Every true Saint that has got the light of Heaven in him can realize
and comprehend in a degree the importance of what President Young has
said to us. Men frequently speak of good sense, but the question may
be asked, what is good sense? I consider that that man or woman who
has the light of Heaven in him or her, whether it is by the natural or
the spiritual eyes, that is the light of Christ and that is good
sense. Now, it is impossible to have the light of Christ, except you
are alive in Christ.
We are like a limb that is alive in a tree; yes, everyone that are
Latter-day Saints; we are united or should be as the heart of one
man, and no man will be saved and gathered with Christ except they are
grafted into him, for they must receive the life that flows from him
in order to be exalted with him. It is upon the same principle that
the graft that is put into a tree receives life from the tree into
which it is engrafted. It is necessary that we should all be alive in
Christ, and we ought to partake of his attributes and also of the
attributes of his Father; then we become one with Christ as he is one
with the Father. We never can enjoy the lifegiving influences of the
Spirit of God except we live and practice our religion, always
abiding in the vine, for as the branch cannot bring forth or produce
except it remain connected with the tree, so we cannot increase in
light and knowledge unless we keep alive in Christ. This people are a
good people and they are full of life, they are alive in Christ, and
they live their religion and God blesses them.
I am aware that we are protected and shielded by the Almighty; he
baffles the world, wards off the storms and tempests for the sake of
the righteousness that dwells in the midst of this people. It is not
done for the sake of the liar, the thief, and other abominable
characters, but his protecting arm is extended for the sake of the
righteous; they are the means of preserving this people, and there is
enough of them to save the rest from destruction, and through that
medium we as a people are protected.
It is a common thing for us to send to the States for choice fruit,
and the pomologist who receives our orders cuts off scions from the
best fruit trees, and sends to us the summer, the fall, and the winter
apples, and we also get the pear, the plum, the cherry, and the peach.
We graft those various kinds of good fruit into our seedlings, and
then the tree produces fruit according to the kind that was grafted
into it, and in this way we procure good fruit. It is just so with
you, unless you abide in Christ after being grafted in, you will not
bear any good fruit. There are men and women here who have come from
the States, who seem to have a little good feeling in them, but were
they ever properly grafted into the true vine? No, they simply got
under the good influence, but they have not borne any fruit. Where
have you seen an individual that has come here to speculate or
do business that has ever been truly favorable to this people? There
have been very few, and most of them have died, but there are quite as
many that are favorable as I expect to see. Men come here and get
good impressions, the Spirit of the Lord resting with them, but they
do not embrace the truth, and consequently the good influence leaves
them and they turn against the cause of Christ, the Devil gets power
over them and they begin to operate against the kingdom of our God and
to seek the lives of his servants and anointed ones. Let such men go
their own way; I have got now so that I cannot have confidence in any
that come here until they prove themselves, and therefore I have quit
the practice of reposing confidence in strangers, and I place my
confidence in God, in his kingdom, in his servants and in the earth
that is made for our use.
Brother Brigham was speaking of the earth and telling us that we
should be cautious how we use it, for it is our mother, and the man
that will disgrace his mother is unworthy of her fostering care. I
have been a child upon this earth for 61 years, and there is not
anything but what it produces. Are you not required to be just as
faithful as I am? Why—of course; we shall have to give an account of
the deeds done in the body, and so will all mankind. Look at the
animal creation, they were all created by law, and will fulfill that
law by which they were created. But see the feeling and disposition
that we have in our hearts to be cruel towards animals, and that same
passion that we cultivate towards the brute creation, mankind
by-and-by will have towards one another. Reflect upon the experience
of the past and you will find it so. I perceive that the older I grow
the more com passion I have upon the brute, but young and unthoughtful
men and careless, cruel boys will drive a horse at the rate of sixteen
miles an hour, and then whip him all the way up every hill on the
journey. Is this the spirit of Christ and of our holy religion to be
cruel to animals and beat them in this way? I say no; our religion and
the spirit of Christ would teach us to be kind to them, to encourage
them by bating and nourishing them. It is a good deal so with this
kingdom, there are some who are all the time blocking the wheels of
the kingdom in place of helping to roll it forward. If these brethren
who are so wild and inconsiderate would but learn enough to block the
wheels of their team instead of being so severe upon their animals
they would act more like wise men and Saints of God.
When President Young says to the Bishops go and get up three hundred
teams and send to the States to gather the poor Saints, they should go
at it with spirit and with energy as men of God. In fact we should all
take a course to comply with the counsel that is given. We should
cultivate the earth that it may yield of its increase, that we may
have an abundance of wheat, corn, potatoes, apples, peaches, and every
other variety of grain, fruit and vegetable. We should always look
forward to a future increase, striving to make everything multiply in
its sphere and thus fulfil the measure of its creation. If we sow a
kernel of wheat it will produce, probably a thousand fold, then you
sow that which has been produced from the one kernel and it will
increase in proportion to the first. This is the principle of increase
in nature, and each of us should endeavor to carry out nature's laws.
In the beginning God commanded Adam, and also his sons and daughters
to fill up the measure of their creation, to multiply and
replenish the earth, and he also commanded the earth to multiply and
to increase her productions, vegetation, fowls, animals and all manner
of creeping things. How do you think it looks for man to lie down and
be an idle speculator, while he makes his neighbor a slave? I believe
in all of us being industrious from day to day and from year to year,
and also to improve and teach others to improve in all that is good. I
have never undertaken to do anything of an important nature, but I
have called upon the Almighty to assist me, realizing that I required
his aid and favor and he has invariably prospered me in what I have
commenced. When we store up grain for the purpose of feeding the poor
Saints we may naturally expect to have to feed a great many goats
while we are feeding sheep.
Brethren let us go to work and accumulate means; let us go more
extensively into home manufactures, let us get up some of those
homemade spinning jennys, we are told that they are capable of spinning
two hundred pounds a day, but supposing we could spin twenty-five
pounds a day should we not think we were doing a good business? We
should feel proud of such a business. We shall have to go into this
kind of business, for we have every prospect of being shut out from
trading with the east. Let us then go to work, men, women, and children
and make ourselves independent of the world and especially of our
enemies. Can we do it? Yes, we can, because we can raise everything
that we require. Now we have not cultivated many things here but what
we have got a good return. When speaking upon this subject the other
day, I heard President Young say that he would not send to the States
for any of those rotten goods this year. I am not going to send for
any, for I am going to send for a carding machine instead, and if that
does not clothe my family I do not know what move I shall make next,
but I intend that whatever I do shall be a step in the right
direction.
Brethren and sisters, I feel to bless you and also all the Presidency
of this Church, and all the Quorums of the Priesthood; I likewise feel
to bless every man that puts forth his hand to help to bless Israel,
for all such shall be blessed by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and their blessings shall multiply tenfold more than they ever did
before. Then, do not stop, but go ahead, and all our blessings will
multiply. The Lord says, do my will and let the world alone, and I
will defend you, for it is my business to defend you and all my people
in these latter days, and he will do it to the extent that is
requisite for the accomplishment of his purposes. I know it just as
well as I know that I am standing here. Well, do not be discouraged,
but lay aside your scolding and fretting, and abide in the religion
of Jesus Christ, for you must remember that no branch can bring forth
except it be in the vine; no more can we except we abide in Christ.
Peace be upon you all, brethren and sisters, wives and children, you
all that are good, and that love the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
more than they love this wicked world in which we live. These are some
of my feelings, and they are some of the feelings of my heart. We are
laboring for eternal life and exaltation in the kingdom of our God;
we are learning to live forever; and I am going to stick and hang to
the good old ship Zion, forever and ever, God helping me.
The Lord has put a spirit in me that is inclined to righteousness, and
I always love to do right. My faith and confidence are in God and in his servants whom he has chosen.
You all know that you have my blessing, and I say may the peace and
blessing of my Heavenly Father be with this people, forever, with all
that pertains unto them; their habi tations, these mountains and
valleys, their flocks and herds, and fields and gardens, for I pray
these peculiar and Heaven's choicest blessings may attend the
Latter-day Saints henceforth and forever, in the name of Jesus
Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.
- Heber C. Kimball