AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT HEBER C. KIMBALL, IN THETABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, OCTOBER 8, 1852.
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Brother John Young said he felt as though he wanted to talk; I toldhim to open his mouth wide, and he would be very apt to pour out something.What he has said, and what President Young has said before him, to-day,is verily true. I felt a flow of good feelings while he was speaking, andthis I feel all the time while sitting under such teachings. The ideas advancedare so plain and simple, it seems to me as though every person possessinga sane mind, when they leave this house, or when they go home from thisConference, will do right, will determine in their hearts to do as theyare instructed. If they will do this, it is well with them.
There are a great many who have the idea, that the time will come whenwe shall be broken up as a people. Do I fear any such thing? No, I do notfear any thing. I fear nothing that is in heaven, or that is upon the earth.I do not fear hell nor its combinations; neither hell, nor the devil, norany of his angels, has power over me, or over you, only as we permit themto have. If we permit the devil to have power over us, and we are seducedby him, and we crouch down under his power, then he will have dominion overus. Upon the same principle, we let sin have power over us, but it has nopower over us unless we subject ourselves to it.
I think and reflect much upon these principles, and I wish to God, thatyou, my brethren, the Elders of Israel, when you go home from this place,would treasure up the counsel that you have received, that you would nourishand cherish it in your hearts, then you never would be unfruitful nor walkin darkness, nor be left to murmur, complain, and find fault.
When I proposed to the brethren of the complaining class, that theybe organized into a building committee, I wish you to understand, that Ihad not heard any one murmur, but I heard there were some. I was ratherinclined, however, to believe that those who told it were the ones thatmurmured, but they wanted to throw it off from their own shoulders, andmake it out that somebody else was complaining. I do not believe you were,brethren. I do not believe we can raise material enough to organize a companyof such characters. I do not believe you are going to murmur, but I believeyou will go to and do as you have been told. I want you to do so, I knowthe blessings you will obtain in so doing.
Go and take up some good farms, but do not take up too much, as a greatmany in this place have done, they have taken up from one hundred to onehundred and fifty acres, and have then undertaken to put in 50 acres ofwheat, when they could not attend to the half of it. Be cautious in thismatter, put in no more seed than you can manage, and improve all the landyou do take in, and be faithful to God, and I know that He will bless theland for your sakes, and He will bless you abundantly, and He will blessyour increase, and He will bless your wheat, and your corn, and every thingthat pertains to you.
I have spoken about these things many times. There is nothing impossiblewith God, but He will not do any thing that is contrary to His law, andthat is not according to his designs. I have said, many times, if you onlyhave faith, and listen, and put works with your faith, doing as you aretold, it is not impossible for a hen to lay two eggs per day. To prove this,I have sheep in this valley, and so have other people, that have had fourlambs this year, and we have over thirty lambs now of the second crop. Ihave seldom heard of such a thing in my life. This is quite a testimonyto bear, but I can prove it to be true, now, on the spot, if it is necessary.The sheep have brought forth the second crop of lambs. That is a great curiosity,but it is true, and has taken place here under our immediate notice, andsome of the sheep that have been so prolific belong to me.
This is not contrary to my faith; we are the children of Israel, andit is for us to be faithful, and listen to the will of heaven, and to theman that presides over us, and to his associates, for they will not teachyou anything only what he sanctions; you need not be afraid, for if I shouldteach wrong doctrine or principle, here is the authority to correct me,that this people may have correct views. Well, inasmuch as we are the childrenof Israel, we are bound to prosper, if we continue in the goodness of God,and walk in His precepts; if we do not, it will be with us as it was withthe children of Israel of old, our burdens will become hard to bear; butI believe ourselves, our flocks, our herds, our crops, and every thing thatpertains to the earth which we inhabit, will greatly multiply and increase.These are my feelings, and this is my faith all the time-I have no other.
We should teach our children righteousness, if we would raise them upin the way of the Lord, as it is spoken in the Book of Mormon. Let mothersteach their children as they were taught then. Three thousand of those menare worth more than one hundred thousand not raised as they were. They hadfaith that they should never fall in battle, because their mothers taughtthem so. Although there was much of their blood shed, yet not one of themfell. That was the result of proper instructions being given them by theirmothers. Mothers, I wish you would wake up and act in your office and calling,as well as the brethren. It is their calling to go and preach the Gospel,build up the kingdom of God, and establish righteousness, and it is foryou to be stewards at home, and attend to the things that they leave behind,and to get wisdom and knowledge in all these things pertaining to your duty.
When I heard brother Brigham preaching here to-day, and laying thingsof worth before us, I felt greatly to rejoice, and I believe you felt asI did, and as though they never would be eradicated from your minds, butthat you would treasure them up in your hearts. We have not a great whileto stay on the earth, if we live to the full age of man. We must all die,sooner or later, as it regards our earthly tabernacles, but our spiritswill continue to live for ever. If they go to a state of happiness, theywill be happy; and if they go to a state of misery, they will be miserable.You all know this as well as I do, then why do you not live accordingly?I presume you will.
A great many things of this kind have been laid before the brethrenwho have come from England, and from the States, and from different nationsof the earth. They will hear many more things taught here in addition towhat they have heard in Old England. They could hear nothing there, exceptthe first principles of the doctrine of Christ; but since they have comehere it is all let out, that is, a great many things; the bird is let outof the cage, and they have it before them to read and reflect upon; it isthe truth, it is the word of God, and the revelations of Jesus Christ, whichwere revealed to brother Joseph and others.
As to the power and authority invested in brother Brigham, do I doubtit? Have I the least hesitation as to his calling as the President of thisChurch? No, no more than I have that God sits upon His throne. He has thesame authority that brother Joseph had. That authority was in the Twelve,and since brother Joseph stepped behind the vail, brother Brigham is hislawful successor. I bear testimony of what brother Joseph said on the standat Nauvoo, and I presume hundreds here can bear witness of the same. Saidhe, "These men that are set here behind me on this stand, I have conferredupon them all the power, Priesthood, and authority that God ever conferredupon me." There are hundreds present this day who heard him utter wordsto that effect, more than once.
The Twelve had then received their endowments. Brother Joseph gave themthe endowments, and keys and power were placed upon them by him, even asthey were placed upon him by Peter, James, and John, who ordained him. Thatis true, gentlemen, because they held the Apostleship last, and had authorityto confer it upon him, or any whom the Father had chosen. Brother Josephcalled and ordained the Twelve Apostles of the last days, and placed thatpower upon them. Five of those men who received that authority from underhis hands are now living. Have I any doubt? Why, no. I know all about it,I am a witness of this Gospel, of the order and power of the Priesthood,and of the organization of this Church from the beginning. I glory in it,I glory in this Gospel, I know it is like a root out of the dry ground,it neither has form nor comeliness to this world, it is against them everyway, and they will run against it and snag themselves. You know a root outof dry ground has many snags or sharp points to it, and they stick out manyways; so the people run against a snag when they run against this work,or against the servants of the Most High. I know, as well as I know thatI live, that every man that fights against it will be damned. I know it,and am bearing testimony to what I know, gentlemen, and you may know itjust as well as I do. This Gospel, this kingdom, this Church, and this people,are the pride of my heart, I have no pride in anything else. I have prideto see this work roll forth, and turn over the kingdoms, and break in piecesthe nations of the earth. I know that every man and woman, every nationand king that oppose it, will wither like a limb that is severed from atree.
Now there are a great many people that have broken off from this Church,we will not mention names, but have they not withered? Yes, and so willyou if you turn away from it, and if you refuse to obey the counsel thatis given to you, you will wither away like a limb that is cut off from anapple tree, or the grass that is mown down when the sun strikes it. We arethe people of God, and we cannot prosper upon any other principle than tocleave together, to cleave to His work, to amalgamate our feelings in one,and nourish the all-powerful principle of union, all feeling a general interestfor the public welfare.
As President Young has said, this is the household of faith, this ishis house, and this is his people, and he is our leader, our Governor, heis our Prophet, and he is our Priest. As I have said in other places andin other meetings, when speaking to the Elders, when they are sent fromthis place, they are sent forth by the shepherd that God has stationed here;he is the head shepherd that is visible on earth, under the direction ofJoseph, and he sends forth the Elders as shepherds to gather up the lostsheep of the house of Israel, and bring them home to put them into the fold.I have said that you have no business to make a selection of any of thesesheep, or to make a choice of them, or make any covenant with them, untilthey are brought home and placed in the fold, and then if you want a sheepor two, ask the shepherd for them, and if you choose a sheep without takingthis course you will get your fingers burnt. Why? Because they are his sheep-markit. How would you like it, were I to go and take one of your sheep withoutpermission, would you ever think of such a thing? One is just as right asthe other. You will learn these things by and by. I would rather have myhead laid upon a block, and severed from my shoulders, than ever make aproposal to any woman living upon the earth and marry her, unless I hadpermission from the chief shepherd. That tells it. I do not know that youcan all understand me, but those who have their eyes open understand it.I only hint at these things, that you may be careful of the course you take.
Well, then, he that will not provide for his own household is worsethan an infidel, and hath denied the faith. If this is brother Brigham'shousehold, I belong to him, and it is my household. Well, then, providefor it, provide for Israel first, and when they have got enough, then letothers have it. Do not let others have the bread until Israel, the householdof faith, is provided for. Do you understand it, brethren? If you do, sayaye. (Aye.) All say aye for Israel.
Now we are going to stick together. Those that have come in here arelike clay brought from different parts of the earth-it is taken out of thebank and thrown into the mill, and the mill has been grinding it until ithas become pliable and passive; then we send out the Elders to bring ina fresh supply of new clay, and it is thrown into the mill, where it hasto become passive, and thus the mill keeps grinding and grinding, and mixingthat which is thrown into it. As soon as you are passive others come in.
It keeps us thrashing all the time. The reapers go forth, and bind upthe wheat and draw it in, and thus we keep throwing in new wheat all thetime, and we shall never get the floor empty, but we must thrash and thrashuntil we are worn out, and others will come up and continue it. Did youever see them thrash in country towns in England? It is something like that.We are passing through the mill, and we have got to be thrashed and cleanedup, and the chaff has to be separated from the wheat in passing it throughthe fanners. There are three ends to this mill in the mountains, where thechaff goes out. Brother Brigham does not grind any in his mill, withoutfirst passing it through the smut machine; so we have got to pass throughthe smut mill, before we are fit to be thrown into the hopper to be ground.
We must be passive as clay in the hands of the potter. The potter takesthe passive clay, and moulds [molds] it into numerous shapes; he can makeit into a milk pan or into a crock, or into cup, or a jug, and from thatinto ten thousand shapes; he does everything according to his own pleasure,and as the Master Potter has told him to shape it. If the Master gives hima pattern, he must mould according to that pattern; it would make him busyindeed if he were to work according to every pattern. We must work accordingto the Master's pattern. If we take this course there will be no trouble.Go forth, then, upon your farms, sow your grain, and when you get your sheep,they will have two litters a year, but if you do not do right you shallhave none. Does not God love to bless those who appreciate His blessings?Yes, just as much as a kind father loves to bless his son. Our Father inheaven is much more willing to bless us than we are to bless each other.
Let us remember these things in which we have been instructed. And letus take hold of that wall when the Conference is over, and put it roundthis block this winter, so that next spring we may fill it up with shrubberyof all kinds, and decorate it, and prepare it for future purposes. And letus build up a temple with diligent hands. I have helped to build up twotemples and have had my endowments in them, and in other places; but tohave an endowment that is proper and consistent, is to have it in a templethat has been built and consecrated to that purpose. Now go to, and getyour farms, and bring in the first fruits of the earth, the first thingsyou raise; bring them in here and commit them into the hands of the Bishops.Remember that, and you shall have an endowment, and shall be greatly blessedwith that blessing you have not room to contain, if you only appreciateit. We want these things to roll on, God's work to prosper and His kingdomto be built up, and the work of God to spread to all the nations of theearth.
Do I fear the world? I do not fear them, I never fear them, and I haveseen enough of their stuff. I have been driven, with the rest of my brethrenfrom the United States and from my native home, but what do I care for it?My kindred are there, but they do not believe the Gospel, nor the revelationsof Jesus Christ; they believe in the spiritual knocking, and nearly allthe world are going into it, and receiving revelations for themselves fromthe regions of despair. It used to be with them, "Old JOE Smith, anold gold digger," but all are digging gold now, and all are gettingrevelations, but they did not believe a word from him. He was a Prophetof God, and they cannot help themselves. They slew him, and that nationhas got to smart for it, and it will be as much as the Saints can do togather out of it. If they stay there they will not gather from there; itis necessary to gather the wheat, and put it into the barn; if it is leftout, the storms will come and actually waste or destroy it.
Let us be stirring and moving the principles of life and salvation forwardin every rightful and possible way. I do not care what I am told to do,if it were to take an adobie and turn it over 500 times a day; if I am doingthe will of God, if I am doing the will of him who sent me to do it, itis none of my business nor yours. It is for us to do that which we are toldto do. You need not trouble yourselves about brother Brigham nor about brotherHeber, nor about the Twelve; brother Brigham will attend to them, and then,if they live faithful, will judge you and your children, and the nationsof the earth, and those that are dead. Don't you judge those men-that isfor brother Brigham to do; if we need thrashing, he is capable of thrashingus, it is none of your business; and we will sit down and bear it like goodfellows, and not move our tongue; if it should move, we will take it betweenour teeth, and give it a nip, and say, "Stay there, you little fellow."As for the Twelve, and brother Brigham, and brother Willard, they are allmen of God; and there never were better men than the Twelve that live inthese last days-better men never lived. (A voice in the stand, "True.")It is true, and I know it. Every soul of them can be prepared in two daysto go to the nations of the earth, if we say so. You have got to be so too,brethren and sisters; you have got to learn to be subject to the Priesthood,as well as these brethren, and your children must learn the same lesson,and then you will be moulded into vessels of honor, but you cannot be mouldedinto vessels of honor except you be subject. You potters know it, if youhave worked at the potter's business as I have.
I love to talk about these things I love the Saints, they are the prideof my heart. As for the world, its gold or silver, or any thing that pertainsto it, my heart is not upon it, but upon this Church and kingdom, and itnever will be overcome, worlds without end. (A voice in the stand, "Amen.")Although we may be scattered to the four quarters of the earth, we willgather again, never to be removed any more, henceforth and for ever. Amen.