Wilford Woodruff

“ I realize this, and consider that the Lord has revealed unto us the celestial law; that is, he has given unto us the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and has given us a knowledge of the principles of eternal life. The Lord reveals truth unto the children of men; by which truth we are to be qualified and prepared for exaltation. Truth has been presented in its simplicity, so that it might be comprehended by the sons of men. ”

“ Men that come here to seek for our gold and silver find that it is now too hot for them. The day has now come that they cannot bear the burning heat of Zion, and I am glad of it; and I also hope that we may still increase, for there is still room for more improvement. We speak of improvement, and truly there has been a great improvement in the midst of this people; but there is still room for great advancement to be made, for many of us are still a long way short of being prepared for the celestial kingdom and of having the reward promised to celestial and exalted beings. ”

“ The knowledge we have received has taken from us those troubles of mind and soul and those distressing feelings which were occasioned by those false doctrines and traditions that were implanted in our minds in early life, and that have caused us so much suffering in days that are gone. Then, I say, it is a great blessing that God has given unto us the celestial law—the principles of the Gospel that will lead to celestial glory and eternal lives. ”

“ But we are a blessed people: we have the principles of union and oneness with us; and by carrying them out, they bind us together and make us one.
It is upon this principle that the Latter-day Saints are blest and made free. We are delivered in a great measure from those troubles and perplexities, false doctrines, the darkness, the error, and superstition by which our minds have been beclouded, until the light has made manifest unto the children of men that they were in darkness ”

“ There is great room for every man to labour and to improve his life, that he may be prepared to meet our Father in heaven and to enjoy the same glory that those participate in who are heirs to the celestial kingdom of God. ”

“ It is our duty to be continually increasing in faith, that we may be enabled to call upon the Lord with acceptance, and that we may stay our enemies and hedge up their way; and let us pray for them, and let us continue to believe that, if we do as we are told, we can accomplish whatever we are united upon; and be assured that the Spirit of God will not lead us to unite upon anything that is evil. ”

“ Until we heard the fulness of the Gospel, we were filled with traditions and false doctrines; and the teachers of the day did not instruct men to walk in the same path, but they were continually teaching something that would divide men in their feelings, and that would produce as many different creeds and schisms as there were sects in the world; and hence we have all the evils attendant upon that course of life. ”

“ They have not the Spirit of God, but they are in worse than midnight darkness; and the consequence is, they do not delight or desire to see anybody live upon the earth who will serve God and carry out his purposes. They are afraid of the power of true religion and of the consequences that must necessarily arise; and hence they feel to say in their hearts, There shall not a kingdom be upon the earth that belongs to God.
This is the feeling of our enemies; for they are stirred up by Satan to root out every principle of righteousness and truth from the earth. ”

“ The minister still pleads with him to submit himself to God; but he does not tell him the first step which he ought to take in order to have his sins forgiven and obtain salvation, but tells him continually that he must do it—that he must give his heart to God. The result is that the man mourns and weeps, and by-and-by he thinks that he has committed the unpardonable sin, and he gets so that he thinks it is the worst sin that he can commit to pray when going through these feelings and this trial. ”

“ The requirement is that men shall abide the celestial law of God, in order that they may be quickened by that power and be united by those principles with the Apostles, and Prophets, and all those beings who have been quickened by it in ages that are gone, and dwell in the light and presence of God, and be for ever in the society of the city of Enoch and our brethren who have gone before us, and who have been made perfect by the same Gospel which we have received. ”

“ It appears to be a natural gift, or it seems natural to us to borrow trouble; and it is a good deal so with our blessings: we look forward to some future time when we are going to enjoy great and glorious blessings, but our blessings are at the present time. This is the time that we should enjoy the blessings that God has given us. We should rejoice to-day, and be happy to-day, and feel to thank the Lord for the blessings that he has put into our hands ”

“ We feel at home here, and we feel that this is the place for us; and my constant prayer to God is that we may not only enjoy, but that we may prize the privileges that are afforded us—prize the day that we live in, and the City of Great Salt Lake where we dwell. ”

“ Let any man go through the ordeal of six months' conviction and conversion in the Presbyterian Church, and then be made acquainted with the true plan of salvation, and he will feel about as I do upon the subject.
Read the history of any man, and read his experience in the religious world, and you will find that it is worse, as far as the affliction of the soul is concerned, than as long a time in the Penitentiary. ”

“ There is not a man in this kingdom, who has got the right spirit within him, but who thanks God for the mountains and for the five hundred miles of sage plains that lie between us and the homes of our enemies,
The hand of God has been visible in bringing us here, and it has been visible with us all the time, as far as we have taken the counsel that has been given us. ”

“ A man is called by the sectarian excitement to get religion. He goes to the clergy—I do not care whether it is in a synod or in any other place; but suppose that he has a great desire to seek after the plan and principles of salvation, and he applies to the clergy, they will tell him like this—You must surrender yourself to the Lord. He goes to work to pray and fast, and he is faithful and diligent in trying to give his heart to the Lord ”

“ The power that predominates here has a tendency to lead us in the path of virtue and rectitude and to unite us together: it will lead us to obey the law of heaven and to carry out those principles that we are taught day by day. ”

“ As one of the old Prophets said, speaking of the gathering in the last days, when they would come together, wake up from their drowsiness, get to understand principle, and see their true position, they will say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies and things wherein there is no profit." And it is truly so; for we can already say that our fathers have inherited lies, and we have inherited many of their traditions. ”

“ As I reflect this morning upon the condition of the human family, and consider how differently we are situated from the masses of mankind, I do feel that we ought to be grateful to our great Benefactor. ”

“ We shall find that this will be the case; and inasmuch as we have these privileges and this faith, as Saints of the Most High, we should prize them and lay hold of them with one united heart, and not consider that the battle is to the strong or the race to the swift; for the Lord holds the destinies of all, and we are in his hands. ”

“ Notwithstanding these things are before us, I fear that we do not sufficiently appreciate them; but we must learn to so order our lives that we shall be ready at any moment to respond to any and every call that may be made upon us. ”

“ I am thankful that I see the time when wicked men do not delight to dwell here in Utah, and I do feel that the righteousness, the conduct, and the acts of this people in general will be such that it will be a hot place for wicked men. ”

“ If this people could comprehend the position they stand in and their true relationship to God, they would feel perfectly satisfied, and they would realize that our heavenly Father is merciful unto us, and that he has bestowed great and glorious blessings upon us. ”