John Taylor

“ Will we be liberal and generous and kind? Yes; I would give to every man of whatever name, or creed, or color, all his rights without his ever asking for them; we need no plot, or intrigue, or anything of that kind. We expect to build up and establish the kingdom of God, that will contain in it, admiration, protection of the virtuous and good among all nations. ”

“ If any are in error, try to reclaim them by kindness; if they have a a bad spirit, show them a better one; if any do not do right, do right yourselves and say, "Come follow me, as I follow Christ." Would not that be the right course to pursue? I think it would; that is the way I understand the Gospel. We do not, any of us, have the priesthood for self aggrandizement, or to be used to oppress, or take advantage of anybody, or to use improper language; but with all kindness and long suffering and forbearance and with love unfeigned. ”

“ And it is a trick of the devil to decoy and destroy, to divide and disrupt, and to lead men down to perdition. What would be the result if these things are carried out a little further? The whole head would be sick and the whole heart faint. I say, shame on the Elders of Israel! Shame on men holding the holy priesthood that cannot be united and operate together in the interest of the Church and the Kingdom of God, but must drag in their mean, low, contemptible ideas and notions, forgetting the high calling with which they are called. ”

“ But the Priesthood of the Son of God has been manifested in the interests of God, in the interests of the heavens, and in the interest of all humanity; embracing all people and extending to all nations and tongues. The Lord has gathered us together for the express purpose of forming a nucleus, an organism, a people to whom he could communicate and reveal his will, and to whom he could make known his designs, and among whom he could establish the principles of eternal truth and the light, intelligence, rule and law of God, as they exist in the eternal worlds. ”

“ If we will live so as to be entitled to drink of the well streams that flow from the fountain of all light, all these little, narrow, contracted, by-gone influences, will vanish like the dew before the rising sun, and the light, the Spirit and revelations of God, will rest upon the priesthood, and Israel will be one and his priesthood one, and they will fight side by side in the defence of truth, and in the maintenance of those principles calculated to exalt men through all time and all eternity. ”

“ We are called upon to build up not only the Church, but the kingdom of God, and to introduce the rule and government of God upon the earth. We are here just as Jesus was, not to do our own will, not for the purpose of carrying out our own ideas or theories, but to do the will of God who sent us. ”

“ No, we are not; we are going in for Israel and for the Church and kingdom of God, but we will protect every man in his rights so far as God gives us power to do so, but we will not mix up with their iniquities, their frauds and corruptions, that they are seeking in many instances to crowd in upon us; we want to be free from these evils, and put our trust in the living God and cleave to the right and the truth. If a man is a good man, won't I treat him right? ”

“ This may be a hard lesson for some to learn, but we have got it to learn, or we never shall be fitted to hold any important position in carrying out the designs of God, in building up His Church and Kingdom on the earth. We want to feel a free interchange of that union one with another, not for one man to stand up among his fellows as though he were unapproachable, and say to others, "Stand off, I am holier than thou." Nothing of this kind; but entertain a kindness, a sympathy and a desire to promote the happiness and welfare of all men, just as God does. ”

“ But there is no priesthood of the Son of God that authorizes one man to oppress another or to intrude upon his rights in any way. There is no such thing in the catagory [category] ; it does not exist; as it is said—"Behold! ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks; to persecute the Saints, and to fight against God." We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. ”

“ No person or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness, and meekness, and by love unfeigned, by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile, reproving by times with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy ”

“ Now then, we have got a priesthood organized here upon the earth, as there was one organized in the days of Jesus, only with this distinctive difference,—that that was a dispensation of God to them; this we live in is the dispensation of the fulness of times, embracing all other dispensations and times and powers and authorities that have existed upon the face of the earth, in the various ages, from the commencement to the present time. ”

“ If Jesus was here, he would tell you to lay aside your nonsense, your follies and weaknesses, and act more like men and Saints, and go to work and "Feed my Sheep." Said he, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me," not that I will rule with an iron-hand, not that I will trample upon them, not that I will let you see that I possess power and authority; but "I will draw all men to me." ”

“ No, not if you have it to spare; but on the other hand, don't let us shut out our own people and our own interests, but maintain every right wisely, to the building up of the kingdom of God. We will be as generous as the world dare [s] to be; and we expect the principles of the everlasting Gospel will go on and increase until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ.
I say to those men who may have any differences, settle them like men and don't act the baby any more, but conduct yourselves as servants of the Most High God. ”

“ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me," that they may have evidence of a union that exists nowhere else in the world of the love and affection of those godly principles that cement and bind men together, which nothing but the power and spirit of revelation can do ”

“ Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, and they do not learn this one lesson—"just the very thing I have been talking about—"That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness." Do you think that God will give power to any man only to carry out his own contracted or selfish purposes? ”

“ That will not be accomplished until the time spoken of when every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall be heard to say, "Glory, honor, majesty and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever;" but it will be done through the influence of the Gospel, through its cementing and harmonizing influences, through the aid of the Almighty and the operations of the holy priesthood combined together, united as the heart of one man in the accomplishment of the purposes of God ”

“ We should all feel that God is our Father, and that we are all brethren and sisters. There are none of us very big; in fact we are all very little when you come to know all about us. None of us can do anything except the Lord helps us, and if he does not help us, we, as a certain lady said, are "all poor, miserable, independent sinners." ”

“ Because we are associated with things that are eternal in their consequences. We are aiming at the celestial glory. We believe they will get as big a glory as they are looking for, but it will not be that which we anticipate; therefore we don't want them to train our children and lead them down to death. We want to manage these things ourselves, but injure nobody. Is anybody injured by it? No. "I cannot see as you see," say some. All right, we cannot help that. Would I find fault with the City Council because they give a burying ground to some who prefer to have their dead by themselves? ”

“ And where this principle does not exist, there is something wrong, the principles of the Gospel are not lived up to. For God is love, and they that dwell in God, dwell in love; and "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar," so said the word of God formerly, and it says to-day. God is love, and they that dwell in God, dwell in love. They are surrounded by that element, it is the fountain of life within them. Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, whom he asked to give him drink, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again ”

“ I have heard it stated that President Young had exacted too much in getting possession of this ten acre square; I wonder now if any of you speculating men had owned this 160 acres of land in this locality if you would have been satisfied to take ten acres of this swampy land for it? There is no decent man anywhere that would object to anything of that kind, neither Jew, Gentile, or Mormon, and such unpleasantness frequently arises from a miscomprehension of affairs. Had President Young, because he was President of the Church, no right to have pay for that which belonged to him? ”

“ Why, lay them aside and repent of your foolishness, and forgive one another of your hard speeches and words, and your rash and hard treatment made use of to produce stings, trouble and annoyance among men; and study from this time henceforth one another's feelings, and act the part of a brother and friend one towards another, live your religion and keep the commandments of God. How did Jesus teach his disciples to pray? When you pray, say, "Our Father which art in heaven." ”

“ Envy is one; hatred is another; malice is another; uncharitableness is another; evil speaking is another; and so on—all these things proceed from an evil spirit; and it is said, "That to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness." Men sometimes falter? Yes, sometimes they think they are strong; but no man is strong unless he be strong in the Lord. No man is sustained only as God sustains him ”

“ The sheep have been scattered abroad among the nations of the earth to whom this communication has been sent and thousands have heard and obeyed the voice of the good Shepherd and have gathered themselves together, as we are here and as they are over this Territory, according to the impulses originating from the Spirit of God, which has operated and worked upon our minds and brought us together as we are here to-day. ”

“ We sometimes think we are strong and that we can do a great deal. So thought Peter on a certain occasion—at the time when Christ said to his disciples, "All ye shall be offended because of me this night." But Peter answered him, saying, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." ”

“ But somebody seems to think that somebody is injured. Who is injured? If the Church had ten acres and only desired two-and-half acres, or if they desired the whole of it, I don't think it any great stretch of liberality of anybody, and I do not see why any one should be at all exercised about it. They will say, What will the Gentiles say? No honorable Gentile would say it is wrong, or take any exception to it, and as for those who are not so, we do not care anything at all about them. That is my idea. Somebody said the City Council had given two-and-half acres to some outside religious sect. ”

“ And in connection with this I wish to say, we not only need to have confidence in men, but we must exhibit that confidence. "Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another," not preferring ourselves, but "in honor preferring one another." ”

“ There is none of the "big I and little you" amongst us. We should have a common sympathy one for another, and feel a kindly regard for the lowest of God's creations, and especially for the Saints of God, no matter what position they occupy. ”

“ When Jesus sent forth his servants formerly he sent them to preach this Gospel. When the Father and the Son and Moroni and others came to Joseph Smith, he had a priesthood conferred upon him which he conferred upon others for the purpose of manifesting the laws of life, the Gospel of the Son of God, by direct authority, that light and truth might be spread forth among all nations. ”

“ There is a feeling generally entertained that President Young, in his lifetime, got possession of a certain square here in Ogden wrongfully. Certain things are continually being originated by certain minds, and rumors get circulated, and it is too often the case that people do not stop to consider as to their truthfulness and in many instances conclusions are formed, and I would venture to say that in nine cases out of every ten such conclusions are wrong. ”

“ Yes; but at the same time, our moral and social ideas are very different, and while I accord to them all the civil liberties that any reasonable men should want, I do not wish to be governed by his standard of morality, nor do I wish him to teach my children. ”