DISCOURSE
By Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered
in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sun-
day morning, Feb. .
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
trouble should be about keeping the
commandments of God that we may be
justified before the Lord as Caleb and
Joshua were [Numbers 14:6-30]. Our blessings will depend
upon our acts; they will be withheld as
long as we are careless about God's com-
mands, but as soon as we yield implicit
obedience thereto they will be multi-
plied on our heads. This we shall find
to be true.
I desire to see Zion rise, and the Lat-
ter-day Saints prospered and blessed. I
want their prayers day and night for
Zion, for the Priesthood and the king-
dom of God. Pray for the Lord to make
bear His arm in carrying out His pro-
mises made to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh
concerning their seed in the last dispen-
sation. Pray for your enemies; let them
have the benefit of your prayers, the
Lord knows they shall have the benefit
of mine day and night. We are com-
manded in His word to pray for our
enemies, and I believe the Latter-day
Saints do pray for theirs, and I have more
faith in the prayers of this people before
God in getting power to build up Zion
and overthrow her enemies than in all
the weapons of war in the world. I
would not feel so if I had no faith in
God; but the fact is, there is a God in
Israel. He has created the earth and
He rules over it and it is His right so to
do, for it is His footstool, and He is com-
ing to reign upon it. And everything
that we do here in attending to the or-
dinances of His house prepares the way
for, and aids in the accomplishment of
that work. It is now thirty-seven years
since this church was organized, and
all that time it has been slowly progress-
ing. The Elders of Israel, the Twelve,
Seventies, High Priests and Bishops
have traveled abroad among the nations
preaching the gospel, and every man
who has been baptized, every sin over-
come, every city warned, every nation
in which the gospel has been preached
has been so much accomplished in pre-
paring for the coming of Christ; every
temple, school-house, village or city
that we build, every acre of ground that
we dedicate to the Lord, every step we
take, however small it may be, has its
weight in preparing for the coming of
the Son of man. We are not going to
build up Zion in a day; though the
Scriptures say a nation shall be born in
a day, nor will the kingdom of God be
built in a day; but we must labor every
day as it comes, and so we gain a little
and keep gaining, and the Lord is going
to labor with us. Let us not be dis-
couraged but do good as we have op-
portunity, and try to overcome our sins
and imperfections, and set not our
hearts on the things of this life so that
they may draw us away from the com-
mandments of God. Inasmuch as we
do this we will increase in power and
dominion, and the kingdom of our God
will spread itself abroad until the law of
God shall go from Zion as well as the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and
God shall dictate among all the child-
ren of men. This is our work, and in
no greater can we be engaged; it is a
labor worthy of God, angels and Saints.
Brethren and sisters I do not wish to
occupy any more of your time this morn-
ing. I feel well with regard to the work
of God. I rejoice in the Lord, I know
that God lives and reigns. I know this
is His people, and that this kingdom is
His kingdom. I know this is a very
wicked generation and that the judg-
ments of God are at their doors, and
unless they speedily repent that they
will suffer a great deal more for their
sins than the Saints have for trying to
keep the commandments of God. I
pray that the Lord will prepare us for
that which awaits us and the world, that
we may have the favor of God, enjoy the
Holy Ghost, and that the spirit of truth
may direct us in all the acts of life, for
Jesus' sake. Amen.