Discourse

I will read a portion of the 17th chapter of John. The Savior was praying unto the Father, and, speaking of His disciples, He said: ¶

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. ¶

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. ¶

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. ¶

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we ¶

are. ¶

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¶

And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¶

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¶

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. ¶

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¶

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. ¶

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. ¶

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. ¶

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; ¶

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ¶

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: ¶

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. ¶

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. ¶

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. ¶

And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare ¶

it: ¶

that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. ¶

I have always thought this one of the grandest and most remarkable prayers ever uttered, that we have any record of. No doubt the Son of God offered many prayers not in the power of mortal pen to record. But this prayer was recorded, and it has come down to us. It is a prayer that is full of meaning, and one that should be especially dear to the Latter-day Saints, because the blessings that the Savior prayed for on this occasion are the blessings we need. We would not be worth of the name of Saints if we did not receive the answer to this prayer in ourselves. The servants of God that have received the Priesthood, unless they receive the fulfilment of this prayer and exemplified it in their lives, would not be in truth His disciples—at least to the extent that our Lord desired them to be. ¶

The great characteristic of this Church, by brethren and sisters, which distinguishes it from all other organizations upon the face of the earth, is union. It is this that has marked us a peculiar people from the commencement. It is this that has given us a higher standing and made us a more notable people than any other characteristic that we possess. It is the characteristic that the Savior desired His disciples to exhibit; not only His immediate disciples, but those who should believe their testimony and receive the word that they had to bear to them. And the Lord’s prayer in this respect has been heard. It was heard in behalf of those who were the immediate subjects of the prayer—His followers; but the prayer holds good for all generations, and may be claimed by every follower of Christ throughout all time, because this union that He prayed for is indispensable to every man, woman and child belonging to the Church of Christ. It is also indispensable to the Church itself. And we can thank God this day that we, unworthy as we have been in many respects, have received this same spirit of union and to a goodly extent; not perhaps as fully as we should have it; still it has been bestowed upon us and has brought us together, knit our hearts in one, blended our feelings, and made us—a people of varied races, speaking different languages, and coming out of different religious organizations—one body, and cemented us together with a union that is most marvelous. So we today exhibit this evidence that we are indeed followers of Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, because He desired that this should be the great sign by which the world might know that God had sent Him and that He was His Son. ¶

The Savior asked that His disciples might be one, as He and the Father are one. Now, can you conceive of a oneness more close, more complete, than the oneness that exists between the Father and the Son? It is impossible for the human mind to get the faintest idea of any difference of opinion, or expression, or action between the Father and the Son. We worship them as one God—not three Gods, not two Gods, but as one God. The Father and the Son are the two personages of the Deity, with the Holy Ghost as their ministering Spirit or agent. We worship them as one. We do not separate them in our thoughts and in our feelings. We do not appeal to one because we think that He would be more propitious to us than the other. We do not seek to separate them in our feelings or in our thoughts, or in our worship. We do not think that if we can approach one of these Beings that we are more likely to obtain favor from Him than from the other. No feeling of this kind ever enters into the hearts of a child of God. They are one. Jesus in all His revelations makes it plain that He and the Father are one, so much so that in the minds of many they cannot distinguish how it can be that they can be one God and yet composed of two personages and of the Holy Ghost, because according out human conceptions we cannot imagine such an identity of feeling and attributes in two different personages. We are not accustomed to this here on the earth. When we think of a father and a son, of a brother and a brother, we think of them as separate individuals. Their individuality is distinct in our minds. This also is the case with our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as personages but not as the Godhead. While they are two personages, they are but one—one in feeling, one in thought, one in mind, one in everything in face, in every direction in which their power is or can be exercised. And in all the records that have come down to us from the Son of God there is one thing that stands out clearly and prominently throughout all the teachings and acts of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that is, His entire devotion to the Father, His complete submission to the will of the Father, and His oft-expressed desire to know and to do that will. It is wonderful the submission that the Savior manifested in His life, when we think of His great dignity and the position that He occupied. ¶

We are told that there was once a rebellion in Heaven. The Prophet Joseph and Sidney Ridgon beheld, in vision, and the recorded that which they saw in this language. ¶

And this we saw also, and bear record that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son, whom the Father loved, and who was in the bosom of the Father—was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, ¶

And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over Him—He was Lucifer, a son of the morning. ¶

Some have called him the son of the morning, but here it is a son of the morning—one among many, doubtless. This angel was a mighty personage, without doubt. The record that is given to us concerning him clearly shows that he occupied a very high position; that he was thought a great deal of; and that he was mighty in his sphere, so much so that when the matter was debated concerning the earth and the plan of salvation, he was of sufficient importance to have a plan, which he proposed as the plan by which this earth should be peopled and the inhabitants thereof redeemed. His plan, however, was not accepted; but it was so plausible and so attractive that out of the whole hosts of heaven one-third accepted his plan and were willing to cast their lot with him. Now, the difference between Jesus and Lucifer was this: Jesus was willing to submit to the Father. He had His plan, which was accepted. Everything that has come down to us, coupled with our own experience in relation to the effect of the Spirit of God upon the heart, leads us to the conclusion that if Jesus had proposed a plan that would not have been accepted by the Father, He would not have rebelled against the Father nor against the Son of God, who might have proposed the plan which was accepted. But how different was it with Lucifer! Because he could not have his way, he was determined to wreck everything. He would pull down the throne of the Eternal Father and destroy everything. He was not one with the Father. If he had been, that rebellion would not have occurred. ¶

Now, it is a remarkable fact, which completely verifies and establishes the truth of the record concerning this rebellion in heaven, that from the time Adam appeared on the earth, and children began to multiply and increase, the spirit that Lucifer exhibited in heaven has been manifested on the earth. When he has had power to influence men and women he has filled them with precisely the same spirit that he manifested in heaven before man came upon the earth. That spirit made its appearance in Cain, and the Bible shows us that it was continued from generation to generation. The Book of Mormon is filled with the same testimony. But we need not depend upon the records that have come to us for illustrations of this and testimony concerning it. We ourselves, in our own persons,  in our own organizations as a Church, have seen the same spirit, and the same results that attended its manifestation in ancient times, and even as far back as the time in which I speak—before the earth was peopled. We have seen the spirit of rebellion exemplified in our Church as it was when we were in our spiritual existence. President Woodruff dwelt upon this in his remarks this morning. He showed us the effects of that spirit in those who entertained it. It is but a repetition of history. History has repeated itself all the time in the Church of God. The Book of Mormon is full of it. That record shows how the sons of Lehi divided, some listening to Lucifer and entertaining the spirit of rebellion, and other entertaining the Spirit of God and seeking for its love and union. Those who yielded to the spirit of Lucifer sought the destruction of the others, and not being willing to submit to that which was right, they rebelled against their father. They determined to have their own way, regardless of the rights of others. And that history, from the beginning of it to the end, shows clearly the operation of these two influences; the Spirit of God bringing the people into union and love, and the spirit of Lucifer—which God in His own wisdom and for His own purposes has permitted to come upon the earth to test us—working out destruction wherever it could get possession of the people to manifest itself through, until it wrought the entire destruction of two races of people on this continent—the Jaredite race and the Nephite race. ¶

It is wise for us to look a little into our own position, and see if we can profit by the lessons of the past. No trouble ever came upon the Nephite people—and I like to refer to them because the record is a most complete and interesting one—except through their departing from that spirit of union of which I have read in this prayer of the Savior’s. When they lived so as to receive the fulfilment of this prayer and were united, they prospered on the right hand and on the left. The earth was blessed for them. It yielded of its richness, and every element of wealth contained in the earth (and there is no part of our earth that is so rich in all the elements of wealth as this blest continent) was at their command. But in those days of prosperity, when everything flourished, some man or some faction would arise in their midst filled with pride, and vanity, and love of the world, yielding to the spirit of Lucifer and proposing plans of various kinds in order to disturb the peace of the people of God and to create dissension among them. It was the fruitful source of all their woes. No trouble ever came upon that people only through their yielding to this spirit of dissension and of rebellion which had come down from the council that was held before the word was peopled. All the prophets who spoke concerning the destruction of the Nephite nation were led to attribute the downfall of that people which they by the spirit of prophecy saw would surely come, to the face that they would fall into disunion. The Savior and the prophets predicted that four generations after the coming of the Son of God would live in peace, and Jesus rejoiced over them. He said how great His joy was about the generation which lived when He visited the, for He said that not one soul would be lost; and so it would be for four generations. But after that a falling away would come. They would listen to the spirit of Satan; they would lose their love and divide, and the result would be their entire annihilation as a nation. ¶

Our own experience, my brethren and sisters, is very similar to this. Can any of you put your finger on any serious trouble that we have had that has not had its origin in professed Latter-day Saints dissenting from us and turning against us? I tell you, as it has been said already in this Conference, there is no power on earth, there is no power in the domains of the damned, that can shake or disturb this people if they are only united. No matter what course we may take, so long as it is in righteousness, if we are united we can stand against the world and all its assaults. We can stand not only against visible enemies, but we can stand against the invisible hosts of darkness which Lucifer has at his command; and we can stand unshaken and unmoved amid the tempests that may break upon us, or whatever may be the character of the assault that may be made upon us. United we are strong; we are strong as the Almighty, our Father in Heaven, and as His Son Jesus, when Lucifer lead away one-third of the hosts of heaven with the hope of destroying the plan of salvation and bringing to naught the purposes of the Father. But when dissension comes in our midst; when disunion manifests itself; when you see men who call themselves Latter-day Saints yielding to the spirit of Satan and rebelling in their feelings against the spirit of God and the work of God, then there is cause for apprehension and for us to tremble, if we ever do tremble, because that is and always has been the fruitful source of our troubles, and it always will be. Union, therefore, ought to be the keynote of the entire people, as it is the chief corner stone of the superstructure of the Church. It ought to be more desirable than anything else among us. How shall we obtain it? Shall we have it by each man having his own way and carrying out his own designs? Was that the way Jesus, our great Exemplar, did? “Ah! but,” I have heard it said, “that takes away man’s independence.” There are some people who seem to have the idea that rebellion and disobedience are evidences of independence and of manhood. Well, I am glad to know that, so far as I am concerned, I never took that view. I always felt that I was just as independent in being obedient, and I know I felt much better than I could possibly feel if I were disobedient. It is not necessary to be disobedient to show independence. ¶

There are at the head of this Church, chosen by the Lord, three men, who constitute what is called the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One is the President. The other two are his counselors. But all three are Presidents according to the revelations. One, however, holds the keys. President Woodruff is distinguished from every other one of us by the fact that he possesses the keys of the kingdom on the earth. He represents the Supreme authority. His voice to us, in its place, brings to us the voice of God. Not that he is God; not that he is infallible. He is a fallible man. His counselors are fallible men. The First Presidency cannot claim, individually or collectively, infallibility. Infallibility is not given to men. They are fallible. But God is infallible. And when God speaks to the Church through him who holds the keys, it is the word of the Lord to this people. Can President Woodruff do this without his counselors? I do not know what he can do, or what he might do; but I know that he does not do. I know that President Young did not, nor President Taylor. I know that President Joseph Smith did not. He sought the counsel of his counselors. They acted in concert. And when the First Presidency act in concert, they are a power. But, as it was said by Brother John W. Taylor on Friday, if the First Presidency were divided, and the Twelve were divided, then we would not have the blessings that God has promised, and I do not know what what would be our fate. I know, though, what has been in the past. Joseph, through false brethren, had his life taken from him those nearest to him betrayed him in the days of which President woodruff has spoken and at the very last those who were nearest to him were among the men who were the means of bringing him to his death. Now, how is it with the First Presidency? Do we have a mind of our own? Those who know us can judge of this. It is our duty to make our thoughts known upon every subject. But we should not be hard in our hearts; we should be soft and tender, so that the Spirit of God will influence us. It does not do for us to be opinionated and set in our feelings, and think that our view is the correct view; but to hold our hearts open to receive the manifestations of the Spirit of God. I suppose each one of us is fond of having his own way. I know I am. I am willing to confess that I like to have my own way. But I do not like my own way well enough to want it in opposition to my brethren’s way. That is our duty as the First Presidency of the Church. It is the duty of every presidency throughout the Church. The Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, the Bishops and their Counselors, and all who act in presiding positions, should be united. It is our duty as the First Presidency of the Church to seek for this spirit of union for which the Savior prayed, and to be one; to bring our feelings in subjection, and when two agree on a thing, and the third cannot see it, let him say, “I am going with you. No feeling that enters into my heart shall stand between you and me.” Suppose that one man has more wisdom than another; it is better to carry out a plan that is not so wise, if you are united on it. Speaking generally, a plan or a policy that may be inferior in some respects is more effective, if men are united upon it, than a better plan would be upon which they were divided, but some may ask, where comes in the inspiration of God in such cases as this? We should understand that God uses men as instruments in carrying out His purposes. He uses them according to their capacity. He gives them opportunity to exercise their agency and to work out self-development. The Lord gave to the children of Israel, after leaving Egypt, what is called the law of carnal commandments. It was admittedly an inferior law to that which He desired them to have; yet it came from the Lord. He inspired his servant Moses to do that for the people because they were not prepared to receive and put in practice higher truths and live up to higher laws. ¶

The First Presidency ought to have in the first place their hearts single to the glory of God; to have no personal feeling that will influence them in any policy, but have their motives pure, and then when they unite on anything and give any counsel, I tell you that God will sustain that and carry it through; He will supplement it by His wisdom and power, and make it effective. For the First Presidency are but mortal men. We can only see a certain distance. God sees to the utmost limit. There are no bounds to His sight. But there are bounds to ours. Does He require superhuman wisdom of us? No, only as He gives it to us. He points out the path, and if our motives are pure and we are united on any plan or policy, He will bless and sanctify that, and He will make it successful. That constitutes the strength of the First Presidency, their unity and the purity of their motives. They may err—and who does not? As I said, we are fallible men. Whatever my views may be concerning the Church and its infallibility, I suppose there are none of the officers of the Church who claim infallibility. Certainly, I do not claim it for myself. But when we are united, our motives pure, and we divest ourselves of every personal desire and bias, and ask God to take away all hardness from our hearts and all blindness from our minds, and then supplicate Him for His blessing, it will surely come. Then the Twelve Apostles and the other officers of the Church, when they carry that counsel out unitedly and in the same spirit, will be blessed, and the Church will be blessed, and, as I have said, God will supplement our weakness by His strength, and our want of knowledge by His infinite knowledge and His great power. ¶

In this way the Church of Christ has always been led. Occasionally men arise who tower above the multitude in the extent of their knowledge, such as the Prophet Joseph, and others whose names I need not mention; for as the Lord revealed to Abraham, there are differences in spirits. He spoke of the Kokaubeam, or the stars, and of the difference manifest in them; that one star was greater and brighter than another, until Kolob was reached, which is near the throne of the Eternal; and He said it was so with the spirits of men. There are differences in spirits. There are different grades of intelligence among the spirits of men. We are not all on a dead level. But God sends forth occasionally a man that towers like a giant in the midst of his fellow men. The Prophet Joseph was of that kind. There have been innumerable examples of men not of our Church of that kind, whose knowledge, foresight and intelligence were so far ahead of their compeers and those who lived contemporaneously with them that they could not come up to them. This Church could not come up to Joseph. He towered above us. He would have revealed things to us, if we had been prepared, that would have been far greater than those that we have received. But the Lord deals with His children mercifully. He gives them intelligence according to their capacity to receive it. Therefore wise men, such as Joseph and others, give the counsel that is adapted to the conditions and circumstances of the people, though they may see that it is not exactly what ought to be. Better to give the people some thing they will obey, if it is not the fullness of the law of God; better to lead them on until their capacity is enlarged and they are prepared to receive higher principles and truths. That is the way God has done with His people. There are many things that the leading men of this Church can see and understand that they cannot impart to the people, nor ask the people to do them. Why? Because they know that the people would not come up to the requirement, and that therefore they would he disobedient. Better to give them line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, than to give them something that they could not receive and that they would rebel against. That is the manner in which the Lord deals with His children, and it is the manner in which wise men inspired of the Lord deal with their fellow men. Speaking as a First Presidency, if we could have our way, there are many changes that we would make; but you know how difficult it is to have people see alike upon many points. ¶

Now, if the First Presidency are in the condition that I have heretofore referred to, God is with them, and He will sustain them. I do not think you can find three men—at least, I do not know of any three men who feel a greater sense of their unworthiness for the position they are called to fill than the three Presidents of the Church. The First President you know, and you know the feeling that he has. Respecting President Smith and myself, I know that we have both been overpowered by the sense of our own weakness. God knows I never would have stood in this position if I could have had my way. I have acted only because it was God’s will that I should act. I may not seem that way in the sight of my brethren, I do not think I do. Possibly my brethren do not think I feel as I do, because it is natural for me, if there is anything to do, to go at it energetically; but I feel as though it required all the power that God can give to help me to be what I am. I would have no connection with this office, I would not touch it, if I did not know that it was the will of God that I should act in this position. And I know this is the feeling of President Woodruff. I know it is the feeling of President Smith. I know it is the feeling of the Twelve and of the Elders generally. When the Spirit of God comes upon us we feel our unworthiness, and that nothing but God’s power and blessing can sustain us in bearing up under this great responsibility which He has placed upon us. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I speak of union. The First Presidency must be united. The Twelve must be united; not among themselves alone, but with the First Presidency. They must see eye to eye with the First Presidency. They should come and ask counsel of the First Presidency. And as was said by President Joseph F. Smith this morning, when men do things in secret and are not willing to bring that which they have into the light of day, there is always cause for fear. We should have our hearts open, and be willing for all our brethren to read our hearts and our thoughts. We should enter into no arrangement, nor have any connection with anything that we have to conceal. It is not the Spirit of God that prompts concealment. Nor should we enter into things without being willing to ask counsel respecting them, no matter what they be. It is our duty to ask counsel—to seek the mind and will of God; for God does speak through his servants, and He does give counsel through them unto the people. The Twelve ought to be in this condition. They ought not to shun the society and the counsel of the First Presidency. Do we want this for our self-glorification? The Lord knows we do not. But it is the order of the Church that the Twelve should seek counsel from those whom God has placed to preside. And they should be free in asking counsel, and and not do anything without it. In the same manner the Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors should ask counsel; the Bishops and their Counselors should ask counsel; and the seven Presidents of the Seventies, in their place, should ask counsel also. They are under the direction of the Twelve Apostles, who are their file leaders, under the First Presidency of the Church. And one man should not give counsel without consulting his fellow servants. I have no right as one of the First Presidency of the Church, to counsel in matters concerning the Church without knowing the mind and will of my fellow servants, especially of President Woodruff. I do not want to give counsel to anyone, on any important matter without Presidents Woodruff and Smith hearing it and getting their views concerning it. Otherwise I might be giving one kind of counsel; Brother Joseph F. Smith might be giving another kind of counsel; and when President Woodruff heard our counsel, he might not agree with either of us. Therefore, there should be union in this respect on the part of every officer in the Church. A counselor to a President of a Stake has no business to give counsel without he knows it is in accord with the mind of his fellow servants. The Twelve have no business to do it. They have no right to go here and there while they have access to their fellow servants, and are operating in conjunction with them, and counsel on their own responsibility in the management of the affairs of the Church. You can see if care were not taken in this direction we should be divided and confusion would ensue. It is just as necessary that we should be united in giving counsel in regulating the affairs of the Church and of the Stakes of Zion as it is that we should be sound in teaching doctrine. I have no right to go into a Stake of Zion and give counsel and arrange affairs unless I know that that which I am doing is in strict accord with the feelings and the counsel of my fellow servants, nor has any man; and even then I must respect the authority that presides in that Stake. The business requiring counsel may be important, but it is not so important but that it can generally be deferred until the united counsel can be obtained. So it is in all the branches of the Church and in all the work of the ministry there must be union. You remember the story of the Scythian king. Before he died he called his boys together. He handed them a bunch of arrows, and asked the oldest to break the bunch. He put it across his knees and he tried and tried, but could not do it. He requested each of his boys to try, and they each failed to break the bunch. Then he commanded them to break the band that united the arrows. They did so. “Now try and break them,” he said. Why, they broke them with the greatest ease separately. So it is with us. When we are not united, we are easily broken; but when we are united we cannot be broken. When I am giving counsel that I know I am sustained in giving I feel strong. I would feel very weak if I were not in that condition, because I would be ashamed perhaps by having that counsel changed. Therefore, when men come for counsel, and have the idea that they can get better suited by coming to me, or to Brother Joseph F. Smith, I do not want them to think if they come to me, that I am going to give them some counsel that may not be in accord with the counsel of the other brethren. None of us should do this, and no man should seek for counsel in that spirit. We should be united in giving counsel. Then the affairs of the Church will roll on, and everything will move harmoniously; there will be peace and union in the councils of the authorities, and the Church will feel the influence of it. That spirit of union will run through the Church and all will be benefited by the spirit that will be thus received and enjoyed. ¶

My brethren and sisters, above all things, therefore, we should seek for this spirit of union and love. It should be sought for in our councils, and we should not contend. Now, suppose that I should take it into my head to say that a certain doctrine is true, and I contend for it, determined to have it so; does my contention make it true? Suppose that I should contend from now until the Savior came that it is true, would my contention make it true? Certainly not. I cannot change a principle of truth. Then why contend or dispute or argue about it? A man contends about something that happened in the past, and he is determined to have it so. Another contends that it is not so; Well, what does this contention amount to? Does it change the truth? The thing has happened; can it be altered by contention? Not in the least. And so concerning events to come. Contention concerning them does not change them. There can be no change wrought in doctrine and in truth by our contention. But I will tell you where there is room for differences of opinion—in regard to the policy to be pursued. There ought to be no contention, however. God speaks against it. We have no right to be a disputing, contentious people. And whenever I dispute with my brother I am likely to grieve the spirit of the Lord and darken my own mind. Therefore, let us avoid contention, in our councils and in all our intercourse one with another. Of course, as I say, there is a chance for differences of views respecting policy. It often amuses me to hear some of our brethren say, “Well, he is a policy man”—as though there was something very bad about a man being a policy man. I think, however, I know what is meant by that term. Now, there is good policy and there is bad policy. I believe in good policy. I believe we ought to be a politic people—and when I say a politic people I mean a wise people, taking advantage of every circumstance that we can to obtain our rights and our liberties, and to get recognition in the earth, that our true worth may be known. The difficulty with us is, we are not known. If we were better known, we would be better thought of. It is a good thing to pursue a wise policy; not crouching, bending and yielding, but firm as a rock where the principles of truth are involved; ready to take hold of every proper advantage to be gained for the Zion of God, and make use of it for the promotion of righteousness and liberty and true freedom in the earth. ¶

My brethren and sisters, let us stop our contentions, and not be stiff and set in urging our views. Of course, where there is wrong being done, we should be firm as a rock. Where men are teaching false doctrine we should not keep still and allow it to be taught in our hearing without protesting against it. But we need not fall into the spirit of contention and quarreling over that. We can use our influence, and tell what we think, and then if it is not received, let it go; we have done our duty; and not all the time be looking around to see where we can find fault. Some men are continually prying into doctrine and trying to reveal mysteries, as President Woodruff referred to this morning about the Godhead and other things. They want to know a great many mysteries. Now, if we will do that which lies before us we will grow in knowledge, and God will give us revelation upon revelation, and nothing will be concealed from us. ¶

I have felt to make these remarks this afternoon on this important topic. It is of the utmost importance that we should be united. Whenever you see men attacking the work of God and the servants of God, you may know that the adversary is at work. He has reasons for being at work. And his weapons have always been lies and misrepresentations. It is in this way that he has brought about his wicked designs from time to time. If he could make this people believe that the First Presidency were deceivers and were ready to take advantage of them, it would please him very much. If he could make the people believe that the Twelve were dishonest and could not be relied upon and were looking for self-interest, it would greatly please him. It is on this account that he fills the whole world, so to speak, with lies concerning us. He will go on doing it until he is bound. He will be bound, and then he will not have power to deceive the nations as he has had up to the present time. ¶

Speaking about men like the Prophet having views superior to other men, the same thing may be said about this people. Our ways are ahead of those of the world. They cannot comprehend our views. We take views of things which seem utterly strange to them. On the question of virtue alone, the majority of people cannot agree with us in insisting that men should be strictly virtuous, and they do not understand why we should think that such severe penalties should be attached to the punishment of adultery, fornication and kindred sins. They cannot understand this. And so it is in many things. We are trying to live up to a higher law, and to lift the world to our plane, and we are being lifted higher all the time ourselves, through the Spirit of God and the revelations of God. It is a great work, however, to uplift a people like we are from our old traditions and habits and our old ways of thinking, especially when we are surrounded by such elements as we are. The influence of their example combined with our inherited traditions are powerful to contend against. Many of our young fail because of this. It is a great trial for this people to be exposed to such things. I am thankful they are doing as well as they are. Yet I mourn when I hear of transgression and sin; especially among the rising generation. I would like to see our sons and daughters grow up very pure, very perfect, and be an example to the world. I am happy to think that there are a great many in this condition—pure in heart, and striving to the extent of their ability to uplift themselves and to help lift their brethren and sisters on to a higher plane. We shall lift the world up by degrees. The influence of our teachings has already done this to a great extent. I have been away a good deal lately mingling with other people, and I am surprised, although I have been expecting it, at the effect our influence is having upon the people. I am surprised at the manner in which they look to us, and quote us. We are gradually emerging from—shall I say obscurity? Yes, to some extent, obscurity, but more particularly from the midst of misrepresentations and falsehoods that have enveloped us and hidden us from the world. But people are beginning to look at us in a different light. The Lord is blessing Zion in this respect, and He is bringing to pass His word concerning her. It remains for us to prepare ourselves to go on and increase in the direction that God has pointed out. Let us profit by the floods of wisdom that have been poured out upon us from the beginning and the counsels which we have received concerning our mode of living. Oh! that we could remember these things and put into practice the teachings of Joseph, of Brigham, of Heber, of John and of all the mighty men that have lived among us and worn out their lives in trying to teach us. Their teachings are more precious than gold. But they have passed unheeded. Now let us begin to recall them to our memory. Let us read the records that are made of their teachings, and see what wisdom has been given to us through the Spirit and power and blessing of God. God bless you all and save us all in the celestial kingdom of our God. I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶