poor indeed. Where then is their
joy, their comfort, their great wealth? They have none.
What constitutes health, wealth, joy, and peace? In the first place,
good pure air is the greatest sustainer of animal life. Other elements
of life we can dispense with for a time, but this seems to be
essential every moment; hence the necessity of well ventilated
dwelling houses, especially the rooms occupied for sleeping. You can
live without water and food longer than you can without air, and water
is of more importance than meat and bread. In what, then, consists
your riches? In being comfortably clad, comfortably sheltered, and
suitably provided with food. Gold, where those comforts could not be
obtained, would avail nothing. But the greatest of all comforts are
the words of eternal life: they also comprise the greatest of all
riches. The greatest riches that can be bestowed upon man is
eternal life—the power to sustain ourselves and preserve our identity
before our God, though this is not esteemed riches by the world. You
may assemble such men as Dick Turpin of England, Joaquin of
California, and Joseph C. Hare of the United States, and let them
hoist the golden flag, and you will see priest and people running
after them, and they will call them fine gentlemen, give them of their
substance, and their daughters to wives.
We have the real wealth here. We have not much gold and silver here,
but we have the good, fine flour, good wheat, horses, cattle, beef,
pork, vegetables, fruit, sheep, and wool, and good wives to
manufacture the wool into clothing. This is real wealth. This people
is a rich people. We are the wealthiest people, in what constitutes
true wealth, and in proportion to our number, that there are in any
other part of our country: we have the comforts of life.
I will now inform the Latter-day Saints in this Territory that I wish
them to fit out our Missionaries, who are going into the world to
preach, with means to go to their fields of labor, and then sustain
their families when they are gone. That is the text I wish to lay
before the people. If I do not preach upon it this morning, I may this
afternoon. I was with the Bishops last Thursday evening, and I
requested them to notify the brethren to come here prepared to donate
their half-eagles, eagles, fifty dollar pieces, horses, mules,
wagons, wheat by the twenty and hundred bushels, and other available
means, that we may send these brethren away rejoicing; and then we
will give them a promise that we will provide for their families after
they are gone, so far as they are unable to provide for themselves.
You may inquire, "What has hap pened? Is there anything new under the
sun? Are the Church and kingdom of God becoming different from what
they were?" All this can be explained to you—only give us time. I
think that the brethren were required to go and preach "without purse
and scrip," and that is what I am now trying to get them to do—to go
"without purse and scrip," and not beg the poor Saints to death. Let
us support the Elders, instead of making the poor do it. We are able
to send these men out to preach the Gospel, and they may go "without
purse or scrip." It may be asked, "What do you say to the following
words of Paul?—'Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have
ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have
showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the
weak, and so remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is
more blessed to give than to receive.'" When the Elders are on
Missions, I want them to let speculation alone. I call trading,
begging, and borrowing, and laying plans to come home wealthy,
speculation. The Elders of Israel have not magnified their callings as
they should have done. Had they known things as they really are, and
seen them as they are in the bosom of eternity, they would rather have
suffered their right hands to be cut off, or their heads to be severed
from their bodies, than do as some have done.
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." All the gold and
silver are in the hands of the Lord. When he is so disposed, gold
cannot be found; and when he is disposed, the surface of the earth is
full of it. There may be gold here; but, to find it, the persons will
have to ride over my faith. No doubt many of the Elders are hunting to
find gold. I was going to say that I would rather they would
find hell; for they would, if they found gold. Every man that prays to
find it here virtually prays that the Devil may have power over the
kingdom of God to destroy it from the earth. Perhaps some of these
very men will give a sixpence, shilling, or a dollar to the Elders who
are going out to preach. Such men know no more than those Elders who
go out on missions to gather gold to administer to their nonsensical
appetites; but it goes from them, and they know not where it goes.
Every Saint should understand that the Lord will bring forth to us the
gold when we need it. We now want shoes, boots, hats, bonnets,
dresses, coats, food, and comfortable houses, to enable us to live
long on the earth, with wisdom to know how to use all creature
comforts.
The means which you donate for supporting our Missions shall be
entered in the book of the law of the Lord, that the record thereof
may go down to your posterity. It will not be put into our pockets,
nor used for other purposes—at least, not with my knowledge or
consent. I shall throw this business into the hands of the Bishops.
The good Bishop will get a liberal donation, while the others will not
get much. "As is the priests, so are the people;" and as is the
Bishop, so is his Ward. Let the Bishops commence at the intermission
to receive donations, and continue so to do until a week from
tonight. With these means we expect to send the Elders directly to
their fields of labor.
It is my business to control the disbursements of the Tithing paid by
the Saints, and not the business of every Elder in the kingdom who
thinks the Tithing belongs to him. In the English Mission, where
comparatively but little was done, fifty-four thousand dollars of the
Tithing money has been expended by the Elders during the last two
years. This has been kept from my knowledge until recently; but I have
now got hold of the rope, and I will search out every secret act
pertaining to this matter. The money that has been spent on those
Elders ought to have been used to gather the poor and pay the debts
previously contracted in their emigration. Elders have expended
hundreds of thousands of dollars of Church funds, and have left me
hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay. The motto of many seems to
have been—"Not one cent will we let the Trustee-in-Trust have, if we
can keep it out of his hands." I am going to search into this course
until it is stopped. It is the business of the Elders to preach the
Gospel and gather the poor. If they do not do this, they will come
home shorn of their strength. You may wonder why I have not sooner
spoken of this. I could not get it in shape to do so until now, and
have had to groan under it. My Counselors and immediate associates
know how I have felt, ever since I have been in this Valley, with
regard to the way in which the work is carried on abroad.
The Lord takes one man, whom he knows to be just and righteous, and
places in his path an abundance of possessions—houses and lands,
cattle, and every good thing that can be bestowed upon an individual,
while many of his brethren and neighbors around him imagine that he
has obtained his possessions by deceiving, by oppressing the poor, and
keeping back the wages of the hireling, and they undertake to get rich
by dishonesty. This is the case with many of the Elders of Israel, and
herein they make a great mistake. "The race is not to the swift, nor
the battle to the strong, nor riches to men of wisdom," but to those
whom God favors. You may ask me for proof of this. It is ready, were
it wise to produce it. May the Lord bless you! Amen.