Journal of Discourses/26

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Journal of Discourses, Volume 26

Volume 25

Journal of Discourses Volume 26

BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, HIS COUNSELORS, THE TWELVE APOSTLES AND OTHERS.

REPORTED BY GEO. F. GIBBS, JOHN IRVINE AND OTHERS.

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN ALL THE WORLD.

VOL. XXVI.

ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL.

LIVERPOOL: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DANIEL H. WELLS, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON: LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 19, SUTHERLAND STREET, PIMLICO, LONDON, S. W.

1886

Preface

BY the blessing of our Heavenly Father we are enabled to present to our readers Volume Twenty-six of the JOURNAL of DISCOURSES.

It will not be less appreciated because its completion has been some what delayed by the unsettled condition of things in Utah, caused by persecution. The First Presidency and many of the Apostles have had to partially withdraw from public life to avoid the consequences of mock trials and packed juries with which a prejudiced and wicked judiciary are seeking to harass the servants of God, and hence public discourses by these brethren have lately been rare.

But while power is thus given to our enemies for a little season, when the purposes of the Almighty have been accomplished thereby, this temporary cloud will pass away and leave Zion purer, freer and more powerful than before.

THE PUBLISHER

1. Blessings Follow Certain Ordinances by Franklin D. Richards (1-3)
2. Causes that Govern us in Settling New Places—Our Respect for the Constitution of Our Country—We Must not Concede Principle for the Privilege of State Government—Practical Men have Held Office—The Kingdom of God Protects all Religions—Holding the Priesthood Should not Disqualify from Holding Civil Office or Giving Counsel by George Q. Cannon (3-17)
3. The Personality of God—Vagueness of the Common Idea of Deity—Who and What God is—The Spirits of Men the Offspring of God—Spirit not Immaterial—The Trinity Creed of Christendom—Man May Become Like God in His Glory by Charles W. Penrose (18-29)
4. Object of Gathering—Our Principles and Organization Revealed from God—Our Faith not Affected by the Ideas of Men—Our Dependence Upon God—Enoch’s City—God’s Justice in Sending the Flood—The Lord will Bless His People—We Will Stand by the Constitution Though Others Ignore It by John Taylor (30-39)
5. The Second Coming of Our Savior—Preaching of the Gospel and the Signs Following—The Gathering—Hatred of the World Toward the Latter-day Saints—No Power Can Overthrow the Work of God—Exhortations to Faithfulness by George Q. Cannon (39-47)
6. Visit to the South—Testimony Obtained from God—Necessity and Benefits of Prayer by George Teasdale (48-54)
7. Power Attending the Action of General Conferences—God Confirms the Authority of His Servants by Manifestations of His Power and Favor—Joseph Smith Chosen and Ordained to Organize the Church of God—The Lord Revealed to the Saints His Choice of President Brigham Young, and Also of President John Taylor—Folly and Wickedness of Witchcraft by George Q. Cannon (55-66)
8. The Gathering—Our Territorial Condition and Organization—The Eternal Nature of Our Covenants—The Law of Ancient Israel, Which Require a Man to Marry His Brother’s Widow—Settlement of the Difficulty Connected with the Utah Lake and Jordan River Dam—The Flood—We Must Not Associate with the Wicked by John Taylor (66-76)
9. Similarity of Circumstances Surrounding Former and Latter-day Saints—God is no Respecter of Persons—Revelation to Enoch—Christ Preached to the Spirits in Prison Between the Times of His Crucification and Resurrection—All Must Hear the Gospel, and be Judged Thereby—We Must Progress or Retrograde by George Q. Cannon (77-87)
10. Hostility of the World to the Gospel—Rebellion of Lucifer in Heaven—Seth Given in Place of Abel—Wickedness of the Antediluvians—Enoch’s Zion—Necessity of Opposing Powers and Principles, That Men May be Tested—Difference Between Bigamy and Plural Marriage—Our Marriage Covenants are Eternal—Our children Should be Correctly Taught by John Taylor (87-97)
11. Our Labors are Interesting and Peculiar—Character of the Latter-day Saints—The Blessing and Privilege of Priesthood—The Primary Associations—Our Warfare is One of Faith—We Must Importune for Our Rights—Necessity for Good Lawyers—The Gift of Wisdom—Persecution Will Tend to Unite Us by F. D. Richards (98-104)
12. The Work of God Only Partially Understood—Manifestations of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph—The Priesthood Conferred Upon Him—Kirtland Temple, and the Ministrations of Moses and Elijah—Benefits and Uses of Temples—Public and Private Improvements Advocated—Children Should be Properly Taught—Wives Should be Kindly Treated—Exhortation to Virtue and Purity by John Taylor (105-113)
13. Communities are Made up of Family Organizations—The Marriage Relationship Instituted by the Almighty—Descent of the Human Family from God—Plural Marriage System of Ancient Israel—Potency of Love—Eternity of Marriage Necessarily Leads to Plural Marriage—Polygamic Form of Marriage Most Prevalent in the World—From Whence Monogamy is Derived—Monogamy Sometimes Necessary—Fruits of Monogamy and Plural Marriage Compared—The Saints Should Not Marry Outside the Church by H. W. Naisbitt (114-127)
14. Privilege of Meeting Together—We Are Here to Do Our Father’s Will—All Dependent Upon God for Assistance, Guidance and Direction—The Lord Revealed to Adam the Purpose of Sacrifice—Adam, Before His Death, Called His Family Together and Blessed Them and Prophesied—Many spirits Have Been Destined to Hold Certain Positions Among Men—Why We Are Gathered—We Must Follow the Teaching of the Spirit, and Honor the Priesthood in All its Callings—Prepare Ourselves to Enter Holy Places—The church Must be Purified—Concluding Exhortations by John Taylor (128-135)
15. Importance of Our Sunday Schools and Mutual Improvement Assocations—Necessity of Teaching Our Children the Principle of Virtue—The Lord Will Build up His Kingdom in His Own Way—Self Preservation Requires Us to be United—We have to Contend with Mobocracy in Legal Form and Guise—No One has Prospered in Opposing the Work of God by George Q. Cannon (136-148)
16. Visit to the South—Persecution in Arizona—An American Siberia—Persecutions in Missouri and Illinois not the Result of Polygamy—Affecting Reference to the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum—Judgment Begins at the House of God—Ex Post Facto Application of the Edmunds Law—Attempts of the Speaker to Conform to the Law as Far as Possible—No One Ever Punished, According to Law, For Killing a Mormon by John Taylor (148-157)
17. the Work of the Lord in the Sandwich Islands, and in New Zealand—The Inhabitants of These Islands Probably of the Blood of Israel—The Gentile Nations Have Measurably Rejected the Gospel, Hence Their Disunion and Scepticism—God is Our Only Trust—Our Mission is to Do Good—Education Can Only Modify, But the Holy Ghost Changes the Nature of Man—The Path of Duty is the Path of Safety and Blessing by George Reynolds (157-163)
18. Present Conditions—The Hatred of the World Toward the Saints—Why the Leaders of the Church are Attacked—The Purpose of Persecution—The Sifting Process—The Epistle of the First Presidency—The Gospel Revealed in This Day was the Gospel That was Revealed to Adam—More Revelation to be Given—When a Nation Perverts Justice, The Commences its Downfall—The Constitution of the United States—Exhortation to Faithfulness by F. D. Richards (164-173)
19. Love of Home—Visit to Friends—Sent to Preside Over the European Mission—Former Ill Health in England—Extensive System of Tract Distribution Inaugurated—Tribute to the Worth and Efficiency of the Missionaries—Report of the Condition of the Work in Various European Countries—America the Haven of Freedom—Truth has Ever Met with Persecution—No One Injured by Our Principles—Plural Marriage—The Social Evil by John Henry Smith (174-182)
20. The Latter-day Saints Attract Much Attention—God Has Revealed to Us the Purposes of Our Existence—God is the Father of Our Spirits—He Has Given Us an Agency—God Foreseeing that Adam Would Fall Prepared a Redeemer—The Conscience of Man is the Spirit of God Prompting Us to Do Right—God in His Wisdom Hides From us the Glories Beyond the Veil by George Q. Cannon (182-193)
21. God the Source of All Intelligence—Mankind His Offspring and the Instruments of His Will—He Overrules the Results of Men’s Actions—Pre-existence of Man and Plurality of Worlds—The Gospel One and Unchangeable—Charges of Exclusiveness, Etc., Against the Saints—The Christian World Deny Revelation and Repudiate Bible—Doctrine—The Gospel Restored and the Last Dispensation—What “Mormon” Treason Consists of—The Mission of the American Republic—A Fable and Its Application—A Prophecy—The Peacable Mission of the Saints by Orson F. Whitney (194-204)
22. The Speaker’s Pleasure in Again Meeting with the Saints, and Partaking of the Sacrament—The Companionship of the Holy Ghost is More Precious than Gold—Future Destiny of the Saints—Their Love for the Mountains—Blessings only Appreciated by Contrast—Nobility and Scarcity of Moral Courage—Tyranny of Public Opinion—What Constitutes a Son of Perdition—Truth has Ever Been Fiercely Opposed by Moses Thatcher (204-212)
23. The Creation—Male and Female—Calling of Enoch and Noah—God Selected Abraham and His Seed to be a Chosen People—Plural Marriage Enjoined Upon Abraham and His Seed to Make Them a Great People—The Principle of Life and Eternal Increase is a Spiritual Power—Modern Christendom Opposed to Large Families—The Edmunds Law Passed with the Pretence of Repressing Immorality Among the Mormons—That Mast of Hyposcrisy now Thrown Off—Concluding Exhortations by Erastus Snow (213-227)
24. Ignorance of the World Regarding the Latter-day Saints—Our Doctrines are Christian and are Substantiated by the Scriptures—Necessity of Present Revelation—First Principles of the Gospel—Organization of the Church of Christ—“Mormonism” is a Restoration of Ancient Christianity—Joseph Smith a True Prophet—Plural Marriage Practiced by Men of God in Miscalled Dark Ages by Henry W. Naisbitt (228-240)
25. Priesthood—Its Authority Necessary to Administer in the Ordinances of the Gospel—Jesus Officiated by Virtue of the Melchisedec Priesthood—Descent of the Priesthood from Adam—Necessity of Temples in Which the Power of the Priesthood can be Exercised for Those Who Died Without the Gospel—Restoration of the Priesthood in These Last Days—Binding Power of the Holy Priesthood—Opposition of Satan to the Priesthood—Virtues of the Latter-day Saints by George Q. Cannon (241-253)
26. Prosperous Condition of the Latter-day Saints in the Valleys of the Mountains—The Kingdom of God is One of Peace, While Those of the World are Kingdoms of War and Oppression—Exhortations to Faithfulness—The Saints are Not Using Carnal Weapons to Defend Themselves Against the Indians, Nor Against Their Enemies—The Blessings of God Invoked Upon the Saints by F. D. Richards (253-259)
27. Prophecy of John the Revelator—Mission of the Ancient Apostles—Their Reception and Fate—The Great Apostacy—Preservation of the Apostle John—His Revelation—Restoration of the Gospel—The Earth to be Baptized by Fire as it Was Once Baptized by Water—We are Sent to the World with a Warning Message—Testimony to the Truth of “Mormonism” by Orson F. Whitney (260-269)
28. Refusal of So-called Christians to Receive the Gospel of Christ—The Latter-day Saints Desire Investigation of Their Principles—The Truth Cannot be Destroyed—We Have Every Requisite for Self-government—We Must Maintain Our Fidelity to the Truth—Rarity of Crime Among the “Mormons”—Purity of “Mormon Homes—Character of the Latter-day Saints by Junius F. Wells (269-276)
29. Value of Liberty—Persecution Expected—Morse and Others Were at First Despised—God Overrules for Good—Faith and Works—Repentance and Baptism—Revelation—Witness of the Spirit—Mission of Joseph Smith—No Malice to Men, But Hatred of Their Wicked Acts—Plural Marriage by John Henry Smith (276-281)
30. The Way to Find Out God—Testimony of the Elders—“Whoso Receiveth You Receiveth Me”—The Missionary Learns to Know God is His Friend—We Must Suffer Persecution—Fruits of the Spirit—“Mormon” Society—Saints to Maintain Freedom and to Uphold the Constitution by George Q. Cannon (281-286)
31. Devotion to God—How It is Made Manifest— Divers Opinions—Liberty to Worship God—Jesus Christ the Savior of the World—His Apostles Were Unlearned Men—They Were Rejected By the Masses—Writings of the Prophets—Persecution for Righteousness' Sake—Selfishness—Love of Darkness Rather Than Light—Compromise of Principle—Infamy of Sacrificing Truth to Gain Place—God Must Be Obeyed Rather Than Man by George G. Bywater (287-295)
32. Parable of the Ten Virgins—Rapid Development of the Arts and Sciences—the Lord Hastening His Work in Its Time—Enmity Between the Church of Christ and the World—the Gathering Together of People From Every Nation After They Have Been Baptized Into One Spirit—the Law of Tithing—Blessings Which Follow Obedience Thereto—Binding Upon All, Rich and Poor Alike—Giving to the Poor—Power of the Principles of the Gospel and Effects of Their Observance—Jehovah—Jesus Christ—His Ministry—His Followers—Their Mission—Preaching to the Spirits in Prison—Baptism for the Dead—Saviors Upon Mount Zion—Responsibility Resting Upon the Saints—a Word of Encouragement to the Missionaries by F. D. Richards (296-303)
33. The Speaker's Dependence Upon the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost—Comprehensive and Exalted Nature of the Plan of Salvation—Satan's Coercive Scheme—the Sons of Perdition—the Testimony of Jesus—Physical and Moral Courage—True Religion is Practical—One Straight and Narrow Way to Eternal Life—True Religion Compared to Genuine Coin—True Faith is Inseparably Connected With Works—Baptism of Water and of Fire—Apostles, Prophets, Etc., Placed in the Church—God's Impartiality to His Children—Testimony Obtained By Obedience—All Will Be Saved Except the Sons of Perdition—God Has Prepared a Place for All—Paradise—Salvation Beyond the Grave—the Saints Will Have to Endure Persecution—Patriarchal Marriage—Conclusion by Moses Thatcher (303-315)
34. Growth of the Latter-Day Saints—Necessity of the Spirit of Revelation—Conditional Promises—the Lord Designed Israel to Be a Peculiar and Holy People,—and He Has the Same Design Concerning Us—We Will Have to Pass Through the Same Ordeals As They—We Should not Intermarry With Those not of Our Faith—We Should Build Up Nothing that is Opposed to Zion—the Favor of God is Better Than Earthly Riches—Exhortations to Faithfulness by George Q. Cannon (316-321)
35. Nature of the Gospel, and of Our Position and Calling—Responsibilities of the Latter-Day Saints—the Right of All Men to Religious Freedom—Honorable Men of the Earth—We Aim at a Higher Exaltation Than the Rest of the World by John Taylor (322-326)
36. The Lord is Teaching Us Valuable Lessons in Our Present Experience—He is Teaching Us to Rely Upon Him and to Exercise the Faculties He Has Given Us—Nature of the Government of the United States—the Elements of a Variety of Governments Enter Into It—Physical and Moral Courage—the Judge of the Third District Court not a Christian—a Concubine Was a Wife and It Should not Be a Term of Reproach—the Character of Abraham Vindicated—Sympathy for Our Enemies—When the Saints Learn to Be Strictly Impartial, Judgment and Rule Will Be Given Them—not All in the United States Are Arrayed Against Us—Weakness of the American Government—Power of Secret Societies—Zion to Be a Place of Refuge and Safety—President Cleveland's Opportunity to Be Just and Great—We Must Purify Ourselves that Liberty May Come by Moses Thatcher (327-335)
37. Our Efforts to Inform the World of Our Doctrines—We Must Expect Persecution—Man Has No Right to Make Laws Contrary to the Law of God—Plural Marriage is No Crime—Bigamy a Crime—There Are More for Us Than Against Us—the Work of God not Upheld By Numbers—the Blood of the Prophets is Upon the American Nation—God Will Test Us by F. D. Richards (336-346)
38. Remarks by President John Taylor by John Taylor (346-363)
39. No Prominent Latter-day Saint Who Lives His Religion Need Expect Justice in the Courts—The Same Sacrifices May be Required of Modern as of Ancient Apostles—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Established by Divine Revelation—We Will be Made Perfect by Suffering—Our Character as Latter-day Saints Must be Preserved Inviolate—Visit of Jesus to Kirtland Temple—Farewell by Lorenzo Snow (364-369)
40. The Gospel—It Brings Temporal as Well as Spiritual Salvation—The Prophet Joseph Smith—Persecution—Our Religion Cannot be Destroyed by Lorenzo Snow (369-376)