Discourse

In standing up this morning to address you, my brethren and sisters, I humbly crave an interest in your faith and prayers; for if I say anything that will be instructive, it will have to be through the aid of the Spirit of God. It is seldom that I have felt as weak as I now do in standing in the presence of this vast assembly. ¶

The conference thus far has been one of great interest to me. I have enjoyed the remarks of the brethren very much, and I feel that the Spirit of the Lord has been with His servants in addressing us, and much valuable instruction has been given that if remembered and acted upon will cause us to be a better people. I think there is no people that ever lived—at least, I do not find an account of any—that has had such a wealth of instruction and counsel as the Latter-day Saints have had since the organization of the Church in these days. It is true that there have been dispensations in which the people have been further advanced than we are, because the Lord and His servants had worked among them for a greater period of time than they have among us, as, for instance, in the days of Enoch; but for the length of time that the Church has been established there has been an outpouring of instruction and counsel that, I think, is without parallel in the history of mankind. If we are not a great people, through goodness and fidelity to the principles of the Gospel, it is because we have neglected the opportunities that the Lord has given unto us, and the counsels and revelations that have been so freely imparted to us. I do trust that the words that have been spoken at this conference have not been spoken in vain; that they have not fallen on barren soil; that they have not reach unwilling hearts; but that the spirit which has prompted them will rest upon us and inspire us to carry them out in our lives. ¶

I am deeply impressed myself with the importance of the Latter-day Saints living so close to the Lord that they will feel for themselves the importance of the principles which are taught to them. We live in a peculiar time. There are a great many agencies at work among the children of men; a great many false and delusive spirits; and a great deal of unbelief concerning God and His power and interposition in the affairs of the children of men. There may have been times in the history of mankind when an equal amount of skepticism upon these points prevailed; but I doubt very much whether there ever was a generation that was so completely hardened in their hearts in regard to God and His providences as this generation in which we live. You can scarcely find a people now who have any faith that God interposes in the affairs of the children of men. Those who call themselves the most enlightened proclaim that the universe is governed by fixed and immutable laws; that effect follows cause, and that God does not suspend these laws, nor interpose in any manner to prevent their operation. Therefore, they say, it is useless to ask Him, in the name of Jesus, to interpose in behalf of mankind; men must endure the consequences of their own acts, and there is no way of avoiding the operation of these laws. There is, no doubt, an element of truth in these theories; still, they mislead and have a wrong effect upon the mind. For God does ask us to have faith in Him, to believe in Him, and to appeal to Him; and He gives us the promise that if we do so in faith He will interpose in our behalf, and He will bless us in ways that are unknown to men and by means which are invisible to mortal sight. He gives us this encouragement in the Gospel, and He calls upon us to exercise faith in Him and in His word; and we have proved His words to be true upon these points. But it is a difficult thing in the midst of this widespread unbelief, and these false doctrines and theories which come to us and to our children in the guise of science, to prevent the spirit of unbelief from influencing us. This also is one of the great obstacles in the way of the education of our children. The books which are in our schools, and from which our children are taught, contain theories that are unsound; they are based upon false premises, and that lead to wrong conclusions; and it requires the utmost care on the part of parents and teachers to prevent bad effects following education based upon such text books. Hence it is that when our young men go east to obtain education they are exposed to dangers that are more terrible, according to my view, than a contagious disease. I would rather my sons and daughters should run the risk of some infectious disease than be exposed to the influences that prevail in some of the schools of the land and in the text books that are used therein—that is, without some influence to counteract their effect and to show wherein they are fallacious and unsound. ¶

We have all these things to contend with. The rising generation have to be watched over with a care that in former times was not necessary. There is danger in education of this kind. Yet there is an ardent desire on our part that our children should be educated, and upon their part to receive education, because it is the spirit of the age. Our young people are full of desire to obtain knowledge and to qualify themselves for the duties and labors that are likely to devolve upon them. But while giving them education there is danger of their losing their faith in the eternal truths of heaven. Although we have taken pains to organize our young men who go east to school, and to have them hold regular meetings, partake of the sacrament and bear testimony, yet the information comes to us that there is an inclination in the minds of some of our young men to adopt the false theories that are taught and to yield to the spirit of unbelief that is prevalent in these institutions of learning. ¶

We have also another influence that is seeking to obtain power in the midst of the people of God. There was a time when revelation from God was universally denied. The religious world announced that the day of miracles had passed; that God had given all His revelation, and they were embodied in the Bible, and that it was in vail to look for further revelation from Him. This belief was universally taught. Even the Catholic Church, that considers itself the successor of the churches organized by the Apostles while claiming great power for its priesthood, did not believe in revelation from God. Of course, those who did not believe in God denied it as a natural consequence of their unbelief. But what a change has taken place! In the days when the Saints were driven from Jackson County, Missouri, one of the chief charges brought against the Latter-day Saints was that they believed in miracles, that they believed in a prophet, and that that prophet received revelations from God. But who is there now that does not believe that there are means of obtaining communication with the spirit world? That belief has become almost as universal as the former unbelief was. The spiritualists, as they are called, have risen up, as well as other organizations, entertaining this belief, until now no one scarcely will assert that communication with the spirit world is not attainable. The probability of it, at least, will be admitted. Right in this Territory we have pretenders arising, claiming that they have the authority of the Priesthood, or that they have the power to work miracles, and even going so far, in some instances, as to reproach the Latter-day Saints for a lack of power to work miracles, asserting that they possess it to a greater extent than we do. All these influences exist around us, tempting the unwary and having influence upon those who are weak in their faith concerning the divinity of the work of God and the authority of the Holy Priesthood. ¶

Then, again, there are influences at work which deny the authority of the Holy Priesthood, asserting that it is contrary to man’s liberty; that it is in opposition to the principle of liberty to pay any special respect to the utterances of the bearers of the Priesthood of the Son of God. This is becoming somewhat common. There is a fear in the minds of many that some influence of an improper kind, and which they do not want, will operate upon the minds of the Latter-day Saints, because they believe that God has appointed a Priesthood in His Church, and that He has given authority to that Priesthood. The effort seems to be to destroy, if possible, the influence of the Priesthood, and to show how dangerous a power it would be if it were allowed to be exercised as it is supposed that the Latter-day Saints believe it should be exercised. ¶

All these things are operating at the present time in our midst, as well as in the earth, the evident object being to destroy, if possible, the work of God and to deceive the people, so that they will not receive the doctrines of the Son of God. Of course, if men can be taught to believe that miracles can be wrought by some power that they can obtain without submitting to the ordinances of the Gospel, that weakens the influence of the gospel. If you say to mankind, “You must believe in Jesus Christ, you must repent of your sins, you must put away evil far from you, you must deny yourselves, and bring your appetites and passions into subjection to the Gospel of Christ, in order to receive the Holy Ghost and the power which accompanies it; and if at the same time they are taught, through some other agency, that it is not necessary to repent of sin, to forego the gratification of lust and to put away evil, can you not see how it weakens the influence of the Gospel, and how cunning a plan it is to destroy the children of men? So in relation to these other things of which I have spoken. When men and women found that they could receive communication from the spirit world through some other agency than the Gospel, of course they seized hold of that. They did not want revelation and communication from God when it had to be obtained by self-denial and by a strict compliance with the laws of God. But when the bars were thrown down and they were told that, no matter what they were—drunkards, whoremongers, or sinful in every respect—they could obtain spiritual communication, then the whole world, speaking generally, ran after this false doctrine and these pernicious practices, because they could obtain these without any regard to purity of conduct or of life. Satan has taken these methods to destroy the children of men. Men say, “Oh, there is no devil.” They deny the existence of that being. But you Latter-day Saints who have received the Gospel, do you not know, by your personal experience, that there is a being of this kind, though your eyes may never have beheld him? Certainly you do. You know it by these evidences that I have mentioned; but you know it better perhaps by personal experience. When you joined the Church in your native lands, you know the storm of opposition that raged against you. You saw the effect of Satan’s influence; and you have seen it ever since. We have constant evidence of the existence of this power in the falsehoods and misrepresentations that have been indulged in and the murderous spirit that has been manifested against the people of God. If the world were to open their eyes, they would behold before them the evidences of these two great powers—the power of God and the power of Satan. Satan has inspired men with murderous hate and with the spirit of falsehood. He has done this from the beginning. Jesus, in speaking of Satan, said he was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. And those who follow him receive the same spirit. We have seen it manifested. It has cost the best blood of this nineteenth century. It is this spirit that has stirred up hatred and animosity against us, through which all manner of persecutions have been visited upon the Latter-day Saints. It has cost human suffering to an indescribable extent in our generation. It has cost human life beyond computation. Men, women and children have died through the sufferings that have been entailed upon them through this inhuman spirit which Satan has disseminated among the children of men. It would require the pen and the tongue of an angel to describe the sufferings that have been entailed upon the people of God through this power of Satan. God alone knows the anguished hearts, the pain and the sorrow which it has caused. Virtue has been trampled under foot. Truth has been maligned and vilified, until it has been made to appear of the blackest character. All this has been done through the influence of which I speak. Satan has reigned in the earth; he has built up a great power in the earth; he has built up a great power in the earth; and he is determined that he will maintain his dominion in this earth. He and those associated with him are bent on destroying the work of God and wresting from the hands of Jehovah the authority that belongs to Him. This is his determined purpose, and he has sought to accomplish it from the time when man was placed upon the earth until the present. Under his influence, blood has flown in torrents. He is the father of contention and of strife, and he seeks to destroy the children of men. He is determined to destroy the work of our Father, and to bring us into subjection to him. The great contest that is going on in these last days is a contest for the control and supremacy of this earth, Satan being determined that he will maintain his control, and the Lord having spoken and said that the day is at hand when the earth shall be redeemed from the power and dominion of Satan, and wickedness shall be swept from its face. We are engaged, my brethren and sisters, in this great contest. We have been told repeatedly that God has reserved int he heavens choice spirits to come forth in this last dispensation, because of the greatness and the magnitude of the work to be accomplished. Of course, among the spirits of men, as we have proved in our mortal existence, there are differences of degree. It has required apparently the most valiant men and women to come forth in the last days for reasons which ought to be plain to those who reflect. This is not a short-lived dispensation; it is to go on increasing in power and volume until it shall fill the whole earth, and the earth be redeemed and sanctified. And, of course, it requires great valor, great obedience, and great gifts in order to accomplish the end that is to be attained under the promises of God. The Lord has permitted spirits to be born among the various races of mankind that are fitted and qualified to accomplish this great work. He has called His servants as fishers and as hunters to go forth to the various nations of the earth, and hunt and gather out there from those spirits who shall be drawn to the Gospel. The Gospel has been like a magnet among the nations. It has drawn to it the pure, the meek, the lowly. Thousands can testify that when they heard the servants of God proclaim the message which they bore, that God had again spoken from the heavens, that the everlasting Gospel was restored and that the authority to administer its ordinances had been given unto men, they embraced the message with all their hearts. The only fear that they entertained was that it was almost too good to be true. The Elders who have gone forth know how this has been. They have found these men and women just as fishers and hunters find the object of their toil and search. They have drawn these people together, and the power of God has been poured out as never before. No human being has ever witnessed, nor mortal pen has ever written, anything like this work. Never has there been such a work as this in which we are engaged. Never has the power of God been poured out so universally upon the people of every land and clime as it has been in our day. Under its influence the people have been impelled to gather into one place, there to worship God, to keep His commandments, to build up His kingdom and to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

My brethren and sisters, are you not impressed with the greatness of the undertaking that God has assigned unto us? Are you not impressed with the necessity of faithfulness to this work? Are you not impressed with the importance of upholding the authorit which God has restored to the earth? True, He has chosen the weak things of the world; but it is no evidence of the inferiority of their standing before God. The lowliness of their birth, the lowliness of their surroundings and of their connections is no proof that they are inferior in the sight of God. The Son of God was born in a stable, cradled in a manger. Who among the sons of men had such lowly surroundings as this glorious Being? One of the Godhead, the Son of the Eternal Father, the Redeemer of the world! Think of it, born in a stable, cradled in a manger! And who were His associates? They were fishermen—of the most despised occupation in the land, and yet, who were they? Jesus said of them, ¶

“Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” ¶

That was to be the dignity that they should attain unto. They should sit as judges of the house of Israel. And Paul told the Saints in his day, ¶

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” ¶

It is a blessing to us that our fathers were in such lowly circumstances as the Gospel found them; for very few of those who are in what are called the upper classes of society have received the Gospel of the Son of God. It has seemed as though these spirits were purposely sent into lowly homes, into obscure families, and into places where, when the Gospel was sounded in their ears, there was not so much to sacrifice in order to receive it. ¶

This is the work we are engaged in, my brethren and sisters, and we should be engaged in it with all our hearts. We should contend against the evil influences that are around us. We should keep our hearts open to the influences of the Spirit of God. We call upon the people with unwearying effort and with unceasing voice to live so near to God that they shall know for themselves. You remember the instance of the two young men in the camp of Israel upon whom the spirit of prophecy fell. Their brethren of the seventy had gone out of the camp unto the tabernacle but they remained, and the spirit of prophecy fell upon them and they prophesied in the camp. Joshua, the servant of Moses was jealous because of their having received this spirit, and he told Moses about it. The reply of Moses was that of a man of God, who understood the things of the Kingdom of God. There was no narrowness, no jealousy in the heart of that noble man. He said unto Joshua, ¶

Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them! ¶

He was glad to hear that the spirit of prophecy had rested upon these two men. He would have been glad if it had rested upon every man in Israel. So it is today. Would God that all the Elders of Israel, and all the Latter-day Saints, were filled with every gift and grace that God ever bestows on human kind! Would to God that this entire people would live so as to commune constantly with Him! Would the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles be jealous? Not in the least. Oh! how easy it would be to govern this people, to direct these apostles, these bishops, and these elders if they were filled with the Spirit of God and the power of the everlasting priesthood. Who could be jealous under such circumstances? It would be hailed as the most glorious day that had ever dawned upon the human family if every man and woman in this church were to live so near to God that they would have the visions of eternity before them and comprehend the things of God as they really are. Do I speak now of something that cannot be reached? No, it is within the reach of every human being that will keep the commandments of God. You can walk in the light, brethren; you can walk in the light, sisters. You can have the light and power of God constantly with you, to lead and guide you in all the things of the kingdom. And that is what we are laboring for; that is why we preach to you; that is why we visit you when we can, and talk to you as we do. Our purpose is to stir you up, as sons and daughters of God, to have the power of God, and to be in close communion with your Heavenly Father. He is not our Father alone. He is your Father, and He sends us as His messengers to you. He tells us what to say to you. He fills us with his Holy Spirit, till it seems, at times, as though it would burn us up. No human tongue can express the great desire that fills our hearts toward you. We want you to be saved. We want you to be exalted. We want you to fill your missions and to build up the Kingdom of God, never to be thrown down. That is our desire. It is with us by night and by day. We yearn over this people as a mother does over her children, and we testify to you concerning these things because we ourselves have proved them. God himself had told us concerning these matters, and we do not speak that which we do not know. And the Lord is going to hold us as a people accountable for the light and knowledge He has given and the opportunities he has offered us. I say to you, therefore, we must be obedient to the voice of God; we must listen to His counsels; we must seek to know His mind and will. Can I describe the glory that awaits us if we are faithful? I cannot. No human tongue can describe it. The only way to know it is by having the spirit and power of God, and revelations and visions given to us. But I know that He intends to exalt you, to give you glory, to crown you, and to have you sit upon the thrones. This is no imaginary thing. You will not wield a barren sceptre. You will not wear a crown that will not be emblematical of power. God intends to bestow power upon you. But He will have you faithful, He will have you humble and obedient, and He will have you united. We are now passing through things to test us. ¶

Allusions was made yesterday by Elder Moses Thatcher to the spirit of acrimony that he said existed among the people; such a spirit is wrong. We must cultivate a spirit that will make us united, though we may differ in our views concerning the methods of government. The Latter-day Saints have got to be tried in this. The Lord has permitted it for a wise purpose, and He wants us to be a wise people and not forget the principles of the Gospel. For I tell you, my brethren and sisters, that we have not for years been saying to you in vain that the time is coming when the people of God will exercise great influence in this land. If we will be wise, temperate in the exercise of power, and conform to the principles that He has taught us, we shall be a shining light in the midst of this nation. The eyes of the nation will be directed toward us. They will see that God is with us—or some power that they have not got. They will see that there is a superiority about our organization that they do not have. ¶

Already the course that the Lord has pointed out for His servants to take has been vindicated and is being vindicated more and more, and the day is not far distant when these things will be recognized by the nations, our own nation especially. Therefore we should prove ourselves worthy, and show that we are indeed a people such as they have heard we are. We are noted for a few good qualities, and we should maintain these qualities. One of them is our honesty. We should be an honest people. We should be honest in our dealings one with another, and no man, if he act honestly in all things will ever fail to receive the Spirit of God to help him, while no dishonest man can ever hope to have the Spirit of God with him to any extent. We must not take advantage of one another. We must carry out the principles of the Gospel in our personal dealings. Another characteristic that we are noted for is our frugality. We are said to be a frugal and an economical people. This is true in part, but we should cultivate this. We are said to be a united people. This is true to a certain extent. It is thought—I wish it were so, in some respects—that if the First Presidency were to tell you to do a certain thing you would do it without question. That is not correct. There are no more independent people on this land than the Latter-day Saints. They have proved it by embracing the Gospel in the midst of the adverse circumstances which surrounded them, but if the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and other officers of the Church have influence it is because they teach the people correct principles, and the people recognize them and carry them out. It is only in this and their influence consists. But we should be more united than we are. These characteristics, for which we are noted, should increase among us. ¶

Now in relation to virtue. While I think we compare very favorably with many communities, I fear that there is too great a laxity in some quarters in this direction. I know however, that God will cleanse that element from our midst. One of the inevitable consequences of the practice of unchastity is the departure of the Spirit of God from those who indulge in it. They become weak in the faith, and are severed from the Church of Christ. This has been the case from the beginning; it will continue to be the case, for this work has within itself the power of purification. The principles of the Gospel have the effect of self-purification. The Church is kept cleansed by the power that is within it. Those who do wrong and continue therein lose the Spirit of God and go into darkness. There is one thing that I am told is practiced to some extent among us, and I say to you that where it is practiced and not thoroughly repented of the curse of God will follow it. I refer to the practice of preventing the birth of children. I want to lift my voice in solemn warning against this, and I say to you that the woman who practices such devilish arts, or the man who consents to them, will be cursed of God. Such persons will be cursed in their bodies, cursed in their minds, cursed in their property, cursed in their offspring. God will wipe them out from the midst of this people and nation. ¶

Remember it. ¶

Mothers, teach this to your daughters, for I tell you it is true. I need not pronounce any curse, whatever my authority may be, but I say to you that women who take this course, and men who consent to it, will be cursed of God Almighty, and it will rest upon them until their generation shall be blotted out, and their name shall be lost from the midst of the Saints of God, unless, as I have said, there is deep, thorough and heartfelt repentance. God will also cleanse the adulterer from our midst. The man that is an adulterer and the woman that is an adulteress God will curse. The Lord’s vengeance will be kindled against such, and it will follow them unless they repent with full purpose of heart. I warn you, therefore, on this day of our Lord, in this solemn assembly, against these practices. A man cannot look upon a woman to lust after her without using the Spirit of God, unless he repent with all his heart. God will have a pure people. He will have a people in whom His Holy Spirit can take up its abode; their tabernacles must be pure; their thoughts must be pure; their words must be pure; all their actions must be holy or God will reject them. Hear it, ye Latter-day Saints! for I tell you it is true. Girls, shun vice and the society of the vicious. Do not hope that you can convert a wicked man. God with those who are disposed to be pure and virtuous men. Choose them for your companions, and shun the society of the evil-doer. Both sexes should do this. Do not go with those who drink, or with those who gamble, or with those who swear. God with those who want to serve God. These are things that our young people should observe. ¶

There is another point that occurs to me that I will speak about, and that is a disposition on the part of many of the Latter-day Saints to scatter. They hear of some good valley afar off where they think they can do better than where they are living, and the draw off, some going in one direction and some in another. Now I want to bear testimony to you, in this conference, that this is not the spirit of this dispensation. The spirit of the dispensation is to gather together. Do not be afraid to get too close. Do not encourage the desire to go to places remote from the body of the Church; but fill up the land that God has given unto us. This valley of Salt Lake can sustain thousands of people more. There is plenty of land if proper steps were taken. Families need not scatter and break away from home influences and from the social associations that we have. The policy that characterized the building up of the first settlements in this country of the first settlements in the country is the true policy—not to scatter out on farms, but to keep in communities where every member can have all the advantages of society, of education, and of amusements, and where the children can be kept under these influences. As I travel through the land and see houses scattered miles apart, I wonder how human beings can live in that condition and develop. It is not the way that God designs His children should live. It is not necessary for Latter-day Saints to live in that manner, only when a settlement is being formed. But we should be able to organize wards, and to have meetings, schools, and places of amusement for our young people. Not that I am opposed to the Saints going, under certain circumstances, to distant places; but let it be done under the direction of the servants of God, and let the new settlements be formed under the proper influence. I feel to caution the Saints about this. Cling together. Live as close together as you can, and maintain that intercourse that has been so delightful in the past. ¶

Another thing in connection with this. We have frequent appeals to us about benevolent societies. I need not mention any names. We are not opposed to any society that is formed for a good purpose. We want them to do all the good they can. We desire them to proper in their labors for charitable and benevolent purposes. But I want to say to all the Latter-day Saints that God has founded Zion, and the poor of His people, the Prophet says, shall put their trust in it. Now, this Zion of ours is a grand charitable and benevolent institution. No institution or organization on the face of the earth possesses any good thing that we do not have already. As Latter-day Saints we need not join temperance associations, nor benevolent associations. I say to you that these are not object that we should seek after. We should cling to Zion and put our trust in God. If you will read the revelations of God, you will find a plan marked out plainly for the care of the poor that is broader than can be found anywhere on the earth, and it has come from God. But you say, “That has not come.” Nor it never will come if the Latter-day Saints divide their strength and go elsewhere. Let us concentrate our strength in Zion. Let us unite our faith to bring this glorious plan into operation as soon as we can. For Zion is the place, and this is the redemption of the poor among the children of men. It is a perfect plan, for it is revealed by the God of perfection. I would like my words concerning this a reach all the people of God, and I say to them, God has founded Zion, and it is for us to put our trust in it. There is nothing better. We have done more for the poor than any organization on the face the earth, and we expect to do more. We are organized for the purpose of saving the poor, to be kind to them, to feed and clothe them, and to teach them how to earn their own living. We do not want to become paupers, nor to be dependent upon other people. We do not want their funds to bury our dead. We want to bury our own dead, and to take care of the widow and the orphan, after the husband and father has gone. And here in Zion exists the power to do this, and the willingness to do it, to some extent, which willingness, I trust, will continue to grow until there shall be no suffering in our land. This is what we desire. We receive letters from one and another, saying they have joined such and such an organization, and asking whether they cannot do this. We say, “Yes, do as you please, you are your own agents.” But we are already organized; it is no new thing for us to help the poor and the afflicted; it has been the work of our lives, and we expect to continue to do it until the perfect system is organized on the earth. And the organization of this system only depends upon the faith of the people. But if one draws off, and another draws off, when do you think the Zion of God will be built up? God will have to remove the people who do this, and choose someone else to do the work. Pray for the welfare of Zion. Pray for the prosperity of Zion. Use your exertions to make Zion powerful in the earth. For it is Zion that will save the world. Like Noah’s ark to the antediluvians, Zion is the place of safety today. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I pray God to bless you and to fill you with His Holy Spirit. I pray that the spirit of this conference and the instructions of it shall rest upon us all, and it shall be infused into the minds of our wives and children and belonging to us. I pray for this with all the faith and energy that I have; for I do desire to see Zion prosper. I do desire to see this people progress. As I have often said, I do not think I could be perfectly happy unless this people were saved. For I love this people and I love this work. You love it too. I only give expression to your thoughts when I speak in this way. I do not suppose that there is a man in this Church today, in my hearing, that would not gladly, if it were necessary, and with God to aid him, lay down his life rather than do anything to injure the work of God. I know the women feel that way also. They love God; they love the Lord Jesus; they love the institutions that He has established; they are thankful that they are Latter-day Saints; they are full of praise to God for having given to them these precious things. But there are times when our minds become obscure and we get away from the influence of the Spirit of God. Then we forget ourselves and give way to influences that are not of God. Let us therefore be on our guard, and not allow the adversary to get advantage over us. For we will conquer him. We will establish Zion, with the help of God. We will establish righteousness in the earth. The day will come when there will be none to molest or make afraid, and Satan will not have power over the hearts of the children of men. Until that day comes, let us labor with all the powers that God has given to us to accomplish this glorious end. I pray that we may all do so until we shall meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ int he realms of bliss. Amen. ¶