Heber C. Kimball

“ In this country the North and the South will exert themselves against each other, and ere long the whole face of the United States will be in commotion, fighting one against another, and they will destroy their nationality. They have never done anything for this people, and I don't believe they ever will. I have never prayed for the destruction of this Government, but I know that dissolution, sorrow, weeping, and distress are in store for the inhabitants of the United States, because of their conduct towards the people of God. Then the judgments will go forth to the nations of the earth. ”

“ You will all feel better when you get rid of your contractedness. Let the womb of your mind be expanded to receive the words of life, and then the Spirit of the living God will be in you as a well of water springing up into everlasting life. ”

“ It is by our faith and works, by our integrity and righteousness, by doing to others as we would wish them to do unto us. Jesus says—"With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matt. vii. 2.) This is and will be the case with every man in this Church and kingdom, from first to last. All will have that reward which their works merit, whether they be good or evil.
I realize that I am a feeble man—that I am nothing more than a worm that crawls upon the earth, except when God is with me. ”

“ And if the word of life be in us, it will be like a well of water springing up into everlasting life, and we shall have our minds stored with that knowledge which is promised to the faithful. It is necessary, and it is the imperative duty of the Elders in Israel to strive to increase in knowledge, in wisdom, in virtue, and in good works; for if we have good works we are bound to have good faith: then again good faith produces good works. ”

“ What they said was truth, and I also know that what brother Wells said was truth, for he cannot speak anything else. There are men of whom I could not say that; but brother Wells' mind is stored with knowledge and wisdom, and it would be hard for a man like him to talk anything else than the truth. We often say that we wish to speak the truth to the people, which is right and good; but is it any more necessary that I should be a man of truth here than I am in my garden or with my family? ”

“ We should always be filled with the truth, and not only filled with truth, but ever be ready to administer it, whether we are moving backward or forward. We should ever be ready to administer the words of life and salvation, and let the error alone. Let us listen to the counsel that we have heard to-day from brother Wells and the other brethren. ”

“ Brethren and sisters, I pray our Father in heaven to give you liberally of his Spirit, that you may be led and guided thereby in the way of righteousness and truth, and in the end of your probation be exalted in the presence of the Father and the Son, which I ask for you and all the faithful, in the name of Jesus Christ. ”

“ Those who have been sent among us by the Federal Government as officers were men who did not care for the people. They have always manifested a great anxiety for the gold and silver, but none for the interest through this community. Now, this should not be so with us; our desire and labour should be to learn the principles of integrity—to live up to our covenants made in the house of God. If we do this, no power can overcome us, but we shall prevail. ”

“ The more I see of myself, the more I am satisfied that I am a poor, weak, frail man. We are all poor creatures without God. If you do not believe it, look back into the world and see the condition of things. ”

“ When I look around, I see many things that I do not like; I do not like to think of circumstances that have taken place within the last few days. I do not like the idea of having thieves in our midst, but we certainly have them, and I pray God Almighty to root them out of the earth, and to let them go into forgetfulness, and let all Israel say Amen. ”

“ It is a pretty hard case for a man to speak to this congregation, except he makes up his mind to speak according to the light that is in the people.
Many of the people have ears to hear, but they hear not, neither do they conceive the things of the kingdom of God. For instance, when the people come together on a Sunday morning and hear a discourse, go home to dinner and come together in the afternoon, and they can scarcely remember a word that has been said in the forenoon ”

“ The Almighty through his Prophets foretold that the nation would make war upon this people, and that he would come out of his hiding place, and pour out his judgments upon those that rebel against him, and who persecuted his people, and set themselves against his house. ”

“ Yes, brethren, the United States have done all this, and much more that would be painful to recite.
Some of them talk sometimes about brother Brigham crooking his little finger, and have told that if he were to do that, no Gentile would be permitted to live any longer among us. When the enemies of righteousness came here, they became so afraid of the Saints that they dared not let a man out of their ranks ”

“ They have not any of them accomplished what they designed, for the man or the woman that falls in with such spirits is not our brother or our sister. Who is our brother? He that doeth the will of our Father who is in heaven, and none else. ”

“ They have no regard for honesty among them, speaking of them as a community; but of course there are persons among them that are honest—individuals who are the elect of God: they will eventually be gathered. ”