dispensation in which the Lord will
reveal his mind and will to the in-
habitants of the earth, the last time
in which the Lord will prune his
vineyard, the last time in which he
will set up his kingdom upon the
earth, establish His Church, and
build up His Zion, to prepare for the
coming of the Son of Man. And
while we sometimes feel and have
felt in days that are past and gone,
to complain because we meet with
oppression, persecution and afflic-
tion, yet I wish to say to my breth-
ren and sisters that these things are
the heritage of the Saints of God.
Any people whom God calls will
meet with opposition from those
who will not receive the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. This has been the
legacy of the Saints of God in every
age from Father Adam down to
our own day. Those that live
godly in Christ Jesus must suffer
persecution. I believe myself,
from the reading of the revelations
of God, that it is necessary for a
people who are destined to inherit
the celestial kingdom to be a tried
people. I have never read of the
people of God in any dispensation
passing through life, as the secta-
rian world would say, on flowery
beds of ease, without opposition of
any kind. I have always looked
upon the life of our Savior—who
descended beneath all things that
He might rise above all things—as
an example for His followers. And
yet it has always, in one sense of the
word, seemed strange to me that
the Son of God, the First Begotten
in the eternal worlds of the Father,
and the Only Begotten in the flesh,
should have to descend to the earth
and pass through what He did—
born in a stable, cradled in a manger,
persecuted, afflicted, scorned, a hiss
and bye-word to almost all the world,
and especially to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem and Judea. There was
apparently nothing that the Savior
could do that was acceptable in the
eyes of the world; anything and
almost everything he did was imputed
to an unholy influence. When He
cast out devils the people said he
did it through the power of Beelze-
bub, the prince of devils; when he
opened the eyes of the blind, the
Pharisees and priests of the day told
the man to "give God the glory; we
know this man is a sinner." And
so all his life through, to the day of
his death upon the cross. There is
something about all this that ap-
pears sorrowful; but it seemed
necessary for the Savior to descend
below all things that he might
ascend above all things. So it has
been with other men. When I look
at the history of Joseph Smith, I
sometimes think that he came as
near following the footsteps of the
Savior—(although no more so than
his disciples)—as any one possibly
could. Joseph Smith was called
to lay down his life; he sealed his
testimony with his blood, and passed
through some serious trials and
afflictions. In section 122 of the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants—
the word of the Lord given to the
Prophet while in Liberty jail—the
Lord showed him his condition
and position. He refers there
to the trials and troubles he was
called to pass through, and then
compares them with what He Him-
self (the Savior) had to endure. He
says: [Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9] "And if thou shouldst be cast
into the pit, or into the hands of
murderers, and the sentence of death
passed upon thee; if thou be cast
into the deep; if the billowing surge
conspire against thee; if fierce winds
become thine enemy; if the heavens
gather blackness, and all the ele-
ments combine to hedge up the way;
and above all, if the very jaws of

HARDSHIP THE HERITAGE OF THE SAINTS, ETC. 327

dispensation in which the Lord will reveal his mind and will to the inhabitants of the earth, the last time in which the Lord will prune his vineyard, the last time in which he will set up his kingdom upon the earth, establish His Church, and build up His Zion, to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. And while we sometimes feel and have felt in days that are past and gone, to complain because we meet with oppression, persecution and affliction, yet I wish to say to my brethren and sisters that these things are the heritage of the Saints of God. Any people whom God calls will meet with opposition from those who will not receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This has been the legacy of the Saints of God in every age from Father Adam down to our own day. Those that live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. I believe myself, from the reading of the revelations of God, that it is necessary for a people who are destined to inherit the celestial kingdom to be a tried people. I have never read of the people of God in any dispensation passing through life, as the sectarian world would say, on flowery beds of ease, without opposition of any kind. I have always looked upon the life of our Savior -- who descended beneath all things that He might rise above all things -- as an example for His followers. And yet it has always, in one sense of the word, seemed strange to me that the Son of God, the First Begotten in the eternal worlds of the Father, and the Only Begotten in the flesh, should have to descend to the earth and pass through what He did -- born in a stable, cradled in a manger, persecuted, afflicted, scorned, a hiss and bye-word to almost all the world, and especially to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea. There was apparently nothing that the Savior could do that was acceptable in the eyes of the world; anything and almost everything he did was imputed to an unholy influence. When He cast out devils the people said he did it through the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils; when he opened the eyes of the blind, the Pharisees and priests of the day told the man to "give God the glory; we know this man is a sinner." And so all his life through, to the day of his death upon the cross. There is something about all this that appears sorrowful; but it seemed necessary for the Savior to descend below all things that he might ascend above all things. So it has been with other men. When I look at the history of Joseph Smith, I sometimes think that he came as near following the footsteps of the Savior -- (although no more so than his disciples) -- as any one possibly could. Joseph Smith was called to lay down his life; he sealed his testimony with his blood, and passed through some serious trials and afflictions. In section 122 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants -- the word of the Lord given to the Prophet while in Liberty jail -- the Lord showed him his condition and position. He refers there to the trials and troubles he was called to pass through, and then compares them with what He Himself (the Savior) had to endure. He says: "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of