Show DISCOURSE bj eider orson pratt fabern rn bernacle acle september Septem bor 10 1854 by the request of our president I 1 inse arise this afternoon for the purpose of addressing you upon those subjects that may be presented to my mind feeling dolful tit in my heart that I 1 have the opportunity I 1 do riot not sa y a as si many others may havo have said that it is a d task or oi a very great cross roi foi me 0 address tile saints tins this is is not the case it isa isa pleasure and ajoy and I 1 feel tp to esteem it as a blessing bleg sing front from the hand of god that I 1 have the privilege from time limp to tune time of meeting meef flig with his people and spec aking about the great things that god has revealed which wong to our welfare both fiere aid und he hereafter rafter there is is no other subject that hat I 1 care much about As A it regards earthly things ti lings temporal think things the riches of this world or the honors of this world I 1 will not say they tire are of a second iry ary nature to nie me but they are far beneath this tho i t they h ey arra may y be good ili in their place yet my whole object and design dlight delight and joy oy are to dolther do alte to benefit the children or of men 7 and to aeeti after the welfare happiness a arid rid peace not hil only of myself and family but alib of the whole human race as far as it is is within my pow I 1 I 1 er 1 it does mi good to return after an absence of two yeats years and again took look upon the faces of the brethren and aid slaters sisters their 16 is something so different fe in the expression of your countenances irto from m what we see abroad in the world the principles t I 1 ip I 1 es of goodness of righted dimass di mess of virtue and of boll nesi ness 1 seem to be an stamped upon tile tha 11 I 1 A ILL countenances of the saints of the living god tho spirit of meekness of df sobriety briety to ety of solemnity a godlike spirit is reflected in every feature of I 1 af those hose who are truly good which seems to carry peace bace happi happiness nessi and joy to thi the hearts of those who gaze upon them with the sarn same e spirit but after aU all brethren we ate are wt not near as good goo d as w we might be jul in many resl respects acts though wo we ain are far in advance of 4 the nations of the earth though we have lave become far exalted above them I 1 in a the princa pies iles of virtue truth righteousness and a one olenes riess of f feeling yet there is still room for improvement i and while we remain here in the flesh I 1 there will be ie room for improvement upon all the these kinei bleg iles the attributes of divinity an and sell upon every everything thing that is good and godlike G there is one subject that presents itself to tay mind and upon which I 1 have meditated 1 in if years past last and gone and which gave me great gibat joy when Fl learned earned that etwas it was b being e ing established in our midst what is it it esthe consecration couse cration of the pro pe berties arties of the whole to the writ en n revelations commandments and laws of the most high god i heard of this about the tine ti ne I 1 was starting the plains for this place and it t gave me great joy to learn leam that there was a pro minert step taken conference la iQ bringa bring about and accomplish this object I 1 it I 1 is one of the most important objects to be accod i plis lied among the saints of latter day you yon may ask why you may think that this thin contradicts my first sta statement that the temporal things of this life ure are not even ofa of a secondary consideration with me they are not in ili one respect but in another I 1 consider them thein a part and portion of the religion that we as a people peaple have embraced A and a very essential and necessary part too we read in the revelations revelation i that god has div ou that the earth is the Lord sand sund the fullness there theyer of well if it is the lords and the falness ful ness vf of it then it does riot not belong to you nr nar me i a as individuals exclusive of others if the lord had set apart and consecrated and given a certain pox por tion of the earth to any individual with a deed and covar covariant lant he might with some propriety call ca 11 it hiso his awn wit butel but all other lotker deeds that cording to te gentile euttie laws and the institutions as of the nations of the earth do not ace according to the laws I 1 and revelations of haayen if e averi give to men the exclusive right to the things of this worlds worl das their own they are good enough in ili their place fethe lord deals with the nations according to their light and suffers su f e M laws tolie tobe to be enacted 1 that at are good lit in otheir place and calculated magovern toi ta govern imperfect beings laws to govern and control properly yand and III hi many ltv respects they are just adapted to the circumstances cum cuni stances and conditions of the nations where they aret enacted and they are tile the means of doing macii I 1 up it good in preserving what are termed the rights of i I 1 individuals an anaf 1 odthe citizens generally and they should done away until circumstances will permit per of their being superseded superceded super supe ceded by a more perfect law that more perfect order ta Is what we wish to speak a few words avoris upon at jubis present t asme me I 1 I 1 I 1 the lord has to told id us something about it in tha revelations lie gave a long time ago in the year 1831 when ancient mormon mormonism isai as it has haa often been termed was first introduced we call it anel ancient mt because it seems quite long to us narrow minded ild creatures I 1 there were certain laws and revelations then given in the hie book of doctrine and covenants pertaining to the lords earth and the alie righteous tin that t he be has upon it 1 I will small clause which was given before tho church was one old in ILI march 1831 it abad s thus wherefore it i is not given that one man should possess that which is above another adother wherefore the world lieth I 1 lit inin sin tills this was revealed above twenty three years ago we will aguin again repeat it I 1 it is not div en that one man should possess that which is above another wherefore the world lieth in ili sin here was a hint of the more perfect law ani and order of filings that god intended eventually to introduce among this people and which I 1 am happy to say there has been a great step already taken at the last conference to bring about aid I 1 hope that I 1 may be permitted to live to tose seg this I 1 law aw carried out to the fullest extent among am saints of the living god remember that as long as there is inequality 1 in the things that belong to the lo 10 lord rk the world iiii n 1 1 IM lo 10 g inai iney should possess one above another I 1 intend to ito explain how thi this s is to bo be broi brought ight about and also show how one inan part can possess hundreds and I 1 thousands of dollars tit in a t certain sense of the word and another man only one dollar and yet both be ednal but they possess the same not as their own ow 11 but as si stewards ewards of the lord it bearg tile the lords property I 1 we read tit in another revelation that god gave aavo in the early rise of tit this is church that unless we wa are equal in ili earthly things we cannot be made equal tit in heavenly things lings ti here is an ail equality preached there must be an ail equality in e earthly a rd i ly things lit in order that we may be equal in heavenly y things lings ti now supposing the people were all to be made equal today to day tomorrow to morrow they would through circumstances become unequal but I 1 will show y you ou how low this equality can be established upon an order that never can be shaken that inequality in regard to property nevermore never more can be introduced among the saints that no circumstance which can transpire can maka macd thern them unequal if a fire should burn up a mans makii and his its stacks of grain and every everything thing lie he bas ha accumulated I 1 I 1 will prove to you that it does not render him itne tn equal with his brethren on the me principle the lord has established and ordained so that when this order is once established among this people they will become equal tit in earthly things lings ti which will prepare them to be made equal iu in heavenly thi things as lit in the first place how shull shall we get at this order in what manner and by what means shall we begin to lay the foundation of this equality equal lity the ille lord has told us that it is required of every man in t ais church to tolay bolay I 1 lay all things not one olio lentil alone but to lay layall all things before the bishop of his fits church c consecrate on secrate the whole 0 0 it every thing he has his flocks and herds hiscak his cattie horses and mules his gold and silver his hia apparel watches jewelery and every tiling thing lie he possesses consecrate it il not keep back a 11 portion stion like annanias Anti anias and his wife but give everything muke make a fit full I 1 consecration with voice in ili the stand wives and children yes give wives sand and children cli ildren of course cours the wives have given themselves to their husband and ile he has to consecrate them they are the lords he has only n ly lei lent t them to us supposing that the people had complied with this law when it was first given in ili every respect instead of seeing inequality that has haa reigned for these many mally years in in this church we i hould now have seen a different order of things ti lings but blut we lacked experience and there was tod much hi ni our hearts heart for fora a full consecration se of property then in consecrating property we must in ili the first place remember that is is i s not ours why because the earth is ia the lords and the falness thereof we have no cattle no gold or silver no watches or jewelery no property of any description no houses lands or any tiling else which is our own f the falness of the earth arth e is the lords then tit in that we have been in the habit of calling our own we are only returning to the lord his own property that which we became legally possessed of according to the laws of offman autan but riot not according to the laws of god he never having directly given giren us its tile things which we claim as ours we have not got them according to tile the celestial lawle law according to the great principle and order god lies has established but we came by thern them through speculation trading labor ete etc and after we thus got them th they eyare arc the lords still we consecrate this prop property efty it till ail goes into the hands bonds of the hislop of the church if the church were cereto to consecrate in this way they would have nothing left of their own then it would all be the lords and it lima has to be consecrated too says the revelation with a covenant and a deed that cannot be broken that is according to the law of goo god and mn man and ir if it if is anade according to the law of rod iti in nil regil respects bets slid and also according to the law of the land if in which we live it will bo be in the situation the lord w wants in t S it I 1 in I 1 I 1 even the whole property of the church we ask ash are they not all equal now yes jf if the whole church hive have consecrated cousear abed every thing in their poss possession to the bishop is there riot not a perfect equal equality iti among them before they get their stewardships steward ships yes this makes them perfectly 0 so o as far as property Is concerned they are alt all in a state of equality 0 owning W ning nathl nothing ifie what to Is the next step to bo be taken in brier to bring bulat a I 1 I 1 11 0 a 3 J A 16 L 1 10 T e of property the lord says let the appoint every mau ats stewardship for rays kays the lords lord it to Is required of every everk man to render an account of his stewardship both in time and ili w eternity eten nty now tho elie bishop begins and t parcels abeels out to this in inin in his bis stewardship and to that tat one his jig to tile the counsels of the first PreM deacy of tile the church the die au thorley that harthe lus the management and control of the lords pi property op erty each one gets his stewardship now supposing one man obtained double the quantity of another it lau Is not othis his buethe but the stew aFdal lip is in tile the lords consequently tle the man Is on H u perfect equality with his brother still hut but there is another sense lit in this thie equality may be made 0 so o fir as the consecrating of property to tile church is concerned abich ch iu includes chades tile whole of ofil i I 1 say who does it if belong to in another sense of the word I 1 have shown you till that t lit it belongs to tile the lords lordia Lor did slid jf if we are hisae shall 11 all inherit it wilh him consequently iu in another sense of the lite word it is ili all ours if ench each one lit in the church then possesses posa esses lie bhole N of it ns as joint jint heirs with the lordis thre th re not an equality you if on in any diminish uie elie common property or joint jo t n t I 1 as much as you please pk ase suppose it w were a ro diminished to one half by mobs etc it does not church unequal not lit in lite alie least for each one may be ba considered vs os the possessor of the whole lie lia nil all ili a joint heir with jesus ghrist christ in tile the of theearta the earth and till all the falness thereof carl can you make any here if each nian hain in ili is a of all the property aud and apart of it makes ouch one perfectly equal with the rest mst now I 1 defy you to bring about an equality up OH any other principle you may divide uie tile I 1 properties im of the church today to day yes if it be possible inake a perfectly equal division tHi thirso tso ti every man mail in the chojo church should auvo his a share hares dud lat hit him cull it is irown own dl would not be one oas day before Viere would bo be an all Inequality i ik quil i ly arain introduced anif apfl I ono one man mail would that winch isabore another it could not rise be otherwise tha changes biffi albies al ties want of judgement jud gement in the and crint rol of proper tv ud ian H these till bugs comb aed together would arve a to render aime vime divided shares unequal one all ilmi losing a large portion of his property through mis manu mann another by fire by monocracy or in some other way so that neither would have our ont half one quarter or perhaps one hundredth ath part as much us as some of his brethren with whom he was only a short time before perfectly equal no eq lacity can call be brought about by dividing property flip th lord never intended guelian nry adt r of tia gs ali 11 I 1 not a division of prop y tit th t to is going to criag about av oness among tile the latter daiy diy saints in temporal whigs things but it itis is a union of properly that all tile the pro property porty muy may be united and considered gotlie to ajie lord and teve ry individual in the whole church as joint heirs w tit th him or as his stewards you may III im agi ne lie then how flow my iny heart rejoiced roio iced when I 1 received I 1 a letter leitel from our beloved president informing tries mf that steps had boen been taken for a full fall cou con soe oc ration of the property of tha church to introduce the order of among tile saints 0 goo goa L butin but in regard to those these stewardships steward ships it is not needful tr necessary or ali the lord uever never intended that every man mail should possess an equal amount of st stewardship evaris wilh chis brother why because god lias has given to some indu mo n greater 1 ability to manage and control property than othora othera lie he may inay give to one one talent Vilont to another two to ul another lother three to five aud and to ta mother ten and then command |