W. Woodruff. I realize our missionary meetings in one sense of the word are the most uninteresting of any we hold in the city; but they are very necessary. I will explain myself. We have to sit here from six o'clock to nine to hear these reports; a man merely has to give a very short item of the State of his ward things in his ward: but nevertheless it seems to be ...

6 necessary that we do meet. I name this because I do not want the brethren to be discouraged. In another sense it is not uninteresting to know the feelings in the minds of the Saints, but there is a sameness. I hope that sameness will all be by & bye of the best kind. I have a few items that I want to speak of, that I have taken as I passed along. The first is what Brother Haven said with regard to catechising the people by those ^in^ families. I would ...

7 to his heart all the days of his life: just so with a woman let her know that her husband has been guilty of adultery. Don't you see you destroy families the moment you pursue that course. We can all see the wisdom of taking them indivually to catechise them. The more I see the operation of it; the more I see the wisdom of it, and then we do not create any suspicion. Again I want to say; in the organization of this missionary operation; we have not organized the ...

8 anything is revealed to them they should not reveal it to any man, and if it is any thing that they do not feel ^able^ to handle let them bring it to us, and if we can't handle it, we will take it to President Young. I feel to impress that upon the minds of the brethren, when a matter is revealed to you, never reveal it to any mortal man again. There is another subject; concerning these relief societies; now President Young recommended these female relief societies: that the societies should ...

9 Another thing was on my mind with regard to the wards where they are so scattered crowded. weI waent into the Seventies but they were three tier deep through, as full as people can be; it is so in many of the wards, and many of the ward have to go home. My feelings have been, if I could manage it I would have male and female meetings, and block meetings; or take a part of the ward, and give the people the privilege, for every Thursday have the ward as to leave, or crowd ...

10 came up—the law of consecration; there is no law upon it; when President Young took that subject up there was no commandment; he did not require it unless the people felt disposed to do it, but it is one of the first laws, God revealed. He called upon them to consecrate their all in the Kingdom of God. The Twelve and leading men of this Church and Kingdom counted it a glorious blessing to walk up and consecrate all that they haved. If I could put into it my wives and ...

11 I want to say when people turn their attention from loafering, and turn their attention to something that will bring some good to pass; ^from^ that moment they donot feel they could throw away one solitary moment, if they only had the spirit of the most High God upon them, to see what they were made for: and we as priests, apostles, and Elders, take us as a body, if our lives eyes had been opened as they are now in a measure there is not one of us but what would feel we have no time to ...

12 their sins: what does it do? It opens the field, and shows to us something that we never saw, and hardly expected to see; this shows a scenery of things to us. What are we going to do? We are going to try to save every body that can be saved. There is no man but what has failed somewhere; you can hardly find a man in all Israel, but you put him in the scale and he will righteously way ^weigh^ up every where. We have all been subject to temptation; we have had ...

13 see the people willing to repent, but I do want the missionaries to impress this one thing upon men who confess heinous sins: they should not be so lightly passed over that they do not have any feeling about time it; if they have not had the weight upon them so that they have had a godly sorrow, they should have something to make them; they should have a a repentance that will not be repented of, and that the Almighty will give him the Holy spirit. When we meet with people that are ...

14 them go their way and sin no more, and the Lord will bless them in it, and will save them. I do not want to detain the brethren any longer. I am happy to meet with you, and am in meeting with all the quorums in the City. It is a time in which I feel to rejoice for it is a time that I have long desired in my heart, and looked for; and we have done well to break through the cloud; and work and get hold of the ...

15 that are not willing, but go right into the corn you wlill see they will go by the board. There is one thing that is a consolation to me it is the officers in the Church and Kingdom; that is their element universally, get hold of this spirit and see the necessity of being saved. You will see a few men that will cover in a measure their sin; you will see a few that do not see the importance of it. The majority of this people are beginning to feel the importance of it ...

156 fruits of your labors. I do not believe you will see this Kingdom settle back and go to sleep; if it does we may take our knapsacks, and go into the wilderness. The Lord will not wait upon this people any longer if they go to sleep again, you will see judgement laid right straight to the line, and justice will walk up, and mercy will stand right back; this is the way I feel about it, and I do feel the missionaries will should impress it upon every man either in this Territory ...

17 mercy has come out and told us from the heavens, with the voice of the prophet, I will forgive your sins, they shall not be brought against you any more. What more does a people ask for. Give them to understand if they are ever catechised hereafter it will be from the winter of 1856-7, and if they commit sins hereafter they will be brought to judgement, and it will be laid to the line, & there will not be the mercy that is now shown. Well, I pray that God may bless you, and ...