I wish to address myself particularly to the Elders of Israel, for
their instruction, edification, and learning, that they may be
profitable to themselves and others. I will appeal to the experience
of every individual, when we do as well as we know how, honor our
God, honor our calling, honor our Priesthood, honor our
tabernacles, our being upon the earth, whether it is not the feeling
of every heart to wish all persons to be just like ourselves—to wish
the ideas and acts of our brethren to be precisely like ours; and yet
we should not look upon ourselves as an infallible standard for
others. It is no more natural for your lungs to expand and contract in
breathing than it is for you to wish others to be like yourselves.
I wish the Elders of Israel to understand mankind as they are—to go to
the people and take them as they are. Let an Elder go into the world
to preach the Gospel of salvation, and he will find some individuals
possessed of a great deal more ability than others. Stop with a
family, when you are invited to tarry overnight, and you find them in
great ignorance; their minds are low and groveling, as were the minds
of their fathers before them; they have not been taught to cultivate
the mental faculty that is within them, and they are dull and stupid.
Step into another house, and you will discern that the minds of every
member of that family are cultivated to the best of their ability and
circumstances. You will find some portions of a community diligently
studying the sciences of the day, others cultivating the arts, &c.,
each according to their tastes, means, or circumstances, while others
seem to be under no cultivation of the mind: yet in all the various
classes each wants his neighbor to be precisely like himself.
You see some persons who appear at meetings on the Sabbath and on
other public occasions with their hair uncombed and their faces,
hands, and clothing uncleanly. Have they no combs nor soap? They have,
or can get them. How happens it that we behold such conduct? Probably
the parents of those persons taught them that it was pride that
prompted people to appear clean and decent. Perhaps their mothers
taught them in their infancy that if they washed their faces, and
combed and anointed their hair, and dressed themselves in comely
apparel to appear before their fellow men, "Oh, you are full of
pride!" Sisters, were not some of you taught in your youth that if you
wore a silk dress, you did so purely through pride? Many of you were.
I knew one sister in this Church who burned up several dresses when
she became a Methodist, because she thought it not right for her to
wear rich and costly clothing; that pride prompted costly dress, and
in it she could not come before the Lord in humility. She also thought
that if she gave her rich dresses away, others would commit
the same sin that she would commit in wearing them; so she destroyed
them.
To return to the Elders of Israel. An Elder visits a Branch, and,
unless he is on his guard, he will begin to complain that the
Presiding Elder of the Branch is not as he is, does not understand as
he does, and does not conceive of the Gospel as he does. He will find
himself saying to the members of the Branch—"You are in the dark; you
need teaching; you ought to have a smart Elder here—a man of
understanding—to teach you." "Well, brother, will you stay and teach
us?" Perhaps, through persuasion, he will stop, and what will he do?
Break that Branch to pieces, and destroy their faith, if possible.
Why? "You are not as I am!" Elders, look to this, and think of it. We
wish you to reap some benefit from your experience.
When I rise here and tell you things that pertain to other nations and
generations, and when others teach you things that pertain to other
people, it does not profit you as much as it does for us to understand
ourselves. Wherever we go, wherever our lot is cast, whoever we
associate with, let the Elders have the principles of truth within
them to prompt heavenly and holy desires to do good. Is it wisdom for
each Elder to strive to mold and fashion all others precisely
according to himself in all the views and notions he possesses? Is
this the way? No, it is not. It is wisdom for the Elders of Israel to
know how to treat others according to the ability they possess, and to
treat their families according to the ability they possess. In
visiting neighborhoods, you will find persons intelligent upon some
points, and upon other points they may be ignorant. They may be very
well informed upon certain principles per taining to divinity, and upon
others be ignorant. Their dispositions are also different from yours
and others you associate with. What will you make of them? Good
people—Saints, so far as in your power.
We are very apt, through our traditions, former associations, and
notion of things and ideas, to attribute every act of man and every
manifestation of mankind to an invisible source—the good or the evil.
God is the author of all good; and yet, if you rightly understood
yourselves, you would not directly attribute every good act you
perform to our Father in heaven, nor to his Son Jesus Christ, nor to
the Holy Ghost; neither would you attribute every evil act of a man or
woman to the Devil or his spirits or influences; for man is organized
by his Creator to act perfectly independently of all influences there
are above or beneath. Those influences are always attending him, and
are ready to dictate and direct—to lead him into truth or to lead him
to destruction. But is he always guided by those influences in every
act? He is not. It is ordained of God that we should act independently
in and of ourselves, and the good is present when we need it. If we
will ask for it, it is with us. If we yield to temptation, the evil is
present, and nigh enough to lead every son and daughter of Adam to
destruction, if they give way to it. But it is the design of the
Almighty that we should act independently. Then, when you see a person
endowed by the Holy Ghost, you need not expect him to look and act
precisely as you do. Their religious sentiments will be alike, for the
Holy Ghost does not introduce foolish traditions and the varied unwise
notions that the inhabitants of the earth have.
A man will say, "If I believed that such a man or woman was a Saint, I
should despair of all good." Why? "Because their acts and
lives are so different from mine." Now, if you will reflect upon the
traditions of the world, with which we are more or less encumbered,
you will see manifest the trait I have referred to. If I am washed and
made clean, if I am attired in comely garments, or there is anything
extra upon me to beautify, it is considered by some as the height of
folly and pride; it is looked upon as a sin of the deepest dye; and
the feeling arises, "If I could believe such a gentleman or lady to be
a Christian, I should despair of the good that is with me." Why?
"Because I have been taught that all this is pride." I have known
people who have lived in this Church, whom I should suppose had
concluded it to be an unpardonable sin for them to go to meeting with
clean faces and hands. What are the notions of most of the Christian
world in regard to a Prophet? They would wish to see a man with his
hair to his waist. Combed? No. He must never appear to use that
frivolous, sinful article, a comb. That would be folly in the extreme.
It would be sin, therefore, if he appears with his hair long, bushy,
snarled, dirty, and hanging carelessly about his shoulders. Are his
hands washed? No. His finger nails trimmed and clean? No; they are
like dirty bird's claws. Is he cheerful? No; for he must wear a long
face, never suffer a smile to pass over his countenance, but go
mourning all the day long; and it is, "O Lord, have mercy upon the
people." Present a Prophet to suit the notions of many of the
sectarian world, and you have such a man as this. Will he have on a
decent suit of clothes? No; he must have a sheepskin about his loins,
and must wear a girdle as dirty and filthy as the rags upon our
natives.
Others are trained and traditionated to appear with clean faces and
dressed in decent attire—are taught to appear comely and beautiful.
All of these classes act according to their faith and traditions, and
each one of them says, "If you are not as I am, you are not right."
This is just as natural as it is to breathe vital air. I wish this
trait in the Saints to be done away. I want the Elders of Israel to
learn to take people as they are. How many do you see who have no
influence over certain spirits in this Church? Do you know how to
approach a man that is full of subtlety and self-will—with an idea
that every man on earth is wrong but himself? Do you know how to
operate to gain his affections and good will? Do you know how to
attract that spirit and make it follow you? If you do not, you do not
fully understand your duty, calling, and Priesthood. I wish the people
to learn to have influence over themselves, and then learn to have
influence with your fellow beings, that you may be able to attract the
spirits in the intelligent beings around you, so that these spirits
will follow you to be taught of you, and learn of you doctrine to lead
them to life everlasting.
There is a certain trait in the Elders of Israel that I really want
them to get rid of, for they are better off without than with it. Not
that they are so very much to blame, or that I would condemn them;
but, according to their traditions and nature, they think everybody
ought to be like themselves. And when they chasten faulty brethren,
they often chasten them, perhaps, beyond bounds. With some spirits a
certain amount of chastisement is sufficient; and if you go beyond
that, you may drive them to destruction—you may destroys them. You
must learn to know when you have chastised enough.
Do you know how to chastise your children? When they do wrong, catch
them in the act of doing wrong, if possible, and then switch
them nicely, and tell them you have a good mind to whip them; tell
them you will chasten them, if they do not stop such conduct. Do not
let them know that they were whipped; but when you correct them, do it
so that they will remember it more than twenty-four hours; and tell
them that if they do not mind you, you will have to chasten them and
whip them. Tell the brethren and sisters, "If you do not behave
yourselves, I will chasten you by-and-by." Never try to destroy a man.
It is our mission to save the people, not to destroy them. The least,
the most inferior spirit now upon the earth, in our capacity, is worth
worlds.
When Oliver Cowdery felt to complain, and wanted a little more
influence in the Church than Joseph, the Lord spoke to him through
Joseph, and said to his servant Oliver, Suppose you should labor all
your lifetime faithfully, and be the means of saving one soul, how
great would be your joy in heaven over that soul that you were the
means of saving! If to all eternity you could praise God, through
being the means of saving one soul—I may say the least or most
inferior intelligence upon the earth, pertaining to the human
family—if you could be the means of saving one such person, how great would
be your joy in the heavens! Then let us save many, and our joy will be
great in proportion to the number of souls we save. Let us destroy
none.
I asked some brethren, a few evenings ago while in council, if they
would not do themselves the kindness from that time forth to live such
lives that, when the books are opened, there is one source of
gratitude to them to know that their debits do not overbalance their
credits. I then asked them why not live so that when the books are
opened there are no debits against them. It will be a pleasure to know
that we have saved all the Father gave into our power. Jesus said that
he lost none except the sons of perdition. He will lose none of his
brethren, except sons of perdition. Let us save all the Father puts in
our power. And when you are called to preside as Bishop, or to preach
the Gospel on foreign missions, are called to travel through our
settlements to regulate the affairs of the Saints, take a course to
save every person. There is no man or woman within the pale of saving
grace but that is worth saving. There is no intelligent being, except
those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost, but that is worth, I may
say, all the life of an Elder to save in the kingdom of God. Then let
us take a course to understand men as they are, and not endeavor to
make them precisely as we are, for this you cannot do. I am myself;
you are yourselves. Let us learn how to approach each other, and how
to get an influence over that intelligent portion that is within.
I am not going to drive a man or a woman to heaven. A great many think
that they will be able to flog people into heaven, but this can never
be done, for the intelligence in us is as independent as the Gods.
People are not to be driven, and you can put into a gnat's eye all the
souls of the children of men that are driven into heaven by preaching
hellfire. So learn wisdom, that when you behold your brethren in the
depths of poverty, but striving to do right, they are as beloved as
they would be if they were dressed in purple and fine linen. Take that
intelligent course, and learn to instruct people until they increase
in knowledge and understanding, until their traditions pass away, and
they will become of one heart and mind in the principles of godliness.
If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten
beyond the balm you have within you to bind up. I might call some of
you to witness that I chasten you, but there is not a soul that I
chasten but what I feel as though I could take them and put them in my
bosom and carry them with me day by day. They deserve chastisement,
but God forbid that I should chasten beyond the healing balm I have to
save them and make better men of them. It is not my daily study to
know what a Prophet meant in relation to things that occurred before
the flood, or will occur after the millennium, how Adam set out his
currant bushes, and in what part of the garden Eve was when she
partook of the forbidden fruit; but I want to know how to lead you
with that intelligence to enable you to live to an everlasting life,
that you may be saved in the kingdom of God. I say again, Do not
chasten beyond the balm you have within you. If you have the saving
influence within you, it is well. When you have the chastening rod in
your hands, ask God to give you wisdom to use it, that you may not use
it to the destruction of an individual, but to his salvation. Can you
save all? Yes, you can save all that will be saved. If people are not
saved, it is because they are not disposed to be saved. They act for
themselves, and act from choice.
Would I compel a person to be saved in the kingdom of God that chose
to go to hell? No. If I had all the power of the Gods in the
eternities, I would not save one soul in the kingdom of God that chose
to stay out, neither will the Gods. All who wish to be saved and
desire good I wish to be saved, and Jesus will lose none except the
sons of perdition. I may be instrumental, in the providences of our
God, of saving thousands and millions in the celestial kingdom that
otherwise perhaps would not get there. We are to be like the good
physician; and if we see the sick—those afflicted with pain and
distress in the head, eyes, teeth, or in any of the limbs or other
portion of the body, it is our duty to have the medicine—the remedy to
administer to that pain, to heal, to cure, to rebuke the disease and
save the sick like a good physician, and not kill them by dosing down
the medicine as do some of our doctors. Administer the medicine in all
mildness, and with good judgment and discretion. Seek until you learn
the medicine to administer to each patient, and how much to give to
each. There is just as much difference in the spiritual organization
as you see in the temporal organization. You can see that eternal
variety in both. You may go to a man taken with a fever, and if you
treat him as you did a similar case last week, you may consign him to
the grave. You ought to know better.
I could preach a sermon on doctoring the body, we have so many that do
not understand it among those who profess to; but it is of no use. I
would rather have the sisters wait upon me in sickness than many of
those who profess to be physicians.
Elders of Israel, learn to be spiritual physicians. Carry the medicine
with you to deal out to every patient as he needs it. If a patient has
chills and fever in his spirit, you must carry the medicine to cure
it; also for the erysipelas, or the dumb ague, or the rheumatism in
the spirit, you must carry the medicine to heal. Thus learn, when you
have chastened enough, to cease; and be sure you never chasten beyond
the balm you carry in your portmanteau.
I will bring our forenoon meeting to a close. May God bless you! Amen.