DISCOURSE
By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Tabernacle, Sunday
morning, .
-[REPORTED BY J. V. LONG.]-
It seems to fall to my lot to occupy a few mo-
ments this morning, and I feel to say that this is
a blessed place, and that this is a blessed people,
and that they are partaking of a great many bles-
sed things.
If the Latter Day Saints could prize and com-
prehend the blessings that are given unto them,
and if our minds were enlightened continually by
the Holy Spirit we would feel ourselves blest, and
comprehend that we are made partakers of the
greatest blessings which the Lord imparts unto
the children of men, I may say far greater than
the rest of our fellow creatures who now inhabit
this earth.
The Lord says, whosoever are quickened by a
portion of the celestial spirit and abide a celestial
law they shall inherit a celestial glory; whosoever
are quickened by a terrestrial spirit shall inherit a
terrestrial glory. I realize this, and consider that
the Lord has revealed unto us the celestial law,
that is, he has given unto us the fullness of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, and has given us a know-
ledge of the principles of eternal life. The Lord
reveals truth unto the children of men, by which
truth we are to be qualified and prepared for ex-
altation. Truth has been presented in its simpli-
city so that it might be comprehended by the sons
of men.
As I reflect this morning upon the condition of
the human family, and consider how differently we
are situated from the masses of mankind, I do feel
that we ought to be grateful to our great Benefac-
tor. There are millions of the human family who
assemble in various houses, in cathedrals, churches
and chapels, for the purpose of worshipping God,
but is there one of those numerous congregations
who come together with an understanding of the
truth, except there be some Latter Day Saint El-
der who is called to preach to the inhabitants of
the earth? Do they come together understanding
the principles of the same gospel, the same plan of
salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, in a way and
manner to make them one?
Now, God could not make a people one with so
many kinds of faith, and such a multiplicity of doc-
trines, diametrically opposed to each other, as ex-
ist in the world, but we are a blessed people, we
have the principles of union and oneness with us,
and by carrying them out they bind us together
and make us one.
It is upon this principle that the Latter Day
Saints are blest, and made free. We are deliver-
ed in a great measure from those troubles and
perplexities, false doctrines, the darkness, the error
and superstition by which our minds have been
beclouded until the light has made manifest unto
the children of men that they were in darkness, for
this was the case with us all; until the light came
we were grovelling in the dark, in a great measure.
Though we might be honest, and we might be ac-
tuated by the best and holiest feelings, yet until
the fullness of the gospel was revealed, the world
were like the blind groping for the wall. We had
no Apostles, no Prophets, we had no inspired men
to rise up and tell us what to do to be saved, and
we had to go through with all that trouble, misery
and darkness to which the children of men are sub-
ject while living under false doctrines, false tra-
ditions, and false teachers.
I have frequently remarked in my life, and I
was sincere in the sentiment in saying, that I
would rather take a six months' tour in the pen-
itentiary than to go through with a six months'
conviction and conversion in the sectarian world,
according to their order of doing business. Let
any man go through the ordeal of six months' con-
viction and conversion in the Presbyterian church
and then be made acquainted with the true plan of
salvation, and he will feel about as I do upon the
subject.
Read the history of any man, and read his ex-
perience in the religious world and you will find
that it is worse, as far as the affliction of the soul
is concerned, than as long a time in the peniten-
tiary. We will take a Presbyterian revival, a man
is called by the sectarian excitement to get reli-
gion; he goes to the clergy, I do not care whether
it is in a synod, or in any other place, but suppose
that he has a great desire to seek after the plan
and principles of salvation, and he applies to the
clergy, they will tell him like this: You must sur-
render yourself to the Lord. He goes to work to
pray and fast, and he is faithful and diligent in
trying to give his heart to the Lord, but he is still
in trouble, and he goes to the priest and informs
him of his situation, and the priest tells him all the
time, you must give your heart unto God, you
must be willing to be damned and to suffer all
things for the sake of Christ. The minister still
pleads with him to submit himself to God, but he
does not tell him the first step which he ought to
take in order to have his sins forgiven and obtain
salvation, but tells him continually that he must
do it, that he must give his heart to God. The
result is that the man mourns and weeps, and by
and bye, he thinks that he has committed the un-
pardonable sin, and he gets so that he thinks
it is the worst sin that he can commit to pray,
when going through these feelings and this trial.
I have read the history of many strong minded
men, and besides this I know my own history and
experience, I know the way the children of men
suffer in attempting to give their hearts unto God,
and as I have said, as far as the feelings of the
children of men are concerned, it would not be
grieving their feelings any more in bearing the re-
proach of their neighbors to be sent to prison for
crime, than some men have endured in getting re-
ligion.
What is the reason of all this? It is because
they have not the same law, because there is not
any man inspired to rise up and teach them the
way to be saved: no Apostle to teach the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Now in the midst of these trials and tribulations
many of you can remember how many nights and
days you have spent in suffering and distress, try-
ing to give your hearts to God. And when you
have been called into the circle of ministers have
they not called upon you again and again to come
to the anxious bench and get religion? I can well
remember it, although I never joined any church
at all until I joined the Latter Day Saints, but yet
I attended meetings and I have been called upon
day after day and night after night to give my
heart to God, so much so that I would get mad,
to be told to do a thing so many times that I was
all the time trying to do, for I had a desire to do
that which was right, but did not know how to
take the first step, and those who taught could
not tell me how.
Now had there been an Apostle there to have
said, 'go and repent, be baptized for the remission
of your sins, and then I will lay my hands upon
you that you may receive the Holy Ghost, which
will lead and guide you into all truth, it will en-
lighten your mind in relation to the principles of
eternal life, and it will show you things past, pre-
sent and to come;' how easy this would have been
providing a man inspired of God had been there.
In relation to these things this people are truly
blest, but the world are in worse darkness than
they were before Joseph Smith received revela-
tion from heaven. They have gone into thicker
darkness, for the gospel has been offered to the
children of men, to the most of the Christian na-
tions during the last twenty-five years, and in a
great measure they have rejected it, but before
the light came to them they did not know what to
do, for the world were bound up in ignorance,
darkness, and by false traditions, false principles
and false teachers who gave unto the children of
men their erroneous opinions for doctrines of sal-
vation.
We are liberated from these things, the cloud
of darkness is taken from us, and the light of eter-
nal truth has begun to shine upon our minds.
Some of this assembly have embraced this gos-
pel in foreign countries, and many of us in this
our native land, and now we have all come togeth-
er to hear preaching, exhortation, and receive in-
struction in the things of God, and we have come
expecting to hear the truth and in this we have
not been disappointed, for we do hear the truth
from this stand; we have been taught the pure
principles of virtue and righteousness by the ser-
vants of God.
The knowledge we have received has taken
from us those troubles of mind and soul, and those
distressing feelings which were occasioned by
those false doctrines and traditions that were im-
planted in our minds in early life, and that have
caused us so much suffering in days that are gone.
Then I say it is a great blessing that God has
given unto us the celestial law, the principles of
the gospel that will lead to celestial glory and eter-
nal lives.
The Lord has for years past been continually
revealing the simple principles that will bring us
back into the presence of our Heavenly Father,
and which will give unto us a place in his celestial
kingdom, if we abide a celestial law.
We can all see the effects of the establishment
of the church and kingdom of God upon the earth,
and we perceive that the effects of the gospel are
very different from false tradition, and from sec-
tarian absurdities that deluge the world. The re-
quirement is that men shall abide the celestial law
of God in order that they may be quickened by
that power, and be united by those principles with
the Apostles and Prophets, and all those beings
who have been quickened by it in ages that are
gone, and dwell in the light and presence of God,
and be forever in the society of the city of Enoch
and our brethren who have gone before us, and
who have been made perfect by the same gospel
which we have received.
If we were to go into the celestial world we
would then be actuated by the spirit that predom-
inates there, and have continually with us those
principles by which we should be governed. We
have got to possess the same spirit and principles
in this world, and we have got to abide a celestial
law here and be united upon the principle that un-
ites the people of God who dwell in his presence,
in order to get the same glory that they enjoy.
These are the principles that are taught us from
day to day, and we must learn to carry them out,
and we must lay aside our selfishness and all false
principles that we have imbibed and that have
been taught us from our infancy, in order that we
may obtain the blessings and power of God.
It is different with us from what it is and will
be with the children of this people. As one of the
old prophets said, speaking of the gathering in the
last days, when they would come together, wake
up from their drowsiness, get to understand prin-
ciple and see their true position, they will say,
'Surely our fathers have inherited lies, and things
wherein there is no profit.' [Jeremiah 16:19] And it is truly so,
for we can already say that our fathers have in-
herited lies, and we have inherited many of their
traditions.
Until we heard the fullness of the gospel we
were filled with traditions and false doctrines, and
the teachers of the day did not instruct men to
walk in the same path, but they were continually
teaching something that would divide men in their
feelings, and that would produce as many differ-
ent creeds and schisms as there were sects in the
world, and hence we have all the evils attendant
upon that course of life.
This puts me in mind of a circumstance that
happened when I was preaching in Kentucky. I
preached upon the first principles of the gospel,
and at the close of my discourse, I gave the priv-
ilege for any one to ask questions, or to make re-
marks if they felt so disposed. A gentleman arose
and I noticed that a great many of the congrega-
tion began to laugh, and I afterwards learned that
the gentleman was an infidel, and hence the con-
gregation were disposed to make fun of him. He
said, 'I will not detain you long, but I wish to state
to this large congregation that Mr. Woodruff has
taught me more this evening than I ever learned
in my whole life before. From my boyhood I
have been searching into religion, and when I
have asked a minister in relation to the way of
life, he would point me to the way he was walk-
ing himself; then I would ask another and he
would point out a different way, and I might have
asked a hundred and they would all have pointed
out a different road, and they would tell me that
I must be born again. I observed men who were
said to be born again, and one class of men who
were said to be born again would take one way
and another would take quite a different road, and
I always marveled at this, for I did not see any
sense in men taking different roads to lead to the
kingdom of heaven, but now this man, Mr. Wood-
ruff, has told me the truth, and shown me the
reason they took so many different roads after
they were born again, and the reason is because
they were all born BLIND.'
This in reality is the case, for many of us have
been born again according to the traditions of our
fathers, but those that keep the celestial law and
obey the principles of the gospel of Christ, you
never find them taking different roads. There is
but one right road and it is a straight forward one,
and the principles and rules that govern you in
that path are simple and easy to be understood.—
This is the path for us to walk in and I consider
that we are greatly blessed in having learned the
true way, and in being delivered from that yoke of
bondage that has chained us down with error,
false doctrine and false teachers.
This I count one of the greatest blessings that
God has given to the children of men, to have the
plain truth pointed out to them. You look at the
religions of the day, and see their confusion and
the mystery that hangs around them; you may
present the truth to them as plainly as you can,
and so simply that an intelligent child might un-
derstand and still they cannot comprehend it.—
You ask a man among them about the character
of God and about his attributes, and what can he
tell you? They will preach about God, about
the Son and the Holy Ghost, long sermons, to
prove that those three personages are one, and
when they get thro' they know nothing about it
and conclude it is a great mystery.
Where is the man or woman that comprehend-
ed anything about God or about eternity until Jo-
seph Smith revealed the fullness of the gospel?
I could read of those things in the Bible which we
now believe in and receive, but I was surrounded
by the traditions of the world and could not com-
prehend them.
We are now taught, from time to time, the plain
principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the plan
of salvation—the way to live in order to have the
approbation of our Father in heaven. Is not this
a blessing above all blessings? If this people
could comprehend their blessings they never need
have an unhappy moment. If this people could
comprehend the position they stand in and their
true relationship to God they would feel perfectly
satisfied, and they would realize that our heaven-
ly Father is merciful unto us and that he has be-
stowed great and glorious blessings upon us.
When we consider that we can come into this
Tabernacle and sing, pray, preach, exhort and
bless, and that there is no sheriff standing at our
doors with writs to arrest us, we may consider these
things as blessings from the hands of the Almigh-
ty, for they are such.
As br. Brigham, br. Heber and many others
have said, there is not a man that is capable of
entering into the celestial kingdom of God who
is not willing to receive the instructions of his
brethren and abide the law of God. There is not
a man in this kingdom, who has got the right spir-
it within him but who thanks God for the moun-
tains, and for the five hundred miles of sage plains
that lie between us and the homes of our ene-
mies.
The hand of God has been visible in bringing
us here, and it has been visible with us all the
time, as far as we have taken the counsel that has
been given us. There are truths that cannot be
disputed.
I feel comfortable and truly thankful in my
mind for the blessings bestowed upon us, and I
feel to pray that we as a people may increase in
the knowledge of God and of the laws of his
kingdom, and in the knowledge of all those prin-
ciples that lead to glory, to exaltation and eternal
lives, and that will lead us back to our Father in
heaven. The troubles of the children of men are
very numerous, but a great many of them are
borrowed. I believe two thirds of the troubles
of men are borrowed. It appears to be a natural
gift, or it seems natural to us to borrow trouble,
and it is a good deal so with our blessings, look
forward to some future time when we are going
to enjoy great and glorious blessings, but our
blessings are at the present time; this is the time
that we should enjoy the blessings that God has
given us. We should rejoice to-day and be happy
to-day and feel to thank the Lord for the bless-
ings that he has put into our hands, and as to
borrowing troubles we should let them all pass,
for it is sufficient for us to pass through troubles
and trials when they are upon us, and if we pur-
sue this course we may escape a great many
imaginary trying and perplexing scenes.
Many of us have expected trouble this winter
from enemies, and it did appear as if trouble was
inevitable, to look at things naturally. We may
look at things as they may approach us next sum-
mer, and we may expect that our enemies will
seek to destroy us, and in fact I do not doubt but
that it is now in the hearts of the children of
men to concoct schemes for our destruction, for
we know they desire to have this people blotted
out of existence. They have not the Spirit of
God, but they are in worse than midnight dark-
ness, and the consequence is they do not delight
nor desire to see anybody live upon the earth who
will serve God and carry out his purposes. They
are afraid of the power of true religion, and of
the consequences that must necessarily arise, and
hence they feel to say in their hearts there shall
not a kingdom be upon the earth that belongs to
God.
This is the feeling of our enemies, for they are
stirred up by satan to root out every principle of
righteousness and truth from the earth. Can
they do this? No, they never can. Why not?—
Because God reigns, governs and controls the ship
of Zion, and he has established the principles of
eternal truth upon the earth, and they do dwell in
the hearts of the children of men, and they will
bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of God.
We do know and understand that this kingdom
will not be given to another people, for it is estab-
lished with a promise never to be given to another
people, but with the light of the Holy Spirit we
shall subdue our enemies and overcome every
obstacle. It is our duty to be continually increas-
ing in faith, that we may be enabled to call upon
the Lord with acceptance, and that we may stay
our enemies, hedge up their way, and let us pray
for them, and let us continue to believe that if we
do as we are told we can accomplish whatever we
are united upon, and be assured that the Spirit of
God will not lead us to unite upon anything that
is evil.
We know it is right to establish a kingdom of
God upon the earth, and we know it is right to
establish in the hearts of men the principles of
life and salvation which God has revealed through
Joseph the Prophet.
If we will do our duty, listen to those that are
set to lead, us we will find that the hand of God
will be over us for our good, and it will be against
those that are planning for our destruction, and
God will strengthen and uphold this people until
the day comes for the kingdom of God to spread
itself abroad, and until the law of God is issued
forth from Zion. We shall find this will be the case,
and in as much as we have these priveleges and
this faith as Saints of the Most High we should
prize them, and lay hold of them with one united
heart and not consider that the battle is to the
strong or the race to the swift, for the Lord holds
the destinies of all, and we are in his hands.
I do feel thankful to see the spirit of peace, and
the spirit of cleansing here at home; I am thank-
ful that I see the time when wicked men do not
delight to dwell here in Utah, and I do feel that
the righteousness, the conduct and the acts of
this people in general will be such that it will be
a hot place for wicked men.
It is our duty to live in this manner so that we
can ferret out iniquity where ever it exists. Men
that come here to seek for our gold and silver
find that it is now too hot for them; the day has
now come that they cannot bear the burning heat
of Zion, and I am glad of it, and I also hope that
we may still increase, for there is still room for
more improvement. We speak of improvement,
and truly there has been a great improvement in
the midst of this people, but there is still room
for great advancement to be made, for many of us
are still a long way short of being prepared for
the celestial kingdom, and of having the reward
promised to celestial and exalted beings.
There is great room for every man to labor and
to improve his life that he may be prepared to meet
our Father in heaven, and to enjoy the same glory
that those participate in who are heirs to the celes-
tial kingdom of God. Notwithstanding these
things are before us I fear that we do not suffi-
ciently appreciate them, but we must learn to so
order our lives that we shall be ready at any mo-
ment to respond to any and every call that may
be made upon us.
We feel at home here, and we feel this is the
place for us, and my constant prayer to God is
that we may not only enjoy, but that we may
prize the privileges that are afforded us, prize the
day that we live in, and the City of Great Salt
Lake where we dwell.
Those who have been here for years past do
not realize the difference that there is between
this place and the world, but I can tell you that
with the wicked it is one continual scene of blas-
phemy and of every species of wickedness that is
calculated to lead the mind down to death, and to
lead men and women from the way of life, and
from the holy gospel of Jesus Christ, and from
every thing that is calculated to produce holiness
and purity in the human mind.
The power that predominates here has a ten-
dency to lead us in the path of virtue and rec-
titude and to unite us together; it will lead us to
obey the law of heaven and to carry out those
principles that we are taught day by day. In
this way we can do right and have the approbation
of our Heavenly Father, and then he will preserve
us from all our enemies, whether they be few or
many, and though the whole world be arrayed
against us the Lord will as sure preserve us and
make a little one a great nation, as he delivered
Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and this kingdom
will become as Daniel has seen it, a great moun-
tain and fill the whole earth. [Daniel 2:26-47]
These and all the blessings and promises which
he has given will be fulfilled in their time and in
their season, which may the Lord grant for Christ's
aske [sake]:—Amen.