I always feel much pleasure in addressing a congregation of the Saints
when I am inspired by the Holy Ghost, for then I can be of benefit to
those who hear.
I realize that, until the Priesthood was restored to the earth, we had
no way of knowing the truth in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is true there were a great many anxiously seeking to know the Lord,
but there were none that were able to give them the comfort and
consolation they desired.
If a person goes without food for twenty-four hours, we all know that
that individual will become very hungry; and it is precisely so with
those who hunger for the principles of eternal life. While we enjoy
the Spirit of the Lord, we shall find that there is enough and
abundance to feed every human soul.
I have never seen the day or the hour that I was not susceptible of
being taught by my brethren, neither have I ever seen the time that I
thought I knew all the principles of the Gospel; and I can truly say
that I feel as much edified today in contemplating the things of God
as ever I did in any hour of my life. We are all dependent upon the
Lord, upon his Holy Spirit, and upon the testimony of the Lord Jesus
Christ, for instruction, for light, and knowledge, such as is
calculated to edify, encourage, sustain, and aid us in magnifying our
callings in this life.
We need not enter particularly into the great mysteries of the kingdom
of God in order to be edified. A man may preach upon the first
principles of the Gospel, and he will find enough in them to instruct
the people and edify himself in the things of God. Those principles
are plain; they can easily be comprehended when pre sented to
the children of men as they are revealed from heaven. But, as plain
and simple as they are, for eighteen hundred years the world was
almost destitute of a knowledge of the truth and of the Holy Ghost
which is poured out to lead mankind in the way of truth. From the time
of the great falling away, which took place in the early part of the
Christian era, up to the present time, the world have been ignorant
with regard to the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It
is true that professed Christians have had the examples of the
Prophets and Apostles from their childhood up, as laid down in the New
Testament; and yet they have been far from the truth, and did not know
the correct way of worshipping God. It has been a mystery to you and
to me that we have never been able to unravel or to find out by our
own wisdom the true knowledge of God; but the very fact that
generation after generation has risen up and established systems and
organizations, all professing to be according to the plan of
salvation, and yet opposed one to another, until they have raised up
scores of churches, all differing on points of doctrine, proves that
there has been something out of the way.
We know that we have the Gospel of Christ that has been revealed from
heaven in this generation, wherein are taught faith, repentance, and
baptism for the remission of sins, and that obedience to those
doctrines will bring all things to our remembrance, and thereby enable
us the more perfectly to do the will of God while we dwell here in the
flesh. As the Scriptures have informed us, "There is a spirit in man:
and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it understanding." I do not
know that I can explain to you the reasons for the great difference we
see in mankind relative to the principles of truth, but it has been so
in every age of the world; and when the Gospel has been preached, the
honest in heart and meek of the earth have obeyed and been sustained
by it, and they have been enabled to pass through many scenes of trial
and to endure the persecutions that wicked men have devised to afflict
the people of God.
The faithful have always had a positive knowledge that what they were
doing was right and acceptable to the Almighty, and that they have
been sustained in passing through scenes of trial by the gift and
power of God. They have realized that it was better to sacrifice their
lives for his kingdom than to live and enjoy the riches and honors of
this world for a season. This principle sustained the ancient Saints
in all their afflictions; it sustained them in the den of lions and in
the fiery furnace; and although they frequently sealed their testimony
with their blood, they were comforted and consoled in looking forward
to the time when the earth would enjoy her sabbaths, and the Saints
enter into their rest.
The Jews marveled and wondered at the Savior, for they saw that he
was filled with light and truth. They had eyes to see, but they saw
not. The Savior laid before them the principles of truth; he came to
them and undertook to convert them; but he wept over them when he saw
what would be the consequences of their hardheartedness, and how the
Jewish nation would be overthrown and the people scattered among all
nations, if they rejected the doctrines he presented to them. He
informed them what would be the result of their disobedience, and told
them that the judgments of God would fall heavily upon them. He
portrayed to them the oppressions and torturings with which they would
be afflicted—foretold the destruction of the temple, that it would be
thrown down, and that there would not be left one stone upon
another. The majority of them mocked his sayings, and finally
succeeded in putting him to death; but yet all that he foretold the
Jews has come to pass. The predictions of Moses also concerning that
nation have been literally fulfilled, and that too in such a plain,
pointed, and unmistakable manner that it seems almost impossible for a
man to be a disbeliever in the dealings of God with the Jewish nation.
Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, and the Apostles generally
warned that people; but they spurned the servants of God and turned
unto their idols. The Apostles were inspired by the Spirit of God;
they enjoyed the gifts of the Holy Ghost; but the great mass of the
Jewish nation hardened their hearts and would not listen to the words
of life. I might say the same in relation to the present generation.
The Church of Christ is organized precisely as it was in the days of
the Apostles, and we are living in the day and age of the world when
the righteous blood that has been shed upon the earth will be avenged
on the disobedient, because they reject that Gospel which would save
them and enable them to assist in the great work of the redemption of
the dead. The Gospel has been again restored by the administration of
an angel from heaven, whom the revelator John saw in vision when on
the isle of Patmos; and when describing it, he says—"And I saw another
angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God,
and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters." (Rev., 14th chap., verses 6, 7.)
Did you ever know the Lord to bring his judgments upon any nation,
from the days of Adam in the garden of Eden until the present time,
before he had warned them of their sins? No; the Lord has always
warned the people before he has punished them for their wickedness. He
warned Sodom and Gomorrah before he sent destruction upon them, and he
has done so in every age of the world. In this generation the Almighty
has raised up a Prophet who has organized the kingdom of God, and
thousands of the Lord's anointed have been inspired by the same Spirit
to proclaim the words of life to the people. And who cannot foresee
the judgments of God that await this generation? After the testimony
of the servants of God, the judgments that have been spoken of will be
poured out upon the wicked. Every man and woman who lives up to the
principles of the Gospel can see by the same Spirit—they can
understand by the things that are written in the Scriptures, and by
the revelations of God that have been imparted unto us, and that are
before the world, that these things are hanging over the nations.
We have before us the example of the antediluvian world: they were
hardhearted and unbelieving, and would not believe until it was too
late. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did not believe that they would be
surrounded with those dire calamities that afterwards befell them.
In looking at the judgments of the Almighty that we have witnessed and
have been called to pass through, we see plenty to arouse us and cause
us to be diligent in the discharge of our duties. The heavens are
full of judgments that are ready to be poured out upon this
generation, and the Lord has as many ways in punishing the wicked as
he ever had in any previous dispensation. We witness the power of God
made manifest by day and by night, and we ought to realize the
necessity of being obedient to all the requirements of Heaven.
The Elders of Israel have gone forth and borne a true and faithful
testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they have been assisted
by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Our Prophet and Elders have
been filled with good desires for the people and have gone abroad and
tried to bring mankind to a knowledge of the truth. Our President has
cast his mind abroad over the world, and in his meditations he has
planned for the welfare of the human family, and yet the wicked have
desired his life, and thousands have despised him because he has
reproved them for their wickedness, and advocated righteous
principles, and called upon them to repent of their sins and be
baptized according to the order of God.
The Prophet Joseph was inspired to lay the foundation of the Church
and kingdom of God. Before that time the masses of mankind were in
darkness—the professors of religion were deceived in regard to God and
the things of his kingdom. If the Lord had not sent forth his servant
Joseph, the Devil could never have wrought upon the hearts of the
children of men as he has done; but because the Prophet was laying the
foundation of that great work which the Lord had determined to perform
in the last days, the hearts of the children of men were stirred up to
roar against the Lord's anointed. But the truth was bound to prevail,
and for the accomplishment of this object the Prophet labored day and
night.
I know that Joseph Smith was a good man, a Prophet, a Seer, and
Revelator, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood, that the
nation that was worthy might receive their reward. There is no
principle revealed in this generation but those which are known by the
Almighty to be for the salvation of his creatures. The spirit of
warfare that is manifested in these days has existed in all ages when
the Priesthood was upon the earth. There was always a war between
light and darkness, God and the Devil, Saint and sinner, correct
principles and false doctrines. We ourselves have a warfare with the
evil propensities of our nature: we have already had to meet a warfare
outwardly. In some instances there has been a physical contest, and
our enemies have sought our destruction from the beginning. That
warfare will continue until Satan is bound and iniquity swept from the
earth. We need not suppose that we shall have peace, for there will be
no peace to the righteous until he reigns whose right it is to reign.
It is in this generation precisely as one of the Prophets foretold it
should be—"Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things
wherein there is no profit."
Thousands and millions of the sectarian world are in this condition,
and will be led to use this or similar language. The honest among them
will get their reward, and it will be far superior to anything they
have anticipated. It is true they entertain many false doctrines, but
let us remember that we believed false doctrines and were surrounded
with the traditions of our fathers before we heard the fulness of the
Gospel. When we heard its principles taught, we admired and received
them for the truth's sake, and rejoiced in the blessings that followed
our obedience.
We have now got a warfare to endure; we must war against every evil
principle until we can learn to do right in all things. This is the
spirit we must learn to cultivate day by day. The knowledge we have of
the Gospel will assist us in doing this.
There is one particular feature connected with the preaching of the Gospel: You may send out a thousand Elders and they will all
teach the same doctrines; they will all labor for the building up of
the same Church; they will be united; for their faith, their
doctrines, and the organization of the Church have all been made known
unto them by the revelations of God: hence they will see eye to eye in
regard to the principles of the Gospel. Supposing a thousand ministers
of different denominations were to be sent out into the world, it
would be very different with them from what it is with the Elders of
the Church of Christ: they would not be so united or so harmonious in
their sentiments. Our union and oneness of sentiment constitutes one
of the prominent beauties of the organization of the kingdom of God.
There was never any other Gospel taught to the old Prophets excepting
that which is now taught to you and to this generation; neither was
there ever any of the children of men saved upon any other principle
than that which is now presented to the people. The Church of Christ
always had in it Prophets, Apostles, and Patriarchs; it was always
blest with the gifts of inspiration—power to heal the sick and to
perform such miracles as were necessary for the salvation of the
Saints.
If you were to meet with Father Adam, with Seth, Moses, Aaron, Christ,
or the Apostles, they would all teach the same principles that we have
been taught; they would not vary one particle. This Gospel is
everlasting in its nature and unchangeable in its character. It might
be urged that the house of Israel had the law of carnal commandments;
but that only acted as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, because
they would not receive a celestial law. They had the Priesthood of
Aaron for a series of years amongst them; but the old Apostles,
Prophets, and Saints were saved by the Gospel, and not by the law of
carnal commandments.
I want to say a word about our present position. When we first
received the Gospel, we professed to rejoice in its principles and in
the blessings which followed our obedience; and should we not continue
to rejoice and be diligent in the work of the Lord—yea, even more so
today than we did when we first received it? When a boy begins his
education at school he begins at the first rudiments, and continues to
progress step by step. It is so with the student in the study of the
everlasting Gospel. There were not many principles revealed to us when
we first received it, but they were developed to us as fast as we were
capable of making use of them.
I well remember the first sermon I heard. My conviction was that I had
learned more about God and the things of his kingdom than I had
learned in all my previous life. I believed the Gospel then, and I not
only believe it now, but I know it to be true. Since then I have
received much valuable instruction through the revelations of God that
have been made manifest; and I have never yet heard a principle set
forth, but I have been able to see beauty and glory connected with it.
The subject of the vision that was given to Joseph Smith and Sidney
Rigdon was alluded to by brother Young and others during our
Conference. In reference to that, I wish to say that when I first read
that vision it swept away a veil that had been around me all my life;
it opened my understanding and shook off my shackles. There was
something in it so different from the old sectarian notion—something
that swept away the idea of one heaven, one hell, and that those who
do not go to one place must go to the other, and that all in heaven
have an equal glory, and all in hell an equal misery. There
always appeared something very inconsistent connected with the
doctrine of future rewards and punishments as taught by modern
divines; but when I got hold of the vision, I saw more light, more
consistency, and Godlike mercy and justice than I had ever seen in my
life.
I refer to these things to show how the veil was taken from my eyes,
and how I was made to comprehend that every man is rewarded according
to the deeds done in the body. I then saw there was something to
encourage a man to be true and faithful, and to be filled with
integrity; while, on the other hand, it was made manifest that it
would not pay a man to do evil. Every man gets the reward he earns by
his labors. We can see this every day of our lives. You never saw a
man who had partaken of the blessings of the kingdom of God, and then
turned against the Lord, and would do wickedly and blaspheme the name
of the Deity, but what the Spirit of God would withdraw from him and
leave him miserable. The hand of God always overtakes such a one, evil
lies in his path, and he is tormented by day and by night. We have
seen this during our experience in this Church.
To me the principle of integrity is one of the greatest blessings we
can possibly possess. He who proves true to himself or his brethren,
to his friends, and his God, will have the evidence within him that he
is accepted; he will have the confidence of his God and of his
friends. It is a great and a glorious principle; it is something that
gives you that assurance in your friends that you can trust your
property, your life, your all in the hands of your brethren.
The Lord has said, "I will prove you in all things, even unto death."
How truly this has been fulfilled in this Church. Scores and hundreds
of our brethren have laid down their lives in carrying out the
principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they have been hastened away
from this world by their enemies, but they have maintained their
integrity, proven themselves to be true and faithful before the Lord,
and their spirits now mingle with the spirits of the just.
We should all seek to do right, try to perform our duties day by day
to God and to each other, and put away everything that wars against
the Spirit of the Lord.
I rejoice every day I live in beholding the signs of the times, in
looking at the progress of the Church and kingdom of God upon the
earth. The Lord has guided and governed us all the day long. We have
every reason to be thankful for his goodness unto us, and we may rest
assured that his blessings will be poured out upon us just as fast as
we are capable of receiving and making a right use of them.
The judgments that are coming upon the wicked will cause the ears of
the children of men to tingle and their hearts to quake. Do you think
they realize those things? No, they do not; they are all in the dark:
but it is just as Elder Pratt said during our Conference—after the
testimonies of the servants of God will come those of thunderings,
earthquakes, pestilence, famines and the sword. The Lord also says, by
revelation, that when these judgments do come, when they are poured
out upon the earth, "O, ye nations of the earth, how oft have I called
upon you by my servants, by the ministering of angels, and by my own
voice, and by famines, tempest, earthquakes, and pestilence of every
kind, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye
would not! Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine
indignation is full, and it shall be poured out upon the
disobedient."
Remember these things, for the words of the Lord must be fulfilled.
When a man who believes the Gospel reflects, he becomes satisfied that
not one of those sayings will be suffered to return unto the Lord
void, but he realizes that they will accomplish that for which they
were sent. But a man who knows not God cannot realize anything about
the calamities that are to come upon the earth. You might preach to
him as long as Noah preached to the antediluvians; you might try till
you were gray with old age, and you would try in vain to get him to
understand the things of God.
If we had correct understanding, we should all see as the Lord does,
and should understand how his purposes will be accomplished; but we
are to walk by faith, and not by sight.
I feel to rejoice in knowing that the kingdom of God is established on
the earth, and that it will spread itself abroad, become like a great
moun tain, and finally fill the earth. The words of the Lord will not
return to him void; but whether he speaks by his own voice or the
voice of his servants, those words will have their fulfillment.
Let us be faithful and adorn ourselves with the graces of the Gospel.
There is nothing gained by doing wrong. Lying, stealing, blaspheming,
drunkenness, backbiting, and denying the Lord Jesus Christ bring
sorrow and remorse; they debase man who is organized in the image of
God; but to do right, to obey the commandments of God, to be
charitable and kind, brings joy and peace and the Holy Ghost, and an
eventual exaltation in our Father's kingdom.
May we all so live that we may be worthy to dwell in his presence in
the world to come, and to participate in the fulness of that glory and
blessedness promised to the faithful, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen.