A DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG,
IN THE TABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, JUNE 13TH, 1852.
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As there is more time which remains to be improved this morning, I willoffer a few remarks to the congregation, feeling thankful for this privilege,and for all others that I enjoy from day to day.
We have had the pleasure this morning of hearing the truth of the workof the last days declared, with the testimony of one of the servants ofthe Lord, (Ira Ames), who has had an experience of twenty years in thisChurch. There are many others who also have had a lengthy experience, andsome who have not had more than six months' trial, but who have, in thatshort time, obtained an experience which has given them sufficient informationto satisfy them that there is a God in this work, that a Supreme Power hasattended the Gospel of salvation, or what is called "Mormonism,"from its rise to this day. I say to all, both Saint and sinner, that thereis not an individual who has heard the sound of the Gospel of Salvation,the report of this work of the last days, of the coming forth of the Bookof Mormon, and of the mission of Joseph Smith, but the Spirit of the Lordin a greater or less degree accompanied that report with power, and withthe testimony of its truth, no matter as to the character of the individual,nor yet whether he admits and embraces the truth. If he has heard it inits simplicity and purity, the weight of testimony which it bears alongwith it, carries conviction to his mind that it may be true, although, throughthe influence of the world, of evil associations in life, or the instigationsof the enemy of all righteousness, those convictions and impressions maybe swept away, which, if exercised at the time, in sincerity, with fullpurpose of heart to know the truth, would have substantiated the matterto his entire satisfaction. A weight of testimony always accompanies thepromulgation of the Gospel of Salvation.
Brother Ames has said that "'Mormonism' will progress." Ifit does not, God will be dethroned, for when He undertakes to do anything,it will be done, notwithstanding every opposing influence. When the wickedhave power to blow out the sun, that it shines no more; when they have powerto bring to a conclusion the operations of the elements, suspend the wholesystem of nature, and make a footstool of the throne of the Almighty, theymay then think to check "Mormonism" in its course, and thwartthe unalterable purposes of heaven. Men may persecute the people who believeits doctrines, report and publish lies to bring tribulation upon their heads,earth and hell may unite in one grand league against it, and exert theirmalicious powers to the utmost, but it will stand as firm and immovablein the midst of it all as the pillars of eternity. Men may persecute theProphet, and those who believe and uphold him, they may drive the Saintsand kill them, but this does not affect the truths of "Mormonism"one iota, for they will stand when the elements melt with fervent heat,the heavens are wrapt up like a scroll, and the solid earth is dissolved."Mormonism" stands upon the eternal basis of omnipotence. Jehovahis the "Mormonism" of this people, their Priesthood and theirpower; and all who adhere to it, will, in the appointed day, come up intothe presence of the King Eternal, and receive a crown of life.
While speaking the other day to the people, I observed that "therace was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong," neither richesto men of wisdom. I happened to cast my eyes upon Ira Ames, who was sittingin the congregation, I knew he had been in the Church a considerable lengthof time, I have been personally acquainted with him for twenty years. Myeye also caught many more of the first Saints at the same time. These menknow that "Mormonism" is true, they have moved steadily forward,and have not sought to become noted characters, as many have; but, unseenas it were, they have maintained their footing steadily in the right path.I could place my hand upon many in this congregation, who will win the race,though they are not very swift, to outward appearance, and they make notgreat pretensions; they are found continually attending to their own business.They do not appear to be great warriors, or as if they were likely to winthe battle. But what is their true character? They have faith today, theyare filled with faith, their words are few, but they are full of integrity.You will find them to-morrow as they were yesterday, or are today. Visitthem when you will, or under whatever circumstances, and you find them unalterablythe same; and finally when you have spent your life with them, you willfind that their lives throughout have been well spent, full of faith, hope,charity, and good works, as far as they have had the ability. These arethe ones who will win the race, conquer in the battle, and obtain the peaceand righteousness of eternity.
I would inquire if the congregation recollect the text for the season.Let every man who preaches it act according to it himself. If those whospeak, do so by the Spirit of the Lord, they will speak according to thetext, for it is impossible ever to depart from it if they remain in thetruth. If they live to it, their whole lives will aim directly to the onegrand object, namely, to be encircled, wrapt up, and surrounded with theknowledge of God; that will make them one (according to the text), preparethem to do unto others as they would that others should do unto them, tokeep the whole law of the Father and the Son, and all the laws of the CelestialKingdom which have been, or ever will be, revealed, and to meet the Saviourat his coming.
It yields solid satisfaction to hear men testify of the truth of theGospel. It is always peculiarly interesting to me to hear the Saints telltheir experience. It is to me one of the best of sermons to hear men andwomen relate to each other how the Lord has wrought upon their understanding,and brought them into the path of truth, life, and salvation. I would ratherhear men tell their own experience, and testify that Joseph was Prophetof the Lord, and that the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and other revelationsof God, are true; that they know it by the gift and power of God; that theyhave conversed with angels, have had the power of the Holy Ghost upon them,giving them visions and revelations, than hear any other kind of preachingthat ever saluted my ears. If I could command the language and eloquenceof the angels of God, I would tell you why, but the eloquence of angelsnever can convince any person that God lives, and makes truth the habitationof his throne, independent of that eloquence being clothed with the powerof the Holy Ghost; in the absence of this, it would be a combination ofuseless sounds. What is it that convinces man? It is the influence of theAlmighty, enlightening his mind, giving instruction to the understanding.When that which inhabits this body, that which came from the regions ofglory, is enlightened by the influence, power, and Spirit of the Fatherof light, it swallows up the organization which pertains to this world.Those who are governed by this influence lose sight of all things pertainingto mortality, they are wholly influenced by the power of eternity, and losesight of time. All the honor, wisdom, strength, and whatsoever is considereddesirable among men, yea, all that pertains to this organization, whichis in any way independent of that which came from the Father of our spirits,is obliterated to them, and they hear and understand by the same power andspirit that clothe the Deity, and the holy beings in His presence. Anythingbesides that influence, will fail to convince any person of the truth ofthe Gospel of salvation. This is the reason why I love to hear men testifyto the various operations of the Holy Spirit upon them-it is at once interestingand instructive. When a subject is treated upon with all the calculation,method, tact, and cunning of men, with the effusions of worldly eloquence,before a congregation endowed with the power of the Holy Ghost, and filledwith the light of eternity, they can understand the subject, trace its bearings,place all its parts where they belong, and dispose of it according to theunalterable laws of truth. This makes all subjects interesting and instructiveto them. But the case is quite different with those whose minds are notopened and instructed by the power of God. Sermonizing, dividing, and subdividingsubjects, and building up a fine superstructure, a fanciful and aerial building,calculated to fascinate the mind, coupled with the choicest eloquence ofthe world, will produce no good to them. The sentiments of my mind, andthe manner of my life, are to obtain knowledge by the power of the HolyGhost.
If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had beensent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exaltedof earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learningand worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like the smoke which arisesonly to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence, or talentsfor public speaking, who could only say, "I know, by the power of theHoly Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophetof the Lord," the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminatedmy understanding, and light, glory, and immortality were before me. I wasencircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimonyof the man was true. But the wisdom of the world, I say again, is like smoke,like the fog of the night, that disappears before the rays of the luminaryof day, or like the hoar-frost in the warmth of the sun's rays. My own judgment,natural endowments, and education bowed to this simple, but mighty testimony.There sits the man who baptized me, (brother Eleazer Miller.) It filledmy system with light, and my soul with joy. The world, with all its wisdomand power, and with all the glory and gilded show of its kings or potentates,sinks into perfect insignificance, compared with the simple, unadorned testimonyof the servant of God. Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of the field,"behold the splendid, yet simple beauty of their clothing; even Solomon,the greatest, and wisest of earthly kings, who swayed his sceptre so asto be admired and feared by all nations-he, in all his glory could not comparewith one of these lilies, which you can sever from its native stem, withthe least effort, admire for a moment, and then toss it from you. All thatis considered valuable, precious, glorious, or magnificent among men, cannoteven compare with that lily, which you tread under your feet, for beautyand excellence.
The glory of man is fleeting as the twilight, and like the "baselessfabric" of a dream, it vanishes away. It is fitly compared in the Scripturesto the flower of the grass when it is cut down, which whithers and is goneforever, but when the Almighty sheds forth His Spirit upon an individual,or upon a people, the vision of their mind is opened, so as to discern betweenthe things pertaining to this organization, and those pertaining to organizationswhich are brought forth in other spheres, all things are made new to them,for all things in the heavens and on the earth are in the power of the Almighty,and can only be revealed unto mortals, in their proper light, by the powerof the Holy Ghost. While brother Ames was relating his experience previousto believing and embracing the faith of the Gospel, and the few words ofconversation that passed between him and brother George Curtis, this questionoccurred to my mind-"What causes men and women, whose minds have beenunaccustomed to reflect upon theological subjects, to speak so intelligentlyas soon as the Spirit of the Lord touches their understanding?" Theexperience of most of the congregation can answer this question. You arethe oracle of the Spirit, the repository of the intelligence that comesfrom another state of existence invisible to the natural eye; of the influencethat produces an effect without revealing the cause, and is therefore calleda miracle. You are already acquainted with my views upon the doctrine ofmiracles. In reality there can be no miracle, only to the ignorant. Thereare spiritual agents, invisible to the natural eye, not only in us, butin the elements, in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, who arecontinually producing effects, the cause of which we cannot comprehend.
Does the experience of this people teach them what that is, which causesmen and women to speak that which is wrong? Many of them, but not all, understandit tolerably well. Paul could not explain it though he was one of Gamaliel'shousehold servants, and probably swept his house, or cleaned his sandals.However, he had an opportunity of learning much, but, with all his learningand talent, he could not explain this matter any better than his uneducatedbrethren. When he would seek the Lord with all his heart, he found somethingin the way, which endeavoured to overcome him, and block up his path, whenhe pursued the course of righteousness; and the only way he could explainit was by saying "when I would do good, evil is present with me."This evil is with us, it is that influence which tempts to sin, and whichhas been permitted to come into the world for the express purpose of givingus an opportunity of proving ourselves before God, before Jesus Christ ourelder brother, before the holy angels, and before all good men, that we,are determined to overcome the evil, and cleave to the good, for the Lordhas given us the ability to do so. Consequently, when the evil is presentwith me, I have a little fighting to do, I must turn and combat it untilit is eradicated from my affections, as well as from my actions, that Imay have power to do all the good I wish to perform. Every person is capableof this, all can bridle their tongues, and cease from every evil act fromthis time henceforth and forever, an do good instead.
There is an old maxim, and in many cases an excellent one, it is, "thinktwice before you speak, and three times before you act." If we trainourselves to think what we are about to do, before we do it, and have understandingto know, and power to perform the good, we can thereby avoid the evil thatis present with us. When the enemy makes war with me, I am thrown on thedefensive, and if I use my weapons skilfully, and with firmness of purpose,my antagonist must yield to me the victory, the Lord being my helper. TheScriptures say-"Rebuke the devil, and he will flee from you."This is the duty of every Saint. When evil is present with us, we must overcomeit, or be overcome by it. When the devil is in our hearts, tempting us todo that which is wrong, we must resist him, or be led captive by him. Whenbrother Ames, without giving himself time to pause or think, said to theperson who presented the Gospel to him-"I do not want to hear one wordabout 'Mormonism,'" it was the evil in him that caused him so to speak.Man is endowed with power and wisdom sufficient, if he will exercise them,to hush to silence his tongue, and cause his hands to cease their operations.His feet may be swift to shed blood, but he has power to pause, and combatand conquer the enemy; for good is present with him also, and he is influencedin a greater or less degree, by the Spirit of the Lord. You experience thesetwo opposites of good and evil in yourselves every day you live, you aretried, tempted, and overtaken in sin, by saying and doing that which iswrong. Now from this time, henceforth, pause, and, whatever you do, letit be done in a spirit of reflection, never again act in haste, but letyour actions always be the result of mature consideration. "Do nothurry me," is one of the prominent characteristics of my history. Ifrequently exhort the brethren not to be in a hurry, for we shall not stophere, we are only hunting for the grave, and there is no fear but we shallfind it.
We have embraced the Gospel, and are professedly Latter-day Saints,but evil will introduce itself in the midst of my brethren, then I havefrequently to chastise them. There are two thousand persons in this assembly,and if only half a dozen of them have done wrong, I could not chastise themwithout appearing to chastise the whole congregation, which in reality isnot so. By chastising the guilty, however, it is impossible to spot theconscience of good men and women, whose hearts are clean and pure as a pieceof white paper.
The Lord will help those who help themselves to do right. Should thepeople be determined from this time henceforth, never to do anything butgood, and should go forth to build up the Kingdom of God, doing everythingin their power to promote the cause of truth, and never do another wrong,it would be but a short time before this people would be a holy people,sanctified unto the Lord. We are already the best people on earth, but wecan still improve, we are made for that purpose, our capacities are organizedto expand until we can receive into our comprehension celestial knowledgeand wisdom, and to continue worlds without end.
There is another thought which strikes my mind at this moment, uponwhich it will perhaps be well enough to throw out a few ideas. It has been,and is now, believed by numerous individuals, that the brute creation, byincrease in knowledge and wisdom, change their physical or bodily organization,through numerous states of existence, so that the minutest insect, in thelapse of time, can take to itself the human form, and vice versa. This isone of the most inconsistent ideas that could be possibly entertained inthe mind of man; it is called the transmigration of souls. It is enoughfor me to know that mankind are made to improve themselves. All creation,visible and invisible, is the workmanship of our God, the supreme Architectand Ruler of the whole, who organized the world, and created every livingthing upon it, to act in its sphere and order. To this end has He ordainedall things to increase and multiply. The Lord God Almighty has decreed thisprinciple to be the great, governing law of existence, and for that purposeare we formed. Furthermore, if men can understand and receive it, mankindare organized to receive intelligence until they become perfect in the spherethey are appointed to fill, which is far ahead of us at present. When weuse the term perfection, it applies to man in his present condition, aswell as to heavenly beings. We are now, or may be, as perfect in our sphereas God and Angels are in theirs, but the greatest intelligence in existencecan continually ascend to greater heights of perfection.
We are created for the express purpose of increase. There are none,correctly organized, but can increase from birth to old age. What is therethat is not ordained after an eternal law of existence? It is the Deitywithin us that causes increase. Does this idea startle you? Are you readyto exclaim, "What! the Supreme in us!" Yes. He is in every personupon the face of the earth. The elements that every individual is made ofand lives in, possess the Godhead. This you cannot now understand, but youwill hereafter. The Deity within us is the great principle that causes usto increase, and to grow in grace and truth. The operation once begun, strictobedience to the requirements of heaven is necessary to obtain the end forwhich we were created, therefore let us commence to do the will of God inearnest from this time henceforth. Let the child, when he comes to understanding,and the father communicates his will to him, say, "Father, from thistime, henceforth and for ever, I will do thy will." So it has been,beginning with Father Adam, and so it will continue to be the duty of hisposterity who will be sanctified, and enter into the celestial kingdom.This will cause every person to do unto others as they would that othersshould do unto them, and will make them as pure and holy in their sphereas God is in His. Commence with it, go through the vail into eternity withit, and still continue, and the end thereof no man on earth knoweth, northe angels in heaven.
Nothing short of the Holy Ghost will do us any lasting good. I toldyou, in the beginning of my remarks, the truth as it is in heaven, and onearth; as it is with angels, with Prophets, with all good people, and withevery sinner that dwells upon the earth. There is not a man or woman thatloves the truth, who has heard the report of the Book of Mormon, but theSpirit of the Almighty had testified to him or her of its truth; neitherhas any man heard the name of Joseph Smith, but the Spirit has whisperedto him-"He is a true Prophet."
God has raised up a Prophet, brought forth the Book of Mormon, influencedthe people to lay the foundation of his kingdom, taking two of a nation,and one of a family. When a person is worked upon by the Spirit to believethe truth of the Gospel, the Devil tells him it is a falsehood. And again,"the loss of my good name" exercises a powerful influence againsta person's embracing the truth, for if he determines to adhere to "Mormonism,"his unbelieving friends take it for granted that he is deluded. Thereforebut a few prove themselves worthy of the truth by taking the right path.Nearly all the world pursue their own path, they will not believe the truthwhen it is declared to them, nor see the light when it is before their eyes,but they close their eyes, harden their hearts, and would rather believea lie that they may be damned.
I am experimentally conversant with the history of this Church furtherback than brother Ames is, and he commenced in 1830. At that time it wassaid, "Mormonism must be put down," but IT IS NOW LARGER THANEVER! They can only kill the body, and "Mormonism" is not alteredby that in the least. The Prophet Joseph was the oracle through which Godspoke; they slew his body, but "Mormonism" is still the same.Had "Mormonism" been a falsehood, the Devil and the world, insteadof fighting against it, would have sustained and built it up.
Perhaps I have said enough to the brethren at this time. It would giveme much pleasure if we could prevail on all the inhabitants of these valleys,on the inhabitants of the whole earth, and on ourselves, to cease to doevil, and learn to do well; that is all I could wish or ask for. All I desireto live for is to see the inhabitants of the earth acknowledge God, bowdown to Him, and confess His supremacy, and His righteous covenant. To Himlet every knee bow, and every tongue confess, and let all creation say Amento His wise providences. Let every person declare his allegiance to God,and then live to it, saying-"As for me and my house we will serve theLord. As for me, and all I have, it is the Lord's, and shall be dedicatedto Him all my days." If this can be done, happiness is here, angelsare here, God is here, and we are wrapped in the visions of eternity. ButI am not the Lord, and can do nothing more than others of His servants.I can do good myself, and my brethren and sisters can do the same; we canunitedly keep His commandments, and do His will. This is all I desire, tomake me happy here, and feel as well as I can in my mortal body. When Isee an Elder in Israel who is looked up to, who stands high in the Kingdomof God, doing something to tarnish his own character, and that of others,it grieves my spirit; but when I can see all the people filled with theknowledge of God; then all is peace, all is happiness with me.
May the Lord help us to live our religion, from this time henceforthand for ever. Amen.