Building Up Zion

It is a time of rejoicing with the Latter-day Saints; for God has been merciful unto us as a people and as individuals we have been blessed and there has been no time in the history of the Church when we had greater cause to serve the Lord than this day—I am aware of the fact that there are forces exercised in behalf of the Church of Christ, and also that opposition is beginning to rear itself again more visibly than we have experienced for several years—Everything that has been spoken here in this Tabernacle yesterday and to-day has full force and is true, according to the ideas that I have; and every prophecy of God contained in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Bible, and also the oral instructions we receive, will be fulfilled—God is directing His servants in establishing His work upon the earth—There are obligations resting upon us that other people deride, scoff at, and treat as a thing of naught, when those very obligations prompt us to use our means, our time, and every energy of our natures in the labor of saving souls—Yet the world oppose us in this, and do not love us, because the spirit of the world is opposed to salvation, wealthy and poor, the high and low, the brethren and sisters in this Church are gathering treasures; they are laying up treasures; they are banking with our Father and God—No matter who they are, the deposits are being made, and the books are kept correctly—The debit and the credit is there, and we cannot escape it—Revelation has been given to us and great favors shown, for a particular and a distinct purpose, because God has chosen us out of the world, and they do not love us—But a work is given unto this people designed to benefit every human being that has lived or that lives upon the earth—It is not confined to the few millions that dwell upon the earth today, but it extends into the spirit world—I care not what we say or what we do, it will be to our own exaltation or to our own condemnation—The night will come when no man can work—But the day is given to us in which we labor—I find in my immediate circle of relatives and friends that which I witness among the people— a desire to do right—"Oh! I want to do good; I want to live my religion." But we do not live it—It has been said that that lower place is paved with good intentions—We do not live our religion—Need this people to be beholden to any race of men, to capitalists, to business men, to combinations, to trusts, or to any society outside of their own limits? No—There is a magnificent whole, complete in every particular planted in the midst of this people, which is unassailable, only so far as we admit the enemy in our hearts—The only vulnerable place in our armor is where we ourselves leave it exposed, because God has armed us at all points—He has made us impervious to outside attacks—But when we boil inside, destruction waits upon us ¶

What are the signs of the times? All people will be at war, save the people in Zion—What will preserve the people in Zion? When Brother Cowley read a portion of that revelation in relation to this matter, I asked myself the question, what will make peace in Zion? Is it because we find disunion here, because we strew our ways to strangers, or are in debt, or harassed upon every side, or we yield to temptation, or we affiliate with those who will turn and rend us? Will this bring peace to Zion while all shall be at war around us? Oh, no! We all know that peace will be here because God has given it for the righteousness of His people, the union of His sons and daughters, to whom He has delegated the greatest work ever committed to men upon the earth—That is why peace will be in Zion—It occurred to me to read a few verses from the Book of Mormon in relation to this matter—Lehi, speaking to his family, says: ¶

"For, behold, he said, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem, we should also have perished ¶

"But, he said, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed—Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children for ever; and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord ¶

"Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land, save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord ¶

"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring—And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound, cursed shall be the land for their sakes; but unto the righteous it shall be blessed for ever." ¶

Will these words come true? Do we see today the fulfillment of the promises of Lehi, a man who led his family, under the hand of God, to this land which is choice above all other lands, for the purpose of establishing a people here who should, under the providences of God, write these writings, deliver these prophecies, hide up this volume, to come forth in the latter days to a people who should be established upon this land, and who should bring the Gospel to the seed of Lehi and spread it abroad to the nations of the earth; who should gather upon the land of Zion, and have peace and joy, though mourning over the tribulations of their brethren? Peace shall reign in Zion if we are righteous—But if iniquity abound here, where is peace promised to the Latter-day Saints in that event? I know of no place or refuge upon the earth that will not be affected when iniquity abounds in the hearts of the sons of our Father—Is that not so? ¶