Volume6a

Volume6b

Volume6c

Volume6d

Volume6e

THE PROSPERITY OF THE SAINTS DEPENDENT UPON THEIR BEING RIGHT BEFORE GOD--PRAYER AND WATCHFULNESS, ETC. 

Remarks by Patriarch Isaac Morley, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 8, 1857. Reported by J. V. Long. 

I am in hopes that what I do say will be dictated by the right guide, as brother Heber says. I do not wish for any other. It is difficult for me to communicate my ideas, though I do not make this statement because I wish to apologize or to excuse myself from any duty. 

I thing I realize with you, brethren, the situation that we are in and the circumstances that surround us. Every reflecting mind will rest his thoughts and attention upon our present situation; and if we have in us the light of the Holy Ghost, we shall believe it is all right. This is my conclusion, and I presume it is the conclusion of most of you. 

If we, as individuals, are right before God, all will go well with us and the Lord will prosper us. I do not think that the reform that we have undertaken and that is undertaken with this community is done with. I find that it becomes me to concentrate my mind daily and hourly upon the grand things that lie before me. 

As to the enemy that is come up to destroy or curtail us in any of our blessings, I care but little about them. It makes me think of the past, when my mother used to have a rod over the mantelpiece for me to look at. I think we have got one that we can look at, and it is where it can be used; and probably if it is used, it will be used to our advantage. 

If we can prepare our hearts and our lives, we need not fear anything about our enemies. The greatest fear is that I shall not sustain and carry out correct principles in my own bosom. I believe that our grand object it to have all things right within. If we do this, we shall do well. 

We are taught in one place to "pray without ceasing," and watching is as necessary as prayer. I am of the opinion that we can correct our thoughts so far as to know and understand what our motives are and what our affections are placed upon. If our minds are wandering to the nations of the earth, what will it benefit us? The grand place for our operations to begin is in our bosoms, and to see that our minds and bodies are influenced by those principles that pertain to light, life, and immortality. 

There are great attainments in reserve for the faithful of this people. I believe that we may enjoy even more peace and satisfaction than we do now, which may be obtained by prayer and watchfulness. 

We should reflect upon the covenants and obligations that we have made unto God and before our brethren. There are many keys in those holy covenants whereby we can derive comfort. 

Obedience is the grand key whereby this people are to be exalted; and I sincerely believe that the Presidency are comforted by the obedience that is rendered to their requirements. 

It is the mind that makes the man; and if that mind is centred upon correct objects--if it cultivates and cherishes them, that mind is improving. There is not time nor circumstances through which we may be passing but there is opportunity for improvement. I learn this daily. And there are opportunities for our advancement in the principles of exaltation. 

I believe that reformation and union can be carried to a greater extent than they have been. If there is a love for the truth in the people, it will be manifest in true plainness and true honesty: our yea will be yea, and our nay will be nay. The Scriptures say, "Whatsoever cometh more than this is evil;" but true plainness and true honesty is what we want. 

If we are not advancing in light, we are either standing still or going backward. The great principles that we are to be governed by dwell in simplicity; they are easy to be understood by any and all who will apply themselves. 

The condescension of Heaven is great: there can be no greater condescension than is manifested to us. We have attained our heirship. We know there is such a principle as well as we know there is a God. 

Baptism for remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost are as simple as anything can be. All the great fundamental principles of salvation are simple. We can comprehend and understand them--we can increase and grow by the power of them. 

In adding to our faith, it is necessary that we should add virtue first, then knowledge; and these we should cultivate daily and hourly. 

Brethren, I intend, as far as I have power, to instruct by example. Without it, I would give very little for all the precepts that are or can be set forth in a family or abroad among the people. 

May God bless you, is my prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. 





BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE, ETC. 

Remarks by President Daniel Spencer, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, October 11, 1857. Reported by J. V. Long. 

I arise to bear my testimony to the truth of what Elder Lyman has said this morning. I feel that it has been good to listen to him. The principles of which he has spoken are the foundation of our happiness; and unless we build upon what he has been speaking of, we may seek to all eternity, and not obtain happiness. 

All truth comes from God, and he makes it known through his servants; and this is almost invariably in advance of our knowledge. In the commencement of our connection with the Church, in our baptism, we are told that we should receive the gifts and blessings of the Gospel, if faithful. We did not receive positive proof of it: but as we advanced, we realize through obedience, the truth of what was promised us. 

Brother Amasa has instructed us to be faithful--to have confidence in God, and that in his own way he will benefit us and establish peace. If we love God, all things will work together for our good. 

If we love God, we love the truth for all truth is from God. We have got to have this confidence in the Lord and show that we love all truth; and if our faith is established upon that and upon the principle upon which he reveals it to us, then we know that all things will be overruled for our good, our faith, and our happiness, as we have been told to-day. 

Now, we have knowledge that it is best for us to labour and obtain clothing to keep ourselves warm for the winter. We have been taught this by our parents. We know that it is best to live by industry. The Indians do not know this,--at least but very few of them do, and none of them knew it when we first came here: they did not understand that it was best to labour to make themselves comfortable; but now they are learning it: they are beginning to learn that it is best to make some little sacrifice to get clothing and food: and they are improving in this day by day. 

Now, the Gentiles have a knowledge that it is best to labour for clothing, for food, and to make preparation for winter, and so on; but when we speak of the knowledge of God, and that it is best to do this or that because the whisperings of the Spirit say so and so,--when it comes to the servants of God and the things of his kingdom, the Gentiles do not know so much as the Indians do; hence they act in accordance with their views and knowledge, and hence they are deprived of may blessings. 

We have derived many blessings from rendering obedience to those things that were taught us when we first came into the Church; and those who do not learn these things do not have our experience. 

Well, now, as Elder Lyman has remarked, if we love the truth better than error, and have confidence in the Lord that he has established his kingdom, and that he will reveal his will, we are happy, and we shall abide in the truth, precisely as he has told us. If we have that love for the truth, we shall discard all evil from our families--we shall discard strife and every malignant feeling that is contrary to truth. 

God has not recommended any mode of procedure that will produce discord or unpleasantness in our homes; hence we had better leave off that which will offend God. A man that harbours a malignant, unruly spirit does not love the truth; and these are the things which cause men to apostatize. They say, "I will have a little gratification upon a principle that I know is wrong." Well, this is the foundation of apostacy; it is the method by which the people sacrifice that which would bring continual peace: they apostatize by sacrificing that which they know to be right,--not that which they do not know, but that which they do know; and that which they know it truth. Then the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from them, and they have no relish for the truth, because they have despised and put away his counsel; they have not respected his counsels. 

I mention these little things because they come under our observation every day. We have counsel from Bishops, Teachers, and Presidents. This is the method through which we receive counsel, and we must respect the counsel that come from all these authorities. If we respect God and his servants, he will respect us; but if we do not respect him, he will not respect us, because we have not respect for the truth nor for God. But if we have a respect for God and love his teachings and his servants, then we shall love the truth; our minds are open because we are searching for truth; we love it and cherish it; it is visible in our transactions in life. Well, then, it is our meat and our drink; it is our food constantly; and we feel to do everything to benefit mankind--to make people happy. 

I have been very much interested myself, and I know that the remarks made to-day by Elder Lyman are just what we want. Whatever we have passed through and whatever we may in future pass through, we shall say, if we endure to the end, that we know God has overruled all things for our good. We know now that all will be for our good, and we are made happy in the enjoyment of the knowledge that God will overrule everything for our profit and good; and upon no other principle will it be happiness to us. 

It is not to be presumed that we re going to be happy and possess all fulness of knowledge at once; but events will be continually and gradually developed that will show us that God will bring to pass nothing but what will be for our good and for our happiness. 

My prayer is that we may have power with God--that we may have confidence that God will do all for our good; and let us know that he accepts our actions, and let us be ready to do whatever is required of us, nothing doubting, and I know that peace will be the result. 

I want to make a few observations in relation to the handling of our guns. There have been three individuals killed through carelessness. Almost every day I hear guns fired off, and oftentimes they go off in a direction not intended. Now, be cautious, and let not any accident of this kind take place in this city. Be careful where you discharge your guns, for our lives are precious. Many have now been called to handle guns that never have been used to it. Let such put on a double guard over themselves, and know that they must not use firearms carelessly. 

The late news from the army is favourable, as it has hitherto been. I presume that it is well understood; therefore, I will not repeat it. 

let us live so as to continually secure the favour of God, and I know that we shall have constant peace and joy. This is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. 



PERSONAL FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCE, ETC. 

Remarks by Elder Elias Smith, made in the Bowery, 
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, August 2, 1857. 
Reported by J. V. Long.

My brethren and sisters,--Very unexpectedly I appear before you this morning. Perhaps it might be well enough for me to confess my sins before you, to begin with. 

Before I get through, I presume, with the few remarks that I may make to you, you will learn that I am not much of a public speaker upon any subject whatever. I have frequently of late, received visits from brother Kimball, and he has intimated that I might be called upon to speak before you. This morning I went to the Office for the purpose of writing a letter to a sister that I have not written to for several years. Brother Stout and brother Hiatt came in, and we spent some time chatting. Brother Kimball then came in, and I thought if I could get away from him I should be glad,--not that I wanted to shun his company, but I knew pretty well his business. When on the way here, I thought that I had escaped his notice; but his eye was a little too keen for me. 

I have often thought that if I were calculated to do any good, it was in another line rather than preaching; for I would rather do anything else. If anything else is required of me, I feel that I can go and do it; but when called upon to speak, I always have felt a diffidence. I know that I cannot stand up before this congregation and teach anything. and I shall not presume to do it; but inasmuch as I have been called to address you, I will endeavour to do so a few moments. 

It is true that I have been in the Church a long time, and I have been with the Saints in all the scenes of persecution and trial from that time to this, except that I had not the privilege of being with the pioneers who came to this Territory. Circumstances so ordered things that I could not share with those men who came and sought out this country the toils of that memorable journey. Aside from that, I believe that I have been with them in all the scenes that they have passed through, and I have striven to do all that I could for the cause, though I have never tried to make myself conspicuous, but have endeavoured to do what I was told by those over me; and that will be the case with me to-day; and then, after I have spoken to you, I shall go and do something else. 

Although I though I was somebody, before I heard "Mormonism," yet I can say in truth that is has made me all that I am. I know that I have not lived up to all the privileges that have been afforded me, and I know that I have not been as thorough as I ought to have been in many things; but when I have reflected, I have come to the conclusion that I would be more persevering in the future,--though, when anything has been given me to do, I have generally gone and done it. 

When "Mormonism" found me, I was surrounded and enveloped with the things of this world. My father had a name among a religious society, and I frequently went to meeting with him; but when I did not choose to go where he went, I went somewhere else. I never adhered to any religious principles, but believe in living a strictly moral life; but I did not believe in anything scarcely that was taught by the religious parties around me. If, however, a man wished to become popular in the world, it was necessary in that part of the country for him to belong to some religious body; for it was hard to rise in the sphere of respectability without it. Notwithstanding this, I thought, if I could not be raised in the world without having a form of religion, I never would rise. But I believed that I could accomplish it without that, and I was in a fair way for it, as I thought, when "Mormonism" first came along. Under these circumstances, you will readily believe that I did not give way to it immediately, and I have been sorry for it many times. Instead of yielding to it, I strove to throw it off; but at length, being convinced that it was true, I said farewell to my popularity, threw off the things of the world, and have tried to be a "Mormon" from that time to this; but that I have not lived up to all the privileges I ought to have done, I freely acknowledge. 

I am glad that I am with you to day, although I cannot say that I feel free to speak to you. I realize my imperfections and my foibles, and that I am in the presence of those who have taught you all the principles that you know, and who have also taught me all that I know; and therefore, if I should attempt to teach anything, it would only be reiterating those things that you have heard. 

I feel to rejoice every day of my life that I live with the Saints in the valleys of the mountains, while war rages and rumours of war are heard all over the earth. I rejoice that I have the privilege of dwelling with the Saints in peace and safety, for I feel that we are in safety; and if we live our religion and obey the counsel and advice of those set over us, we shall continue to dwell here in peace, and nothing will molest us. 

The United States may send all the armies they please--I have that faith and confidence in the work of the Lord that I feel assured, if we carry out those principles and the advice of those set to lead us, all will be well with us, and our enemies will have no power over us whatever. 

The other evening, when the brethren arrived from the States, bringing the news that there was to be not more mail, most of you were up in the kanyon. I stayed at home to wait for the arrival of the mail, for I thought it would be better for me to wait for it than for it to arrive and have to lie in the office two or three days without being opened and prepared for delivery. I think Thursday, the 23rd, was one of the longest days I had ever seen. I tried to do something to pass away the time. I went to the Tithing Office and spent a little time with the brethren there; but I could not feel to settle down to anything. In the evening, brother Smoot and the other brethren came in and said that Uncle Sam had taken the mail away from us, and then he had ordered several thousand troops to this Territory. I felt perfectly calm when I heard the news, and went home and slept soundly, and I have slept well ever since. 

It is true I feel somewhat annoyed and not a little vexed at the occurrence and at the treatment we have received from the Post Office Department in relation to the mail, to think that, after so much had been expended to get it fairly into operation and have it carried punctually, it should be taken from us. But as to their conduct in this respect aweing us into subjection, I feel as though it never would be done. [Voices: "Amen"] 

I am aware that the prophecies are fulfilling, and that we shall soon see scenes of war and commotion, and may be brought to collision with the United States; but as to their having power to destroy our leaders as they wish, I do not believe they ever will. 

I have had a desire to live ever since I was a lad. I have always felt a desire to live to be an old man, and I yet have that desire. In all the scenes that I have passed through, I have never wished to die, but have desired to live and see Israel triumph over all her enemies. 

A brother was speaking to me yesterday about certain places in Missouri, and he said, You remember such and such places. I replied, I never was there, but I expect to go. [Voices: "Amen."] I started from Liberty once and expected to see those hills and plains which the brother alluded to yesterday. I started with brother Markham and brother William Burton, who died in England; but circumstances prevented our accomplishing the journey. I still expect to go there and see Israel victorious over all her enemies, and that the measure they have sought to measure out to us we shall have the privilege of measuring to them. 

I have seen many dark days; and when I have seen and heard men, who have been in the Church eighteen or twenty years, say that they have had no trials, I have felt in my hear that they either lied, or that they had not lived their religion. If I was to say that I never had any trials, it would not be true; and if I was to say that I ever once desired to back out, that would be equally untrue. As I said before, in my early days I tried to lift myself up by my own ingenuity. All that I acquired I wished to do by my own skill. If it was not natural to me, I acquired and had a stiff-headed disposition and that has been hard for me to overcome, and have hardly got over it yet; but when such things come along as try me, and I overcome them, I then feel better. 

I hope to overcome all those imperfections by labouring diligently to that end. I came here in 1851, and I believe I have made some progress since towards overcoming my weaknesses in this respect. 

Circumstances were such, when I left Nauvoo, that I could not come through with the Saints: my father and mother were taken sick by the way. My mother died in October, 1846, and my father was never able after to come here, except upon a litter. He died in 1848, and I soon after began to prepare to come west. I took up my effects and came here in 1851, and I came determined to be free from that independent disposition that I had had to contend with, as much as possible. 

I strove for this in crossing the Plains. The brethren frequently asked me what I was going to do when I got there. I told them that I did not know--that I had not thought about it. But no difference with me what I did; anything that presented itself I intended to do. I have been called upon since to do many things that were not agreeable to me in their nature: in other words, I have had a good deal of dirty work to do; but I have endeavoured to do it and keep my hands clean; and if in any of those things I have not done this, then I have not done what I have tried to do. Be that as it may, it is my desire to live with you in prosperity or adversity, let what may come. But I certainly do not expect, if we live our religion, that our enemies will have power over us, although I am well aware that they will endeavour to do us all the injury they can. 

I have been aware that they have had a design in relation to us for some time, from the fact that all their movements have been carefully hid from us. When we have received their papers, none have had any allusion to their military movements in this direction, neither have their advertisements in relation to their transportation of freight to this Territory ever reached us; and, to prevent us still further from knowing anything of their doings, they have withheld the mail, and that too without raising any legal objections. They did not even avail themselves of the privilege always reserved in agreements with mail contractors. But the fact of the case is, they seek our overthrow; and if any person here do not think so, they are mistaken. 

If they could destroy President Young, President Kimball, and President Wells, and the leading authorities of this Church, they would be pleased; but they cannot do that. If we do not live our religion, I expect we shall be scourged; and for my own part, I feel perfectly free in revelation to these things; and whether I live or die, it is all the same to me, although I expect to live to be an old man, and to go back with the Saints to the land of Jackson County. [President B. Young: "God grant it."] 

Brethren, I do not feel like prolonging my remarks. I pray that God will bless his Saints, and that those who have no desire to remain with us may go away. I know, if we keep the commandments of God, we shall obtain his blessings; and I have learned from the history of the past that has come down to us, that those who have not done so he has chastened. If we keep his commandments, we shall be delivered out of the hands of our enemies and be saved in his kingdom. 

Brethren, may God bless you and enable you to be faithful in all things, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE LORD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE AND PROTECTION OF HIS PEOPLE--FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC. 

A Discourse by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, delivered in the Tabernacle, 
Great Salt Lake City, October 25, 1857. 
Reported by G. D. Watt.

I can truly say that I feel like a little child in relation to the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, which are wisdom, knowledge, and righteousness revealed to man. 

I have been comforted while hearing by brother speak. His words have been truthful. His admonition has bee good to the Saints, and his exhortation has been such as we should all reduce to practice in our future lives. 

When I stand before the Saints, I can only feel to thank the Lord and bless the name of Israel's God: why? Because he has led his people in the way they should go for their salvation. While contemplating upon the scenes the Latter-day Saints have past through, and those through which the Saints in former ages have passed, I discover that there is a striking resemblance between the two. Indeed, they are of one family; they have embraced the same principles and are trying to carry out the doctrines taught and practised by the Prophets and by Jesus Christ our Redeemer and elder Brother, when he said, "The kingdom of heaven is like seed cast into the ground, and some of it took root, but long since has the Master taken his journey into a far country, and the vineyard has been let out to husbandmen;" and thank God that we live in the time of harvest, because I always find the time of harvest more joyful than the seed time. 

There is a great harvest to be performed, and the Elders of Israel have been engaged in the harvest for many years past, and some of the wheat has been gathered out and placed in the garner of the Lord. 

I have contemplated, while sitting here this morning, as to what would have been the condition of the Latter-day Saints, supposing we had been let alone in Kirtland. Every meditating mind can contemplate at a glance the situation this people would have been in to-day. 

Supposing we had been left to ourselves in the pleasant groves of Missouri, which we shall, thank heaven's King, by-and-by occupy, with none to disturb us; but the time has not come yet;--I say, had we been permitted to stay there, could the Lord have fulfilled the words of the Prophets, which were spoken by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, concerning this people in the latter day? Verily no. 

Suppose we had been permitted to remain in the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, could the words of the Prophets have been fulfilled concerning this people in our day? No. But the Lord, by his unseen hand and outstretched arm, and by his wisdom, which is beyond the comprehension of finite beings, led his people to this place prepared and reserved by him as chambers of safety for his Saints, in fulfilment of the words of all the holy prophets since the world began. 

You that are acquainted with the words of the Prophets can remember that the Lord has promised through them, that he would hide his people in the last days while his wrath and indignation should pass through the wicked nations of the earth. 

What is the testimony of the Elders of Israel in relation to the situation and circumstances of the nations of the earth, where they have travelled for the last few years? Does it not portray to us the most horrible scene of suffering? Abominations of the lowest caste are practised among those nations that bear the fair title of Christian nations, and they have sunk the deepest of all others in degradation, wickedness, and wretchedness. 

Is the Lord vexing the nations? Yes; and there is no place where the Lord could better secure his people than in these valleys, behind these towering bulwarks which his enemies cannot throw down. Powder and ball cannot move them. Behind these the Lord has securely planted his little flock, where he has nourished and cherished it by Prophets and Apostles, and watered it with the dews of heaven, strengthening it with manna--the bread of heaven, inspiring the hearts of his servants to give unto it that nourishment that is necessary to make it grow and prosper, until its branches run over the wall and Zion becomes terrible to her enemies when they shall come up to war against her. 

The Prophets have truly spoken of this day and looked upon it with admiration. When I call to mind that I have the honour of being a member of that Church which the Lord Almighty has planted in the latter day, it fills my heart with sensations of joy and gladness which language fails to express or communicate. 

My brother said his heart leaped with joy on the 24th of July, when the declaration of independence was made. My meditations and sensations were, no doubt, something like those of the fathers who fought for the liberty and independence we ought now to enjoy. They were glad of the dawning privilege of worshipping God in their own way, and of worshipping that God they chose to worship, whether it was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or none at all. 

Did they not have to fight for that liberty? Yes. Should any of the sons of Zion fall in the contest for similar privileges in our day, thank heaven's King, they will have the privilege and honour of sealing their testimony with their blood, and of becoming martyrs in the latter day to Heaven's cause. Will their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters have any reason to mourn because their son or brother has died a martyr to Heaven's cause? No; for they will wear a martyr's crown, which makes it more desirable for us to go out in the defence of Heaven's cause, and lose our lives to establish this kingdom and help to sustain it upon the earth, or to dwindle away in sickness, hunger, and thirst, brought upon us from the ungodly conduct of our enemies. 

Have not a great many already fallen victims to their cruelty? Yes. Have not I seen many women and children consigned to the silent grave because of their cruelty? I have; and all because we are the friends of God. Were we standing in open defiance of the mandates of king Immanuel, would they be our enemies? No. They are the enemies of Jesus, our elder Brother, who has for a long time withdrawn himself, as he said in the parable, when he compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who let out his vineyard and took a journey into a far country. Jesus has taken his journey; but thanks be to heaven's King--to God, our heavenly Father, he has said in these last day, "My son, take to yourself the kingdom, because it is yours, for Lucifer has borne rule long enough on that planet: now, you go to work and revolutionize that planet, and purify and sanctify it from the wickedness and abominations that exist upon it, that it may be prepared and brought back to my presence." 

This is the work in which we are now engaged. If there should be a man or woman of the character that has been spoken of this morning, that wishes to go away from this people, I wish they would go. Every honest Latter-day Saint has felt and prayed, and his prayer has been in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at midnight, that God would sweep his vineyard and purify it and prune it of all the dead branches, that they may be burned and blown away by the wind, like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor. 

Now, was it not the prayer of every faithful Saint that God would set his furnace in Zion and burn out the chaff and the branches which are withered up and dried, that nothing but the bearing branches might be left--the pure in heart,--that there might be not jarring strings, no back-bitings, slander, stealing, or any evil thing among the Saints of God who dwell in Zion? We have seen such things here to a certain extent. I feel glad in my heart, and feel as though I could jump up and cry "Hallelujah!" and "Glory!" like a Methodist, because the kingdom of God is set up and given to the Saints of the Most High. The yoke of oppression is broken off, and independence is give to us as far as is now necessary and required, that the kingdom of God may advance on the earth. Why not rejoice and be glad? 

There are some appendages to all this, and one little item drops into my mind now--one of the simplest things in the world--that is, for the sisters, if they have not the privilege of knitting mittens and stockings, to go to work and make pieces of patchwork, or anything that will keep the brethren warm that are out in the mountains. No doubt but we shall see tight times; but the Lord will guide his servants, and his kingdom will prosper, and every Saint will learn how to appreciate blessings when we have them; but there is no occasion for any person to be afraid. 

There have been a great many things prophesied here in the way of common conversation. I suppose that a good many of the Saints think that when the old Prophets, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others prophesied, they used to get down on a bench and kneel before the congregation, or get into a dark closet, where they could speak through a knot-hole and have their scribe write it, or perhaps have a coffee-sack covered over their heads, and ashes sprinkled over that. 

I have heard men prophesy here every Sabbath-day; and in a thousand years after to-day, when we read over their prophecies, the prophecies spoken by the old Prophets will sink into insignificance and will be forgotten. Even as the wonders of the last days, in gathering Israel, will throw into the shade of forgetfulness the mighty miracles at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, so it will be a thousand hence, when we read over the prophecies delivered in the year 1857. Why? Because there is a great deal more pending now than formerly. 

We now see our brethren called to go into the mountains, and this people are expending much to defend the cause of Zion. 

We acknowledge brother Brigham Young as President of this Church: we have long acknowledged him as such; also brother Heber C. Kimball as his first, and brother Daniel H. Wells as his second Counsellor. This Quorum constitutes an embodied power. Where does it centre? In the head, and it compares with the triune Godhead--the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Are these three men who compose the First Presidency one? They are. God has ordained them on earth to fulfil his purposes, build up his kingdom, cast down Babylon, establish righteousness on the face of all the earth, cleanse this planet from corruption, and prepare it for a dwellingplace for immortal Saints. 

Has not the Lord embodied all the Priesthood and power of his kingdom in the head of the First Quorum of his Church? yes. Where should the power of this people be centred? In that personage whom God has ordained to lead his people; and, as I have prayed myself, not that the Lord would tell me anything particularly about the armies of the enemies of God, but make it known to his servants Brigham, Heber, and Daniel--that he would give such counsel to his servant Brigham as would be necessary for the advancement of his kingdom, the destruction of Satan's empire and the downfall of Babylon, the spread of the truth, and the universal reign of peace on this planet, until the land of Joseph is purified and the people of God return to go back with pure hearts and contrite spirits to Jackson County, according to the words of the servants of God, and build the great Temple of the Lord, according to the words of the Prophet Joseph. 

Well, here we are, a free people. We are at liberty to go out in the defence of Zion, which we never could do before. The Elders have been to the nations, and besought the people to repent and leave off their wickedness, to reform, and be baptised, and be saved, crying as John the Baptist did, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

Had the nations opened the door to the servants of God to freely preach among them, before this time the Gospel would have been sounded in every ear; and when that is done, Jesus says the end shall come. When the olive tree begins to put forth its buds, know ye that summer is nigh. The stone that is cut our of the mountains without hands has begun to roll, and it will fall on the feet, toes, and legs of the image, and crush great Babylon to pieces: by its power the nations will be broken. 

I have long prayed that the Lord Almighty would destroy the nation that gave me birth, unless the rulers thereof repent. Yes, I pray that it may be broken to pieces and become like an old vessel that is broken and thrown out to rot and to return to its native elements. 

Let us keep the commandments of God, and all will be right. I want to say a word in relation to our present position. It becometh you and I to be valiant for the truth. All the Latter-day Saints have said they are willing to stand up in defence of the cause of truth. 

The old Methodists used to say, when they got up in the pulpit to speak as I have to-day, that they were ready to defend Zion's cause at any risk. They knew but little about Zion and her cause and the principles of eternal truth. But they have been revealed and taught to us from the stand, Sabbath after Sabbath. No people have been blessed with the privileges of the Gospel of the Son of God as we have. 

We are free, for Christ has made us free; and the Apostle says, "Whom the Son makes free is free indeed." If you are free by the blood of the covenant, and have redeemed yourself by its requirements, see that you bring no spots upon your garments; betray not your trust, but be constant to the truth, and stand a witness for it under every circumstance in which you may be placed. 

Will the Lord give strength? yes, and all the power, victory, and glory we need. The Lord has courageous men and women in the last days; and I believe there is as much courage among the women as there is among the men. I want them to have courage enough to pray for their husbands and sons, instead of being afraid, and not say, when one of the brethren comes into your house, "Do you think any of the brethren will be killed?" The Lord will dictate that; you need have no anxiety about it. 

Lorenzo Dow told the people, in a certain occasion, "You old professors go home and take down your Bibles that have lain on the shelf until you can write damnation in the dust that has collected on them, and read the old Prophets, and see what the Lord did for his people of old." The Lord, at one time, sent forth his angel in the time of battle and slew a hundred, fourscore-and-four thousand souls in one night. At another time, when the people of God went forth to battle, and they were afraid, the servant of the Lord stood before them and encouraged the, exhorting them with words of consolation, saying, "The Lord is at the head of his armies." 

Brethren, trust not altogether in the weapons which are in your hands; but when you fight, pray, and let your meditation be unto your God; and the Lord will regard you, and answer your prayer, and fight your battles, as he did in the days of the Philistines, when they defied the armies of Israel. The Lord gives victory to his people; but we should all the time be willing to come up to the help of the Lord against the might, whenever it is necessary. 

May God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen. 



UNPOPULARITY OF "MORMONISM"--REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD, ETC. 

Remarks by President Joseph Young, delivered in the Bowery, 
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 26, 1857. 
Reported by J. V. Long.

I have been requested to occupy a few moments before you, my brethren, this afternoon, I have a great many reflections in my mind, but it is only the few that would be reasonable that I hope may have utterance at this time. 

The suggestions which I heard this morning awakened in me, as they usually do, feelings which I have for the welfare of the kingdom of God, which kingdom, we heard to-day, is already being established on the earth,--or we may say that it is established. 

It was said in the days of the Apostle Paul, "Say not in your heart, who shall descend into the deep to bring Christ up? or who shall ascend into the heavens to bring him down? for the word is near thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, even the word which we preach, which is--If thou wilt confess with thy mouth and believe with they heart that God hath raised Christ from the dead, thou shalt be saved." 

It was perilling [sic] one's life equally as much to acknowledge the crucified Nazarene as it is now for the "Mormons" to acknowledge Joseph Smith to be a Prophet of God. We will add on to the test a little now, and say, If you will confess Jesus Christ to be the Redeemer, Joseph Smith to be his Prophet, and Brigham Young his successor, and carry out their counsels unto the end, you shall be saved. 

Now, I say it was just a perilous to acknowledge Jesus, whom almost every one then believed to be an impostor and the refuse of all creation, as it now is to acknowledge those men whom I have mentioned. 

How is it now? Why, it is popular by the Christian world to acknowledge Jesus to be the Saviour. The Catholics all acknowledge Jesus to be the Saviour. The doctrine has become popular in the world, so much so that nearly the whole world now acknowledge that Christ truly was the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Son of God; and they believe on him. Will people be persecuted for this? No. You may go into all ranks of society in the world, and they will receive you, if you are a Christian; but you must mind one thing--you must not name "Mormonism"--you must not say that Joseph was a man that you believed in; for the moment you do this you are in jeopardy. 

I have been many times in places when I did not announce my name, but something would tell them I was a "Mormon." I do not know who told them, except it was the Devil; but I could hear them say, "He is a Mormon." There have been many instances of this kind among the Latter-day Saints. 

I prayed, before I heard this Gospel, that I might see the kingdom of God; and I could say as Paul did, that I was alive to religion, but it was without the law. I was full of religion, but I was not very noisy. When the commandment came, "sin revived, and I died;" and I learned that I had to be baptised for the remission of sins, for I could not deny the truth. I was as eligible to the truth as a friction match is to the fire, and I could not get by it. I love the truth yet. 

I have heard brother Brigham say, and I endorse the sentiment, that every man and every woman who is not willing to lay down his or her mortal life for this Gospel cannot be saved. The Lord will bring us into a place where we shall be tried whether we are as willing to die as we are to live, and I know this is true; and if I have not gained that point, I have got to live so as to arrive at it on this side of the vail. There is a vail over us at present; but to some the vail is becoming thin, but it is not rent. 

There is no greater mark of a man's being in full fellowship with God than to see that man quickly yield to the will of God without a murmur. This is as good a mark of a Saint as can be given. 

From the commencement of this work there has been plenty to try men and to put them to the test. Shall we be mad at our enemies? No, not unrighteously--not wickedly mad. 

When I look at the condition of this people, view the work for them to do, and the reward the Lord has for them, if faithful, and then cast my eyes around and gaze upon the bitterness of our enemies, what are my feelings? I can feel as David did concerning his enemies, when he went to the sanctuary; "for there," said he, "I understood their end." 

Don't you think his envy was then taken from him? Yes, instantly. He could feel as Jesus felt in his death-struggles, when the Roman soldiers pierced him. He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 

Jesus knew the turpitude of the human heart and the wickedness that those individuals were capable of; and knowing this, He said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." 

I do not know of a better spirit than that which Stephen manifested when he said, "Father, lay not this sin to their charge." He knew their ignorance as well as their wickedness. He saw the heavens opened, and beheld what their end would be. 

Do you think he had any envy towards his murderers then? No, he felt very different from this. I have as great an abhorrence to their iniquities as any other man; and in case the providence of God should call me to stand forth in defence of the truth with the sword and the musket, I probably should feel as resolute in that case as I should on the side of Stephen, when praying God to forgive them. 

My father was a native of America--of a New England State. He was a soldier of the revolution, and fought in defence of his country--fought for freedom. He maintained this spirit, and he died a Latter-day Saint. He had the mortification, however, before his death, to be forced to leave his home for the sake of his religion; and had he survived a little longer, he would have been driven from that land altogether, as we his sons have been, and would have been called upon to find his way through the trackless desert to these mountains. 

We have come out here and moored and shattered relics that our enemies had not destroyed. We wandered--where, we knew not, any more than Abraham did, only as we were led by that mysterious influence that led the Patriarchs of old. As that influence brooded over them, so did it brood over the pioneers that left Winter Quarters in the spring of 1847, and crossed the plains, the deserts, the streams, and moored themselves in these peaceful vales. Since we have been thus driven far from the land of civilization--far from the ashes of our patriotic fathers, why cannot our persecutors console themselves and say, "They have gone," and now the voice of liberty, the voice of philanthropy, the voice of generosity would say, "Let the 'Mormons' go and rest in peace: they are far away from us; they cannot do us any harm?" 

[President H. C. Kimball. They won't do it, Joseph.] 

As Saints, we have assembled together with our wives and little ones, and we have ploughed and sown and raised our own bread, and our grain is increasing. God Almighty has touched the soil and has brooded over it as over the waters at the beginning. And, lo! no sooner have we obtained this land, planted our orchards and gardens, than our enemies want to drive us again. 

[President H. C. Kimball. Do you pray for them Joseph?] 

Yes, I pray for them just as the Spirit dictates, which is something like the following:--O Lord, bless all our brethren in the States and everywhere else throughout the world; and bless all that bless them, and curse all our enemies and waste them away. 

We have the spirit of '76; we are patriots, and we are true to our cause. We have to be persecuted and driven. This is what we expect, for brother Brigham told the story this morning. This is the kingdom that Daniel spoke of. 

Did the world ever persecute the Methodists or the Presbyterians as they have the Latter-day Saints? No, nor the Quakers either, not in my remembrance. 

This people have been baptised for many of their dead friends; and you remember that it is said in the Scriptures that there would be a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness; and when this day fully comes, the people who are now persecuting the Latter-day Saints will begin to know who they are and what they are. 

I will tell you where my hope of their redemption is. They are going to persecute the people of God; they are going to live as long as the Lord will let them, and then they will die and go to hell, and there suffer the justice of God. 

We look at them, and sometimes feel sorrowful, and sometimes feel as if we could deal out justice to them. Our enemies want to kill us, and what for? It is for the purpose of cutting off the redemption of our dead; but the Lord will hold his hand over us; he will preserve our lives, and they will be held sacred in his hands. 

What are we going to do? We are going to build a Temple here; and when that Temple is built, we are going to have a font and be baptised for our fathers, mothers, and friends who have died in generations past, just as far back as we can get at them. 

Where is the hope of our enemies--those who have no knowledge, and who have never received the Holy Ghost? The Scriptures say that for those who receive it and deny it there is not hope; but those who have never received it will die and go into the spirit-land, and the Latter-day Saints will seek after them and feel after them, if they have not shed innocent blood; and many of them will embrace the Gospel. 

I can tell the Latter-day Saints something in relation to our enemies; and that is, if we do not do something for them, they will lie in hell for ever; and the very people they are now persecuting have got to be their saviours, or they will not be saved at all. 

I want you to tell them, and tell all the great men of the earth, that the Latter-day Saints are to be their redeemers--that they have to look to them for their redemption, or there is none for them; and they will have to acknowledge that salvation is of Israel, and nowhere else. 

The Lord gave his oracles to Jacob and to Israel, but to nobody else, and he never will. They are those who hold the Priesthood, and they are the only ones who could give redemption to a world. 

I presume that if the people who are our enemies were to come here and hear this, or if they should know that we believe this, they would, if possible, call us greater fools than ever, and be more eager to destroy us than before, simply because they cannot comprehend the principles that govern us. 

Brethren and sisters, I have preached you a short sermon, and I must say that I feel good to-day. I feel well; and may God bless you and bless us all, and enable us to live our religion and serve God with full purpose of heart. 

I can endorse one sentiment of brother Smoot, in relation to our enemies coming into these valleys. I do not fear them. I feel as calm as a summer's evening. The Spirit of peace and quiet is in our midst; God is in our midst; and although we do not see him, he is here; his messengers are here, and they know our doings, and the record thereof they bear to him, and it is good. 

Now, brethren, this is a consolation to us all. Believe in God, believe in Jesus, and believe in Joseph his Prophet, and in Brigham his successor. And I add, "If you will believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Christ, and Joseph was a Prophet, and that Brigham was his successor, you shall be saved in the kingdom of God," which I pray, in the name of Jesus, may be the case. Amen. 



TESTIMONY TO THE TRUTH--THE TRUE YOKE OF CHRIST--MODERN PROPHETS--THE WORLD <VERSUS> THE CHURCH, ETC.

Remarks by President John Young, made in the Bowery, 
Great Salt Lake City, Wednesday Morning, April 8, 1857. 
Reported by J. V. Long.

I rise before the congregation to make a few remarks, by request of my brethren and by the call of the Spirit of my heavenly Father which I feel within me. 

I do not expect to say much, nor to detain you long; but I want to say a few words, for I feel that my spirit is full of testimony this morning; and I tell you what it is, or rather some of it. I know that Jesus lives and dwells at the right hand of his Father, and that he intercedes for the Saints. I also know that Joseph Smith lives; and I can testify that I have felt a measure of the spirit of Joseph influencing the minds of the brethren during this Conference, and that, too, to a greater extent than I ever did in my life. 

I feel a testimony within me that I have a great measure been asleep; but through the mercy of God I have waked up, and I feel that the Lord has been merciful unto me and unto this people; and he verily has met us and called to us when we were afar off; and I am thankful for this: I rejoice in his mercy, his long suffering, and his goodness. 

I can tell you;, my brethren and sisters, fathers and mothers in Israel, and all you that feel that you have got an uncomfortable yoke upon you,--it is simply because it is not the yoke of Christ; for Jesus said, when he was here, that his yoke was easy and his burden light. I know by experience that when I have the yoke of Christ upon me, it is light; and what else do I know? I know that there are persons who complain that the Gospel yoke chafes them; and I want you to understand that such persons have not got on the right kind of yoke. [President B. Young: "That is verily true, sir."] Now, you that have on such a yoke had better pull out the bow-keys, throw off the yoke, and then put one on that won't chafe you; for I tell you, as the Lord God Almighty lives, it is now or never with the Latter-day Saints. 

The Lord has been merciful unto us, and has called to us by the mouth of his servants and his Prophets that are here, and has given us an opportunity to renew our covenants and again receive the blessings which it is our right and privilege to enjoy. 

Supposing the Lord should take away these Prophets and Apostles from amongst us, I want to know how many of this people there are who would ever find their way to heaven? There is not a man or woman that would ever do it. They would slumber, and sleep, and be lost in the darkness and confusion that envelop the world. 

We have revelation upon revelation, precept upon precept, and shall I say, here a little and there a little? No. But I will say that we have handed out to us here a good deal and there a good deal. 

Here is the fountain of life; and I feel that it is the duty of all to improve upon that which they receive; for this is the day of salvation, and "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?" I believe there will be no way of escape for those who are slothful and indifferent. 

The other day, when brother Kimball was prophesying relative to the wheat, and also about the granaries, and endeavouring to show you the necessity of preparing for a time of scarcity, the good Spirit whispered to me and said, "What brother Kimball has stated is just as true as Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream;" and I verily believe it, and you may depend upon it, brethren and sisters, that all those things will come to pass as they have been predicted. 

Do you know that we have the Prophets of God among us? There are people here, who profess to be Saints, who know but very little in relation to the Gospel which they have embraced; but I tell you that we are not only blest with a Prophet, but we have <Prophets> in our midst. I know that brother Brigham is a Prophet of God, and that he wears the mantle of Joseph; and I can tell you also that brother Kimball is a Prophet, and these men are filled with the Spirit of the Lord. 

Do you not think that I am glad? Yes, I am, and my soul rejoices in the Holy One of Israel, and I feel more happy and a great deal better that I ever have done in all the days of my life; and I am sensible I know more of the principles of the kingdom of God; and I trust I shall learn enough to steer clear of the wickedness of men, and in the own due time of the Lord make my escape from this ungodly world. 

I realized, while brother Wells was speaking, that the whole world was and is Babylon; and I realize that everything outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one vast Babylon, full of confusion, wickedness, corruption, and abominations of the deepest dye. Brother Wells also showed you that the great men in the United States are not agreed in any one question that comes before them. He also showed that this had been the condition of the world for ages. 

I have found, however, that they were perfectly agreed in one thing, and that was to destroy the Babe of Bethlehem--the Church of Christ; and they are just so yet: they are determined to oppose the truth and take the lives of the Prophets of God, and their cup of iniquity is almost full. The dragon has poured out his mighty flood after this Church, and has tried his best to sweep the Saints of God from the earth. But we still live, and we intend to live eternally, despite the Devil and all his emissaries. 

What does Daniel say, speaking of these days--the days in which you and I live? He says, "The kingdom shall never be taken away nor given to another people." What have the Prophets of God been teaching us for years? They have told us, time after time, that if they had fifty Saints of the right stripe, they would rather have them than to have hundreds and thousands of those who are fearful, half-hearted, and eternally grumbling. 

We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times; and all other dispensations, as the Prophet of God has said, were only preludes to this great and last dispensation; for in this day there will be the greatest work performed, the greatest miracles wrought, and more of the power of God displayed, and also more of the power of Satan, that have ever been witnessed since the world began. 

I teach the people that Joseph Smith was greater than any other Prophet that ever lived, except Jesus Christ. [President B. Young: "That is true. How can it be otherwise?"] It can't; and I tell you that he is just as active to-day as ever he was, and he can do more for this people and for the cause of Zion than he could when here. 

In the days of Israel of old, and in all former dispensations, there have been many Prophets; but Joseph Smith stands at the head of this, which is a dispensation of all dispensations: it will comprehend and complete the unfinished work of all former days. 

I thank my heavenly Father that I live to behold this day. While sitting here, I have thought of the first Conference that was ever held in this valley. It was nine years ago last October. I reached the valley during the sitting of Conference, and some of the brethren said, "The conference is sitting; won't you go?" so I walked down to where they were holding Conference, and I found them by the side of a haystack. There was Father John Smith and a little handful of men that might have been covered with a small tent, and they were holding the Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

When I contrast the present Conference with the one of which I have spoken, I feel to thank God, and my soul magnifies his name for his goodness in gathering his people who were then scattered by their enemies. Some were upon the Plains, a great many at Winter Quarters, some hundreds had perished by the sufferings there endured, and few had found their way to this peaceful valley, where I can now behold 12,000 persons assembled at a Conference meeting. This does my soul good, and I feel that we have all great cause to be thankful for the great and marvelous blessings conferred upon us. 

Brethren and sisters, let us rejoice in our deliverance from the hands of our enemies; let us rejoice in our happy condition and in our prosperous circumstance. Let us rejoice, for the kingdom is established and never will be given to any other people. 

There is one thing more which I want you to understand, and that is, that God is not dependent upon any one man or woman for the carrying on and accomplishment of his work. If you have not a mind to work for the Lord, let it alone; for he can do just as well without you as with you. 

I know there are men under the sound of my voice who are bound by the chains of the Devil, and they are and will be controlled by them, and you cannot liberate them; and what is the matter? They are not of the right blood, and there is nothing right for them: they are controlled by a contrary spirit; and they are opposed to everything and to everybody but themselves. I have reflected much upon this subject, and I have been led to conclude that if we could just let into their veins one drop of "Mormonism," it could not be got away from them;--I mean when the Gospel is first presented to men and women. 

If the right spirit and the good seed be sown on good ground, it will bring forth good fruit. Persons who have the truth implanted in their hearts, if they are honest, will grow in the knowledge of God until they obtain a fulness. 

We read in the Scriptures of a certain class of men who never come to the knowledge of the truth, and still they are said to be ever learning. I will tell you the reason why they never come to the knowledge of the truth: it is because they never loved the truth, and consequently they went the wrong way to work. There have been such men in every age, and there are just such now, and I expect there ever will be until the last and final separation. 

All kinds and characters seem to be needed now, and the great net catches all kinds that come to hand, and the fishermen have got to separate them; and this is not the work of a moment, but still it is an important part of the work of the Lord. 

Brethren, let us work while the day lasts; for I can tell you, as the Lord Almighty lives, that we have to act differently from what we have done: we must live nearer to the Lord, and not suffer ourselves to go to sleep any more. Have you not heard brother Brigham say as much as two years ago that if things did not go on in a different way from what they had been going, he would take his pack on his back and go into the wilderness and live his religion? Did not I rejoice last fall when he arose in this stand and said that the time had come when the people must reform and keep the law of God? It brought to my mind the dream which I had respecting the lions, the dogs, and the tigers. It was revealed to me in that dream that those men who lead this people are the Lions of the Lord; and I know they will overcome the dogs. 

There has been a great work done in this Territory: the people have reformed, and there are a great number of men in this congregation who have been engaged in the work of reformation the past winter; and I know that the Spirit of God is with them. I also know that a very large majority of the people want to live their religion. 

I want to tell you something right here that I have told the people in the districts where I have visited. I have told them to look at the bait before they swallowed the hook. I tell you, our religion is full of common sense; and I know that common sense has got to have an important place in the mind of every man and woman; and when the Spirit of God operates upon the minds of the Saints, it teaches them that which is consistent. 

If you and I keep humble, and keep a childlike spirit, and never have anything about us but that kind of an influence, then, if a spirit approaches that is not of the Lord, we shall know it. Let us control our tongues, for James ways the tongue is an unruly member and set all on fire; and I can tell you how you may escape. When an unruly spirit approaches you, just hold your tongue, and then the fire which is connected with that spirit won't hurt you. I tell you, those wicked persons that come to annoy and disturb the peace of the Saints of God will have the fire of hell in them. [Voice: "And swallow the hook without the bait."] 

When I go into the company of a man, I know what kind of a spirit he has about him; and you can know it also, if you will carry with you the right spirit. The Lord has not given me anything that he is not willing for you to have; therefore, strive to have in you that Spirit which will enable you to discern the evil from the good. 

Let us live our religion and become sanctified before the Lord, and remember that we are playing a game now which is not only for the time present; but we are now acting a part that will establish our character for a very long hereafter: therefore, let us so order our lives that we may not look back with regret, when we have passed through this probation, that we have not lived better and done better. 

I pray God to have mercy upon us and keep us humble, that we may perform well our part, and eventually be prepared for the rest that is promised to the people of God. 

I cannot express how thankful I feel with I think that I am living in the midst of a people where there are Prophets and Apostles. Brother Woodruff said that he was glad that he had the privilege of living in such a day and amongst such a people; and I know there are a great many who feel just as he does, but they cannot all speak here and tell of it. I know that I rejoice in the privileges of the Gospel, and I wish to encourage my brethren and sisters to be faithful, to be diligent and prayerful, and always be ready to observe and carry out the counsel of our superiors. Let us be united, for in our union consists our strength. 

I do not feel to detain the congregation, but this is my testimony and my exhortation to the Saints; and I know that these men who lead us are true, faithful, and valiant; and if we follow their instructions, we shall be landed safely in the haven of rest. 

I can tell you there is a vast difference between a drove and a shepherd: the shepherd leads the flock. This was the way the ancient shepherds of Israel did, and it is the way they do now in many of the eastern countries: and this is the way for shepherds to do with the flock of Christ. 

If you undertake to drive people into heaven, you will have a job on hand. I would just as soon undertake to drive an antelope into Emigration Kanyon. If we cannot lead them there, we cannot get them there at all; and if we should happen to drive a few through the gate, we should have to stand there with clubs in order to keep them there; for I can assure you that heaven is no place for any one who has to be driven in order to get him there. 

It is said that the husbandman is the first to partake of the fruit of the garden and the field, and he then administers it to others; and I want to know if you think you can administer that which you have not got? No, I can assure you, there is a great deal in these things for you and I to understand; and if we will apply our minds, we shall learn many important lessons. I want to know if you ever heard anything from the Prophets of God about driving people into heaven. Did they ever teach you a doctrine of this kind? No: but it is "Come, <come>," all the day long. 

In the days of Jesus there was a spirit of this kind, and the people could not get any of the "holy water" without paying for it; for there were so many picayunish fools around trying to carry out their own will, and they would neither go into heaven themselves nor allow any one else the privilege; but Jesus came alone with the key and opened a door and told the people to come. Yes, he cried, "Come, all ye that thirst, and drink of the waters of life freely." 

I thank God that we can partake of those waters of life now, without money and without price. The Lord has chosen us according to his promise; for he has said that he would choose the poor to be heirs of his kingdom. When I think of his goodness, I feel to say, Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, all ye his Saints! Amen. 



PAST AND PRESENT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH--TRUST IN THE LORD AND HIS PRIESTHOOD, ETC. 

Remarks by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, made in the Bowery, 
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August 16, 1857. 
Reported by J. V. Long.

It is with peculiar feelings, brethren and sisters, that I arise to speak a few moments; and I have as good a right to apologize for standing before you as any other man; but I have no apologies to make, for the simple reason that I am glad of an opportunity to express in public a few of my feelings. 

I have not been with the people called Latter-day Saints as long as some of my brethren; but I have been with this people twenty-five years, and I have observed closely their meanderings, their toils, and their labours. I have seen them in prosperity, but it remained only for a short time; and I have seen them in adversity, suffering from nakedness and hunger; and last of all, I have seen them in these peaceful valleys, with none to harm them or make them afraid. 

The ten years past have been a sabbatic year to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--a jubilee--a time of rest. 

I will not go into the detail of all the scenes that the Latter-day Saints have passed through since the organization of this Church on the 6th of April, 1830, which most of you are acquainted with, either by experience or by reading the history of this people. Suffice it to say that, as a people, we have had more peace during our sojourn in these mountains, and we have enjoyed ourselves better than ever we did before. I believe, for one, that I have in some degree appreciated this day of rest which I have enjoyed with you, for I have felt in my spirit that it was a blessing to be here; and I believe that all the Saints of God have felt this, to a certain extent. 

The Lord showed this place unto his servants, the First Presidency of this Church, and the few pioneers who accompanied them; and from that day to the present I have involuntarily felt like shouting, "Glory! Hallelujah!" Yes, I have felt this, and feel it now. 

Is this because I am now more courageous than I was fifteen or twenty years ago? No. It is because, with you, I have prayed, hundreds of times, that we might enjoy the freedom of the sons of God; and I can now behold the faint glimmerings of the dawn of that day when the Saints will be free to serve their God and go forth untrammelled in the accomplishment of his purposes, in the building up of his kingdom, and in the establishment of righteousness in the earth. 

Have we not great cause for rejoicing in the prospects before us? If we love truth more than error, virtue more than vice, honour and integrity more than baseness and degradation, then surely our hearts will be glad and our souls will rejoice in the God of our salvation, that we live and are engaged in a work which will result in the final extinction of wickedness and abomination from the earth. 

Within the last twelve months I have seen this people become more humble and prayerful, and I have seen them renew their covenants; I have seen them make restoration and restitution, and give the pledge of their sincerity and integrity; and I have seen the Spirit of the Lord poured out upon them. This also gives me exceeding joy; it affords me comfort and sweet consolation. 

Do I see this good spirit continue to manifest itself among the people? yes, I do. We have wise men to stand at the head to lead and guide us. The Lord God of Abraham, by the revelation of his Holy Spirit, guides the ship in which we sail. "Is this true?" says one. Yes, it is. Does the Lord acknowledge us as his people? Yes, he does. How long will he continue to do so? Just so long as we continue to be his faithful children--just so long as we continue to fulfil our covenants with the Lord our God and to one another. 

Should any man cherish the spirit of war and the spirit of revenge in his bosom, and feel that he wants to go out and fight and tear down everything before him? The man who feels this does not feel as I do. No: my feelings and the feelings of the people of God should always be calm--not irritable. 

Our nerves should not be so unstrung at any time as Sidney Rigdon's were, when he picked up his spy-glass to look at General Clark's army, and could not hold the glass still enough to see anything. We must quiet our nerves and always be cool and deliberate. 

Is there safety for us, unless we trust in the Lord? No. There is not other refuge. He is our only shield and protector. The Lord fought the battles of his people in ancient times, and he can do it again. 

Is it the people in the Territory of Utah that our enemies are and have been contending with? No: they are contending against the Lord of Hosts--against the kingdom of God, the Priesthood of the Most high. Is it the United States alone that are arrayed against the kingdom of God and his Priesthood? No; but it is the whole empire of Satan's kingdom--even the whole world. 

We do not go into the United States only; but they are in every place on the earth, excepting this, which is Zion, so far as we are the pure in heart. 

We have not to go particularly to one place or nation to find opposition and the spirit to persecute and destroy this people. It is in every place; for this kingdom has to contend with the powers of earth and hell. Is the Lord able to bring his cause to a successful issue? He is, most assuredly. 

I tell you, brethren and sisters, and I want to impress it on your minds, that the stay and the staff of Israel are in the holy Priesthood that is vested in the First Presidency and in the body of the people. We are not to trust in the arm of flesh, but we are to trust on the strength of Israel's God, and live so that our conduct will warrant us a confidential application to Him in the hour of danger. 

Can we trust in the man whom God has ordained and appointed to lead his people? Yes, we can trust in him as God's agent and representative, through whom we may know his will concerning us; and by faithfully following his instructions, he will lead us in the way of everlasting life. If we do this, though we may suffer the loss of all that we posses on the earth, and even lay down our mortal bodies for the Gospel's sake, God will reward us in this world an hundredfold, and in that which is to come he will crown us with eternal lives. 

Brethren, let us individually--yea, let every man and woman, every Bishop, every Elder, every High Priest, every Deacon, and every member of the Church of Jesus Christ stand firm for the cause of God in their place and station. Let every man who has a family preside over that family as a man of God; and if he has no more to preside over than old Henry Sherwood had, when Captain Clark asked him who he presided over, and he answered that he presided over himself and his wife,--let him do it in love and mercy and righteousness before God. 

I was in Kirtland, I was in Far West, and in Davis County; and my feelings are just the same to day as they were when brother Hyrum Smith announced that brother Joseph was in bonds, and that we were all prisoners, and required to give up our arms. I said that I would rather die a free man than submit to such tyranny. I am a valiant man, you know, when I am a long way from danger. 

May God bless us, and bless all Israel in the tops of the mountains and everywhere else, and make them our friends, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 




THE PRIESTHOOD--THE SECOND ADVENT--THE GATHERING--SPIRITUAL MINISTRATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS.

Synopsis of an Address delivered by President Joseph Smith, in Commerce, Illinois, Tuesday, June 2, 1839.

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