tist minister." And the
minister lived near the Church,
three miles from there, and
we were directed to the place.
We made for the place and got to
the church in time for meeting in
the afternoon. Adeacon met us at
the door. I told him to tell the min-
ister there were two servants of God
at the door who had a message to
deliver to the people of that island.
The minister kindly invited us up
to the pulpit, which invitation we
accepted, going up valise in hand.
We were entire strangers and of
course in that position, were the ob-
jects of interest to the congregation.
The minister asked us what we
wanted. We told him we wanted
to preach to the people. When?
This evening. After naming the
hour and giving out the notice, he
invited us to take tea with him at
his home. When we got into the
house, I took out the Bible, Book of
Mormon and Doctrine and Cove-
nants laying them one on the other
upon the table, but said nothing. By
and by he took them up and looked
them over in silence. After pausing
sometime I asked him if there was
a schoolhouse in the island. He
answered that there were five. "Are
they free to preach in?" "Yes." I
thought that was all right, and said no
more. He asked no questions.
When the time arrived we went to
meeting. I told the people the na-
ture of our mission, and recited to
them the history of the organization
of the Church of God upon the
earth; and then preached on the
first principles of the gospel. When
I got through Brother Hale bore
testimony. We then gave out no-
tices that we would hold meet-
ings at certain hours in the
various school houses, which ap-
pointments we filled. All this time
the minister was engaged reading
the Book of Mormon and the Doc-
trine and Covenants, and for days
he walked his room till midnight,
not knowing what to do, whether
to accept our doctrines and thereby
renounce his faith and lose his po-
sition, or to reject it. After consid-
ering the matter for ten days, dur-
ing which time he was supplying
our daily wants, he concluded to re-
ject our message, and from that time
he commenced to oppose us. But
no sooner had he closed his door
upon us that a sea captain invited us
to his home. We went with him
and succeded in baptizing him and
his brother, and also commenced
baptizing others. The minister see-
ing this and becoming alarmed,
went to the south island to get a
Mr. Douglas, a Methodist minister,
to come and help him to oppose the
Mormons. They combined together
and held a kind of convention. I
was present and heard this Mr.
Douglas tell a great many false-
hoods and also misquote Scripture.
When they got through I charged
them with telling falsehoods and
misquoting Scripture, and announc-
ed that on Monday evening we
would meet the people and ministers
by way of answering to what had
been said that night. The conse-
quence was that I preached to this
Baptist congregation and baptized
every member that owned one
dollar in the meeting house and we
followed the Methodist minister to
his home in the south island and
succeeded in baptizing most of his
congregation. These are little inci-
dents in my early experience.

I have watched with a great deal
of interest the results of the
labors of Bro. Morgan in the South-
ern States, I myself having traveled
over some of the same ground and
been the means of bringing in the
Church many people from that
land, some of whom are alive and
living in Utah to-day. Here are
these Thomas' that are here—Bro.
Daniel Thomas is dead and I preach-
ed his funeral sermon. I baptized
his father and mother, he was an
old revolutionary soldier, who
fought under Washington, and was
between 80 and 90 years of age.
When I laid my hands upon his
head to confirm him a member of
the Church, I told him that he
would be gathered home with the
Saints and be buried with them.
This his son told me afterwards was
the only thing that ever tried his
faith, for he did not know the way
the old gentleman would be gather-
ed. The consequence was that
Brother Thomas was with the first
company who were gathered out of
the southern country. When he got
to Far West Father Thomas wrote
to his son Daniel to come and take
him to Far West, he went after him
and carried him up to Far West; and
three days after his arrival he died
there and was buried. We say a
great many things sometimes in
confirming people when under the
influence of the Spirit of God, that
appear to the natural mind almost
impossibilities, and which we do not
understand ourselves, only as the
Lord confirms them.

These, my brethren and sisters,
are incidents of my experience while
on my first mission. Joseph Smith,
Brigham Young and the Twelve
Apostles have met with similar
things, for this is way we had
to travel in the early days. We al-
ways went without purse or
scrip, leaving our families
many times in the depths
of poverty. We left our wives in
poverty to go to England, after ful-
filling the revelation given on the
26th day of April, at Far West,
where, in obedience to the command
of the Lord, we laid the chief corner
stone of the temple. [Doctrine and Covenants 115:8-12] This was the
only revelation in which God had
given day and date requiring the
Saints to fulfil a certain thing by a
certain time. When that revelation
was given, the bitter enemies of
this Church connived together and
swore by all the gods that if all
the other revelations of Joe Smith's
had been fulfilled, that that one
should not be, because there was
day and date to it, and they would
see that it should not be fulfilled.
You know the history of that, how
that the Lord overruled so that ev-
erything was brought to pass to the
very letter.

We went to England and labored
energetically, the Lord crowning
our labors with great success. We
baptized 7,000 people. I myself
brought into the Church near 2,000,
most of whom were brought into the
Church in about eight months' labor
in the Herefordshire mission. After
spending one year in England with
the Twelve, and establishing the
Church there, we returned home in
peace and safety.

Now, I want to say to my breth-
ren and sisters, this is Mormonism;
this is the way we have lived. You
are in another condition; you have
lived 40 years since that day—from
1840 to 1880. You are located in the
Rocky Mountains, and you are filling
these mountains with Latter-day
Saints. You have go the kingdom
of God, and the Lord is with you,
and is very anxious that this
people should build up this kingdom.
In listening to Brother Pratt to-day
preach to us, and when I read the
revelations, and when I reflect upon
that grand and glorious vision which
God gave to Joseph, which marks
out the destiny of all men; and
when I consider that you and I have
the power while here in the flesh to
attain to the high and exalted posi-
tion in the celestial kingdom of God,
which is described in this Book of
Covenants, I feel that our aims
should be high, and that our privi-
leges here on the earth are all that
we should ask for. What are gold
and silver, what are the monopolies
of wealth which Brother Morgan
has spoken of as existing in the east.
What, I say, are the immense riches
in the hands of a few men compared
to the blessings of eternal life? Why,
bless your souls, the men who wield
this wordly power are, as a general
thing, men that will go down to hell
when they shall pass away; in fact,
they are in the same situation as
the man referred to by the Savior
who wanted to build larger barns
and storehouses, and of whom the
Son of Man said, Thou fool, this
night thy soul shall be required of
thee. [Luke 12:16-21] As I remarked to the Relief
Society of Provo a week ago, so say
I now, if I could live 1,000 years here
in the flesh, and had to labor in pov-
erty and hunger all the days of my
life, and if by my acts and course of
labor I could secure unto myself the
privilege of having my wives
and children with me in the
morning of the first resurrection and
could have them with me in my
family organization in the celestial
world, to dwell with me in that state
and glory, I should feel amply repaid;
it would more than reward me for
any trials and inconveniences and
troubles that I may have to endure
here. As Brother Morgan has said
to you so say I to this people to-
night, the world know not the na-
ture of the treasure we have, they
never did nor can know while they
reject the truth as it is offered to
them. But while it is a painful
thing to see men reject and oppose
the gospel, and stand ready to per-
secute those who have been willing
to sacrifice their all in order to pro-
claim it to a fallen world, I say,
while this is painful enough to a con-
siderate Latter-day Saint, it is not
near so bad as when men apostatize
and deny the truth; of all things un-
der heaven I dislike to see, it is to see
men who have once known the
truth and seen the light, turn round
and deny that which they have
known and seen. I can bury Latter-
day Saints, I can see my brethren
and sisters laid in the silent tomb
who have received of the ordinances
of the House of God, and who have
been true and faithful unto death,
without feeling to mourn; but after
traveling with men, as I have done,
for years and years, and heard them
bear record that they knew that this
was indeed and of a truth the
Church and Kingdom of God, and
after being valiant for the cause for
40 years, then turn and deny all,
deny God and every principle of life
and salvation, in this there is some-
thing truly sorrowful.

Brethern and sisters, let us live
our religion and keep the faith and
labor to overcome the world. What
Brother Morgan has said respecting
the condition of our nation is true
as God is true. This nation nor the
world know not what awaits them
neither do the Latter-day Saints un-
less they possess that spirit which
partakes of the things of God and
reveals them unto man. There are
great changes at your door; there
are great changes awaiting Zion;
there great changes awaiting our
own nation, and there are great
changes to come upon Babylon.
And the elements financial, social
and political, which have been re-
ferred to this evening, will be used
by the Lord to overthrow this power-
ful nation, and I know it, and bear
testimony of it; although men gen-
erally know not, and seemingly care
not to know, but I know the hand
of God is in these things, and he will
rule and overrule in these material
matters, and although not interfer-
ing with men's agency, he will so
order things that men will on natur-
al principals bring about their own
destruction and they alone will be
to blame for it because their cup will
be full. God says in a modern re-
velation that he is angry with none
save those who refuse to acknow-
ledge him in all things. The world
of mankind does not acknowledge the
hand of God in anything. The sins
of this generation are ascending up,
like smoke out of a pit, before high
heavens, and the anger of the Lord
is kindled against the wicked and
ungodly, and his angels stand ready
to receive the command to go forth
and reap down the earth. This
time must come sooner or later; the
days of the reign and rule of sin and
wickedness are numbered, and the
destruction of the wicked will come
upon them like a thief in the night
and when they shall be marrying and
giving in marriage and engaged in
all kinds of revelry.

The wicked do not seem to know
that it is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of a jealous God. [Hebrews 10:31] There
are a thousand cases of murder to-
day where there was but one when
this Book of Mormon was translated
and sent forth to the world, and a
thousand cases of whoredoms and
adultery where there was one then.
In those days both law and virtue
were respected and honored; but af-
ter this word had gone forth to the
people and had been treated with in-
difference and rejected by them, the
Lord commenced to withdraw his
Spirit from them, until to-day it
finds little, if any, place in their
hearts, and as a consequence, Satan
has control over them and they are
fast ripening in iniquity, and the
whole earth is ready for judgment;
and there will be none to deliver.

Since my return from the south,
the question has been asked me a
number of times if I had received a
revelation while in the south. It
does seem strange to me that such a
question should be asked. We have
twelve Apostles and their counsel-
ors, who are upheld by the Latter-
day Saints in general conference as-
sembled, as prophets, seers and reve-
lators; and is it a strange thing that
they should receive a revela-
tion? There are, say 5,000
Seventies in these mountains who
hold the Melchisedek priesthood, as
well as many thousands of High
Priests and many thousands of El-
ders who also hold a portion of the
Melchisedek priesthood, and is it a
marvel or a wonder that God should
give a revelation to anybody? What
an idea! The marvel to me is that
prophets and apostles should live at
all without revelation.

If we build up the Kingdom of
God we shall see the necessity of re-
ceiving constant aid from our Father
and God to direct us in carrying out
to fulfilment his great and glorious
purposes.

The judgments of God await the
world and the nations that live to-
day, when the inhabitants shall be-
come fully ripe in wickedness. As
the Lord lives all the revelations
of God concerning them will surely
come to pass. Therefore prepare
yourselves, ye Saints of the latter-

tist minister" And the minister lived near the Church, three miles from there, and we were directed to the place. We made for the place and got to the church in time for meeting in the afternoon. A deacon met us at the door. I told him to tell the minister there were two servants of God at the door who had a message to deliver to the people of that island. The minister kindly invited us up to the pulpit, which invitation we accepted, going up valise in hand. We were entire strangers and of course in that position, were the objects of interest to the congregation. The minister asked us what we wanted. We told him we wanted to preach to the people. When? This evening. After naming the hour and giving out the notice, he invited us to take tea with him at his home. When we got into the house, I took out the Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants laying them one on the other upon the table, but said nothing. By and by he took them up and looked them over in silence. After pausing sometime I asked him if there was a schoolhouse in the island. He answered that there were five. "Are they free to preach in?" "Yes." I thought that was allright, and said no more. He asked no questions. When the time arrived we went to meeting. I told the people the nature of our mission, and recited to them the history of the organization of the Church of God upon the earth; and then preached on the first principles of the gospel. When I got through Brother Hale bore testimony. We then gave out notices that we would hold meetings at certain hours in the various school houses, which appointments we filled. All this time the minister was engaged reading the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, and for days he walked his room till midnight, not knowing what to do, whether to accept our doctrines and thereby renounce his faith and lose his position, or to reject it. After considering the matter for ten days, during which time he was supplying our daily wants, he concluded to reject our message, and from that time he commenced to oppose us. But no sooner had he closed his door upon us that a sea captain invited us to his home. We went with him and succeded in baptizing him and his brother, and also commenced baptizing others. The minister seeing this and becoming alarmed, went to the south island to get a Mr. Douglas, a Methodist minister, to come and help him to oppose the Mormons. They combined together and held a kind of convention. I was present and heard this Mr. Douglas tell a great many falsehoods and also misquote Scripture. When they got through I charged them with telling falsehoods and misquoting Scripture, and announced that on Monday evening we would meet the people and ministers by way of answering to what had been said that night. The consequence was that I preached to this Baptist congregation and baptized every member that owned one dollar in the meeting house and we followed the Methodist minister to his home in the south island and succeeded in baptizing most of his congregation. These are little incidents in my early experience.

I have watched with a great deal of interest the results of the labors of Bro. Morgan in the Southern States, I myself having traveled over some of the same ground and been the means of bringing in the Church many people from that land, some of whom are alive and living in Utah to-day. Here are these Thomas' that are here—Bro. Daniel Thomas is dead and I preached his funeral sermon. I baptized his father and mother, he was an old revolutionary soldier, who fought under Washington, and was between 80 and 90 years of age. When I laid my hands upon his head to confirm him a member of the Church, I told him that he would be gathered home with the Saints and be buried with them. This his son told me afterwards was the only thing that ever tried his faith, for he did not know the way the old gentleman would be gathered. The consequence was that Brother Thomas was with the first company who were gathered out of the southern country. When he got to Far West Father Thomas wrote to his son Daniel to come and take him to Far West, he went after him and carried him up to Far West; and three days after his arrival he died there and was buried. We say a great many things sometimes in confirming people when under the influence of the Spirit of God, that appear to the natural mind almost impossibilities, and which we do not understand ourselves, only as the Lord confirms them.

These, my brethren and sisters, are incidents of my experience while on my first mission. Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Twelve Apostles have met with similar things, for this is way we had to travel in the early days. We always went without purse or scrip, leaving our families many times in the depths of poverty. We left our wives in poverty to go to England, after fulfilling the revelation given on the 26th day of April, at Far West, where, in obedience to the command of the Lord, we laid the chief corner stone of the temple. This was the only revelation in which God had given day and date requiring the Saints to fulfil a certain thing by a certain time. When that revelation was given, the bitter enemies of this Church connived together and swore by all the gods that if all the other revelations of Joe Smith's had been fulfilled, that one should not be, because there was day and date to it, and they would see that it should not be fulfilled. You know the history of that, how that the Lord overruled so that everything was brought to pass to the very letter.

We went to England and labored energetically, the Lord crowning our labors with great success. We baptized 7,000 people. I myself brought into the Church near 2,000, most of whom were brought into the Church in about eight months' labor in the Herefordshire mission. After spending one year in England with the Twelve, and establishing the Church there, we returned home in peace and safety.

Now, I want to say to my brethren and sisters, this is Mormonism; this is the way we have lived. You are in another condition; you have lived 40 years since that day—from 1840 to 1880. You are located in the Rocky Mountains, and you are filling these mountains with Latter-day Saints. You have go the kingdom of God, and the Lord is with you, and is very anxious that this people should build up this kingdom. In listening to Brother Pratt to-day preach to us, and when I read the revelations, and when I reflect upon that grand and glorious vision which God gave to Joseph, which marks out the destiny of all men; and when I consider that you and I have the power while here in the flesh to attain to the high and exalted position in the celestial kingdom of God, which is described in this Book of Covenants, I feel that our aims should be high, and that our privileges here on the earth are all that we should ask for. What are gold and silver, what are the monopolies of wealth which Brother Morgan has spoken of as existing in the east. What, I say, are immense riches in the hands of a few men compared to the blessings of eternal life? Why, bless your souls, the men who wield this wordly power are, as a general thing, men that will go down to hell when they shall pass away; in fact, they are in the same situation as the man referred to by the Savior who wanted to build larger barns and storehouses, and of whom the Son of Man said, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. As I remarked to the Relief Society of Provo a week ago, so say I now, if I could live 1,000 years here in the flesh, and had to labor in poverty and hunger all the days of my life, and if by my acts and course of labor I could secure unto myself the privilege of having my wives and children with me in the morning of the first resurrection and could have them with me in my family organization in the celestial world, to dwell with me in that state and glory, I should feel amply repaid; it would more than reward me for any trials and inconveniences and troubles that I may have to endure here. As Brother Morgan has said to you so say I to this people tonight, the world know not the nature of the treasure we have, they never did nor can know while they reject the truth as it is offered to them. But while it is a painful thing to see men reject and oppose the gospel, and stand ready to persecute those who have been willing to sacrifice their all in order to proclaim it to a fallen world, I say, while this is painful enough to a considerate Latter-day Saint, it is not near so bad as when men apostatize and deny the truth; of all things under heaven I dislike to see, it is to see men who have once known the truth and seen the light, turn round and deny that which they have known and seen. I can bury Latterday Saints, I can see my brethren and sisters laid in the silent tomb who have received of the ordinances of the House of God, and who have been true and faithful unto death, without feeling to mourn; but after traveling with men, as I have done, for years and years, and heard them bear record that they knew that this was indeed and of a truth the Church and Kingdom of God, and after being valiant for the cause for 40 years, then turn and deny all, deny God and every principle of life and salvation, in this there is something truly sorrowful.

Brethern and sisters, let us live our religion and keep the faith and labor to overcome the world. What Brother Morgan has said respecting the condition of our nation is true as God is true. This nation nor the world know not what awaits them neither do the Latter-day Saints unless they possess that spirit which partakes of the things of God and reveals them unto man. There are great changes at your door; there are great changes awaiting Zion; there great changes awaiting our own nation, and there are great changes to come upon Babylon. And the elements financial, social and political, which have been referred to this evening, will be used by the Lord to overthrow this powerful nation, and I know it, and bear testimony of it; although men generally know not, and seemingly care not to know, but I know the hand of God is in these things, and he will rule and overrule in these material matters, and although not interfering with men's agency, he will so order things that men will on natural principles bring about their own destruction and they alone will be to blame for it because their cup will be full. God says in a modern revelation that he is angry with none save those who refuse to acknowledge him in all things. The world of mankind does not acknowledge the hand of God in anything. The sins of this generation are ascending up, like smoke out of a pit, before high heavens, and the anger of the Lord is kindled against the wicked and ungodly, and his angels stand ready to receive the command to go forth and reap down the earth. This time must come sooner or later; the days of the reign and rule of sin and wickedness are numbered, and the destruction of the wicked will come upon them like a thief in the night and when they shall be marrying and giving in marriage and engaged in all kinds of revelry.

The wicked do not seem to know that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a jealous God. There are a thousand cases of murder today where there was but one when this Book of Mormon was translated and sent forth to the world, and a thousand cases of whoredoms and adultery where there was one then. In those days both law and virtue were respected and honored; but after this word had gone forth to the people and had been treated with indifference and rejected by them, the Lord commenced to withdraw his Spirit from them, until to-day it finds little, if any, place in their hearts, and as a consequence, Satan has control over them and they are fast ripening in iniquity, and the whole earth is ready for judgment; and there will be none to deliver.

Since my return from the south, the question has been asked me a number of times if I had received a revelation while in the south. It does seem strange to me that such a question should be asked. We have twelve Apostles and their counselors, who are upheld by the Latterday Saints in general conference assembled, as prophets, seers and revelators; and is it a strange thing that they should receive a revelation? There are, say 5,000 Seventies in these mountains who hold the Melchisedek priesthood, as well as many thousands of High Priests and many thousands of Elders who also hold a portion of the Melchisedek priesthood, and is it a marvel or a wonder that God should give a revelation to anybody? What an idea! The marvel to me is that prophets and apostles should live at all without revelation.

If we build up the Kingdom of God we shall see the necessity of receiving constant aid from our Father and God to direct us in carrying out to fulfilment his great and glorious purposes.

The judgments of God await the world and the nations that live today, when the inhabitants shall become fully ripe in wickedness. As the Lord lives all the revelations of God concerning them will surely come to pass. Therefore prepare yourselves, ye Saints of the latter-