DISCOURSE
By Elder WILFORD WOODRUFF, Taber-
nacle, Sunday, a.m, .
REPORTED BY J. V. LONG.
I always feel much pleasure in addressing a
congregation of the Saints when I am inspir-
ed by the Holy Ghost, for then I can be of
benefit to those who hear.
I realize that, until the priesthood was res-
tored to the earth, we had no way of knowing the
truth in relation to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is true there were a great many anxiously
seeking to know the Lord, but there were none
that were able to give them the comfort and
consolation they desired.
If a person goes without food for twenty-
four hours, we all know that that individual
will become very hungry; and it is precisely
so with those who hunger for the principles of
eternal life. While we enjoy the Spirit of the
Lord, we shall find that there is enough and
an abundance to feed every human soul.
I have never seen the day nor the hour that
I was not susceptible of being taught by my
brethren, neither have I ever seen the time
that I thought I knew all the principles of the
gospel, and I can truly say that I feel as much
edified to-day in contemplating the things of
God as ever I did in any hour of my life. We
are all dependent upon the Lord, upon his holy
Spirit, and upon the testimony of the Lord Je-
sus Christ for instruction, for light, and knowl-
edge, such as is calculated to edify, encourage,
sustain and aid us in magnifying our callings
in this life.
We need not enter particularly into the
great mysteries of the kingdom of God in or-
der to be edified. A man may preach upon
the first principles of the gospel, and he will
find enough in them to instruct the people and
edify himself in the things of God. Those
principles are plain, they can easily be com-
prehended when presented to the children of
men as they are revealed from heaven.—
But, as plain and simple as they are, for
eighteen hundred years, the world was almost
destitute of a knowledge of the truth, and of
the Holy Ghost which is poured out to lead
mankind in the way of truth. From the time
of the great falling away, which took place in
the early part of the Christian era, up to the
present time, the world have been ignorant
with regard to the first principles of the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ. It is true that professed
Christians have had the examples of the Proph-
ets and Apostles from their childhood up, as
laid down in the New Testament, and yet they
have been far from the truth, and did not know
the correct way of worshipping God. It has
been a mystery to you and to me that we have
never been able to unravel, or to find out by
our own wisdom, the true knowledge of God;
but the very fact that generation after gener-
ation have risen up and established systems
and organizations, all professing to be accord-
ing to the plan of salvation, and yet opposed
one to another, until they have raised up
scores of churches all differing on points of
doctrine, proves that there has been something
out of the way.
We know that we have the gospel of Christ
that has been revealed from heaven in this
generation, wherein is taught faith, repent-
ance and baptism for the remission of sins,
and that obedience to those doctrines will
bring all things to our remembrance and there-
by enable us the more perfectly to do the will
of God while we dwell here in the flesh. As
the scriptures have informed us—"There is a
spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Al-
mighty giveth it understanding." [Job 32:8] I do not
know that I can explain to you the reasons for
the great difference we see in mankind, rela-
tive to the principles of truth, but it has been
so in every age of the world, and when the
gospel has been preached the honest in heart
and meek of the earth have obeyed and been
sustained by it and they have been enabled to
pass through many scenes of trial and to en-
dure the persecutions that wicked men have
devised to afflict the people of God.
The faithful have always had a positive
knowledge that what they were doing was
right and acceptable to the Almighty, and that
they have been sustained in passing through
scenes of trial by the gift and power of God.
They have realized that it was better to sacri-
fice their lives for His kingdom than to live
and enjoy the riches and honors of this world
for a season. This principle sustained the
ancient Saints in all their affliction; it sustain-
ed them in the den of lions, and in the fiery
furnace, and although they frequently sealed
their testimony with their blood, they were
comforted and consoled in looking forward to
the time when the earth would enjoy her Sab-
baths, and the Saints enter into their rests.
The Jews marveled and wondered at the Sa-
vior, for they saw that he was filled with light
and truth. "They had eyes to see, but they
saw not." [Matthew 13:13-15] The Savior laid before them the
principles of truth, he came to them and un-
dertook to convert them, but he wept over
them when he saw what would be the conse-
quences of their hard heartedness, and how
the Jewish nation would be overthrown and
the people scattered among all nations, if they
rejected the doctrines he presented to them.—
He informed them what would be the result
of their disobedience, and told them that the
judgments of God would fall heavily upon
them. He portrayed to them the oppressions
and torturings with which they would be af-
flicted, foretold the destruction of the temple
that it would be thrown down, and that there
would not be left one stone upon another.—
The majority of them mocked his sayings, and
finally succeeded in putting him to death, but
yet all that he foretold the Jews has come to
pass. The predictions of Moses also, concern-
ing that nation, have been literally fulfilled,
and that too in such a plain, pointed and un-
mistakable manner that it seems almost im-
possible for a man to be a disbeliever in the
dealings of God with the Jewish nation.
Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew
and the apostles generally warned that people;
but they spurned the servants of God and turn-
ed unto their idols. The apostles were in-
spired by the Spirit of God, they enjoyed the
gifts of the Holy Ghost, but the great mass of
the Jewish nation hardened their hearts and
would not listen to the words of life. I might
say the same in relation to the present gener-
ation. The church of Christ is organized pre-
cisely as it was in the days of the Apostles,
and we are living in the day and age of the
world when the righteous blood that has been
shed upon the earth will be avenged on the
disobedient because they reject that gospel
which would save them, and enable them to
assist in the great work of the redemption of
the dead. The gospel has been again restored
by the administration of an angel from heav-
en, whom the revelator John saw in vision
when on the isle of Patmos, and when describ-
ing it he says: And I saw another angel fly in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
tongue and people, saying with a loud voice,
fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour
of his judgment is come; and worship him that
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.—Revelations, 14th chap.,
verses 6–7.
Did you ever know the Lord to bring his
judgments upon any nation, from the days of
Adam in the garden of Eden until the present
time, before he had warned them of their sins?
No, the Lord has always warned the people
before he has punished them for their wicked-
ness. He warned Sodom and Gomorrah be-
fore he sent destruction upon them, and he
has done so in every age of the world. [Genesis 18:20-33] In
this generation the Almighty has raised up
a prophet who has organized the kingdom of
God, and thousands of the Lords annointed
have been inspired by the same spirit to pro-
claim the words of live to the people, and who
cannot foresee the judgments of God that
await this generation? After the testimony
of the servants of God, the judgments that
have been spoken of will be poured out upon
the wicked. Every man and woman who
lives up to principles of the gospel can see by
the same spirit; they can understand by the
things that are written in the scriptures, and
by the revelations of God that have been im-
parted unto us, and that are before the world,
that these things are hanging over the nations.
We have before us the example of the ante-
deluvian world; they were hard hearted and
unbelieving, and would not believe until it
was too late. The inhabitants of Jerusalem
did not believe that they would be surrounded
with those dire calamities that afterwards be-
fell them.
In looking at the judgments of the Almigh-
ty that we have witnessed, and have been cal-
led to pass through, we see plenty to arouse
us, and cause us to be diligent in the dis-
charge of our duties. The heavens are full
of judgments that are ready to be poured out
upon this generation, and the Lord has as
many ways in punishing the wicked as he
ever had in any previous dispensation. We
witness the power of God made manifest by
day and by night, and we ought to realize the
necessity of being obedient to all the require-
ments of heaven.
The Elders of Israel have gone forth and
borne a true and faithful testimony of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, and they have been as-
sisted by the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost. Our Prophet and Elders have been
filled with good desires for the people, and
have gone abroad and tried to bring mankind
to a knowledge of the truth. Our President
has cast his mind abroad over the world, and
in his meditations he has planned for the wel-
fare of the human family, and yet the wicked
have desired his life, and thousands have de-
spised him because he has reproved them for
their wickedness and advocated righteous
principles, and called upon them to repent of
their sins and be baptized according to the
order of God.
The Prophet Joseph was inspired to lay
the foundation of the Church and kingdom of
God; before that time the masses of mankind
were in darkness, the professors of religion
were deceived in regard to God and the things
of his kingdom. If the Lord had not sent
forth his servant Joseph, the devil would never
have wrought upon the hearts of the children
of men, as he has done, but because the Proph-
et was laying the foundation of that great
work which the Lord had determined to per-
form in the last days, the hearts of the chil-
dren of men were stirred up to roar against
the Lord's anointed. But the truth was bound
to prevail, and for the accomplishment of this
object the Prophet laboured day and night.
I know that Joseph Smith was a good man,
a Prophet, a Seer and a Revelator, and that
he sealed his testimony with his blood that
the nation that was worthy might receive
their reward. There is no principle revealed
in this generation but those which are known
by the Almighty to be for the salvation of his
creatures. The spirit of warfare that is mani-
fested in these days has existed in all ages
when the priesthood was upon the earth.
There was always a war between light and
darkness, God and the devil, saint and sinner,
correct principles and false doctrines. We our-
selves have a warfare with the evil propensities
of our nature; we have already had to meet a
warfare outwardly; in some instances there has
been a physical contest, and our enemies have
sought our destruction from the beginning.
That warfare will continue until satan is
bound and iniquity swept from the earth.
We need not suppose that we shall have peace,
for there will be no peace to the righteous
until he reigns whose right it is to reign. [Doctrine and Covenants 58:22] It
is in this generation precisely as one of the
prophets foretold it should be; "surely our
fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things
wherein there is no profit." [Jeremiah 16:19]
Thousands and millions of the sectarian
world are in this condition, and will be led to
use this or similar language. The honest
among them will get their reward, and it will
be far superior to any thing they have antici-
pated. It is true they entertain many false
doctrines, but let us remember that we believed
false doctrines, and were surrounded with the
traditions of our fathers, before we heard the
fullness of the gospel. When we heard its
principles taught we admired and received
them for the truth's sake, and rejoiced in the
blessings that followed our obedience.
We have now got a warfare to endure; we
must war against every evil principle until we
can learn to do right in all things. This is
the spirit we must learn to cultivate day by
day; the knowledge we have of the gospel will
assist us in doing this.
There is one peculiar feature connected with
the preaching of the gospel; you may send out
a thousand Elders and they will all teach the
same doctrines, they will all labor for the
building up of the same church, they will be
united, for their faith, their doctrines, and the
organization of the church have all been made
known unto them by the revelations of God;
hence they will see eye to eye in regard to the
principles of the gospel. Supposing a thou-
sand minsters of different denominations were
to be sent out into the world, it would be very
different with them, from what it is with the
Elders of the Church of Christ; they would
not be so united, nor so harmonious in their
sentiments. Our union and oneness of senti-
ment constitutes one of the prominent beauties
of the organization of the kingdom of God.
There was never any other gospel taught to
the old prophets, excepting that which is now
taught to you and to this generation; neither
was there ever any of the children of men
saved upon any other principle than that
which is now presented to the people. The
Church of Christ always had in it prophets,
apostles and patriarchs; it was always blest
with the gifts of inspiration, power to heal
the sick and to perform such miracles as were
necessary for the salvation of the Saints.
If you were to meet with Father Adam,
with Seth, Moses, Aaron, Christ or the
Apostles, they would all teach the same prin-
ciples that we have been taught; they would
not vary one particle. This gospel is everlast-
ing in its nature, and unchangeable in its
character. It might be urged that the house
of Israel had the law of carnal command-
ments, but that only acted as a schoolmaster
to bring them to Christ, because they would
not receive a celestial law. They had the
priesthood of Aaron for a series of years
amongst them, but the old apostles, prophets
and saints were saved by the gospel and not
by the law of carnal commandments.
I want to say a word about our present po-
sition. When we first received the gospel we
professed to rejoice in its principles, and in
the blessings which followed our obedience,
and should we not continue to rejoice and to
be diligent in the work of the Lord; yea,
even more so to-day than we did when we
first received it? When a boy begins his edu-
cation at school he begins at the first rudi-
ments, and continues to progress step by step.
It is so with the student in the study of the
everlasting gospel. There were not many
principles revealed to us when we first receiv-
ed it, but they were developed to us as fast as
we were capable of making use of them.
I well remember the first sermon I heard;
my conviction was that I had learned more
about God and the things of his kingdom than
I had learned in all my previous life. I be-
lieved the gospel then, and I not only believe
it now, but I know it to be true. Since then I
have received much valuable instruction thro'
the revelations of God that have been made
manifest; and I have never yet heard a princi-
ple set forth, but I have been able to see
beauty and glory connected with it.
The subject of the vision that was given to
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, was alluded
to by brother Young and others during our
conference. In reference to that I wish to
say, that when I first read that vision, it swept
away a vail that had been around me all my
life, it opened my understanding and shook off
my shackles. There was some thing in it so
different from the old sectarian, notion, some-
thing that swept away the idea of one heaven,
one hell, and that those who do not go to one
place must go to the other; and that all in heaven
have an equal glory, and all in hell an equal
misery. There always appeared something
very inconsistent connected with the doctrine
of future rewards and punishments, as taught
by modern divines; but when I got hold of the
vision I saw more light, more consistency and
Godlike mercy and justice, than I had ever
seen in my life.
I refer to these things to show how the vail
was taken from my eyes, and how I was made
to comprehend that every man is rewarded ac-
cording to the deeds done in the body. I then
saw there was something to encourage a man
to be true and faithful, and to be filled with
integrity, while on the other hand, it was made
manifest that it would not pay a man to do
evil. Every man gets the reward he earns by
his labours. We can see this every day of our
lives. You never saw a man who had par-
taken of the blessings of the kingdom of God,
and then turned against the Lord, and would
do wickedly and blaspheme the name of the
Deity, but what the Spirit God would with-
draw from him and leave him miserable. The
hand of God always overtakes such a one,
evil lies in his path, and he is tormented by
day and by night. We have seen this during
our experience in this Church.
To me the principle of integrity is one of
the greatest blessings we can possibly possess.
He who proves true to himself, to his breth-
ren, to his friends, and his God, will have the
evidence within him that he is accepted; he
will have the confidence of his God and of his
friends. It is a great and a glorious principle;
it is something that gives you that assurance
in your friends that you can trust your prop-
erty, your life, your all in the hands of your
brethren.
The Lord has said, I will prove you in all
things, even unto death. [Doctrine and Covenants 98:14] How truly this has
been fulfilled in this church. Scores and hun-
dreds of our brethren have laid down their
lives in carrying out the principles of the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ; they have been hastened
away from this world by their enemies, but
they have maintained their integrity, proven
themselves to be true and faithful before the
Lord, and their spirits now mingle with the
spirits of the just.
We should all seek to do right, try to per-
form our duties day by day, to God and to
each other, and put away everything that
wars against the Spirit of the Lord.
I rejoice every day I live in beholding the
signs of the times, in looking at the progress
of the Church and kingdom of God upon the
earth. The Lord has guided and governed
us all the day long. We have every reason to
be thankful for his goodness unto us, and we
may rest assured that his blessings will be
poured out upon us just as fast as we are ca-
pable of receiving and making a right use of
them.
The judgments that are coming upon the
wicked will cause the ears of the children of
men to tingle and their hearts to quake. Do
you think they realize those things? No, they
do not; they are all in the dark, but it is just
as Elder Pratt said during our conference.—
After the testimonies of the servants of
God will come those of thunderings, earth-
quakes, pestilence, famines and the sword.—
The Lord also says by revelation, that when
these judgments do come, when they are
poured out upon the earth: "O ye nations of
the earth, how oft have I called upon you by
my servants, by the ministering of angels, and
by my own voice and by famines, tempest,
earthquakes and pestilence of every kind, and
would have saved you with an everlasting
salvation, but ye would not; behold the day
has come when the cup of the wrath of mine
indignation is full, and it shall be poured out
upon the disobedient." [Doctrine and Covenants 43:25-26]
Remember these things, for the words of
the Lord must be fulfilled. When a man who
believes the gospel reflects, he becomes satis-
fied that not one of those sayings will be suf-
fered to return unto the Lord void, but he re-
alizes that they will accomplish that for
which they were sent; but a man who knows
not God cannot realize anything about the cal-
amities that are to come upon the earth. You
might preach to him as long as Noah preach-
ed to the antediluvians; you might try till you
were grey with old age, and you would try in
vain to get him to understand the things of
God.
If we had correct understanding we should
all see as the Lord does, and should under-
stand how his purposes will be accomplished;
but we are to walk by faith and not by sight.
I feel to rejoice in knowing that the kingdom
of God is established on the earth, and that it
will spread itself abroad—become like a great
mountain, and finally fill the earth. The
words of the Lord will not return to him void;
but whether he speaks by his own voice or the
voice of his servants, those words will have
their fulfilment.
Let us be faithful, and adorn ourselves with
the graces of the gospel. There is nothing
gained by doing wrong. Lying, stealing,
blaspheming, drunkenness, backbiting and
denying the Lord Jesus Christ, bring sorrow
and remorse; it debaces man who is organized
in the image of God; but to do right, to obey
the commandments of God, to be charitable
and kind, brings joy and peace and the Holy
Ghost, and an eventual exaltation in our
Father's kingdom.
May we all so live that we may be worthy
to dwell in his presence in the world to come,
and to participate in the fullness of that glory
and blessedness promised to the faithful, is
my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.