Apostle Woodruff's Cheering Coun-
sels to the Saints.
To the Saints Scattered Abroad; Greet-
ing:
DEAR BRETHREN: I feel desirous to
express myself upon the present con-
dition of Zion and its inhabitants.
The history which we are making as
Latter-day Saints is strictly in fulfil-
ment of the revelations of God, as
given through the mouths of Prophets
and inspired men to the inhabitants
of the earth in every dispensation
when God has had an acknowledged
people on the earth. The God of
heaven, who created this earth and
placed His children upon it, gave
unto them a law whereby they might
be exalted and saved in a kingdom of
glory. For there is a law given unto
all kingdoms, and all things are
governed by law throughout the
whole universe. Whatever law any-
one keeps he is preserved by that
law, and he receives whatever re-
ward that law guarantees unto him.
It is the will of God that all His chil-
dren should obey the highest law,
that they may receive the highest
glory that is ordained for all immor-
tal beings. But God has given all
His children an agency, to choose
what law they will keep.
These two principles do exist—
good and evil; God and the Devil.
Whatever leads to good and to do
good is of God. Whatever leads to
evil and to do evil is of the Devil.
God has labored from the creation of
man to lead him to keep the celestial
law, that he may inherit a celestial
glory and partake of eternal life, the
greatest of all the gifts of God to man:
while the Devil, with all the fallen
angels, has labored from the creation
to lead man astray, to lead him down
to the perdition of ungodly men, that
he may have dominion over him.
These two principles have governed
and controlled the acts of all the chil-
dren of men, and laid the foundation
for all the history of the whole world
for the last six thousand years, or
from the creation of man. This
power of the Devil, and of all the
fallen angels, who are represented to
have been one-third part of all the
hosts of heaven, who were cast down
from heaven to earth, has been at
war against God and His Christ, and
against every Prophet and Apostle
and inspired man whom God has
raised up, from the creation of the
world to the present day. The first
man, Adam, under the influence of
the Devil, transgressed a law by
which death came into the world. [Genesis 3:1-6]
God the Eternal Father gave His only
begotten Son, as a great sacrifice, to
shed His blood to redeem man from
death. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. [1 Corinthians 15:22]
The God of heaven, whom we wor-
ship, is represented as the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost. The
Father and Son have tabernacles, and
they created man after their own
image. But the Holy Ghost is a
spirit and a witness and a testimony
of the Father and the Son. This
Holy Ghost and witness are promised
unto all men who will obey the law
of the Gospel, which God has re-
vealed to the human family. This
Holy Ghost rested upon Adam when
he blessed his posterity in Adam-
ondi-Ahman, three years previous to
his death.
The Lord gave unto Adam and
many of his sons the Holy Priest-
hood, whereby they could administer
in the ordinances of the Gospel of
life and salvation. [Doctrine and Covenants 107:53] The Lord has
raised up men in every dispensation,
when He has had a people on earth
unto whom He has given the Priest-
hood, and all people have been
blessed when they have hearkened to
the voice of the Lord. On the other
hand, when the inhabitants of the
earth have become wicked, and have
transgressed the law of God, they
have been chastised, and when they
have become ripened in iniquity they
have been cut off from the earth, as
in the case of Noah and Lot, and "as
it was in the days of Noah, so shall it
be also in the days of the Son of
Man." [Matthew 24:37] The righteous were saved
while the wicked were destroyed.
The whole history of the dealings
of the Lord with man has shown the
benefits and blessings of obeying the
Lord and keeping His command
ments. The history of the dealings
of the Lord with ancient Israel shows
that He blessed the righteous and
cursed the wicked and brought His
judgments upon them. Whenever
Israel hearkened to the teachings of Moses and the prophets, they pros-
pered, and their enemies were a prey
unto them. But when they depart-
ed from the Lord and set up altars to
Baal, and committed sin, the Lord
forsook them, as in the case of Judah
and Jerusalem, in the days of Zede-
kiah the King. [Jeremiah 32:28-36] He forsook the Lord,
and led the people astray. They
were full of blood and murder and
whoredom and all manner of abomi-
nations, and the Lord warned them
through His Prophets, Isaiah, Jere-
miah and Ezekiel. These Prophets
told the king and the people what
judgements would come upon them,
and the Lord said by Ezekiel unto
the king and the people, "What I
have spoken shall be done." [Ezekiel 12:28] Now
all that these Prophets said came to
pass. Not one jot nor tittle fell un-
fulfilled. The Jews put to death the
Savior and the Apostles and rejected
the Lord and the Gospel; and all that
Moses, Jesus, the Apostles and the
Prophets spoke concerning Israel,
Judah and Jerusalem came to pass to
the very letter.
All the Prophets and Apostles who
have written since man was placed
upon the earth have seen our day,
and have prophesied of the events
which were to take place on the earth
in the last dispensation and fullness
of times. They have seen the Church
of God, the Zion of God, and the
Kingdom of God established on the
earth, and the gathering of the peo-
ple from all nations to build them up,
and the judgments of God which
were to rest, in the last days, upon
all nations who should fight against
Mount Zion and the people of God.
Now, I wish to ask the Latter-day
Saints if they can for a moment think
that the Lord will fail in these days
in fulfilling His promises any more
than He has in other dispensations?
No; He will not.
In fulfillment of his sayings through
the mouths of those ancient Apostles
and Prophets, the Lord has set His
hand once more, for the last time, to
prune His vineyard and to establish
His Church and Kingdom upon the
earth, to be thrown down no more
forever. He has raised up His Pro-
phets and Apostles and revealed unto
them the fulness of the everlasting
Gospel, and given unto them the
everlasting priesthoods of Aaron and
of Melchisedek. Joseph Smith was
raised up by the power of God, and
the administration of angels, and he
brought forth the Book of Mormon,
the record and stick of Joseph in the
hands of Ephraim, as spoken of by
the Prophet Ezekiel in the 37th chap-
ter. This Prophet of God, Joseph
Smith, had power to organize the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, according to the ancient or-
der of the Church of Christ, with
Apostles and Prophets, Evangelists,
Bishops, Pastors and Teachers. And
the Church has been led continually
by living oracles and the revelations
of God from Heaven until the present
day. It has now stood fifty-six years
since its organization, and its history
is before the heavens and the earth.
The Prophets and Apostles and many
Elders have gone forth and preached
the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many
nations, and tens of thousands of the
inhabitants of the earth have em-
braced the Gospel, been baptized for
the remission of their sins, have re-
ceived the Holy Ghost by the laying
on of hands, and have been gathered
home to Zion from many nations, in
fulfillment of the ancient Prophets,
who spoke as they were moved upon
by the Holy Ghost. Earth and hell
have been combined to stop the little
stone from rolling, and from becom-
ing a mountain and filling the whole
earth, as Daniel said it should in the
last days. [Daniel 2:26-47] Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, with several of the Apostles
and Elders and many Saints, have
already sealed their testimony with
thir blood, and to-day prisons are
crowded with the Elders of Israel for
keeping the commandments of God,
and many others have been driven
into exile for the same cause.
Many of the inhabitants of the land
are stirred up and are desirous to de-
stroy the Church and Kingdom of
God from off the earth. But they
know not the thoughts of the Lord,
neither understand they His ways.
The Gentile or Christian world to-day
can no more commit sins, and be
guilty of lying, stealing, blasphemy,
whoredoms, or murder, or commit
any abominations, and escape the
wrath of God, then could Sodom and
Gomorrah, or the antediluvian world,
or ancient Israel. The word of the
Lord has been proclaimed against the
Gentiles and all the inhabitants of
the earth in the last days who com-
mit sin, and it will as assuredly be
fulfilled as in ancient days. The Lord
has a controversy with this genera-
tion, and He will judge the inhabi-
tants according to the deeds done in
the body, and none can stay His
hand.
I want to say to the Saints of God
who dwell in the flesh to-day, that
the 56 years which have passed away
since the organization of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
have taken into the spirit world all
our Prophets, Apostles, Elders and
Saints who have finished their testi-
mony in the flesh. Their voice is
hushed in death and their testimony
is closed. They are mingling with
the spirits of the righteous and wait-
ing for the great day of the coming
of the Son of Man, when Jesus Christ
will come in the clouds of heaven to
reward every man according to the
deeds done in the body. But though
they have passed away, is the work
of God finished on the earth? Verily
no. Has the warning voice ceased
to be heard by the inhabitants of the
earth? It has not. All of us who
remain in the flesh are under as much
obligation to lift the warning voice
and reap while the day lasts as
were those who have passed away.
The Lord said to Ezekiel, "I have
made thee a watchman unto the
House of Israel." "When I say unto
the wicked, Thou shalt surely die;
and thou givest him not warning, nor
speakest to warn the wicked from his
wicked way, to save his life; the same
wicked man shall die in his iniquity;
but his blood will I require at thine
hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked,
and he turn not from his wickedness,
nor from his wicked way, he shall
die in his iniquity; but thou hast de-
livered thy soul." [Ezekiel 3:17-19] This is precisely
our condition to-day. As Apostles,
Seventies, High Priests, and Elders,
we and all men who bear any portion
of the Holy Priesthood, are watch-
men upon the walls of Zion and mes-
sengers to all the inhabitants of the
earth, and all of us will be held re-
sponsible if we do not improve our time
and lift the warning voice, as far as
we have opportunity, and warn this
generation of the judgments of God
which await them.
I know the judgments of God are
very nigh unto the door of this na-
tion and this generation, and they
will overtake the world before it is
prepared for that time. Even the
coming of the Son of Man is nigh,
and he will come as a thief in the
night. [2 Peter 3:10] Who is prepared to abide
the day of His coming? It is our
duty to labor and reap. Then every
man should be diligent in that sphere
in which he is called to act, that his
garments may be clean from the
blood of all men.
I do not believe there was ever a
generation of men who inhabited the
earth who were more wicked, or who
were practising greater abominations,
or who were sinning against greater
light and knowledge, or who had a
greater flood of judgments proclaimed
against them by the word of the Lord,
than the generation in which we live.
Therefore, as Saints of the living God,
who bear the Holy Priesthood, we
shall be under condemnation if we do
not lift up the warning voice against
the evils and abominations which ex-
ist, so far as we have opportunity.
How many woes the Prophets and
Apostles have proclaimed against
those who fight against Zion. "Woe
unto all those who discomfort my
people, and drive and murder them,
and testify against them, saith the
Lord of hosts. A generation of vipers
shall not escape the damnation of
hell. Behold, mine eyes see and
know all their works, and I have in
reserve a swift judgment, in the sea-
son thereof, for them all. For there
is a time appointed for every man,
according at his work shall be." [Doctrine and Covenants 121:23-25]
I will say to the Apostles, our re-
sponsibility is very great. The
Prophets who organized the Church
and laid the foundation of this last
dispensation, with a whole quorum
of Apostles, have finished their testi-
mony had gone into the spirit world.
We have been called to take their
places. What manner of men ought
we to be? The whole earth is ripen-
ing in iniquity, and the Zion of God
should be prepared for the coming of
the bridegroom. We should humble
ourselves before the Lord and be in a
position to be filled with the spirit of
our calling with the Holy Ghost, and
with the revelations of Jesus Christ,
that we may know the mind and will
of God concerning us, and be pre-
pared to magnify our calling and
bring to pass righteousness, and be
valiant in the testimony of Jesus
Christ to the end of our pilgrimage,
here in the flesh. The Prophets,
Apostles, and all the heavenly hosts
are watching over us. There never
was a time when the work of God re-
quired a more faithful testimony and
labor from the Apostles and Elders
than to-day.
I would say to the Saints, who
stand connected with the quorum of
the Twelve Apostles, as messengers
to the nations of the earth, it has
fal,en to your lot to go forth and
assist to prune the vineyard once
more, and for the last time, before
the coming of the Son of Man. The
Lord said, fifty seven years ago, that
the field was white for the harvest,
and He had set His hand to prune
the vineyard once more, and for the
last time. The Elders were com-
manded at that day to thrust in their
sickle and reap while it was called
to-day, for soon night would come,
when no man could reap. [Doctrine and Covenants 11:3] Brethren,
it is much nearer night now than it
was fifty-seven years ago. The
Savior said at that day, that the
angels were crying day and night for
the privilege to go forth and reap
down the earth. He informed them
they must wait a little season until
the harvest was fully ripe. The na-
tions must be warned, Zion must be
established, and the wheat, or the
Saints, be gathered into the garner,
then the angels might go forth and
reap the tares, gather them in bun-
bles and prepare them for the burn-
ing. [Doctrine and Covenants 86:5-7]
Since that day many thousands of
the Saints have been gathered to
Zion from the nations of the earth.
But you are called upon at this late
day to still go forth and warn the
Gentiles with the proclamation of
the Gospel. Therefore, brethren,
you who are called to go into the
vineyard, whether Apostles, High
Priests, Seventies, or Elders, do not
be weary in well doing. Remember,
you are messengers of salvation.
Keep yourselves pure and spotless
before God and all men. Seek to
bring to pass righteousness, and save
the souls of men. Labor faithfully
that your garments may be clean
from the blood of all men, and that
the nations may be left without ex-
cuse in the day of God's judgments
upon the wicked, which is nigh at
hand, and those judgments will be
poured out without measure.
All the messengers in the vineyard
should be righteous and holy men,
and call upon the Lord in mighty
prayer, in order to prevail. It is the
privilege of every Elder in Israel,
who is laboring in the vineyard, if
he will live up to his privileges, to
have dreams, visions, and revelations,
and the Holy Ghost as a constant
companion, that he may be able thor-
oughly to gather out the blood of
Israel and the meek of the earth and
bring them into the fold of Christ.
It is true that the Elders who are
called to bear record of the Gospel of
Christ to the nations of the earth are
many times called to pass through
persecutions for the Gospel's sake,
and in some instances to lay down
their lives, as did the ancient Saints,
and quite a number in our day, for
Christ's sake. But there seems to be
a special crown of glory laid up for
every man who is martyed for
Christ's sake and the Gospel's. No
matter in what age of the world he
lays down his life for Christ's, he will
find it again, and eternal life in the
world to come. Therefore, brethren,
let us be diligent in our labors in this
last hour in the vineyard. The Lord
said to Oliver Cowdery, if he labored
all the days of his life and saved but
one soul, how great would be his joy
in the Kingdom of Heaven with that
one soul. [Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16] We have everything to en-
courage us in our labors in the vine-
yard of the Lord.
While this labor is going on among
the nations of the earth, there is a
great labor and responsibility resting
upon the whole ministry who dwell
in Zion. There is labor sufficient for
every man who bears any portion of
the Holy Priesthood in the various
capacities in which the brethren are
called to act. The High Priests,
whose calling is to preside, are called
upon to officiate in Zion as High
Councilors, Presidents of Stakes and
Counselors, Bishops and Counselors,
Superintendents of Sabbath Schools
and mutual improvement associa-
tions. In every capacity in which
they are called to act, they have an
immense field in which to improve
their talents and magnify their call-
ings. Here is where the High Priests
are mainly called to preside, officiate
and labor.
There never was a time when the
Holy Priesthood, in all its various
branches, offices and labors, had a
greater work to perform than in our
day. The searching out of iniquity,
the purifying, sanctifying and cleans-
ing of the people, the uniting of the
Saints and the general perfecting of
Zion resting upon the brethren and
the Holy Priesthood who dwell in
Zion.
The whole Church, both priest and
people, should give diligent heed to
the late Epistle of the First Presiden-
cy, which has been published to the
world. The counsel they have given
upon the various items they have re-
ferred to should be strictly carried
out. The breaking of the Sabbath
day and pleasure excursions upon
that day should not be indulged in
by the Latter-day Saints. The Pres-
idents of Stakes and their counselors,
the Bishops and their counselors,
whose immediate duty it is to watch
over the stakes and wards, have a
great responsibility and duty to per-
form. Iniquity must be sought out.
Zion cannot prosper when sin and in-
quity are permitted to dwell in her
midst.
One of the most important and re-
sponsible fields of labor in Zion is
that committed to the care of those
who preside over and teach in the
primaries, Sabbath schools, and im-
provement associations, and those
who are teaching private day schools
among the Latter-day Saints. Who
can comprehend the result of the la-
bor performed by the Elders of Israel
in these branches? No man, unless
filled with the revelations of Heaven
and the inspiration of Almighty God.
We send out hundreds of Elders, who
go to the nations of the earth to
preach the Gospel of Christ. After
spending two or three years as mis-
sionaries, if they have converted a
dozen souls and brought them into
the Church, they think they have
done a good work, which they cer-
tainly have. But here, the Elders
who are presiding over the teaching
in these institutions in Zion, filled
with the children of the Saints, have
an army of immortal souls before
them to guide and teach, and to di-
rect their minds, that they may
be qualified to step forth and take
hold of the Church and kingdom of
God and build it up and bear it off
triumphantly, after their fathers and
elders are laid in the tomb. O what a
mission is given to the sons of Eph-
raim, the Elders of Israel, the Latter-
day Saints! To warn the whole world
of the judgments which are to come,
preach the Gospel to all people, gath-
er the saints from all nations, build
up Zion, and prepare for the coming
of the Son of Man, standing in holy
places, while judgments waste the
wicked.
There is one admonition of our
Savior that all the Saints of God
should observe, but which, I fear, we
do not as we should, and that is, to
pray always and faint not. I fear, as
a people, we do not pray enough, in
faith. We should call upon the Lord
in mighty prayer, and make all our
wants known unto Him. For if He
does not protect and deliver us and
save us, no other power will. There-
fore our trust is entirely in Him.
Therefore our prayers should ascend
into the ears of our heavenly Father
day and night.
I want to say a few words to our
brethren who are in prison, or under
bonds, or driven into exile for our
religion, or for keeping the command-
ments of God. You should not think
that any strange thing has happened
unto you. Persecution is a legacy
that has been handed down from
father Adam to our day. It was said
of old that all men who lived godly
in Christ Jesus should suffer perse-
cution. If we meet with no persecu-
tion in our day, we shall hardly feel
at home when we go into the spirit
world and meet with the ancient
prophets and with Christ and the
Apostles, who passed through much
persecution and tribulation. Many
of them were crucified or otherwise
put to death. They sealed their tes-
timony with their own blood, as was
the case with Joseph and Hyrum and
several of the Apostles, Elders, and
Saints in our day.
As Elders of Israel, while we are
passing through these afflictions, let
us not cherish revenge or hatred in
our hearts towards our persecutors.
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord." [Romans 12:19] Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, when nailed to the cross,
and while in the agony of death,
cried, "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do." [Luke 23:34] Why did
He say this to His Father in Heaven?
Because the Son of God knew full
well what would be the result of His
death upen the heads of His mur-
derers. He knew what awaited the
whole Jewish nation, when that peo-
ple said, "Let His blood be on us
and on our children." [Matthew 27:25] He fully com-
prehended the great suffering that
awaited the Jews and their posterity
for the next eighteen hundred years.
He knew that all that Moses and the
Prophets, as well as what He had
spoken Himself, against the Jewish
nation, would come to pass; for God
had spoken it through them, and
his words never fail.
No infidel on earth can deny the
fact that Jerusalem was overthrown,
the foundation of the Temple dug up
and not one stone left upon another.
The Jews fell by famine, by pestilence
and by the sword, until twelve hun-
dred thousand dead bodies were car-
ried through the gates outside of the
walls of Jerusalem during the dis-
tress of the siege under Titus, and a
remnant was taken captive and scat-
tered throughout the world among
the Gentile nations, and the Jews
have been a hiss and a byword, and
have been trampled under the feet
of the Gentiles until the present day,
and the end is not yet, the yoke is
not yet broken from off their necks.
All this has come to pass in fulfil-
ment of the Word of God to the
Jewish nation. So I say to all my
brethren who are in exile, or in
prison, for the Gospel's sake, or for
keeping the commandments of God,
do not harbor any vengeance or ha-
tred against this nation, or against
those who have aided or abetted in
your sufferings, but rather go before
the Lord and pray that He will sof-
ten the hearts of the rulers of the na-
tion, that they will give unto the
Latter day Saints the same rights and
privileges in the worshiping of God
according to the dictates of their own
consciences as are guaranteed by the
Constitution of our Government,
which was given by the inspiration
of the God of heaven for a wise pur-
pose in Himself.
If I am asked why I make this re-
quest of my brethren, I answer, for
the same reason that Jesus said,
"Father, forgive them; for the know
not what they do." For as the God
of heaven fulfilled all His words
which He spoke concerning Judea
and Jerusalem, so will He fulfill all
that He has spoken concerning the
Gentiles and all the nations of the
earth in the last days.
I will here say, as truly as the God
of heaven lives, and has established
His throne on high, just so truly will
He bring to pass the fulfilment of
His words. He will pour out that
flood of judgments upon our nation
and upon all the nations of the earth,
which has been proclaimed by every
inspired man since the world began.
The seals will be opened, the plagues
poured out, and Great Babylon will
fall. This generation has been warn-
ed for the last fifty years by inspired
and righteous men, and after their
testimony will come the testimony of
thundering, of lightning, of floods,
of earthquakes, and of pestilence,
and famine, and war, and the flames
of devouring fire, for by fire and by
sword will the Lord plead with all
flesh and the slain of the Lord will
be many. For the Lord has said,
"My sword is bathed in heaven, and
it shall fall upon Idumea, or the
world: and who is able to stand?" [Isaiah 34:5]
No power on earth can stay the
hand of God in this work. The God
of heaven will teach this nation and
all other nations on earth, that He is
stronger than man. He pays no re-
gard to nations or numbers, in the
fulfillment of his purposes, for He
holds in His hand the destiny of all
men and nations, and no power be-
neath the heavens can hinder His
work. The God of Israel has set his
hand to gather His people from all
nations and build up His Church and
establish Zion in all that beauty,
power, and glory which Isaiah and
other Prophets saw, and to build up
His kingdom, which shall fill the
whole earth, and in which Jesus of
Nazareth will establish his throne
and sit thereon, and reign over the
earth for one thousand years, as the
Prophet Daniel and other Prophets
have declared. And it will come to
pass in spite of earth and hell and all
the unbelief of the whole Christian
Gentile world. If our nation or the
Gentiles do not believe this, let them
wait and see, and they will not have
to wait long before they will see the
signs manifest of the beginning of
these things. So far as the Saints are
concerned, the Spirit of God will bear
record to their spirits as they read
these testimonies, of their truth.
I will close by quoting the testi-
mony of Ezekiel in the 24th chapter
14th verse—"I the Lord have spoken
it; it shall come to pass, and I will do
it; 1 [I] will not go back, neither will I
repent; according to thy ways, and
according to thy doings, shall they
judge thee, saith the Lord God."
WILFORD WOODRUFF.
.
AN EPISTLE.
Apostle Woodruff's Cheering Counsels to the Saints.
To the Saints Scattered Abroad; Greeting:
DEAR BRETHREN: I feel desirous to
express myself upon the present condition of Zion and its inhabitants.
The history which we are making as
Latter-day Saints is strictly in fulfilment of the revelations of God, as
given through the mouths of Prophets
and inspired men to the inhabitants
of the earth in every dispensation
when God has had an acknowledged
people on the earth. The God of
heaven, who created this earth and
placed His children upon it, gave
unto them a law whereby they might
be exalted and saved in a kingdom of
glory. For there is a law given unto
all kingdoms, and all things are
governed by law throughout the
whole universe. Whatever law anyone keeps he is preserved by that
law, and he receives whatever reward that law guarantees unto him.
It is the will of God that all His children should obey the highest law,
that they may receive the highest
glory that is ordained for all immortal beings. But God has given all
His children an agency, to choose
what law they will keep.
These two principles do exist—
good and evil; God and the Devil.
Whatever leads to good and to do
good is of God. Whatever leads to
evil and to do evil is of the Devil.
God has labored from the creation of
man to lead him to keep the celestial
law, that he may inherit a celestial
glory and partake of eternal life, the
greatest of all the gifts of God to man:
while the Devil, with all the fallen
angels, has labored from the creation
to lead man astray, to lead him down
to the perdition of ungodly men, that
he may have dominion over him.
These two principles have governed
and controlled the acts of all the children of men, and laid the foundation
for all the history of the whole world
for the last six thousand years, or
from the creation of man. This
power of the Devil, and of all the
fallen angels, who are represented to
have been one-third part of all the
hosts of heaven, who were cast down
from heaven to earth, has been at
war against God and His Christ, and
against every Prophet and Apostle
and inspired man whom God has
raised up, from the creation of the
world to the present day. The first
man, Adam, under the influence of
the Devil, transgressed a law by
which death came into the world.
God the Eternal Father gave His only
begotten Son, as a great sacrifice, to
shed His blood to redeem man from
death. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The God of heaven, whom we worship, is represented as the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost. The
Father and Son have tabernacles, and
they created man after their own
image. But the Holy Ghost is a
spirit and a witness and a testimony
of the Father and the Son. This
Holy Ghost and witness are promised
unto all men who will obey the law
of the Gospel, which God has revealed to the human family. This
Holy Ghost rested upon Adam when
he blessed his posterity in Adamondi-Ahman, three years previous to
his death.
The Lord gave unto Adam and
many of his sons the Holy Priesthood, whereby they could administer
in the ordinances of the Gospel of
life and salvation. The Lord has
raised up men in every dispensation,
when He has had a people on earth
unto whom He has given the Priesthood, and all people have been
blessed when they have hearkened to
the voice of the Lord. On the other
hand, when the inhabitants of the
earth have become wicked, and have
transgressed the law of God, they
have been chastised, and when they
have become ripened in iniquity they
have been cut off from the earth, as
in the case of Noah and Lot, and "as
it was in the days of Noah, so shall it
be also in the days of the Son of
Man." The righteous were saved
while the wicked were destroyed.
The whole history of the dealings
of the Lord with man has shown the
benefits and blessings of obeying the
Lord and keeping His command
ments. The history of the dealings
of the Lord with ancient Israel shows
that He blessed the righteous and
cursed the wicked and brought His
judgments upon them. Whenever
Israel hearkened to the teachings of
Moses and the prophets, they prospered, and their enemies were a prey
unto them. But when they departed from the Lord and set up altars to
Baal, and committed sin, the Lord
forsook them, as in the case of Judah
and Jerusalem, in the days of Zedekiah the King. He forsook the Lord,
and led the people astray. They
were full of blood and murder and
whoredom and all manner of abominations, and the Lord warned them
through His Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These Prophets
told the king and the people what
judgements would come upon them,
and the Lord said by Ezekiel unto
the king and the people, "What I
have spoken shall be done." Now
all that these Prophets said came to
pass. Not one jot nor tittle fell unfulfilled. The Jews put to death the
Savior and the Apostles and rejected
the Lord and the Gospel; and all that
Moses, Jesus, the Apostles and the
Prophets spoke concerning Israel,
Judah and Jerusalem came to pass to
the very letter.
All the Prophets and Apostles who
have written since man was placed
upon the earth have seen our day,
and have prophesied of the events
which were to take place on the earth
in the last dispensation and fullness
of times. They have seen the Church
of God, the Zion of God, and the
Kingdom of God established on the
earth, and the gathering of the people from all nations to build them up,
and the judgments of God which
were to rest, in the last days, upon
all nations who should fight against
Mount Zion and the people of God.
Now, I wish to ask the Latter-day
Saints if they can for a moment think
that the Lord will fail in these days
in fulfilling His promises any more
than He has in other dispensations?
No; He will not.
In fulfillment of his sayings through
the mouths of those ancient Apostles
and Prophets, the Lord has set His
hand once more, for the last time, to
prune His vineyard and to establish
His Church and Kingdom upon the
earth, to be thrown down no more
forever. He has raised up His Prophets and Apostles and revealed unto
them the fulness of the everlasting
Gospel, and given unto them the
everlasting priesthoods of Aaron and
of Melchisedek. Joseph Smith was
raised up by the power of God, and
the administration of angels, and he
brought forth the Book of Mormon,
the record and stick of Joseph in the
hands of Ephraim, as spoken of by
the Prophet Ezekiel in the 37th chapter. This Prophet of God, Joseph
Smith, had power to organize the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, according to the ancient order of the Church of Christ, with
Apostles and Prophets, Evangelists,
Bishops, Pastors and Teachers. And
the Church has been led continually
by living oracles and the revelations
of God from Heaven until the present
day. It has now stood fifty-six years
since its organization, and its history
is before the heavens and the earth.
The Prophets and Apostles and many
Elders have gone forth and preached
the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many
nations, and tens of thousands of the
inhabitants of the earth have embraced the Gospel, been baptized for
the remission of their sins, have received the Holy Ghost by the laying
on of hands, and have been gathered
home to Zion from many nations, in
fulfillment of the ancient Prophets,
who spoke as they were moved upon
by the Holy Ghost. Earth and hell
have been combined to stop the little
stone from rolling, and from becoming a mountain and filling the whole
earth, as Daniel said it should in the
last days. Joseph Smith, his brother
Hyrum, with several of the Apostles
and Elders and many Saints, have
already sealed their testimony with
thir blood, and to-day prisons are
crowded with the Elders of Israel for
keeping the commandments of God,
and many others have been driven
into exile for the same cause.
Many of the inhabitants of the land
are stirred up and are desirous to destroy the Church and Kingdom of
God from off the earth. But they
know not the thoughts of the Lord,
neither understand they His ways.
The Gentile or Christian world to-day
can no more commit sins, and be
guilty of lying, stealing, blasphemy,
whoredoms, or murder, or commit
any abominations, and escape the
wrath of God, then could Sodom and
Gomorrah, or the antediluvian world,
or ancient Israel. The word of the
Lord has been proclaimed against the
Gentiles and all the inhabitants of
the earth in the last days who commit sin, and it will as assuredly be
fulfilled as in ancient days. The Lord
has a controversy with this generation, and He will judge the inhabitants according to the deeds done in
the body, and none can stay His
hand.
I want to say to the Saints of God
who dwell in the flesh to-day, that
the 56 years which have passed away
since the organization of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
have taken into the spirit world all
our Prophets, Apostles, Elders and
Saints who have finished their testimony in the flesh. Their voice is
hushed in death and their testimony
is closed. They are mingling with
the spirits of the righteous and waiting for the great day of the coming
of the Son of Man, when Jesus Christ
will come in the clouds of heaven to
reward every man according to the
deeds done in the body. But though
they have passed away, is the work
of God finished on the earth? Verily
no. Has the warning voice ceased
to be heard by the inhabitants of the
earth? It has not. All of us who
remain in the flesh are under as much
obligation to lift the warning voice
and reap while the day lasts as
were those who have passed away.
The Lord said to Ezekiel, "I have
made thee a watchman unto the
House of Israel." "When I say unto
the wicked, Thou shalt surely die;
and thou givest him not warning, nor
speakest to warn the wicked from his
wicked way, to save his life; the same
wicked man shall die in his iniquity;
but his blood will I require at thine
hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked,
and he turn not from his wickedness,
nor from his wicked way, he shall
die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." This is precisely
our condition to-day. As Apostles,
Seventies, High Priests, and Elders,
we and all men who bear any portion
of the Holy Priesthood, are watchmen upon the walls of Zion and messengers to all the inhabitants of the
earth, and all of us will be held responsible if we do not improve our time
and lift the warning voice, as far as
we have opportunity, and warn this
generation of the judgments of God
which await them.
I know the judgments of God are
very nigh unto the door of this nation and this generation, and they
will overtake the world before it is
prepared for that time. Even the
coming of the Son of Man is nigh,
and he will come as a thief in the
night. Who is prepared to abide
the day of His coming? It is our
duty to labor and reap. Then every
man should be diligent in that sphere
in which he is called to act, that his
garments may be clean from the
blood of all men.
I do not believe there was ever a
generation of men who inhabited the
earth who were more wicked, or who
were practising greater abominations,
or who were sinning against greater
light and knowledge, or who had a
greater flood of judgments proclaimed
against them by the word of the Lord,
than the generation in which we live.
Therefore, as Saints of the living God,
who bear the Holy Priesthood, we
shall be under condemnation if we do
not lift up the warning voice against
the evils and abominations which exist, so far as we have opportunity.
How many woes the Prophets and
Apostles have proclaimed against
those who fight against Zion. "Woe
unto all those who discomfort my
people, and drive and murder them,
and testify against them, saith the
Lord of hosts. A generation of vipers
shall not escape the damnation of
hell. Behold, mine eyes see and
know all their works, and I have in
reserve a swift judgment, in the season thereof, for them all. For there
is a time appointed for every man,
according at his work shall be."
I will say to the Apostles, our responsibility is very great. The
Prophets who organized the Church
and laid the foundation of this last
dispensation, with a whole quorum
of Apostles, have finished their testimony had gone into the spirit world.
We have been called to take their
places. What manner of men ought
we to be? The whole earth is ripening in iniquity, and the Zion of God
should be prepared for the coming of
the bridegroom. We should humble
ourselves before the Lord and be in a
position to be filled with the spirit of
our calling with the Holy Ghost, and
with the revelations of Jesus Christ,
that we may know the mind and will
of God concerning us, and be prepared to magnify our calling and
bring to pass righteousness, and be
valiant in the testimony of Jesus
Christ to the end of our pilgrimage,
here in the flesh. The Prophets,
Apostles, and all the heavenly hosts
are watching over us. There never
was a time when the work of God required a more faithful testimony and
labor from the Apostles and Elders
than to-day.
I would say to the Saints, who
stand connected with the quorum of
the Twelve Apostles, as messengers
to the nations of the earth, it has
fal,en to your lot to go forth and
assist to prune the vineyard once
more, and for the last time, before
the coming of the Son of Man. The
Lord said, fifty seven years ago, that
the field was white for the harvest,
and He had set His hand to prune
the vineyard once more, and for the
last time. The Elders were commanded at that day to thrust in their
sickle and reap while it was called
to-day, for soon night would come,
when no man could reap. Brethren,
it is much nearer night now than it
was fifty-seven years ago. The
Savior said at that day, that the
angels were crying day and night for
the privilege to go forth and reap
down the earth. He informed them
they must wait a little season until
the harvest was fully ripe. The nations must be warned, Zion must be
established, and the wheat, or the
Saints, be gathered into the garner,
then the angels might go forth and
reap the tares, gather them in bunbles and prepare them for the burning.
Since that day many thousands of
the Saints have been gathered to
Zion from the nations of the earth.
But you are called upon at this late
day to still go forth and warn the
Gentiles with the proclamation of
the Gospel. Therefore, brethren,
you who are called to go into the
vineyard, whether Apostles, High
Priests, Seventies, or Elders, do not
be weary in well doing. Remember,
you are messengers of salvation.
Keep yourselves pure and spotless
before God and all men. Seek to
bring to pass righteousness, and save
the souls of men. Labor faithfully
that your garments may be clean
from the blood of all men, and that
the nations may be left without excuse in the day of God's judgments
upon the wicked, which is nigh at
hand, and those judgments will be
poured out without measure.
All the messengers in the vineyard
should be righteous and holy men,
and call upon the Lord in mighty
prayer, in order to prevail. It is the
privilege of every Elder in Israel,
who is laboring in the vineyard, if
he will live up to his privileges, to
have dreams, visions, and revelations,
and the Holy Ghost as a constant
companion, that he may be able thoroughly to gather out the blood of
Israel and the meek of the earth and
bring them into the fold of Christ.
It is true that the Elders who are
called to bear record of the Gospel of
Christ to the nations of the earth are
many times called to pass through
persecutions for the Gospel's sake,
and in some instances to lay down
their lives, as did the ancient Saints,
and quite a number in our day, for
Christ's sake. But there seems to be
a special crown of glory laid up for
every man who is martyed for
Christ's sake and the Gospel's. No
matter in what age of the world he
lays down his life for Christ's, he will
find it again, and eternal life in the
world to come. Therefore, brethren,
let us be diligent in our labors in this
last hour in the vineyard. The Lord
said to Oliver Cowdery, if he labored
all the days of his life and saved but
one soul, how great would be his joy
in the Kingdom of Heaven with that
one soul. We have everything to encourage us in our labors in the vineyard of the Lord.
While this labor is going on among
the nations of the earth, there is a
great labor and responsibility resting
upon the whole ministry who dwell
in Zion. There is labor sufficient for
every man who bears any portion of
the Holy Priesthood in the various
capacities in which the brethren are
called to act. The High Priests,
whose calling is to preside, are called
upon to officiate in Zion as High
Councilors, Presidents of Stakes and
Counselors, Bishops and Counselors,
Superintendents of Sabbath Schools
and mutual improvement associations. In every capacity in which
they are called to act, they have an
immense field in which to improve
their talents and magnify their callings. Here is where the High Priests
are mainly called to preside, officiate
and labor.
There never was a time when the
Holy Priesthood, in all its various
branches, offices and labors, had a
greater work to perform than in our
day. The searching out of iniquity,
the purifying, sanctifying and cleansing of the people, the uniting of the
Saints and the general perfecting of
Zion resting upon the brethren and
the Holy Priesthood who dwell in
Zion.
The whole Church, both priest and
people, should give diligent heed to
the late Epistle of the First Presidency, which has been published to the
world. The counsel they have given
upon the various items they have referred to should be strictly carried
out. The breaking of the Sabbath
day and pleasure excursions upon
that day should not be indulged in
by the Latter-day Saints. The Presidents of Stakes and their counselors,
the Bishops and their counselors,
whose immediate duty it is to watch
over the stakes and wards, have a
great responsibility and duty to perform. Iniquity must be sought out.
Zion cannot prosper when sin and inquity are permitted to dwell in her
midst.
One of the most important and responsible fields of labor in Zion is
that committed to the care of those
who preside over and teach in the
primaries, Sabbath schools, and improvement associations, and those
who are teaching private day schools
among the Latter-day Saints. Who
can comprehend the result of the labor performed by the Elders of Israel
in these branches? No man, unless
filled with the revelations of Heaven
and the inspiration of Almighty God.
We send out hundreds of Elders, who
go to the nations of the earth to
preach the Gospel of Christ. After
spending two or three years as missionaries, if they have converted a
dozen souls and brought them into
the Church, they think they have
done a good work, which they certainly have. But here, the Elders
who are presiding over the teaching
in these institutions in Zion, filled
with the children of the Saints, have
an army of immortal souls before
them to guide and teach, and to direct their minds, that they may
be qualified to step forth and take
hold of the Church and kingdom of
God and build it up and bear it off
triumphantly, after their fathers and
elders are laid in the tomb. O what a
mission is given to the sons of Ephraim, the Elders of Israel, the Latterday Saints! To warn the whole world
of the judgments which are to come,
preach the Gospel to all people, gather the saints from all nations, build
up Zion, and prepare for the coming
of the Son of Man, standing in holy
places, while judgments waste the
wicked.
There is one admonition of our
Savior that all the Saints of God
should observe, but which, I fear, we
do not as we should, and that is, to
pray always and faint not. I fear, as
a people, we do not pray enough, in
faith. We should call upon the Lord
in mighty prayer, and make all our
wants known unto Him. For if He
does not protect and deliver us and
save us, no other power will. Therefore our trust is entirely in Him.
Therefore our prayers should ascend
into the ears of our heavenly Father
day and night.
I want to say a few words to our
brethren who are in prison, or under
bonds, or driven into exile for our
religion, or for keeping the commandments of God. You should not think
that any strange thing has happened
unto you. Persecution is a legacy
that has been handed down from
father Adam to our day. It was said
of old that all men who lived godly
in Christ Jesus should suffer persecution. If we meet with no persecution in our day, we shall hardly feel
at home when we go into the spirit
world and meet with the ancient
prophets and with Christ and the
Apostles, who passed through much
persecution and tribulation. Many
of them were crucified or otherwise
put to death. They sealed their testimony with their own blood, as was
the case with Joseph and Hyrum and
several of the Apostles, Elders, and
Saints in our day.
As Elders of Israel, while we are
passing through these afflictions, let
us not cherish revenge or hatred in
our hearts towards our persecutors.
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord." Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, when nailed to the cross,
and while in the agony of death,
cried, "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do." Why did
He say this to His Father in Heaven?
Because the Son of God knew full
well what would be the result of His
death upen the heads of His murderers. He knew what awaited the
whole Jewish nation, when that people said, "Let His blood be on us
and on our children." He fully comprehended the great suffering that
awaited the Jews and their posterity
for the next eighteen hundred years.
He knew that all that Moses and the
Prophets, as well as what He had
spoken Himself, against the Jewish
nation, would come to pass; for God
had spoken it through them, and
his words never fail.
No infidel on earth can deny the
fact that Jerusalem was overthrown,
the foundation of the Temple dug up
and not one stone left upon another.
The Jews fell by famine, by pestilence
and by the sword, until twelve hundred thousand dead bodies were carried through the gates outside of the
walls of Jerusalem during the distress of the siege under Titus, and a
remnant was taken captive and scattered throughout the world among
the Gentile nations, and the Jews
have been a hiss and a byword, and
have been trampled under the feet
of the Gentiles until the present day,
and the end is not yet, the yoke is
not yet broken from off their necks.
All this has come to pass in fulfilment of the Word of God to the
Jewish nation. So I say to all my
brethren who are in exile, or in
prison, for the Gospel's sake, or for
keeping the commandments of God,
do not harbor any vengeance or hatred against this nation, or against
those who have aided or abetted in
your sufferings, but rather go before
the Lord and pray that He will soften the hearts of the rulers of the nation, that they will give unto the
Latter day Saints the same rights and
privileges in the worshiping of God
according to the dictates of their own
consciences as are guaranteed by the
Constitution of our Government,
which was given by the inspiration
of the God of heaven for a wise purpose in Himself.
If I am asked why I make this request of my brethren, I answer, for
the same reason that Jesus said,
"Father, forgive them; for the know
not what they do." For as the God
of heaven fulfilled all His words
which He spoke concerning Judea
and Jerusalem, so will He fulfill all
that He has spoken concerning the
Gentiles and all the nations of the
earth in the last days.
I will here say, as truly as the God
of heaven lives, and has established
His throne on high, just so truly will
He bring to pass the fulfilment of
His words. He will pour out that
flood of judgments upon our nation
and upon all the nations of the earth,
which has been proclaimed by every
inspired man since the world began.
The seals will be opened, the plagues
poured out, and Great Babylon will
fall. This generation has been warned for the last fifty years by inspired
and righteous men, and after their
testimony will come the testimony of
thundering, of lightning, of floods,
of earthquakes, and of pestilence,
and famine, and war, and the flames
of devouring fire, for by fire and by
sword will the Lord plead with all
flesh and the slain of the Lord will
be many. For the Lord has said,
"My sword is bathed in heaven, and
it shall fall upon Idumea, or the
world: and who is able to stand?"
No power on earth can stay the
hand of God in this work. The God
of heaven will teach this nation and
all other nations on earth, that He is
stronger than man. He pays no regard to nations or numbers, in the
fulfillment of his purposes, for He
holds in His hand the destiny of all
men and nations, and no power beneath the heavens can hinder His
work. The God of Israel has set his
hand to gather His people from all
nations and build up His Church and
establish Zion in all that beauty,
power, and glory which Isaiah and
other Prophets saw, and to build up
His kingdom, which shall fill the
whole earth, and in which Jesus of
Nazareth will establish his throne
and sit thereon, and reign over the
earth for one thousand years, as the
Prophet Daniel and other Prophets
have declared. And it will come to
pass in spite of earth and hell and all
the unbelief of the whole Christian
Gentile world. If our nation or the
Gentiles do not believe this, let them
wait and see, and they will not have
to wait long before they will see the
signs manifest of the beginning of
these things. So far as the Saints are
concerned, the Spirit of God will bear
record to their spirits as they read
these testimonies, of their truth.
I will close by quoting the testimony of Ezekiel in the 24th chapter
14th verse—"I the Lord have spoken
it; it shall come to pass, and I will do
it; 1 I will not go back, neither will I
repent; according to thy ways, and
according to thy doings, shall they
judge thee, saith the Lord God."
