those of Jonah to the city of Nineveh, or
those of Isaiah to Israel, or to Tyre
and Sidon and other ancient cities
and peoples, have fallen unfulfilled?
No, there is no man can point to a
single prophecy of the servants of
God that has failed in its fulfilment.
Does not the Christian world know
that the Bible is full of revelation
pointing to this day and age of the
world? Let them read the revela-
tions of St. John given him while
upon the Isle of Patmos and they
will know what judgments await this
generation before the coming of the
Son of Man. [Revelation 14] There is a work for
somebody to perform. But when
we undertake to declare in all seri-
ousness that God has anything to do
with the work in which we are en-
gaged they will laugh you in the
face, and the reason is, they have
departed from God and are entirely
unable to comprehend His ways or
His purposes; and instead of believ-
ing the plain and literal meaning of
the word of God they spiritualize it to
suit themselves. Daniel was prepar-
ed to enter the den of lions [Daniel 6]; the three
Hebrew children were not afraid of
the fate that awaited them [Daniel 3]; the
Apostles were valiant for the truth
and shrank not from death for its
sake, and why could those men and
others under similar circumstances
stand by their convictions without
flinching? Because, in the first
place, they had the truth and they
knew it for themselves; and in the
second place, the Holy Ghost, the
Comforter, sustained them as that
power alone can in all the trying
scenes through which the people of
God are called to pass. And this is
so to-day. What the Latter-day
Saints have done by way of preach-
ing the Gospel under all kinds of
difficulties, building up cities and
subduing waste lands, and establish-
ing themselves in the earth, they
have done by the revelations and
commandments of God to them.

I will say a few words concerning
a certain principle, and why I say it
is because we cannot help looking at
the signs of the times as they ap-
pear to-day. I was reading in the
NEWS last evening a speech reported
to have been made by Joseph Smith,
son of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
in which he accuses us of pursuing
an entirely different course from
that of his father; that his father
had nothing to do with the endow-
ments which form a part of our re-
ligious faith; and that his father had
nothing to do with the patriarchal
order of marriage; and he accuses
our bishops of polluting the women
of their several wards so that they
are not fit for wives. This last ac-
cusation is so palpably false and so
utterly mendacious as to be entirely
unworthy of our notice, and I be-
lieve I ought to apologise to this con-
gregation for referring to it at all.
But it shows how weak must be the
hope and faith of men who pretend
to be teachers among the people
when they descend to traduce the
character of innocent men by wil-
fully lying in the hope of bolstering
up and establishing their own pecu-
liar cause. And with regard to the
others, I wish to say, that Joseph
Smith utters falsehoods when he
says what he is reported to have
said about his father; for I bear re-
cord to this congregation, and I ask
our young people to bear it in mind
after I am gone, that Joseph Smith
first made known to me the very or-
dinances which we give to the Lat-
ter-day Saints in our endowments;
I received my endowments un-
der the direction of Joseph Smith.
Emma Smith, the widow of the
Prophet, is said to have maintained
to her dying moments that her hus-
band had nothing to do with the pa-
triarchal order of marriage, but that
it was Brigham Young that got
that up. I bear record be-
fore God, angels and men that Jo-
seph Smith received that revelation;
and I bear record that Emma Smith
gave her husband in marriage
several women while he was living,
some of whom are to-day living in
this city, and some may be present
in this congregation, and who, if
called upon, would confirm my
words. But lo and behold, we hear
of publication after publication now
a days declaring that Joseph Smith
had nothing to do with these things.
Joseph Smith himself organized
every endowment in our Church
and revealed the same to the Church
and he lived to receive every key of
the Aaronic and Melchisedec priest-
hoods from the hands of the men
who held them while in the flesh,
and who hold them in eternity. [Doctrine and Covenants 27:8-12]

I feel to say to the Latter-day
Saints everywhere, brethern and
sisters, do good and you will reap
good; what you sow you will also
reap. [Galatians 6:7] What our nation sows that it
will also reap, and what it measures
to others will be meted back to it
heaped up, pressed down and run-
ning over. I have peculiar feelings
in reflecting upon the condition of
our own nation. Here are the
Methodists and Presbyterians and
others all combining to use
their influence religiously and politi-
cally to put down "Mormonism"
which they say is an abomination
in the land, and a great stain upon
our nation's escutcheon. "O, my
God," I feel to say, "I would our
nation could see and understand
things as they really are." I want
to ask a question. When the sixth
angel sounds his trump revealing
the secret acts of men to an assem-
bled world, which will include us,
what will be the feelings of the
present generation and the rulers
and leading men and women of our
nation as well as those of other
nations, and the leaders of the
Christian world when that angel
declares unto all those who have
condemned and cried against the
Latter-day Saints, especially those
who have taken a leading part, say-
ing, "You, yourselves are defiled
with women, and your own acts,
which are recorded on high will rise
in judgment against you. I say to
this nation, and especially to those
who are actively engaged in bring-
ing about a crusade against us un-
der the cloak of religion, "Sin lies
at your own doors, and what you
measure unto us will, according to
the eternal law of retribution, be
meted back to you, and you cannot
escape it." [Revelation 9:13-19] We declare to all men
that the God of heaven commanded
Joseph Smith to introduce and prac-
tice the patriarchal order of marriage
including the plurality of wives.
And why? Because it was the law
given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
for certain purposes; that holy men
might have their wives and chil-
dren with them in the morning of
the first resurrection in their family
organization to inherit kingdoms,
thrones, principalities and powers in
the presence of God throughout the
endless ages of eternity. Ladies
and gentlemen, the Latter-day Saints
are not the people you think they
are; they are not guilty of the
crimes and wickedness they are ac-
cused of, but on the contrary, they
are as a people, free from the sins
and abominations of this generation.
We are represented as being a com-
munity of adulterers, and as being
murderers. We are no more guilty
of such crimes than were Abra-
ham Isaac and Jacob. What God
has revealed unto us, and that
which we know ourselves to be right
and true, we cherish and revere; and
the covenants that we have en-
tered into in consequence of the re-
velations of God to us, we hold sa-
cred. Our wives and children we
love and respect, and we could no
more deny them their claims upon
us as husbands and fathers, than we
could deny our God.

Another thing, there is no
man that has ever lived who can claim
a wife or child in the resurrection
unless he and she were married and
sealed by divine authority by a man
delegated of heaven to perform the
ordinance of marriage. All con-
tracts not ordained of God entered
into by men, end with this life, and
are therefore without binding effect
in the world to come. And herein
is the difference of the position of
the Latter-day Saints and of the
Christian world with respect to the
married state. The nature of our
marriage covenant is sacred and
binding both for time and eternity,
and I would just as soon think of
denying my God as to sever the re-
lationship existing between me and
my wives and children. Our plural
wives and our children are just as
dear to us as the one wife and the
children of the Gentiles are to them;
and what is more, we have married
our wives by command of God, and
by authority of His Holy Priest-
hood, which has been restored again
to earth; and if we prove faithful
and true to Him and to one another,
we shall claim our wives and chil-
dren in the world to come. Amen.

those of Jonah to the city of Nineveh, or those of Isaiah to Israel, or to Tyre and Sidon and other ancient cities and peoples, have fallen unfulfilled? No, there is no man can point to a single prophecy of the servants of God that has failed in its fulfilment. Does not the Christian world know that the Bible is full of revelation pointing to this day and age of the world? Let them read the revelations of St. John given him while upon the Isle of Patmos and they will know what judgments await this generation before the coming of the Son of Man. There is a work for somebody to perform. But when we undertake to declare in all seriousness that God has anything to do with the work in which we are engaged they will laugh you in the face, and the reason is, they have departed from God and are entirely unable to comprehend His ways or His purposes; and instead of believing the plain and literal meaning of the word of God they spiritualize it to suit themselves. Daniel was prepared to enter the den of lions Daniel 6; the three Hebrew children were not afraid of the fate that awaited them Daniel 3; the Apostles were valiant for the truth and shrank not from death for its sake, and why could those men and others under similar circumstances stand by their convictions without flinching? Because, in the first place, they had the truth and they knew it for themselves; and in the second place, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, sustained them as that power alone can in all the trying scenes through which the people of God are called to pass. And this is so to-day. What the Latter-day Saints have done by way of preaching the Gospel under all kinds of difficulties, building up cities and subduing waste lands, and establishing themselves in the earth, they have done by the revelations and commandments of God to them.

I will say a few words concerning a certain principle, and why I say it is because we cannot help looking at the signs of the times as they appear to-day. I was reading in the NEWS last evening a speech reported to have been made by Joseph Smith, son of the Prophet Joseph Smith, in which he accuses us of pursuing an entirely different course from that of his father; that his father had nothing to do with the endowments which form a part of our religious faith; and that his father had nothing to do with the patriarchal order of marriage; and he accuses our bishops of polluting the women of their several wards so that they are not fit for wives. This last accusation is so palpably false and so utterly mendacious as to be entirely unworthy of our notice, and I believe I ought to apologise to this congregation for referring to it at all. But it shows how weak must be the hope and faith of men who pretend to be teachers among the people when they descend to traduce the character of innocent men by wilfully lying in the hope of bolstering up and establishing their own peculiar cause. And with regard to the others, I wish to say, that Joseph Smith utters falsehoods when he says what he is reported to have said about his father; for I bear record to this congregation, and I ask our young people to bear it in mind after I am gone, that Joseph Smith first made known to me the very ordinances which we give to the Latter-day Saints in our endowments; I received my endowments under the direction of Joseph Smith. Emma Smith, the widow of the Prophet, is said to have maintained to her dying moments that her husband had nothing to do with the patriarchal order of marriage, but that it was Brigham Young that got that up. I bear record before God, angels and men that Joseph Smith received that revelation; and I bear record that Emma Smith gave her husband in marriage several women while he was living, some of whom are to-day living in this city, and some may be present in this congregation, and who, if called upon, would confirm my words. But lo and behold, we hear of publication after publication now a days declaring that Joseph Smith had nothing to do with these things. Joseph Smith himself organized every endowment in our Church and revealed the same to the Church and he lived to receive every key of the Aaronic and Melchisedec priesthoods from the hands of the men who held them while in the flesh, and who hold them in eternity.

I feel to say to the Latter-day Saints everywhere, brethern and sisters, do good and you will reap good; what you sow you will also reap. What our nation sows that it will also reap, and what it measures to others will be meted back to it heaped up, pressed down and running over. I have peculiar feelings in reflecting upon the condition of our own nation. Here are the Methodists and Presbyterians and others all combining to use their influence religiously and politically to put down "Mormonism" which they say is an abomination in the land, and a great stain upon our nation's escutcheon. "O, my God," I feel to say, "I would our nation could see and understand things as they really are." I want to ask a question. When the sixth angel sounds his trump revealing the secret acts of men to an assembled world, which will include us, what will be the feelings of the present generation and the rulers and leading men and women of our nation as well as those of other nations, and the leaders of the Christian world when that angel declares unto all those who have condemned and cried against the Latter-day Saints, especially those who have taken a leading part, saying, "You, yourselves are defiled with women, and your own acts, which are recorded on high will rise in judgment against you. I say to this nation, and especially to those who are actively engaged in bringing about a crusade against us under the cloak of religion, "Sin lies at your own doors, and what you measure unto us will, according to the eternal law of retribution, be meted back to you, and you cannot escape it." We declare to all men that the God of heaven commanded Joseph Smith to introduce and practice the patriarchal order of marriage including the plurality of wives. And why? Because it was the law given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for certain purposes; that holy men might have their wives and children with them in the morning of the first resurrection in their family organization to inherit kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers in the presence of God throughout the endless ages of eternity. Ladies and gentlemen, the Latter-day Saints are not the people you think they are; they are not guilty of the crimes and wickedness they are accused of, but on the contrary, they are as a people, free from the sins and abominations of this generation. We are represented as being a community of adulterers, and as being murderers. We are no more guilty of such crimes than were Abraham Isaac and Jacob. What God has revealed unto us, and that which we know ourselves to be right and true, we cherish and revere; and the covenants that we have entered into in consequence of the revelations of God to us, we hold sacred. Our wives and children we love and respect, and we could no more deny them their claims upon us as husbands and fathers, than we could deny our God.

Another thing, there is no man that has ever lived who can claim a wife or child in the resurrection unless he and she were married and sealed by divine authority by a man delegated of heaven to perform the ordinance of marriage. All contracts not ordained of God entered into by men, end with this life, and are therefore without binding effect in the world to come. And herein is the difference of the position of the Latter-day Saints and of the Christian world with respect to the married state. The nature of our marriage covenant is sacred and binding both for time and eternity, and I would just as soon think of denying my God as to sever the relationship existing between me and my wives and children. Our plural wives and our children are just as dear to us as the one wife and the children of the Gentiles are to them; and what is more, we have married our wives by command of God, and by authority of His Holy Priesthood, which has been restored again to earth; and if we prove faithful and true to Him and to one another, we shall claim our wives and children in the world to come. Amen.