I have felt very much interested in the remarks we have heard this
morning. In anything that I may advance now, I pray my Heavenly Father
that I may be inspired by the same spirit that I may lay before you
such things as will conduce to your happiness and well-being. We enjoy
privileges here that are not enjoyed by any other people under the
face of the heavens. I do not care what country they inhabit, what
their advantages have been in point of education, or what facilities
they may have possessed in position and wealth; or in political,
scientific, mechanical, or literary acquirements. There are no people
under the heavens that are situated as we are. There has been one
great difficulty always in the world, with very few exceptions, and
that is, that men have been left to pursue their own course, to follow
the dictates of their own individual feelings, to pursue a course
which is dictated alone by a false philosophy, a false religion, and
false politics. These persons have not understood, nor have they been
able to understand, neither have they had the means within their reach
to comprehend correct principles. A great many very sincere men in the
world have prayed earnestly to be guided by the Lord, but they have
had no priesthood, no organization, no intelligence communicated to
them from on high further than that which would simply govern their
moral actions. Nations have risen up and kings have set to work to
benefit the people by establishing governments, on their own
responsibility, without the dictation of the Lord, without priesthood
or authority from Heaven. They have not professed to have any
legitimate right to the priesthood, but with a blind fatality to the
example that has been set by others, they have followed in the wake of
tyrants and oppressors or adopted the notions of vain philosophers
without any teachings from on high. Governed by the lust of conquest,
the acquisition of territory, the fascinations of scepters and
dominion, and dictated alone by the wild chimeras of their own brain.
Men have also risen up as religious teachers and reformers, many who
have conceived that something has been wrong in the world socially,
morally, and religiously, but what that wrong has been they have not
been able definitely to tell. They could tell something about a
crucified and risen redeemer, as gleaned from the scriptures, but they
knew nothing, or comparatively nothing in regard to the relationship
that exists or that ought to exist between man and his Father in
heaven. They knew nothing in relation to the pre-existence of man; or
his future destiny, the organization of the world, the object of its
creation, or its destiny. The designs of God in relation to the
redemption of man, and the world's and man's eternal
exaltations, and progressions they were profoundly ignorant, like the
kings without Priesthood and authority, they were blind leaders of the
blind, unsent, uninstructed of the Lord. They could not comprehend
anything of this kind and consequently they were divided in their
feelings, and hence all the wildness of sectarianism. And yet a great
many of those men have been just as sincere as we have been. A great
many philosophers have risen up in the world unaided by the Almighty,
and they have introduced their systems of morality and different laws
of life, morality, and politics for the well-being and happiness of the
human family and with a desire to promote their welfare but they have
accomplished very little. All these powers combined have done very
little to ameliorate the condition of mankind. They have signally
failed to regenerate the world. It is true they have taught the
existence of a God and of our responsibilities to him. They have
taught many good moral precepts and sought to imbue them with good
principles and influences. But not possessing a knowledge of the laws
of life themselves, they have been unable to teach them to others.
There has always been wanting some principle and leading influence;
they have all of them lacked a reliance upon God and proper teaching
and instruction from him. And this has been the cause of great
difficulty that has existed in every day and age of the world. There
has been very little change comparatively in the world in regard to
the condition and practices of the human family. In former times they
used to worship idols of various forms and possessing certain supposed
powers, some thousands of gods of various forms was set forth for
mankind to worship, and men have just the same foolish notions now
only varying in form. There has been all kinds of theories introduced
by philosophers and religionists. Instead of gods of wood, iron,
brass, stone, and gold, they have theories, notions, and ideas. They
have commenced various systems of religion and philosophy, just as the
ancients practiced only varying in form. They have now their gods that
they worship the same as religious enthusiasts had in former
dispensations. Many of the religionists of the present day have just
as much confidence in their foolish theories as the ancients had in
their deities, made with their own hands. This is true also of modern
philosophers. Our politicians are also as much confused as men were
formerly notwithstanding our professed superior enlightenment. If you
go to the States, to the North for instance, don't you think that the
North believe that they will make the South submit to their will? The
North think they will, and in fact that is now very nearly
accomplished and that the war will soon be wound up. And don't you
think that the South are strong in the belief that they are in the
right and will succeed in carrying out their designs. But what will
either of them accomplish more than has been done in former days?
Nothing. What does this arise from? For want of correct teaching from
the servants of the Most High God. If any or all of these men in their
day and age of the world could have obtained the blessings, the light
of revelation communicated unto them they would readily have received
the Gospel provided they could have understood as we do. It has been
customary among men to seek only to the wisdom of men, and to the
knowledge of men to be enabled to govern their course of life and
conduct. This has been the general pursuit of the human family. All
mankind have acknowledged a Supreme Being that governs and controls the world, but they have always believed that he was
inaccessible. Do you think that those old professors felt about God as
the religious professors do in these days? Most assuredly they did.
How was it with Daniel when the King Belshazzar said to the
astrologers and soothsayers, that he wanted and demanded of them to
find out the dream which had gone from him and then to give the
interpretation? The astrologers said, "why no man can tell this thing
which the king demandeth but that being whose dwelling is not with
flesh." But Daniel prayed to him that revealeth secrets and his prayer
was answered, and the king's dream and interpretation were revealed to
him, so that when he went in before the king he unfolded that which
the king had dreamed and then forgotten. How was it with the old
Grecians? Among other things they had an unknown God, and when Paul
visited them he saw an inscription to this unknown Deity of theirs,
hence when addressing them he said, "That God whom ye ignorantly
worship, him declare I unto you." They believed in the Supreme Ruler
of the Universe and so do the world now, but still they worship a God
without body, parts, or passions. We can say the same of kings,
princes, rulers, and philosophers, for these have all believed in a
Supreme Ruler of the Universe; but for the present, suffice it to say,
that there has been little or no improvement in these things.
You go into the United States, to England, and if you please go
throughout the European nations and see if you can find anything in
relation to God, more than there was a hundred or a thousand years
ago. There is no increase there in the knowledge of God. Then how is
it possible for them to get any knowledge of the future? How is it
possible that they can understand anything pertaining to their
temporal or spiritual existence, either past or future, without the
Spirit of revelation from on high? There is no power or influence that
can reveal these things in their proper light, but that God "whose
dwelling is not with flesh." But all men of the world, politicians,
philosophers, and all classes and grades of men have been ignorant of
these teachings, and they have had no means of obtaining any correct
knowledge of those principles of which I have been speaking. It was to
do away with this ignorance that has existed for ages, to reveal the
purposes of God and establish correct religion and morality, and the
only true form of government that God revealed his will to the human
family through Joseph Smith; it was for this that he opened the
heavens and communed with man upon the earth, and it was for this that
he drew away the veil that had obscured the world for ages. By and
through Joseph Smith he revealed the law of life, the relationship of
God to man, and how to secure individual happiness of friends,
relations, and associations, and also that which would be for the
well-being and renovation of a world. This is what we are after, and
it is this, as I understand it, that God is after. It is to introduce
correct principles among the human family; it is to do away with these
abuses that have so long existed and prevailed in the world, and that
mankind may be taught the ways of life and salvation, to qualify them
to teach correct principles to their progeny, and in due time stand
forth upon Mount Zion as saviors in these last days, and that the
servants of God may be able by his aid and assistance to usher in a
new era of life, of peace, of happiness, glory and exaltation to the
inhabitants of a fallen world, and likewise of renovation to the world
itself.
This, to us, I was going to say is almost new; it is strange
at least. We have been awakened by the voice of inspiration, and glory
has filled our hearts when we have been saluted with the message which
the great Eloheim has revealed for the redemption of the sons of men.
And we have felt blessed and inspired, yielding obedience to the laws
of God, and our souls have rejoiced in the Holy One of Israel; and
yet, like the Israelites who left their homes in the land of
oppression, we are all the while looking back to Egypt. We have
drawn in our traditions, as it were, like our mother's milk. Our
education, our training and teaching in general, not merely in regard
to religion, but upon every subject, have been in opposition to or
a perversion of the pure principles of the kingdom of God. There is
not a correct principle in relation to that which is calculated to
conduce to the happiness of ourselves and the world at large that has
been understood and properly applied, or that man without the Spirit
of God has known anything about. And how could we understand aright,
if all the world were ignorant? Our statesmen and philosophers who
have professed and still profess to know so much are shrouded in
darkness, and there was no one capable of teaching us elevated
principles, simply because no one had recently revealed nor knew
any better than ourselves. I ask is it surprising that we should waver
and act ignorantly? And seeing that the whole world have been in such
a state of gross darkness, is it surprising that we should, in many
instances forget our high calling's glorious hope, and forget the
situation we occupy, the blessings, ordinances, powers and gifts that
have been bestowed upon us? Is it surprising that we should look back
like the children of Israel did when they made a golden calf and other
idols and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel?" I leave you to answer
for yourselves.
When we become inspired by the Spirit of God, and the truths which
flow from his servants, we are enabled to comprehend our position and
relationship to the Most High. It is no small affair that we are
engaged in; we are striving to sweep away the rubbish and error of
ages. Our peace with God is what we are trying to feel after, if,
peradventure, we may find the correct way of life, of religion, of
government, of everything that is calculated to ennoble, to bless and
exalt us in time and in eternity. Having believed that we have got
this, we are trying to feel after our Heavenly Father and he is trying
to have us feel after him, and he is pouring out his Spirit upon us
from time to time, and causing us to cry, "Abba, Father," and to feel
that we are his children, and therefore we feel to bow with reverence
before him as our Father, our God and deliverer, and to put our trust
in him. We are constantly trying to feel after this kind of spirit and
to be able to say, "the Lord is our God, the Lord is our King, the Lord
is our Lawgiver, and he shall rule over us," and we do sometimes get a
little glimmering of this Spirit and it does produce a certain effect
upon our minds, but we slide back again. Sometimes though we are like
the boy that went to school who said that he slipped two steps
backwards for one forward, but I do not believe this as a general
rule, for I believe with President Young, that we have made and taken
many steps in the right direction. I feel also that there are
thousands who have not bowed the knee to Baal, but who feel that God
is their Lord, protector and deliverer. What is it that we have got to
do? It is to let this spirit increase within ourselves and before
God; part with our faults and vanities, and if things don't go
according to our judgment and feelings and notions of things,
we must recollect that our notions are not correct, and that our
wisdom has been proved to be folly, therefore, there is more that is
correct, but that which flows from the Great Eloheim, and that will
deliver us from our folly and bring us out of the labyrinth of mystery
into the light of truth. And the Almighty has commenced to gather his
people from every nation, kindred, and tongue, and to impart wisdom
and knowledge for his Saints. And, if we are governed by the Almighty
and walk in his footsteps, we may know not only how to save ourselves
but the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, and introduce a
reign of righteousness, and do that which philosophers, kings,
governors, and statesmen, in their day and age have failed to
accomplish. The Lord will do this by having a people that will be
obedient to his law.
Brethren, may God help you, and I bless you in the name of Jesus.
Amen.