John Taylor

“ When it begins to get a little warm in the spring you begin to plow, and when you cast in the seed you do not expect to reap on to-morrow; but you wait, and by and by the grain begins to shoot, and everythings [everything] looks beautiful and green, and when it commences to head out, you begin to talk about the harvest. ”

“ In regard to our religion and our feelings about tithing, and in fact everything else, we need to act conscientiously before God, and as honest, men, without any equivocation of any kind. In regard to our doctrine and the principles we believe in; in regard to our deal and intercourse with all men everywhere; in regard to our associations with our families and with one another, we ought to really be what we profess to be—Latter-days Saints. ”

“ It is not only our duty to pay our Tithing, but our offerings too, that our poor may be fed and clothed, and their hearts made glad. It is just as binding upon us to look after our poor, as it is to be baptized for the remission of sins. How do you think, brethren, the Lord would regard us if the cries of the widow and the orphan, the aged, and the halt and the blind, were to ascend into his ears, while we heed them not? I tell you he would not own us as his people, neither could he pour out his blessings upon us. ”

“ It is true they may not say anything, but at the same time they keep up a loud thinking about it. But if we do manage to deceive each other we cannot deceive God. And what is the use of making a profession of anything unless we carry it out. Why are we here? Because we embraced the Gospel, and because we believed this was the land of Zion. Why do we attend to Temple ordinances? Because we believe they are ordained of God, and are necessary for our welfare and the welfare of our progenitors. Why do we build temples? ”

“ We should so live that our love for each other can increase all the time and not diminish, and have charity in our bosoms so that we may bear with one another's infirmities, feeling that we are the children of God, seeking to carry out his word and will and law. ”

“ Then pay your Tithes and your offerings, that the blessings of God may be upon us and our land, and upon our orchards, and that the hearts of the poor may be made to rejoice, and that Temples may be reared to his holy name, and the work of the Father may go on to its consummation. I doubt, my brethren, whether a man can save himself, much less prove a savior to his dead, who neglects to Tithe himself. ”

“ We will try to be united, and purify ourselves and purify our families, and purge out iniquity from our households. We will try to have a conscience void of offence towards God and man. We will try to magnify that priesthood God has conferred upon us. ”

“ There is, however, an overwhelming power, which is the power of God, at the back of it, which gives life and vitality to all nature; and it moves gradually and slowly, but surely. We want to grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of God in the same way. ”

“ God makes his sun to shine on the evil as well as the good, and he sends his rain on the just and the unjust. But do not descend to their evils and wickedness and corruptions, nor to the evils and wickedness of those who call themselves Latter-day Saints, who are not, who do not keep the commandments of God. ”

“ That we may be more diligent and faithful in the observance of the laws of God than in the past; and that through faith and good works we may be able to see as God sees us, and be Latter-day Saints indeed and of a truth, is my prayer. ”

“ There are some calling themselves Latter-day Saints who try to appease their conscience in the belief that Tithing means the tenth of what may be left after deducting all expenses, which would amount to this: "What we cannot spend we will give a tenth of that as our Tithing." ”

“ Tithing is a law of God which we are required to obey, and it is binding upon all the Latter-day Saints, the poor as well as the rich. In some places the widow, who depends upon the Church for support, pays one-tenth of her income as Tithing. ”

“ God sends us to teach, not to be taught or to be influenced by anything improper or impure; he sends us to elevate the standard of truth and to act the part of a friend to all men, but not to be partakers of their sins, or mix up with them in their vice and contentions ”

“ And we are living under a more ele-vated law, and occupying a higher position than the Children of Israel did. We want to be just and generous to each other, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. ”

“ It is quite possible that we may deceive one another; but it is not always that we succeed in doing that. We often try, but we make a poor out at it, for people generally are not so much deceived as we may think. ”

“ We are required to pay the tenth of our increase, or interest, or income, which is our Tithing, and which is necessary for the general welfare in building Temples, sustaining the Priesthood, administering to the poor, etc., while we retain the nine-tenths for the sustenance of ourselves and families, etc. ”

“ Yes, certainly; it would be a pity if we could not afford to treat everybody honorably and right. These "damned Gentiles," as you are sometimes pleased to call them, are the children of our Heavenly Father. ”

“ And should any have had access to the privileges of the House of the Lord either on behalf of themselves or their dead, without having complied with this law, thus securing unto themselves, in a legal and proper way, the right of the Temple, they would be like thieves and robbers that enter not into the sheepfold by the door, but climb up some other way. And the time will come when such persons will be treated as thieves and robbers—bound hand and foot and cast out again. ”

“ So with the building of our Temples and everything else. Never mind so much about the prayers; prayers are all very well in their place. There is an old saying which is not without meaning; it is "Yankee doodle, do it." Let us do something and feel that we are men among men, and that we are prepared to fill the various responsibilities devolving upon us, and then things will move along right enough. We get excited sometimes and want to do everything in a rush. Why the world was not built in a day, neither does winter change into summer in a day, it takes time. ”

“ We sing sometimes something like this—and we sing it quite glibly too: "When every man, in every place shall meet a brother and a friend." Do you ever remember hearing folks sing that? If we were one and all, so united as to inspire that confidence: in all our acts and doings, so far as we were concerned in our immediate vicinity, every man would meet a brother and a friend ”

“ The Lord acknowledges the honesty of the heart by providing for and blessing us with the necessaries and comforts of life; and he will continue to do so, as long as we fear and obey him with all our might, mind and strength. ”

“ For instance, if a man depend only upon the labor of his own hands, then one-tenth of his earnings would be his lawful Tithing. But if in addition to this he possess teams or employ other labor, then the increase of such labor should also be Tithed. Again, if he should be engaged opening up farms, building or making other improvements, thus accumulating a surplus around him, one-tenth of the increase of such property would be due, as Tithing, as well as a tenth of his labor combined. ”

“ But it should be because we believe it to be a duty devolving upon us, and because, as Elders in Israel, the Lord expects us to do it, because it is a part of the plan of salvation ordained of God for the living and the dead ”