BLESSINGS—TRIALS—OBEDIENCE TO COUNSEL, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City,
Sunday Morning, .
We are glad to see the brethren
return home from their long missions
or short ones. We are glad to greet
them, to hear them talk, to see their
faces, and to hear their testimony that
the Lord has been with them. These
things are a pleasure to us who re-
main here in Zion. There are a
multiplicity of evidences that God is
with this people, and that the Lord
has been with his Elders, wherever
they have been, from the beginning
of this work.
There has been something peculiar
connected with the Elders of this
Church from the beginning. You
may take the rest of the world, poli-
tically, temporally, spiritually, or any
other way; and there never has been
such an example in the eyes of hea-
ven, earth, or hell as has been in the
Elders of this Church, in preaching
this Gospel to the nations of the
earth. The hand of God has been
in the work from the beginning, and
it is in it yet; and the hand of the
Lord has been with them to succour
them all the time. The revelations
given from heaven, through Joseph,
concerning the Elders, have been
fulfilled to the very letter.
There are many things that are
consoling; and one is, to know that
the Lord is with us—that he does
reveal his mind and will in the ordi-
nances of the house of God, and
through the administration of bles-
sings, whether by Patriarchs, or by
the Twelve Apostles, or in the endow-
ments. We find those blessings are
fulfilled to the very letter.
The brethren to-day have spoken
in reference to the blessings that are
given to our brethren when they go
out on their missions to the various
nations of the earth. I remember
the day very well when we blessed those
missionaries that went to India and to
Europe; and I must say that I never
had such a variety of feelings as I had
at that time.
In blessing brother Luddington,
I recollect that I was mouth, and I
well remember that I could see
nothing but seas, waves, and storms.
The seas appeared to be heaped up,
and I knew that he was going to see
storms and be exposed to troubles
and dangers. But there was one
thing that we did bless those brethren
with that I rejoice in, and that is
that they should return home again.
Well, our words have all been ful-
filled to the very letter, and this gives
us consolation. If we go forth, and
have the Priesthood and Apostleship
upon us, the Holy Spirit of God,
though it may not be visible,
does dictate to us; and it is so in
ordaining: it is so in going to battle
against the nations of the earth, who
have given their consent to the shed-
ding of the blood of the Prophets.
Brother Brigham feels calm and
serene as a summer's morning; and
in his desire to save Israel he wishes
to save also the lives of our enemies,
if possible. Why is he so calm and
steady? It is because God is with
him; and though armies are ap-
proaching and ready, apparently, to
swallow up this people, yet he and
his brethren feel calm, and the Lord
reveals unto them, by the Holy Spirit,
how to govern and control this people.
They have had a long experience in
proving the Almighty God, who holds
the destiny of the Saints and the
sinner. And has he ever failed us?
No, never.
Some of our brethren have told
their trials here to-day, and they have
said that they have not done much;
but the greatest work they have done
has been in saving themselves. But
this is not all they have done. They
have done something else; they have
accomplished the purposes of God in
India—as much so as though they had
baptised every king and queen in
those islands: they have literally
fulfilled the revelations of Jesus
Christ in carrying the Gospel unto
them, because those nations could
not have been left without excuse
and the earth prepared for the judg-
ments of God, if those Elders had
not gone and preached to the people
of those nations. No matter if they
had not have baptised one, they are
as much justified as we who first went
to Herefordshire, England, and bap-
tised twenty or thirty priests in a
day. They have fulfilled the com-
mandments in carrying the Gospel to
the nations.
It is no testimony to me that a
man is not faithful, because he has
not baptised numbers of princes,
lords, governors, and kings; not at
all. The Lord has sent them there:
he has tried them and put them in
strait places; but has he left them?
No, he has not. Has he not brought
them forth? We have had the testi-
mony of brother Musser, who is here;
and we see that it is the hand of God
that has been over them, and we are
glad of it; and we do not expect that
the Lord will send the Elders out
there again until they have other
missionaries and messengers that they
cannot stone, tar, or feather, but mes-
sengers that will come with their
sharp sickles: then they will find
that they have messengers that they
cannot conquer or overcome.
I feel to rejoice in these things
and to know that the Lord is at work
with this people. We are living in a
fast age—an age fraught with great
events, and every day is bringing to
pass more of the predictions; and
more revelation is being fulfilled in
one year, now, than has been fulfilled
in centuries before. We are living in
a day when that flood of revelation is
coming to a focus; and that focus we
stand in, and we are seeing it fulfilled
day by day.
The wicked rage and the heathen
imagine a vain thing; and they say,
"Let us go and take a prey and a
spoil; let our eye be upon Zion, and let
her be defiled." But they know not the
thoughts of the Lord, neither under-
stand they his counsel. [Micah 4:11-12] God will
work for us and defend us, if we do
our duty, and Zion will soon be free.
We will not suffer the oppressions of
our enemies as we have done.
You need not fear: all we have to
do is to be passive in the hands of the
Lord, and follow the counsel of our
leaders, and not be particularly anx-
ious that the Lord should reveal to
you or to me his mind and will and
intentions concerning our present
difficulties; but pray earnestly that
the Spirit of the Lord may be upon
those men who stand at the head.
All we have to do is to live our reli-
gion; and when the Presidency say
"Come here," or "Go there," let us
be on hand to obey, and all will be
right.
Let the people be quiet and pray
that God may reveal his mind and will
to those at the head. We may have
our ideas of what we should do in this
or that case; but there is no man so
well qualified to lead, govern, and
direct for the salvation of the people
as that man whom God has appointed.
We have as good leaders as we need.
There never was a better leader given
to Israel, nor one more capable of
leading this people to salvation, than
Brigham Young: he is filled with the
Spirit of God day by day. If the
United States make war upon this
people, the Lord will hold them re-
sponsible for it, and the measure they
mete will be measured unto them
again; [Matthew 7:2] and if they are ripe and the cup
of their iniquity full, they will be shat-
tered to pieces—their union broken up
and destroyed. They will be visited
with thunder and lightning and hail
and the judgments of God; and
every man that will not draw his sword
against his neighbour will be obliged to
flee to Zion. [Doctrine and Covenants 45:68] They are sending their
armies here to destroy us; but I ask
none to weep for Utah or spend
their sympathy for us—not even my
relatives or the priests, the doctors,
lawyers, or editors; no, not even one
soul—from the President of the United
States down through the whole nation,
who have given consent to our death;
for they will have plenty to bear them-
selves, and they may save their weep-
ing for themselves and their children.
The Lord will teach them that their
proud looks and haughty feelings will
be laid low. It is right to pray and
it is right to keep our powder dry. Pray
for the Presidency of this Church—
pray for them to have the Spirit of
revelation. We have never seen a
day when "Mormonism" was taking
such a stride as it is at the present
time. They may come over the Plains
singing their songs about what they
will do when they get to Utah; but
many of them will find a place in hell
before they get here.
There have been many truths taught
here to-day. Many who have been
here for years do not know or realize
the great blessings we are enjoying in
these valleys of mountains. Our gra-
naries are filled with bread and we
enjoy peace and the comforts of life.
We come to the Tabernacle of God and
associate with holy men, and we should
be holy ourselves: if we are not, it is
our own fault.
You have all the blessings which
the celestial kingdom and laws of God
impart unto men on the earth, while
the Gentile nations have suffered ruin,
wickedness, and abominations of every
kind to increase in their midst until
they are ripe for destruction. Do they
not thirst for the blood of the Saints
and every man who is righteous? Do
they not delight in wickedness? They
are full of wrath and anger, and they
are ripe for the damnation of hell.
Yes, the nations of the earth are ripe
to-day.
Then we should be faithful and
diligent in all things committed to
our charge. Even though the Lord
has suffered some of the brethren to
go through strait places, in days which
are past and gone, and he may still
call us to go through strait places, yet
he will sustain us when we trust in
him.
The Lord has suffered some of our
Prophets and Apostles to be martyred;
and what for? That the cup of the
iniquity of the nations might be full
and that his servants might be crowned
heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus
Christ to a martyr's crown.
Through the persecutions of the
enemies of truth, many of the Saints
have been worn out; but, as a body, the
kingdom and people have been led off
as victorious conquerers. We stand
now and hold the keys of the American
continent; we stand in the strong cham-
bers of the mountains; and can the
Lord God give us the victory? He
can and he will, and he has been pre-
paring us for this by pouring out upon
us his Holy Spirit, uniting the people
who have been willing to repent and
forsake their sins; and I hope we shall
continue faithful to the end.
I am glad, and my soul rejoices in
these things, and I believe that the
people are ready to shoulder their
guns and walk into these kanyons and
line them from here to Fort Bridger
in defence of the Constitution of the
United States and the rights which
both the laws of God and man guar-
antee to us.
We have had to stoop to our ene-
mies heretofore and bear many things
from them worse than death; but if
there is anything that gives us joy and
consolation—at least, I can speak for
myself—it was when I heard the bre-
thren say, "You are free, brethren—you
are free; and you may prove yourselves
before God and men that you are
willing to defend yourselves against
tyrants and oppressors."
When I heard this, I was full of
joy; and who would not be? Who would
not rather die than bow down to the
yoke of the enemy? It would sweeten
death to a man to know that he should
lay down his life in defence of free-
dom and the kingdom of God rather
than to longer bow to the cruelty of
mobs, even if the mob have the name
of being legalized by the nation.
I thank God and I rejoice that this
people are determined to be free from
mobocracy and oppression, and that
they are determined to have peace, if
they have to fight for it; and if the yoke
is ever put on again, it will be by our-
selves: and I say, God bless this people
and the missionaries that have gone
to the nations—no matter whether
they have baptized one or a thousand,
if they have done the will of God.
Notwithstanding the lightnings
may flash, thunders roll, and earth-
quakes bellow, the Lord will extend
his hand over his servants and protect
them as he has done those that have
returned unto us. And the Lord will
remember our brethren that are on the
Plains; and let us remember them in
our prayers, that the Lord may be on
our side; and let us be on hand
and be ready at any and every call, and
the kingdom will spread abroad, and it
will smite the image not only on the
toes but on the head; which may God
grant for our sake. Amen.