Elder W. Woodruff:—The founding
of this kingdom cost sorrow and blood.
In our family circles we remember the
men who founded it, and we prize those
who have laid down their lives for this
work. God has given us other men to
lead us, and they are as dear to us as
our former prophets were. We should
prize their instructions, and we should
live in that way that we can have com-
munion with God to sustain ourselves
as Elders, Bishops, Presidents, etc. If
we are without the light of the gospel of
Christ, and do not live in it, we shall
become like other men. It is necessary
for us to grow in faith, wisdom, confi-
dence, prudence, and in all the things
of God, that we may understand in a
measure His providences towards us;
and that He has a motive in every visi-
tation we may receive from His hands,
in sending frost, snow and storms, by
which the works of our hands are des-
troyed, or of any other kind. We felt
it hard to leave our temple in Nauvoo,
but we have enjoyed a great deliverance;
and should a prophet tell of the events
of the next ten years we should not
believe him any more than we would
have believed Joseph if he had told us
all we have passed through since we
left Nauvoo. The Lord has only just
begun to deal with the people. The
judgments of the Lord will follow one
after another, until His work is accom-
plished in the last days. God will visit
the wicked of this generation with
famine and pestilence, fire and smoke,
with earthquakes and a great destruc-
tion. We are called to stand in these
mountains amid the crash of nations
and the wail of millions. How shall
we do this? By being sanctified before
God. We have to watch as well as
pray. We must be honest men and
women, and walk uprightly before the
Lord, or these mountains will not hide
us from the judgments of God. Faith-
fulness is required of all the people,
from the Prophet and the Twelve
Apostles to the least member. Faith-
fulness in all things is the condition on
which we can continue to enjoy our
possessions in these mountains. We
must overcome sin in the world and in
ourselves, and learn to sanctify our-
selves that we may be saved. When
we are faithful, we are faithful for our-
selves. God has attained His exalta-
tion, and all that He has blessed us
with is for our salvation. Our eternal
destiny depends upon the course we
take in this short life. If our eyes were
opened to this fact we would not sell
our souls for a mess of pottage. The
counsels we now receive are as precious
and of as much interest to us as were
the counsels of Joseph and his brethren
in the early days of this church. If
we give our hearts to love the things of
this world and neglect our duties we
cannot overcome, but we will be over-
come, whereas, if we are faithful, no
power will prevail against us.