A DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT B. YOUNG, IN THE TABERNACLE,GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, JULY 24, 1853.
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I feel disposed to occupy a portion of time this morning.
I have no doubt but the people, who are Saints, are much edified bythe preaching and exhortations given from this stand. Were I to speak formyself, I could truly say, I am glad, I rejoice, and I feel exceedinglyhappy, when preaching myself, and when listening to preaching, exhortations,and prayer, and when associating with the Saints in other occupations andpursuits of life. Also in a family capacity, in our family prayer meetings,and in all the avocations of life that concern myself as an individual,I am happy.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is given in the Old and New Testaments,the Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and in the experienceof every true Christian who has lived and still lives upon the earth, teachesthat it is the privilege of every Saint so to live and walk before theirGod, as to enjoy the light of the Spirit of truth from day to day, fromweek to week, and from year to year, through their whole lives. Withoutthis privilege in the Gospel, connected with the gifts of the Holy Ghost,I should be inclined to believe that the religion that is taught in theBible and in the Book of Mormon, would amount to nothing more than a merephantom-an imaginary thing. It would be inadequate to satisfy, in any degree,the mind of man, as it is now organized.
I can appeal to the experience of thousands, as well as to my own, thatthe doctrine of the Saviour is true, that the history given in the New Testamentis a true history, as far as it goes, of the feelings and the experiencecommon to every variety of human life, and chimes with the experience ofevery true believer in Jesus Christ in all ages of the world, though theexpression, "true believer," needs qualifying, for many believewho do not obey-I will qualify it by saying, a believer in Jesus Christ,who manifests his faith to God, angels, and his brethren, by his obedience.Not but that there are believers who do not obey, but the only true believersare they who prove their belief by their obedience to the requirements ofthe Gospel.
It is a special privilege and blessing of the holy Gospel to every truebeliever, to know the truth for himself. For orators to speak to us, Prophetsto expound the law, and teach us doctrine, for the special purpose of givingus comfort, is not particularly required; but in the reflections and meditationsof the mind in contemplating the things of God and the rich treasures ofinfinite wisdom, which are opened to the children of men who obey the Gospel,they enjoy a continual feast to the soul. This is the privilege of Latter-daySaints, it is the privilege of the whole world, as quick as the knowledgeof God can be disseminated among the people. It is true, the world groansin darkness. They are bound with the fetters of unbelief, error, and ignorance,more than we are; yet we can say truly, that we only begin to see the dawningof truth through the deep mantle of ignorance in which we are enveloped.To those who live faithfully in their duty as Saints of God, and continueto serve Him, time will develop that the Latter-day Saints-the best of them-themost intelligent among them, are still in ignorance, still wanting, stilllooking for something more, still increasing, still growing; I say, timewill develop to their satisfaction that at this stage of their existencethey were in ignorance, but not to the same degree as those who had nothad the privileges they enjoyed.
It is frequently observed-especially by the Latter-day Saints-what acuriosity it is, how singular that the Gospel of Jesus Christ should havethe effect upon the minds of the people that it does have. It is remarkable!It is strange! When people reflect upon it, they are astonished that theGospel of salvation should so disturb the feelings, the quiet, the peaceof the community. Does it have this effect upon the world? Your own observationenables you to answer in the affirmative. It is a true saying of the Saviour's,that he came not into the world to make peace, to unite the whole people,but to make division. He came for the express purpose of dividing the righteousfrom the wicked. This formed as much a part of his holy ministry as anyother part of the will of his Father.
We see this principle verified from days of old. It was demonstratedin the very commencement of the peopling of the earth. How soon an oppositionwas introduced in the morning of creation, when righteousness was proclaimed,when truth was revealed, when the light and knowledge of eternity shonewith lustrous beauty upon Adam and his children, Cain must rise up and slayhis brother, while they were walking with the Lord while He visited themfrom day to day, administered to them, conversed with them, preached tothem, and gave them instruction, as I and my brethren instruct you fromthis stand. He taught them how to live, how to order their course, and actedin all points like a tender and affectionate parent, yet at the same timethere must be an opposition.
It is very true, had not sin entered into the world, and oppositionbeen introduced, death would not have entered. From that time to this, death,opposition, selfishness, malice, anger, pride, darkness, and wickednessof every description that could be invented by the children of men, as theyhave multiplied and spread abroad on the earth, have increased. Yes, verily,they have increased. And the days that we, as Christians, call the daysof darkness and ignorance, were days of light, knowledge, and intelligence,to exceed that which we enjoy in this age.
We discover that the Gospel of life and salvation is perfectly calculatedto disturb the wicked. Shall we say they are at peace? Are they in happiness?Are they enjoying that which their hearts desire? We can truly say theyare seeking for it as well as they know how, but the result is, the increaseof wickedness upon the earth, and the increased unhappiness of the humanfamily. Mankind, indeed, cannot be happy unless they are first miserable;they cannot be easy, they cannot be at rest and feel comfortable, unlessthey are first in pain; they can not be joyful, unless they are first insorrow. Refer, for instance, to your own dispositions, to the fallen naturethat is in you. When passion rises within you, can you satisfy your feelingsunless you give way to them, to the injury of yourselves and others? Youcannot sit down and feel at rest unless you can satiate the burning vengeanceof passion, by reeking your vengeance upon some person, or upon some helplessanimal.
The Gospel of salvation is perfectly calculated to cause division. Itstrikes at the root of the very existence of mankind in their wickedness,evil designs, passions, and wicked calculations. There is no evil amongthe human family, but at the foundation of which it strikes effectually,and comes in contact with every evil passion that rises in the heart ofman. It is opposed to every evil practice of men, and consequently it disturbsthem in the wicked courses they are pursuing.
When the Gospel which was preached by Jesus and His Apostles was preachedto the children of Israel by Moses, it created the same effect among them.When he taught them to forsake their sins, to forsake every evil principleand practice of their lives, and turn to the Lord with all their hearts,it created such a division that Moses could not establish the Gospel amongthem, after all the kindness the Lord had shown towards them, though hebrought them out of Egypt with a high hand, dividing the sea, causing thewater to gush out of the dry rock to quench their thirst, manna to fallfrom heaven to satisfy their hunger, and quails to satisfy their desirefor flesh. He also ordained that their clothing should not wax old, northeir shoes to wear out for the space of forty years. They did not haveto plough, to reap, or gather into barns, as we do. Notwithstanding thismanifestation of goodness of their God, he could not establish the Gospelamong them, and was obliged to give them a law of carnal commandments. Whydid not the Lord destroy them, seeing they were so very wicked? He did;and out of all who left Egypt, only two went into the land of Canaan-Joshuaand Caleb.
Whenever the Gospel is preached in towns, cities, country places, orin any community who are in darkness, it never fails to bring light; itmanifests their ignorance; it distracts them, and annoys their peace. Theysay, "I supposed I was wise, happy, comfortable, and well enough off;but here comes something that informs me I am mistaken, that this and theother thing are wrong. It reflects light upon my understanding, and teachesme that my acts, while I live upon the earth, should tend to the glory ofGod and the peace of mankind. This naturally seems contrary to my feelings,disposition, passions, and traditions, and to every thing about me, exceptthe reflection of truth upon my mind, which enlightens my understanding,and teaches me to glorify God, and do good to my fellow creatures.
The Gospel is not only calculated to divide the people, but it willdivide sin from those who embrace it with a true heart. In the world wefind goodness, honesty, humility, and prudence, which are prompted by themotives of a good heart. But virtue is trampled into the dust, honesty andprudence are pointed at with the finger of scorn and derision! We see almostevery principle of righteousness discarded. If the whole world are not inthis condition already, it needs but a few steps more to lead them intothe depths of it, and complete them in their rebellion against all goodand its Author.
It is the darkness upon the earth, the gross darkness that broods overthe minds of the people, that leads them into error, wickedness, and distraction,yet in the midst of this ignorance and awful corruption of the human mind,there are to be found humility, goodness, and virtue. But what use is madeof them? They are destroyed; they are used according to the wishes of thewicked, and according to the designs of the evil designer. This is almostuniversally the case.
The Gospel is calculated to divide this wickedness from those who embraceit, and then it will divide those who embrace it from those who reject it.Christ and Belial cannot be made friends, neither can the Church of Christand the worshippers of Belial unite together. They cannot amalgamate. Consequently,those who receive the Gospel with all their hearts, after believing thetestimony of God's servants, will divide themselves from those who do notreceive it. In this Gospel, life and salvation are offered to every honestsoul; in the world they find tribulation, but in Jesus Christ peace. Inobeying the Gospel is comfort, but in the glory of the world sadness andsorrow.
If the inquiry should arise in our minds, why it is that we are in theposition we this morning occupy, it is very easily answered and understoodby every person who understands the nature of the Gospel of Christ. It isbecause it is impossible to unite Christ and Belial-to unite righteousnesswith unrighteousness, for they never can go hand in hand. Righteousnesscannot become unrighteousness, and wickedness never can inherit a righteouskingdom.
The ancient Saints were and the Saints of latter days have been drivenfrom pillar to post, their name a hiss and a bye-word, and their charactertraduced to the lowest degree. I will appeal to men in this congregation,who have lived for years in the society of the world, who are judges, magistrates,sheriffs, merchants, mechanics, and farmers, if anything was ever allegedagainst their character until they joined the Latter-day Saints. But whereare your characters now in the world? Your former friends now have foundout that you always were miserable creatures, they now declare they neverhad any confidence in you, for you always were enthusiastic beings, andknew not what you were doing. They always believed you would prove yourselvesdishonest, &c. This has been the character given to the Saints by theworld in all ages.
Suppose we now notice that part of the world called Christians, thatprofess to believe the Old and New Testament, King James's translation.They say they believe this Bible, yet if you are in France, Germany, England,in the United States, in the Canadas, in the islands of the sea, or no matterwhere among the Christian nations, the moment you make it known that youhave embraced the Book of Mormon, and that you believe Joseph Smith is aProphet, they will at once accuse you of throwing away the Bible, they willpublish abroad that you have become a "Latter-day Saint," "aMormon," and consequently have denied the Bible you formerly believed,and have cast it entirely away. What is the reason of this, which I neednot undertake to substantiate, for it is a fact that almost every personknows? Now, we ARE believers in the Bible, and in consequence of our unshakenfaith in its precepts, doctrine, and prophecy, may be attributed "thestrangeness of our course," and the unwarrantable conduct of many towardsthis people.
Come, my brother Presbyterian; come, my brother professors of everypersuasion of long standing and popular distinction in the world, who aredubbed with the word "ORTHODOX;" come, we are all good Christians;I find no fault with you-why should you find fault with me? But you reply,"I cannot be a Latter-day Saint, consequently we must be separated,and we cannot be brethren any longer."
Come, my good brother Methodist, and my good brother Baptist, you arefree and open in your views and feelings, for you hold forth a free salvation.This is a favorite doctrine of the Methodists. They say salvation is handedout to all the human family, without money and without price, and invitethem to come and partake of the waters of life freely. I declare the same.I am a believer in Jesus Christ, in God the Father, and in the doctrinesof salvation as they are taught in the Old and New Testaments, though notso pointedly in the Old as in the New. Yet the same principles of life andsalvation are set forth in both of these books, and I believe them. Come,my brother B, do you believe them? You reply, "Yes, and have for thesethirty years, twenty-seven of which I have been a preacher of the Gospel.I believe in the Son of God, and in the Old and New Testaments." Well,then, what in the world do you want to quarrel with me for? "Becauseyou are not a believer, you have thrown away the Bible." You are mistaken,Mr. B.; for instead of that, I have learned wisdom, got light, knowledge,and understanding, so that I know how to believe the Bible. I ask you, brotherB., how I must believe the Bible, and how shall you and every other followerof the Lord Jesus Christ believe it? "Brother Mormon, how do you believeit?" I believe it just as it is. I do not believe in putting any man'sinterpretation upon it, whatever, unless it should be directed by the LordHimself in some way. I do not believe we need interpreters and expoundersof the Scriptures, to wrest them from their literal, plain, simple meaning.
Let us take up a point of Scripture, and we will try to agree with Mr.B, and take him along with us a few moments, and find out where we disagree.We read in the Bible many things pertaining to life and salvation. We firstbegin to read that Jesus came in the flesh. Now to touch that point, whichI do not purpose to do but slightly this morning, I am sure we shall disagreeat the commencement. But suppose I examine that, a moment. The New Testamenttells me that the Father gave His only-begotten Son a ransom for the sinsof the world. Do you believe that, brother B? Do you believe that JesusChrist is the only-begotten Son of the Father? "Yes." Do you believethe Son was begotten by the Father, as the Apostles said he was? Here Ishall have to disagree with you, to begin with; for I believe the Fathercame down from heaven, as the Apostles said he did, and begat the Saviourof the world; for he is the ONLY-begotten of the Father, which could notbe if the Father did not actually beget him in person.
"I cannot believe that, for he is a God without body, parts, orpassions; He has no person, therefore, I must disagree with you, brotherMormon." I believe the Father came down in His tabernacle and begatJesus Christ. Mr. B. believes He has no tabernacle. I believe He has a tabernacle,and begat Jesus Christ in His express image and likeness, because the Bibleexpressly declares it. You disbelieve it, because your priest and your motherhave taught you it is not so. When your mothers first read this Scripture,it was so plain to their understandings and to their children, that theyunderstood it as an angel would, but deacon Jones must be called in to explain,and he explained it away. So I disagree with you, Mr. B., in the first pointwe have noticed, for you believe that God is without body and parts, whilethe Bible declares He has a corporeal body; that in His likeness, precisely,He created Adam. The priests of this age declare it is not so. The God Mr.B. believed in is without body, parts, and passions. The God that his "brotherMormon" believes in, is described in the Bible as being a personageof tabernacle, having eyes to see, for be that made the eye shall he notsee? Having ears to hear, for his ear are open to hear the prayers of therighteous. He has limbs that he can walk, for the Lord God walked in thegarden in the cool of the day. He conversed with His children, as in thecase of Moses at the fiery bush, and with Abraham on the plains of Mamre.He also ate and drank with Abraham and others. That is the God the "Mormons"believe in, but their very religious Christian brethren do not believe inthe God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which is the God the Bible sets forth,as an organized corporeal being. In this one point, you can now clearlysee wherein we disagree.
You say, I have thrown away the New Testament. I say, I have not. Yousay, I have sacrificed it for the Book of Mormon. I say, I have not. I haveacknowledged the Bible from the time I could be taught by my parents torevere it. They taught me that it was the sacred word of God. And as faras it could be translated correctly from the Hebrew and Greek languages,it is given to us as pure as it possibly could be given. The Bible is mine,and I am not prepared to have you rob me of it, without my consent. Thedoctrine in it is mine, which I firmly believe. I believe the Father begatthe Son, and gave him to be a propitiation for the sins of the world. Ibelieve he died for the redemption of man, and rose again the third day.
Do you believe in the death and resurrection of Christ for the salvationof man, Mr. B.? "Yes."
Again, I believe he endowed the Apostles to go and preach the Gospelof life and salvation to the world. For said Jesus Christ, "Ye aremy witnesses; go and preach my resurrection from the dead. Tell the people,the Father gave me for their sins; but in Adam all die, but in me all shallagain be made alive. If they ask you what they shall do to be saved, tellthem what I have told every other person who has been saved; that they canonly be saved in acts of obedience to prove they believe in me, in the Father,in heaven, in angels, and in you, that you are my servants and true believersin me. Tell them to go into the waters of baptism, and be baptized for theremission of sins. That is the first ordinance to be attended to after believing.After they have manifested their faith in God the Father, in me, and inyour words by their repentance, then immerse them in water in imitationof my burial, and raise them up again out of the water, in imitation ofmy resurrection."
"Oh," says brother B., "I believe in baptism, but stillI believe a person can be saved purely by the blood of Jesus, without thefirst drop of water." But Jesus told them to go into all the world,and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptizedshall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.
"And do you believe it is absolutely necessary to be baptized,in order to be saved? I cannot believe that." This is another pointwherein you and I differ, Mr. B. You cannot say with a good grace, you believethe Bible, while in your works you deny it. I not only say I believe, butprove it by my works. I go and submit to be baptized for the remission ofsins, as I am commanded.
"But, brother Mormon, do you really suppose that water will washaway your sins?" I will tell you what I suppose. I suppose THE LORDSAID IT WOULD, and further it is none of my business. Baptism has been institutedfor the remission of sins; I therefore do it to take away my sins if thereis any guilt in this, it rests upon the Author of it, and not upon me. Paulwas told to be baptized TO WASH AWAY HIS SINS.
My Christian brethren in the world say it is a piece of folly-a speciesof extreme nonsense, to believe that water will wash away sins. It is nomatter to me what they say; it is a commandment of the Lord; there is nomistake in it, it tells for itself. He says, Do thus and so, and your sinsshall be washed away. I care not how they are taken away; whether an angeltakes them to the Lord to get forgiveness, whether they sink to the bottomof the stream, or float on the top, and be scattered to the four winds;He says, Go into the water and be baptized, and they shall be washed away;which is enough for me. On this point also the Christian world and the "Mormons"disagree. But I want to know if we agree with the teachings of the Bible,in our belief and practice. The Latter-day Saints believe in doing justwhat the Lord has told them to do in this book. If they go forth and arebaptized for the remission of sins, their sins are remitted to them, ifthey go with all good conscience, calculating to serve the Lord all therest of their days.
What next? Jesus instructed his servants, after they had baptized believers,to lay their hands upon them for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believein that. What do you believe concerning it, Mr. B.? "Why, I believeit is necessary to give up our hearts to God." We believe that, asmuch as you do. "I believe in going to our great meetings, to our prayermeetings, and protracted meetings, and camp meetings, and reformation meetings;for they are got up for the purpose of exciting the feelings of the people;I believe in going there and struggling with the Lord for the forgivenessof sins. We do not care how long or how loud you pray; you may pray loudenough to break up the roof of the house, and send it to the four winds,but are you going to get the forgiveness of sins in this way? "O yes,brother Mormon, do you not see the world is almost evangelized by our meetings,our tract societies, and our missionary societies. We are going to convertthe world in that way. I was converted so, and I am trying with all my mightto convert others in the same way. We tell sinners to go to the anxiousseat to get remission of their sins." Here is where we differ again.You tell them to go to the anxious seat to get forgiveness; Christ, hisApostles, and we, tell them to be baptized for the remission of sins. Youalso tell them to go to the anxious seat to get the Holy Ghost; we tellthem to receive it by, the laying on of hands, as the Bible instructs us.
"Well, Mr. Mormon, and do you actually receive the Holy Ghost inthat way?" Yes, we do. If you call for testimony to substantiate this,we can give the highest, the testimony of Jesus Christ. He said to his ancientservants, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to everycreature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; and he thatbelieveth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe;In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shallnot hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."We appeal to thousands in this Church, who can testify to the fulfilmentof this quotation. At any rate, for one I am here to testify to hundredsof instances, of men, women, and children being healed by the power of God,through the laying on of hands: and many I have seen raised from the gatesof death, and brought back from the verge of eternity; and some whose spiritshad actually left their bodies, returned again. I testify that I have seenthe sick healed by the laying on of hands, according to the promise of theSaviour.
"Well," says Mr B., "if you have got this great power,and can heal the sick by the laying on of hands, come with me and heal thesick in our neighborhood; or how is it that any of you Mormons die at all?"Take your time, Mr. B. The Bible teaches me I am dust, and to dust I mustreturn. It is not for me to thwart the plans of Jehovah, or do away withany item of doctrine the Lord has taught me. From dust I am, and to dustI must return. So it is with the rest of us, we shall all die and be buriedin the silent grave, unless we can obtain faith sufficient to overcome death.We die because we have not conquered death, hell, and the grave. But ifwe continue obeying the Gospel you will see the time when we will have thatpower.
Here again we disagree, as to the reception of the gift of the HolyGhost. Mr. B. converts people with long prayers and loud shouting; we convertpeople by preaching repentance, and baptizing them for the remission ofsins, and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost; which spiritbroods over them continually for their good, heals their bodies, enlightenstheir minds, and makes them humble, meek, and harmless as little children.When a person receives the Holy Ghost by legal authority, he is like a childin its mother's lap; all is harmony, praise to God, and good will to thechildren of men on the earth. He is full of peace, comfort, and salvation,and feels like crying hallelujah all the time. He is perfectly humble andpassive, and the Lord can do with him as He pleases. Will this state offeeling always remain? Will passion ever rise again? Yes; for you then commencea warfare, though the Comforter fills your heart, making you rejoice inGod your Saviour, with the atmosphere of your existence clear and unclouded;this is not to continue, but soon the day of trial and temptation darkensthe fair prospect, to teach you to lean on the Lord, and to overcome theworld. Under the influence of the Holy Ghost I have felt as happy as I possiblycould feel, my heart has been full of joy; I cling to that, and hold fastto the promise of the Lord in the hour of temptation, and call upon Himto give me strength to overcome.
I must break from the thread of my discourse here, and say-Husbands,is that the way you do? Wives, do you adopt that plan when passion arisesin your hearts against each other? Do you call upon the name of Jesus Christ,and say, "Father, I ask thee for the gift of thy Spirit to conquerthis rising passion;" or do you give way to it, and scold at your wives,or at your children, in bitter and vindictive language? I say, shame onthat man who will give way to his passions, and use the name of God or ofChrist to curse his ox or his horse, or any creature which God has made;it is a disgrace to him.
After this short digression, I will again resume the thread of my subject.You remember the points upon which we disagree with our brother Christians;our disagreement is mutual; they disagree as much with us as we with them.The Bible leads us to disagree with all the Christian nations, and thenwith all the world. It has drawn the line of demarcation between those whoserve God and those who serve Him not.
The Holy Ghost takes of the Father, and of the Son, and shows it tothe disciples. It show them things past, present, and to come. It opensthe vision of the mind, unlocks the treasures of wisdom, and they beginto understand the things of God; their minds are exalted on high; theirconceptions of God and His creations are dignified, and "Hallelujahto God and the Lamb in the highest," is the constant language of theirhearts. They comprehend themselves and the great object of their existence.They also comprehend the designs of the wicked one, and the designs of thosewho serve him; they comprehend the designs of the Almighty in forming theearth, and mankind upon it, and the ultimate purpose of all His creations.It leads them to drink at the fountain of eternal wisdom, justice, and truth;they grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the truth as it is in JesusChrist, until they see as they are seen, and know as they are known.
"What!" says Mr. B., "a man or a woman have revelationin these days-in this enlightened age!" Yes, my brethren and sistershere, both men and women, have revelation, and I can say with Moses of old-"WouldGod that all the Lord's people were prophets." But in this point wedisagree.
Mr. B. is a stormer to preach, and to work upon the sympathies of thepeople, and especially upon the tender feelings of the female portion ofhis congregation. He will tell about their children dying and picture outthe sufferings of the poor, little, tender creatures. He will tell abouttheir husbands dying, and about wives dying and how they are lying in thelowly and silent grave. Add to this subject, which is so thrilling to thesensations of mortals, a peculiar trembling, plaintive tone, and perhapsaccompanied with a shower of tears streaming down the preacher's face, andit is well calculated to disturb the equilibrium of the naturally tenderhearted,throw them into tears and sobs, and make them suppose it is the operationsof the Holy Spirit, when in realty there is not one word of common senseor saving truth in all the preaching.
Again, they will walk up into the pulpit and pray for God the Fatherto descend into their midst, for Jesus Christ and angels to mingle in theircompany, and be one with them. They will pray for Pentecostal shower ofthe Holy Ghost, whereas, in very deed, the persons who want the Holy Ghost,angels, the Son, the Father, and all heaven in their midst, when they havedone praying, will straightway tell the people that God does not give theHoly Ghost, and that there is no such thing in these days as revelation;that Joseph Smith was an impostor because he professed to have receivednew revelation; that the Latter Day Saints are all impostors, and have thrownaway the Old and New Testaments; that they are dangerous persons; and advisetheir hearers to keep away from them, or they are sure to be deluded, andcarried away with their false doctrines; that they are the most wicked anddangerous people on the earth, &c.
Well, Mr. B., on this point you and I disagree. We believe the New Testament,and consequently, to be consistent, we must believe in new revelation, visions,angels, in all the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and all the promises containedin these books, and believe it about as it reads. We give great credit tothe Apostles, translators, and the fathers that have preserved and handeddown the Bible to us, their children, and defended it through blood andfire. In this they have certainly bequeathed a great blessing to the world,if they will be guided by the plain instructions contained in that book.
The Latter-day Saints understand the Bible as it reads, but the generalityof modern Christians disagree with us, and say it needs interpreting. Theycannot believe our Lord means what he says in the 16th chapter of Mark,when he tells his Apostles to go "into all the world, and preach theGospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall followthem that believe," &c. "Now," say they, "we cannotbelieve that as it is written, but we have a very pretty interpretationwhich suits us much better than the plain text. And furthermore we havea sweeping argument that will destroy all your system from beginning toend, and prove there is to be no more revelation." Let us look at thepassage here referred to. John, while upon the Isle of Patmos, had a revelationwhich he wrote, and he concluded the same by saying, "For I testifyunto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyman shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues thatare written in this book and if any man shall take away from the words ofthe book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the bookof life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are writtenin this book." When this book, the Bible, was compiled, it was selectedby the council of Carthage from a pile of books more than this pulpit couldhold, which has been printed, and bound in almost all shapes and sizes,and called the Bible. John's revelation was one of the many books destinedby that council to form the Bible. And the saying which we have, quoted,and which constitutes the sweeping argument of modern Christians againstnew revelation, only alludes to this particular book, which was to be keptsacred, as the word of the Lord to John, and not to the whole Bible; nordoes it prohibit the Saints in his day, or the Saints in any future time,from getting new revelation for themselves. That is not all; if we turnto the writings of Moses, we find the same sentiment, and almost the samelanguage used. Moses says, "Ye shall not add unto the word which Icommand you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep thecommandments of the Lord your God which I command you." So if suchquotations are given with the intent to shut the heavens, and put an endto all new revelation, then the revelations given to Prophets who aroseafter Moses, and the revelations given to Jesus Christ and his Apostles,including John and his revelation on the Isle of Patmos, all amount to nothing,and are not worthy of our notice. This "sweeping argument," whenit is examined, sweeps away rather too much; besides, John's Gospel andhis epistle to his brethren were written after he wrote his revelation onthe Isle Patmos, consequently he would destroy his own system; but it setsforth the ignorance and short-sightedness of those who have not the testimonyof Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy.
In this we disagree. They say that the Bible needs interpreting; thatit does not mean what it sets forth; that the Holy Ghost has not been givensince the days of the Apostles; that there is no need of any more revelation,the canon of Scripture being full. My KNOWLEDGE is, if you will follow theteachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament,every man and woman will be put in possession of the Holy Ghost; every personwill become a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and an expounder of truth. Theywill know things that are, that will be, and that have been. They will understandthings in heaven, things on the earth, and things under the earth, thingsof time, and things of eternity, according to their several callings andcapacities.
There is one idea entertained by the "Mormons" which is somewhatof a stumbling-block to the people, and apostates handle it to suit theirpurpose. It is, that we consider the Bible merely as a guide or fingerboard,pointing to a certain destination. This is a true doctrine, which we boldlyadvance. If you will follow the doctrines, and be guided by the preceptsof that book, it will direct you where you may see as you are seen, whereyou may converse with Jesus Christ, have the visitation of angels, havedreams, visions, and revelations, and understand and know God for yourselves.It is not a stay and a staff to you? Yes: it will prove to you that youare following in the footsteps of the ancients. you can see what they saw,understand what they understood, and enjoy what they enjoyed.
Is this throwing the Bible away? No, not at all; but it adds faith tofaith, virtue to virtue, knowledge to knowledge, light to light, truth totruth; for truth embraces truth, light cleaves to light, and every holyprinciple cleaveth to its own. We have always differed in these items.
I have always, from my first experience, been ready to talk, converse,and exchange ideas with every man and woman in whose society I have chancedto be thrown. I say to all parties, I have no quarrels with you, no contentions,but I am willing to exhibit my belief before you, for it is the doctrineof the New Testament, which is also the doctrine of the Book of Mormon,and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which books contain the revelationsof Jesus Christ, and lead to eternal life. I give them to you freely. Ifyou have got anything extra, and worth more that what I have, why not bewilling to give to me as I am to give to you? Have you got true principlesof Christianity? They are also mine. I never had any occasion to have aquarrel or debate with any man.
You say you belong to the Presbyterians; it is no matter if you havegot the truth. Are you a Calvinist, or a Wesleyan? It is no matter, if youhave got the truth; that truth is also mine. Do you belong to the Methodist'ssociety? And have you got the truth? It is right, that truth is "Mormonism,"it is my property. Are you a Quaker? It is no matter. if you have the truth,that same truth is mine. Are you a Catholic, and have got the truth? Thatis my doctrine, and I will not quarrel about it.
"Well," says one, "I am a Jew; I guess I can get up aquarrel with you." No, you cannot. I shall not contend with you, forthe Jews have got true principles, and they possess no truth but what belongsto "Mormonism;" for there is not a truth on earth or in heaven,that is not embraced in "Mormonism."
Another steps forward and says, "I am a Pagan; I think you willnot agree with me." Yes I will, as far as you follow the path of truth;and when you have got to the end of that, I will give you more truth; butif you reject it, it is your own business, and not mine. I will not askany person to embrace anything that is not in the New Testament, until theyhave asked God if it is true or untrue, who will satisfy them if they askin faith nothing doubting. I will not ask any person to embrace the Bookof Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, to believe that we talk with Godand angels, until they find out the truth of it for themselves. If you sayyou believe it, because I say it is true, and never seek to know it foryourselves, my testimony will do you very little good. For me to say, Ibelieve in Christ, and not obey the Gospel, will do me very little good;to say that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and not obey his gospel, would notprofit me.
This may be considered strong language. But I will say further: if Iattain to the knowledge of all true principles that have ever existed, anddo not govern myself by them, they will damn me deeper in hell than if Ihad never known anything about them.
I have noticed a few principles upon which the Christian world so called,and the Latter-day Saints, disagree. Now let me say to you, my hearers,to Saints and sinners: there is the New Testament; you may leave out theBook of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and follow the preceptsof that book faithfully, and I will warrant you to arrive at salvation.
"That is what we have believed all the time," say some; "wenever did believe in gathering to the Salt Lake Valley; we have always believedthe Lord could save us in our own land as well as in America. Cannot theLord save us in England as well as in that far off distant valley? And wenever thought it was very necessary to embrace the Book of Mormon."But if you will follow up the testimony of that book (the New Testament),and square your lives strictly by its doctrines, precepts, and commandments,you will come to me and say, "Brother Brigham, baptize me, that I mayreceive the Holy Ghost, for the Lord has told me that I must be baptizedfor the remission of my sins by one who has authority; and the Latter-daySaints hold the keys of the kingdom;" and by that means find out thatthe Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of theLord, that an angel for heaven administered to him, that the latter-daySaints have got the true Gospel, that John the Baptist came to Joseph Smithand committed to him the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood; and that Peter,James and John also came to him, and gave him the keys of the MelchisedekPriesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God. "And now, brotherBrigham, Joseph has sent an angel to me, who has told me all about it, andI am going with you to the Salt Lake Valley in the mountains." So byfaithfully attending to the fist principles of the Gospel laid down in theNew Testament, you are introduced into the knowledge of the works of Godin the dispensation of the fulness of times. I say to the Christian world,all this is as true as the Lord God liveth; but is this my testimony toconvert anybody? No. Nevertheless it is verily true.
If the Christian world would follow the instructions of the New Testament,they would believe the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints: and our swordswould be beaten into plough-shares, and our spears into pruning hooks, andwe should hail each other as brethren. All quarrelling upon these plainswould come to an end, and all desire to injure each other would cease. Theword in each person's mouth would be "Brother, what can I do for you?Have I anything you need, that I can serve you with, which is necessaryto administer to your sick wife and children? Are your cattle lost, andshall I help you to find them?" All the weapons of warfare would beburied in the dust, no more to be resurrected, and each man would say, "Come,let us hail each other as brethren, and do each other good instead of evil."
How is it with the Latter-day Saints? I dare scarcely talk about them.We that have been inside among the Saints, have known longer than you whohave been outside, that they are not over righteous, though we are not guiltyof what you think we are.
Let me explain. A man or woman who has embraced, and who enjoys, theprinciples of this Church, ought to live like an angel. They ought neverto be angry with each other, but live in the light of the truth continually,and every man be kind to his neighbor. Instead of that, there are bickering,quarrelling, and hard feelings, and men who are seeking to build up themselves,and get glory at the expense of their brethren. I would not give much forthe exaltation of such men, unless they seek to do good for this people,and the people immediately around them. The Lord does not thank you foryour alms, long prayers, sanctimonious speeches, and long faces, if yourefuse to extend the hand of benevolence and charity to your fellow creatures,and lift them up, and encourage and strengthen the feeble, while they arecontending against the current of mortal ills.
Cease your anger, and sullenness of temper, and serve the Lord withcheerfulness, and singleness of heart. You need not expect salvation, exceptyou can administer the same salvation to others, both in precept and example.If you expect compassion from me, administer the same to me. If you wishkind words and kind treatment from me, give me the same blessing you desireyourself; and that is the way you will be saved.
I say, O! ye Latter-day Saints, cease your wickedness; serve the Lordwith all your hearts, and keep your covenants with God and your brethren.Then we shall gain the victory, and our warfare very soon will come to aclose. We will gain the upper hand of the enemy and subdue our foe, andfind ourselves in heaven with our families and friends.
This is Zion; and if we do not get this union among ourselves, it isnot Zion that will make us happy. We must begin and make Zion in our ownhearts, and then extend it to our neighborhoods, and so continue until theLord shall reign upon the earth.
These broken remarks I have dealt out to you freely. May God bless you.Amen.