John Taylor

“ You that feel you can manage things without the priesthood, try it and see how far you will go. Go back to your ordination and baptism, go back to the spreading of the Gospel through the land and the pouring out of intelligence upon the priesthood, and God ruling and dictating, and "The Lord shall be our judge, the Lord shall be our king, the Lord shall be our law-giver, said Israel, and he shall reign over us." ”

“ Some of us would believe in them much more readily if they would make us rich, and give us prominence and position among men. I will tell you, Latter-day Saints, that unless we can enter into our cooperative institutions and the United Order with singleness of heart and pure motives, as the Elders do when they go forth to preach the Gospel, because it is God's command, your efforts will be of small avail. We do not want to stop and ask, Is there money in it? Is it his will, his law and principle? When we combine our interests on this principle, and work to it, we will succeed and prosper. ”

“ But in too many instances our co-operative institutions have jumped the track. What, the big Co-op? Yes, and little Co-ops too. Have you got a Co-op here? No, you have not. Do you know of any? We find little institutions they call Co-ops in most of our settlements, but when you come to inquire into affairs connected with them we generally find, that, instead of their being run in the interest of the community, and with a view to build up the kingdom of God, a few individuals represent the Co-op, who are the ones, who are benefitted by it. That is the trouble. But is the principle right? ”

“ And you are elders in Israel, and you are engaged in building up the kingdom of God, are you? Pretty elders you are! Pretty kingdom-builders you are, using all the influence and power of your priesthood to pull down and destroy the kingdom by attacking the rights of the people and bartering them away, sending a petition to the Legislature asking that body to take away your rights, for you do not want them. ”

“ No, but it is in the interest of God and humanity, to assist in establishing righteousness upon the earth, and union and fellowship one with another, and to elevate us in the scale of society, and that we may stand head and shoulders in all other matters, as we now do in regard to our religious sentiments, that Zion may be the head and not the tail, and that God may be honored by us and through us and among us, and that we may in very deed be the "Zion of God," which means the pure in heart. ”

“ The first thing that you do is to persuade the people to give up their rights and franchise. If God give us certain rights, and we trample them under our feet and throw them away to suit some little ideas of our own, we are very foolish and deserve to be chastened. If I had thought the bishop was wrong, I would have gone to him and talked to him repectfully, and see if things could not be modified. ”

“ Before we embraced the Gospel, we were beset with the weaknesses of the flesh, and after we embraced it, these natural infirmities still followed us. We have had difficulties and trials, and have passed through many circumstances calculated to perplex and annoy, and caused, too, many times, by the unkind acts of others. And then we ourselves have not always been the most considerate and kind one towards another. And then we have not always done exactly right, ourselves being the judges, and other people were of the same opinion. ”

“ The Priesthood sometimes have not done exactly right; and then the people have not been without blame, and consequently we make all kinds of curious errors. Now, I would like if we could go at it, act "honest Injun" and get right to the bottom of things, and then go as near right as we can, being guided by the principles of the Gospel, and not influenced by the follies of men.
The fact of our having some amongst us who have weaknesses, does not make untrue any of the laws of God which he has revealed unto us, neither does it affect our belief in them. ”

“ Yes, but we are told that it is held in "earthen vessels," which are subject to all the weaknesses, infirmities and follies, incident to humanity. Now this is the fact, and God would exalt us and place us on high among men, and pour upon us intelligence, and give unto us knowledge of his will and his law, and he would like to prepare us as a people that would acknowledge his hand in all things, and be submissive to his will, and who would say, both by precept and example, "Thy will be done on earth, as in heaven." ”

“ Men cannot afford to do wrong if they could but understand their true position. A few dollars, a little land, a few houses, a few of the comforts of this short life, cannot be compared to the glory laid up for those who are true and faithful. ”

“ Let us try, one and all, to straighten up, and get up a good common surprise, a brotherhood and sisterhood, that we may be one; and then if we are desirous to help one another, and pray God for his spirit to enlighten us, we will go and improve in these things; and we will go on from truth to truth, from wisdom to wisdom and from intelligence to intelligence, and God will help us, if we will help ourselves by taking a course to accomplish these objects. ”

“ It was on this principle that the Nephites became a prosperous, a blessed and happy people; it was not because one was a little smarter than another, or through his smartness taking advantage of his neighbor; it was not that a man was a good financier, that he should "financier" other peoples' property into his own pockets and leave them without. ”

“ But I am afraid it will be said of some of those, as was said of the rich man, "Thou in thy lifetime received thy good things and likewise Lazarus his evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented." We do not want anything to cling to us but what is right, and honest, and truthful, and whenever we can act for the benefit of all, then we are doing right, free from this narrow contracted feeling and this personal, selfish, aggrandizing spirit. ”

“ A bishop has not the right to crowd or oppress, the priesthood is not given to him for that purpose; but everything should move on harmoniously, and the wishes of the people should be consulted and respected. ”

“ But the sheep perhaps thought they were in bondage and wanted to get out; the lead sheep jumps, perhaps into a mire-hole, it does not matter, they all follow the leader.
Let us operate together as men, as Saints. If you have got to have elections, meet together honestly and consider and talk plainly, with a view of accomplishing the welfare and good of the whole. We cannot elect everybody, we cannot all be officers, we cannot make magistrates, mayors, councillors and aldermen of you all. ”

“ Some people talk about the means it takes; why money is not to be compared with intelligence. I wish we had our own text books, published by ourselves and read by our children. I think such things are indicated in the Doctrine and Covenants. Then let us have our high schools, that our children may be taught in the common branches, that we may be as far ahead of the world in regard to literacy, mechanism, the arts and sciences, and everything else, as we are now in regard to to religious principles. ”

“ Will the kingdom of God be the kingdom of men? I think not What does it mean, then, where it says, if we keep the laws of God, we need not break the laws of the land? Because the laws of Gods are so much more pure and elevated, so much more adapted to the wants and situation of humanity, that we walk right over everything of that sort ”

“ We have had an idea, which is quite correct, that God has gathered us from among the nations that he might place his name among us, and that his priesthood might be organized, that men thus ordained might be prepared to establish his kingdom and reign on the earth. ”

“ But as soon as a feeling to crowd is manifested on one side, the feeling on the other side, when expressed is, if this is going to be the way, we will buck against that, and if we cannot get our rights with the priesthood, we will fall back upon our political rights as men, and we will frustrate you in your operations if we can. ”

“ I am also glad to see our Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Societies doing so well. It will be well for you to come together as conjoint societies once in a while; it will afford an agreeable change, as well as do much good. I met with a very intelligent gentleman a few days ago, who told me that he had attended one of the Young Men's meetings, and was astonished at the intelligence and talent displayed. He said that he had not seen the like anywhere among young people.
We should not only try to excel in literary institutions, but in mechanism as well. ”

“ Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" I find many curious things, and you must excuse me if I do not preach a very connected sermon; we will talk over some matters of fact, as we would in a fireside chat.
We all of us want to be good Latter-day Saints; we all want to secure the favor and approbation of God, and when we get through with this life, we all want to be numbered among those who will secure a celestial inheritance. ”

“ When there's nothing bad in, nothing bad can come out. And I believe Jesus will bear me out in his saying, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things." ”

“ I will now refer to some other things. We have Relief Societies here, and we should encourage them. We brethren, you know, should assist our "female brethren," and we should have the loyalty and patriotism to do it all times and under all circumstances; and when they are seeking to do a good work, help them all we can. And if they are trying to get together a little wheat, let us help them, it will not do us much harm, and possibly we may find it by and by of advantage to us. The women are not always such fools as we men sometimes take them to be. ”

“ A smart young man had just returned from college, and at table he wished to show his parents what extraordinary advancements he had made. "Why, father, says he, you can hardly conceive of the advance I have made." "Well, my son," says the father, "I am sure I am glad to hear you say so, and I trust you will make a great man." There happened to be two ducks on the table for dinner, and this young man proposed to give his father a specimen of his smartness. "Now," he says, "you see there are only two ducks, don't you?" ”

“ But if Thomas will not be reconciled, then take a third party with you, somebody whom you think would have more influence with him than yourself, and if he still refuses to yield, let him be reported to his bishop, and if he will not listen to the Church, let him be considered as a "heathen man." Mary, Helen, Susan, how is it with you? Any little unkind feeling existing between you? Do you feel as though you can be good sisters, and treat one another right? Then seek one another's welfare, as the Scripture's says: "Be kindly affectionate one with another with brotherly love ”

“ I think it would have been much better and very much more in keeping with our profession, if the leaders could have been got together, and acted in unanimity and good feeling, all anxious to sustain the principles of right and to select for office those who are good, virtuous and competent men, and men who are capable of filling offices with honor, and then do it unanimously. ”

“ And being gathered together as we are from different nations, with various customs, habits and traditions, with all our peculiarities and odd notions, we, as a matter of course, do not agree in many particulars, and hence difficulties sometimes arise in our midst. Sometimes some of us keep these things to ourselves, and sometimes they leak out ”

“ Do not be in a big hurry; do not break your necks; go at it quietly, and start one industry and then another, and make your leather, and your harness and shoes, and prepare to raise silk. Brethren, operate together, and sisters operate together, and let all act in the welfare of each other, that all may be encouraged and benefitted. ”

“ No, not by a long way; neither are my brethren of the priesthood of the various quorums. And I look at people, male and female, generally, and am forced to the same conclusion respecting them. We do not come up to the standard, we fail to fulfil the requirements which God makes of us. ”

“ None of them was right, just as it was when the Prophet Joseph asked the angel which of the sects was right that he might join it. The answer was that none of them are right. What, none of them? No. We will not stop to argue that question; the angel merely told him to join none of them that none of them were right. ”

“ There may have been in the days of Enoch, and there may have been upon this continent in those days when there were no rich nor poor, but when they had all things common among them, and every one dealt justly one with another ”