DISCOURSE

By Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered
in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sun-
day morning, Feb. 10, 1867.

It seems to have fallen to my lot this
morning to occupy a little time with the
brethren and sisters. I desire that I
may have the attention of the people,
also a good degree of the Spirit of the
Lord, for I have lived long enough, and
have had experience enough in this
Church to know that I cannot edify any-
body by talking to them unless I do
enjoy the Holy Spirit. In the first
place, I do not know what to say to the
people only as that spirit may direct
me; and I am dependent upon it, not
only in this duty, but in all the duties
of life, both temporal and spiritual.

I rejoice in the goodness and mercy of
God, and in the principles of the gospel
of life and salvation that He has revealed
in our day and generation for our exal-
tation and His glory. I feel that of all
people under the heavens we have the
greatest reason to rejoice, be thankful,
faithful, prayerful and humble before
the Lord our God. The Lord has seen
fit to organize the kingdom and put it
into our hands to build up. He has
committed to us the plan of salvation,
and has given us the holy priesthood,
revelation and an organization—even the
Government of God, whereby we can
go to work here on the earth and mag-
nify our callings, fulfil the object of our
creation and receive ordinances and
blessings which will give us exaltation
and glory in the presence of God and
the Lamb. This is as much as He has
ever done for any people that ever dwelt
upon the face of the earth; it is as much
as any of our fathers ever possessed.
And while I look around me, and re-
flect upon the present state of the na-
tions of the earth, I feel as though it be-
comes us as a people to arm ourselves
with the power of God and every gift,
advantage, privilege and blessing with-
in our reach, that we may be prepared
for the great day of Almighty God, and
the great events that await us and this
generation; for more interesting events
never did take place in any period of
the world's history than will transpire
in this,—the last dispensation of the
fulness of times. It is true that the
speed with which the Lord will propel
or hasten the events of the last days will
depend to some extent upon our union,
obedience, good works and faithfulness
in keeping His commandments; but on
the other hand the actual fulfilment of
God's purposes with regard to this gen-
eration does not depend upon us, but
our blessings, and the blessings of all
men, depend on their course of con-
duct.

The Lord has shed His blood for the
redemption of all men out of every na-
tion under heaven; but He will deal
with all according to the deeds done in
the body, and He has commenced a con-
troversy with the present generation in
all nations which will never cease until
the consumption decreed on the face of
the earth is perfected and has its fulfil-
ment. The fact that the Lord will re-
ward all men, nations, people and gen-
erations according to the deeds done in
the body was manifest in the days of
Israel; for after leading Israel forty
years in the wilderness, when they were
about entering the promised land, Moses
went and plead with the Lord to give
him the privilege to go over into Canaan.
But the Lord told Moses he could not
go, and he gave His reasons why; in
fact, He would not permit anybody to
go, who came out of Egypt, over twenty
years of age, except Caleb and Joshua.
They had kept the commandments of
God, fulfilled His will and manifested
their faith in Him all the time, hence
those two men were permitted to go
over with the generation born in the
wilderness, or at least with that portion
of them not over twenty years of age. [Numbers 13]

The Lord said, I am going to give this
people the land of Canaan that I pro-
mised their fathers, and I am going to
destroy those nations now inhabiting it;
but I want you, Israel, to understand
that I am not going to do so because of
your righteousness, for you have been
rebellious forty years in the wilderness,
and I have been angry with, and should
have cut you off many times had it not
been for the pleading of Moses; but I
am going to cut off these nations be-
cause their cup of iniquity is full, be-
cause they have sinned unto death and
are ripe for the damnation of hell; and
I will give the land of Canaan to the
children of Israel, the seed of Abraham,
not that they are very good themselves,
but I have labored with them, they
have my ordinances and blessings, and
they are the best people I have. -[See
Deuteronomy chap. 9.]-

I have faith in God and in the revela-
tions of Jesus Christ given in these last
days, and in the stick of Joseph and in the
stick of Judah, which are the Bible and
the Book of Mormon [Ezekiel 37:16], and as I look for-
ward to their fulfilment on the earth, I
will say that it pains my heart and feel-
ings when I reflect on the history of the
present generation. I do not believe
that God ever saw a more wicked gen-
eration than the one in which we live;
I do not believe that any of those cities
or nations, namely, Sodom and Gomor-
rah, the Canaanites, Hivites, Hittites,
or Perisites ever were as guilty, or com-
mitted more crime than the Christian
world to-day. They are given over to
all manner of wickedness; the whole
earth groans in pain under the abomi-
nations that reign on the face thereof.
Look at our own good Christian coun-
try,—the United States, at Europe, and
all the world. Where can any man be-
hold the semblance of righteousness or
righteous works? What is the seed that
is sown? What is the conduct of men?
All the editors of papers in all countries,
and the priests in every pulpit, wicked
as they are themselves, are crying out
against it; and they are ashamed of the
abominations that continually rise be-
fore them day and night. Whenever a
people, nation, generation or govern-
ment forsakes virtue and departs from
righteousness, becomes corrupt and pro-
motes evil, and this principle is mani-
fest from centre to circumference, it
brings on its own head dissolution, de-
struction and ruin, because the Lord
will deal with all according to their
deeds.

There is no man who traveled in the
United States, England, and among the
nations abroad thirty or thirty-four
years ago, and who has traveled in those
nations of late years, but who is aston-
ished at the change which is manifest.
Right here in our own government, in
every department thereof, from head to
foot, and not only there, but it is so in
almost all situations under heaven; the
majority of men neither acknowledge
God nor regard man, but every man is
for gratifying his own passions and car-
rying out his own desires; even should
it involve the sacrifice of the rights of
millions of the human family, it mat-
ters not.

The inhabitants of the earth, general-
ly, acknowledge not the hand of God in
anything, and they are making a con-
tinued effort to uproot the only people
who do acknowledge His hand and who
are trying to build up his Kingdom.
While I look over the earth and see the
people thus destitute of the Spirit of
God, committing the works of darkness,
enduring the buffetings of satan, and
with the judgments of God right at
their doors, I feel, brethren and sisters,
that we, as Latter-day Saints should
watch unto prayer and live continually
before the Lord in such a manner that
we may understand the signs of the
times; every one of us should labor as
though it were the last day of our lives,
that we may obtain and enjoy what-
ever privileges and blessings the Lord
has placed within our reach. We should
be united together that our righteous-
ness, prayers and good works may come
up before the Lord. I believe in good
works. If a man does not that which is
good he does that which is evil;
if he keeps not the commandments
of God he breaks them, and will
be punished with the loss of salvation
and exaltation in the presence of God.
But if a man will be baptised for the re-
mission of his sins and have hands laid
on him for the Holy Ghost, and will
keep God's commandments, receive his
endowments, his patriarchal blessing
and the holy priesthood, and continues
faithful before the Lord, he magnifies
his calling. That is what the Lord
sent him for, and that is what we are all
sent for; to keep our estate by observing
the law of God and acting up to the
light that God has revealed to us.

I am aware and satisfied that no man
can be saved only as he keeps the com-
mandments of God. It is true the blood
of Jesus cleanses from all sin; the Lord
has shed His blood, and laid down His
life for the redemption of the human
family; but notwithstanding this we
never shall obtain salvation and exalt-
ation in the presence of God unless we
obey the gospel and those laws and
commandments that the Lord reveals.
I rejoice that there are a few people,
and that I have the privilege of being
associated with them, who have em-
braced the gospel of Christ. We need
not marvel nor feel surprised at the
feelings of the nations around us, or that
the present generation should oppose
us, and go to a very great length in
their operations, even in a governmental
capacity, to try and overthrow the church
and kingdom of God. They do not like
this kingdom; they do not understand
what right the Lord has to establish a
kingdom in the last days; they do not
believe that the earth is the Lords, and
the fulness thereof; they do not believe
that the cattle on a thousand hills are
His. They do not believe that heaven
is His throne, and that the earth is His
footstool; and although he has left his
record and testimony which have been
before the Christian world for genera-
tions, that he will raise a righteous peo-
ple, and will establish a kingdom and
will come and reign on the earth, yet
they do not believe these things. But
we who have looked forward to this for
years past are right in the midst of this
work, and to build up this kingdom is
certainly a most interesting labor, and
one in which I rejoice, and I want to
live in that way and manner that I may
have the Spirit of the Lord to guide,
direct and assist me in whatever duties
I may have to perform.

I have no fears with regard to what
this generation may do, or attempt to
do, for I know that if we will do our
duty we shall be saved. One thing is
certain, if the Lord deals with all men
according to the deeds done in the body,
the seed now being sown in the world
will bring death, misery, destruction and
sorrow upon the heads of the nations of
the earth. The Lord is going to visit
this generation, and His judgments will
be severe, and they who undertake to
overthrow the church and kingdom of
God, fight against Him and His work;
will find they will not make headway,
for the Lord has decreed that He would
establish His work in the last days, and
His word will certainly be fulfilled. I
will say that destruction awaits this
generation, the heavens are full of judg-
ments, and the angels of God with the
slaughtering weapons in their hands, are
waiting in His presence in the Temple in
heaven, as the prophet saw by vision, to
go and reap down the earth. The prophet
Ezekiel had a view of this on one oc-
casion when the Lord told him that
those men with the destroying weapons
were commanded to go and reap down
the earth; one of their number had a
writer's inkhorn, and he was command-
ed to set a mark on those who sighed
and cried over the abominations com-
mitted on the earth. And the angel
went forth and set a mark on those who
kept the commandments of God; the
rest followed, and slew every man ex-
cept those who were thus marked. They
began at the sanctuary, and it was in
the last days; [Ezekiel 9] and judgments surely
await this generation because their
wicked acts bring judgment on them-
selves, but with the Latter-day Saints
everything depends on their faithfulness
before the Lord.

I have a desire to see this people faith-
ful. The Lord has stayed His hand in
judgment until this gospel could be
preached to all nations, before the end
came; and years ago, He told the Latter-
day Saints to go forth, in faith and
without fear, and bear testimony of the
things of the kingdom of God. "And,"
said He, "they who reject you and your
testimony of me, I will curse and des-
troy; for my judgments shall follow;
with thunder, lightnings, tempests,
storms, fire, sword and plague will I
plead with all flesh and the slain of the
Lord shall be many." [Isaiah 66:16] The Lord has
commenced His work and His promised
judgments are in process of fulfilment.

We could not build up this kingdom,
make it spread, and build up Zion if the
Lord did not work for us; the powers of
darkness and evil that are so universal
would uproot and destroy the kingdom
of God from the face of the earth if the
Lord Almighty did not defend it and
cut of[f] the bitter branches; it would be
in the same position as the city of Enoch,
and as Christ and his Apostles, and as
the prophets in many dispensations
were; there would be no room for it
but it and every righteous principle
would be overpowered by the powers
of darkness and death. We, however,
have the promise of the Lord that He
has set His hand for the last time to es-
tablish His kingdom, and that He will
fight for Mount Zion, and will utterly
cut off those who fight against it. Then
we need not trouble ourselves about
what our enemies may do, whether they
are here in Utah, at Washington or in
any other part of the world. We need
not trouble ourselves about this, our

66 THE DESERET NEWS.

DISCOURSE By Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday morning, Feb. 10, 1867.

It seems to have fallen to my lot this morning to occupy a little time with the brethren and sisters. I desire that I may have the attention of the people, also a good degree of the Spirit of the Lord, for I have lived long enough, and have had experience enough in this Church to know that I cannot edify anybody by talking to them unless I do enjoy the Holy Spirit. In the first place, I do not know what to say to the people only as that spirit may direct me; and I am dependent upon it, not only in this duty, but in all the duties of life, both temporal and spiritual.

I rejoice in the goodness and mercy of God, and in the principles of the gospel of life and salvation that He has revealed in our day and generation for our exaltation and His glory. I feel that of all people under the heavens we have the greatest reason to rejoice, be thankful, faithful, prayerful and humble before the Lord our God. The Lord has seen fit to organize the kingdom and put it into our hands to build up. He has committed to us the plan of salvation, and has given us the holy priesthood, revelation and an organization--even the Government of God, whereby we can go to work here on the earth and magnify our callings, fulfil the object of our creation and receive ordinances and blessings which will give us exaltation and glory in the presence of God and the Lamb. This is as much as He has ever done for any people that ever dwelt upon the fact of the earth; it is as much as any of our fathers ever possessed. And while I look around me, and reflect upon the present state of the nations of the earth, I feel as though it becomes us as a people to arm ourselves with the power of God and every gift, advantage, privilege and blessing within our reach, that we may be prepared for the great day of Almighty God, and the great events that await us and this generation; for more interesting events never did take place in any period of the world's history than will transpire in this--the last dispensation of the fulness of times. It is true that the speed with which the Lord will propel or hasten the events of the last days will depend to some extent upon our union, obedience, good works and faithfulness in keeping His commandments; but on the other hand the actual fulfilment of God's purposes with regard to this generation does not depend upon us, but our blessings, and the blessings of all men, depend on their course of conduct.

The Lord has shed His blood for the redemption of all men out of every nation under heaven; but He will deal with all according to the deeds done in the body, and He has commenced a controversy with the present generation in all nations which will never cease until the consumption decreed on the face of the earth is perfected and has its fulfilment. The fact that the Lord will reward all men, nations, people and generations according to the deeds done in the body was manifest in the days of Israel; for after leading Israel forty years in the wilderness, when they were about entering the promised land, Moses went and plead with the Lord to give him the privilege to go over into Canaan. But the Lord told Moses he could not go, and he gave His reasons why; in fact, He would not permit anybody to go, who came out of Egypt, over twenty years of age, except Caleb and Joshua. They had kept the commandments of God, fulfilled His will and manifested their faith in Him all the time, hence those two men were permitted to go over with the generation born in the wilderness, or at least with that portion of them not over twenty years of age.

The Lord said, I am going to give this people the land of Canaan that I promised their fathers, and I am going to destroy those nations now inhabiting it; but I want you, Israel, to understand that I am not going to do so because of your righteousness, for you have been rebellious forty years in the wilderness, and I have been angry with, and should have cut you off many times had it not been for the pleading of Moses; but I am going to cut off these nations because their cup of iniquity is full, because they have sinned unto death and are ripe for the damnation of hell; and I will give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, the seed of Abraham, not that they are very good themselves, but I have labored with them, they have my ordinances and blessings, and they are the best people I have. [See Deuteronomy chap. 9.]

I have faith in God and in the revelations of Jesus Christ given in these last days, and in the stick of Joseph and in the stick of Judah, which are the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and as I look forward to their fulfilment on the earth, I will say that it pains my heart and feelings when I reflect on the history of the present generation. I do not believe that God ever saw a more wicked generation than the one in which we live; I do not believe that any of those cities or nations, namely, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Canaanites, Hivites, Hittites, or Perisites ever were as guilty, or committed more crime than the Christian world to-day. They are given over to all manner of wickedness; the whole earth groans in pain under the abominations that reign on the face thereof. Look at our own good Christian country -- the United States, at Europe, and all the world. Where can any man behold the semblance of righteousness or righteous works? What is the seed that is sown? What is the conduct of men? All the editors of papers in all countries, and the priests in every pulpit, wicked as they are themselves, are crying out against it; and they are ashamed of the abominations that continually rise before them day and night. Whenever a people, nation, generation or government forsakes virtue and departs from righteousness, becomes corrupt and promotes evil, and this principle is manifest from centre to circumference, it brings on its own head dissolution, destruction and ruin, because the Lord will deal with all according to their deeds.

There is no man who traveled in the United States, England, and among the nations abroad thirty or thirty-four years ago, and who has traveled in those nations of late years, but who is astonished at the change which is manifest. Right here in our own government, in every department thereof, from head to foot, and not only there, but it is so in almost all situations under heaven; the majority of men neither acknowledge God nor regard man, but every man is for gratifying his own passions and carrying out his own desires; even should it involve the sacrifice of the rights of millions of the human family, it matters not.

The inhabitants of the earth, generally, acknowledge not the hand of God in anything, and they are making a continued effort to uproot the only people who do acknowledge His hand and who are trying to build up his Kingdom. While I look over the earth and see the people thus destitute of the Spirit of God, committing the works of darkness, enduring the buffetings of satan, and with the judgments of God right at their doors, I feel, brethren and sisters, that we, as Latter-day Saints should watch unto prayer and live continually before the Lord in such a manner that we may understand the signs of the times; every one of us should labor as though it were the last day of our lives, that we may obtain and enjoy whatever privileges and blessings the Lord has placed within our reach. We should be united together that our righteousness, prayers and good works may come up before the Lord. I believe in good works. If a man does not that which is good he does that which is evil; if he keeps not the commandments of God he breaks them, and will be punished with the loss of salvation and exaltation in the presence of God. But if a man will be baptised for the remission of his sins and have hands laid on him for the Holy Ghost, and will keep God's commandments, receive his endowments, his patriarchal blessing and the holy priesthood, and continues faithful before the Lord, he magnifies his calling. That is what the Lord sent him for, and that is what we are all sent for; to keep our estate by observing the law of God and acting up to the light that God has revealed to us.

I am aware and satisfied that no man can be saved only as he keeps the commandments of God. It is true the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin; the Lord has shed His blood, and laid down His life for the redemption of the human family; but notwithstanding this we never shall obtain salvation and exaltation in the presence of God unless we obey the gospel and those laws and commandments that the Lord reveals. I rejoice that there are a few people, and that I have the privilege of being associated with them, who have embraced the gospel of Christ. We need not marvel nor feel surprised at the feelings of the nations around us, or that the present generation should oppose us, and go to a very great length in their operations, even in a governmental capacity, to try and overthrow the church and kingdom of God. They do not like this kingdom; they do not understand what right the Lord has to establish a kingdom in the last days; they do not believe that the earth is the Lords, and the fulness thereof; they do not believe that the cattle on a thousand hills are His. They do not believe that heaven is His Throne, and that the earth is His footstool; and although he has left his record and testimony which have been before the Christian world for generations, that he will raise a righteous people, and will establish a kingdom and will come and reign on the earth, yet they do not believe these things. But we who have looked forward to this for years past are right in the midst of this work, and to build up this kingdom is certainly a most interesting labor, and one in which I rejoice, and I want to live in that way and manner that I may have the Spirit of the Lord to guide, direct and assist me in whatever duties I may have to perform.

I have no fears with regard to what this generation may do, or attempt to do, for I know that if we will do our duty we shall be saved. One thing is certain, if the Lord deals with all men according to the deeds done in the body, the seed now being sown in the world will bring death, misery, destruction and sorrow upon the heads of the nations of the earth. The Lord is going to visit this generation, and His judgments will be severe, and they who undertake to overthrow the church and kingdom of God, fight against Him and His work; will find they will not make headway, for the Lord has decreed that He would establish His work in the last days, and His word will certainly be fulfilled. I will say that destruction awaits this generation, the heavens are full of judgments, and the angels of God with the slaughtering weapons in their hands, are waiting in His presence in the Temple in heaven, as the prophet saw by vision, to go and reap down the earth. The prophet Ezekiel had a view of this on one occasion when the Lord told him that those men with the destroying weapons were commanded to go and reap down the earth; one of their number had a writer's inkhorn, and he was commanded to set a mark on those who sighed and cried over the abominations committed on the earth. And the angel went forth and set a mark on those who kept the commandments of God; the rest followed, and slew every man except those who were thus marked. They began at the sanctuary, and it was in the last days; and judgments surely await this generation because their wicked acts bring judgment on themselves, but with the Latter-day Saints everything depends on their faithfulness before the Lord.

I have a desire to see this people faithful. The Lord has stayed His hand in judgment until this gospel could be preached to all nations, before the end came; and years ago, He told the Latterday Saints to go forth, in faith and without fear, and bear testimony of the things of the kingdom of God. "And," said He, "they who reject you and your testimony of me, I will curse and destroy; for my judgments shall follow; with thunder, lightnings, tempests, storms, fire, sword and plague will I plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many." The Lord has commenced His work and His promised judgments are in process of fulfilment.

We could not build up this kingdom, make it spread, and build up Zion if the Lord did not work for us; the powers of darkness and evil that are so universal would uproot and destroy the kingdom of God from the face of the earth if the Lord Almighty did not defend it and cut off the bitter branches; it would be in the same position as the city of Enoch, and as Christ and his Apostles, and as the prophets in many dispensations were; there would be no room for it but it and every righteous principle would be overpowered by the powers of darkness and death. We, however, have the promise of the Lord that He has set His hand for the last time to establish His kingdom, and that He will fight for Mount Zion, and will utterly cut off those who fight against it. Then we need not trouble ourselves about what our enemies may do, whether they are here in Utah, at Washington or in any other part of the world. We need not trouble ourselves about this, our