I want to know now, if the brethren
can really and truly realize our true
position with regard to the Lamanites,
or do you consider them a poor, lost,
sunken race of beings that are not
worth saving? Do you ever read
the Book of Mormon? If you do,
do you believe and realize the
truth of its sayings, and also what
the Lord revealed to the Prophet
? These are things that
we have in our possession; we
have them in the Book of and in the History of
Joseph Smith. Do you look them
over? If you do, and if you lay
them to heart as the things of God,
you will feel that it is actually our
duty to do all we possibly can
to benefit, enlighten and save this
dark and ignorant people. Do you
feel like killing off the Laman-
ites? I tell you there is no man
that will ever feel like killing
them if he possesses the Spirit
of the Lord. Well, says one,
"do you ever feel like chastising
them brother ?" Yes, I do,
but I let the Spirit of the Holy
Gospel direct me; but until the
light of the Holy Gospel shone
upon me I felt like other men.
When the Priesthood was restored,
and the light of truth burst in
upon my mind, I knew then that
if it were not for the Israel-
ites the Gentiles might go to hell
and be damned. The Lord would
not take much pains with us any-
how, were it not for the pro-
mised seed. Instead of them being
inferior to us in birthright, they
are superior, and they stand first
in many instances, with regard to
the promises in particular. Well,
but says one, "how will you
prove this?" I will tell you,
if we had been of the house of Israel
and forsaken our God as much as we
have, and despised his ordinances
and trampled them under our feet, we
would have been cursed like these
Lamanites are, this is my proof. If
the Gentiles had been of the house of
Israel, legal heirs to the Priesthood,
and had received their oracles as the
house of Israel did, you would have
found that the same curse would have
come upon the Gentiles that you now
see upon these Lamanites, but inas-
much as they were not of the pro-
mised seed, to them the blessings
did not pertain, and they had no
part nor lot in them, only as they
were afterward granted on condition
of obedience. The Son of God came
through Israel, but we Gentiles being
strangers, and foreigners, and aliens,
in a national point, we had nothing
to do with putting Christ to death,
and hence the curse did not come
upon the Gentiles. When they are
restored, will they not stand before
the Gentiles? Will they not be
numbered with the Sons of God
and be adorned with the gifts
and graces of the Gospel, and stand
before the Gentiles? Yes, they
will! Now, what do the people
think? I should like to know
what this congregation think about it.
There are a good many brethren
and sisters here from ,
, and , what do
you all think about it? Had we
better drive them away out of the
country? Or, had we best take
hold and bring them into the
Gospel of Jesus Christ? Now, if
this people, male and female, feel
to school them, spend time and
pains to instil into their minds
correct principles, to divide land
with them, and clothe them, draw
their wood for them until they
learn to draw their own, and farm
for them until they learn to farm
for themselves, and if they will
no more slay them, no more seclude
them from their houses and hospi-
tality, and will go to work and
restore them to the knowledge of
228 JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
I want to know now, if the brethren
can really and truly realize our true
position with regard to the Lamanites,
or do you consider them a poor, lost,
sunken race of beings that are not
worth saving? Do you ever read
the Book of Mormon? If you do,
do you believe and realize the
truth of its sayings, and also what
the Lord revealed to the Prophet
? These are things that
we have in our possession; we
have them in the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants and in the History of
Joseph Smith. Do you look them
over? If you do, and if you lay
them to heart as the things of God,
you will feel that it is actually our
duty to do all we possibly can
to benefit, enlighten and save this
dark and ignorant people. Do you
feel like killing off the Lamanites? I tell you there is no man
that will ever feel like killing
them if he possesses the Spirit
of the Lord. Well, says one,
"do you ever feel like chastising
them brother ?" Yes, I do,
but I let the Spirit of the Holy
Gospel direct me; but until the
light of the Holy Gospel shone
upon me I felt like other men.
When the Priesthood was restored,
and the light of truth burst in
upon my mind, I knew then that
if it were not for the Israelites the Gentiles might go to hell
and be damned. The Lord would
not take much pains with us anyhow, were it not for the promised seed. Instead of them being
inferior to us in birthright, they
are superior, and they stand first
in many instances, with regard to
the promises in particular. Well,
but says one, "how will you
prove this?" I will tell you,
if we had been of the house of Israel
and forsaken our God as much as we
have, and despised his ordinances
and trampled them under our feet, we
would have been cursed like these
Lamanites are, this is my proof. If
the Gentiles had been of the house of
Israel, legal heirs to the Priesthood,
and had received their oracles as the
house of Israel did, you would have
found that the same curse would have
come upon the Gentiles that you now
see upon these Lamanites, but inasmuch as they were not of the promised seed, to them the blessings
did not pertain, and they had no
part nor lot in them, only as they
were afterward granted on condition
of obedience. The Son of God came
through Israel, but we Gentiles being
strangers, and foreigners, and aliens,
in a national point, we had nothing
to do with putting Christ to death,
and hence the curse did not come
upon the Gentiles. When they are
restored, will they not stand before
the Gentiles? Will they not be
numbered with the Sons of God
and be adorned with the gifts
and graces of the Gospel, and stand
before the Gentiles? Yes, they
will! Now, what do the people
think? I should like to know
what this congregation think about it.
There are a good many brethren
and sisters here from ,
, and , what do
you all think about it? Had we
better drive them away out of the
country? Or, had we best take
hold and bring them into the
Gospel of Jesus Christ? Now, if
this people, male and female, feel
to school them, spend time and
pains to instil into their minds
correct principles, to divide land
with them, and clothe them, draw
their wood for them until they
learn to draw their own, and farm
for them until they learn to farm
for themselves, and if they will
no more slay them, no more seclude
them from their houses and hospitality, and will go to work and
restore them to the knowledge of