Show REMARKS by elder ORSON PRATT delivered at the general conference in the new tabernacle salt sall lake city monday morning april 4 rth ich 1873 rerouted BY DAVID IV EVANS IT IS 19 A pleasure to me to bear testimony to the great work which god has revealed and which he is establishing tab lishing on the earth it has been a pleasure for me to do so for nearly forty three years in the early rise of this church when I 1 was but a youth of nineteen god reve revealed revealed aled to methe me tile truth concern ing this great latter day work and I 1 have felt from that day until the present time to bear my testimony to the same uline being commanded so to do I 1 have esteemed it above all ail other things the things of this world have been nothing not liing to me when compared with the ministry or declaring the truth to mankind we lve have one of the most important messages to deliver to the children of men that has ever been communicated to mortals a dispensation of the same gospel as was committed to men in the early ages of the world and in the different despen rations down to the coming of christ in addition to this ibis which renders our message of still more importance to the human family is the fact that we are living in the last dispensation that will be given to mankind called the dispensation of the falness of times all preceding dispensations have come to an end apparently and those who have embraced the doctrines or principles communicated to them have passed darkness has intervened but in this last dispensation which god has given to man there will be no uprooting and destruction truc tion of his kingdom from the earth it is established never more to be thrown down in fulfillment of ancient prophecy this is what makes this dispensation of greater importance than all which have preceded it here in these mountains is established a kingdom not earthly or transient in its nature with officers who are called by uninspired men but a kingdom that is divine and which acknowledges the great redeemer and savior as its king and lawgiver it must endure for ever I 1 look back with great pleasure upon the history of this people from the commencement down to the present time I 1 see aliat god lias ilas wrought in their behalf I 1 see what he has accomplished among the nations it is true that we have not continued as faithful in all tb things lugs ings as we should we have not made that progression p regression rog in this kingdom that we Wo wrought ought we have havo been perhaps slow to hearken in all things to the counsels which god has given and the order which lie he has revealed and which was intended to be of the greatest advantage to and to produce the greatest amount of happiness among the saints of the most high I 1 say that in some respects we have been slow to obey obe y the order of heaven in many things we have done well when the doctrines of faith repentance and baptism for the remission of sins the baptism of fire and the holy ghost through the laying kayin on of the hands of the servants of god dod were taught to us we laid hold of them with full purpose of heart we covenanted before high heaven that we would keep the commandments of the lord according to the best of the ability which we had we did well in embracing these heavenly principles when god to us some forty two or forty three years ago and commanded us then scattered scattered about in the state of now new york to gather up to orlowe did well in hearkening to that commandment and coming together in kirtland then in geauga geaugh county again when god gave a commandment through his servant the prophet joseph to gather up from all parts of the united states and from a nucleus in jackson county in the state of missouri we did well in obeying that commandment when god by the mouth of his servant commanded that we should go forth and officiate and be baptized for and in behalf of our oui dead kindred we did well in performing that which we were commanded to do when he commanded his saints scattered abroad in foreign countries to to gather tc to this continent all who gathered in obedience to that requirement with full purpose of heart to do his wil will did well when wo we were driven 4 from our inheritances in jackson county missouri and our lands and houses and goods were spoiled we did well in being faithful to god when our enemies a few years after rose en masse and drove drove us from our beautiful city of nauvoo into these inhospitable western wilds where to all numan human human appearance we must perish of starvation we did well to brave the dangers of the desert and the difficulties we had to encounter in coming to these mountains in man many other things too we have havo doti done done well there are some few things however which I 1 wish to name wherein V I 1 think a great reformation is needed among the people of god I 1 read in this book called the book of mormon of a certain order in regard to temporal things which existed soon won after the days of christ which was revealed and established by him for the benefit of the saints who lived anthis on this western hemisphere it was the highest order and law of the kingdom of god in regard to temporal things I 1 read that the ancient saints upon this continent entered into that order with all their hearts they not a small handful of people like the latter day saints but they were spread over the whole of north and south america millions on millions of people dwelt in largo large and populous cities in the four quarters of this great western hemisphere and they all entered into this heavenly order which god had established on this continent and continued therein for years what was that order they had all things in common not an isolated few where jesus ministered to them not a few individuals who dwelt in a certain region of country but the savior having chosen twelve disciples from among the multitude to whom lie he app appeared ehred edred they were sent forth upon all the face of the land and so great w were e re tile the evidences given concerning the appearance of jesus that the whole people were converted unto the lord and they wele willing to bo be guided by those servants who were called and ordained to administer in their midst prior to that time there were rich and poor among the people and from the history given no docu an order of things existed on this continent in those daya days resembling that which now exists among i all tile the nations and kingdoms of the earth some lifted up in pride and ill in popularity because of their great wealth others bowed down in the dust because of their poverty and class distinctions prevailed until this new order of things was estabi bushed what a blessed people how happy they must have been no poor either in north or south america no beggars in the streets of their great cities but all the property the gold and silver the flocks and herds and everything that was calculated to make life happy in the possession of and enjoyed as stewards by the whole people no inequality so far as this was concerned for the pattern was after the order of h heavenly eave things now let us ask the question has god ever revealed to the latter day saints the necessity of entering nto into this heavenly order in rega regard to their wealth he has when when we gathered up to jackson county in the state ot missouri in the year 1831 the land was consecrated and set apart by rovela revelation tion for the gree Grec erection tion thereon of a great and heavenly city unto the most high god not the old jerusalem but a new jerusalem a city of zion god by the mouth of his servant joseph who for a short space of time dwelt in the midst of the people there revealed the law of consecration se not the law of tithing but bolt the law of consecration M let me repeat that law latter day saints for as it is a law which will come enforce in force at some future period of our history it will not be amiss for us to understand its nature and to prepare to approximate to its requirements so that when wilen it is introduced amongst us we may I 1 take hold of it with all our hearts when we went up to that count country ry in 1831 the commandment oft of the e most high to the saints was talat that they should con consecrate secra to all that they had not one tenth merely not the surplus of their property all that they had whether it gold sliver household furniture wearing apparel jewelry horses cattle wagons mechanical tools tool 8 machinery or whatever wealth property they possessed they to consecrate the whole and deliver it unto the Lords judge in midst of zion who was he the bishop in those days we had not the necessity of so many bishops as now we were a small people then and the bishop in zion under the direction of the highest higher authorities thorit thorl ties les of the church he be being ing guided and inspired by the rolv holy ghost was to take charge of all the consecrations of he people of the most high th this is made them all equal every person stood upon the same platform possessing nothing to begin with all was consecrated and became the common property of the church now how was this common pro property te to be used first the saint saints needed land they needed means to build habitations they needed farming fanning utensils they needed flocks hocks and herbs herds herds they needed manufacturing establishments they needed mercantile and all linds binds kinds of mechanical business to be introduced into their midst just as fast as they procured means by whom were the stewardships steward ships of the saints laid off the lords judge or bishop in zion purchased land from the united states and then laid oss off to each man his stewardship according to the tiie number of his family those who were mechanics received the tools necessary to work with those who were called upon to engage in some business wherein a greater amount of capital was needed had a capital accordingly that is that was the intention as the common property of the church should increase perhaps the question may bo be asked could this equality be maintained from that time henceforth and forever if there kad had had been no law given instructing us how this equality could be maintained the ap pp people 0 p iet let before twelve months had passed away would have been unequal again why because a man perhaps of small talent or ability ability might mismanage his stewardship or inheritance and instead of gaining anything he would lose another man havi having ng a little more talent and industry and perhaps a little more wisdom would gain a little another mans business tact and knowledge were perhaps such that he could carry on a large manufacturing establishment and in a short time he would gain lis ils his thousands and thus in the course of a year we wa would again have had rich and poor if god had not provided against it what provisions did the lord make in order to maintain this equality among his saints permanent lyP lyt he made this arrangement ran gement by law that every man should be considered a steward first and prove himself a wise steward before he could be entitled to an everl everi everlasting astin I 1 inheritance these stewards were to render an account to the judge in zion of their stewardships steward ships or in other words as it is wi whitten written itten in the book of doctrine and covenants it is required of every steward to render an account of his stewardship both in time and eternity doe doc doc doe cov sec see x ac c par 1 to whom does he render this report ort or account to the lords bishop bishop or bishops as the case may be he reports what he has done with the means entrusted to his care if a man has been entrusted with fifty or with a thousand dollars or with a million to carry on some branch of business he must at the adne of the year render an account of that stewardship if a man is only entrusted with a small farm he renders an account of hi his S stewardship at the end of the year ye arand and thus all those who are occupied in these dif dit different branches of trade render accounts of their stewardships steward ships consecrating se at the end of the year all that they have gained excepting what it has cost to feed and clothe clotho them are axe they not equal yes and this maintains a permanent equality for the man who has gained a hundred undred thousand in his stewardship consecrates all that he has not used and the man with a smaller stewardship who in the whole year has only gained fifty dollars over and above what he has used consecrates that fifty the man who has gained most con eon consecrates secra tes most the man who has gained least consecrates tile the least this reduces them yearly to the same position and condition as they were in when they commenced this heavenly order did the people carry out this law no why because they had imbibed t the fie not notions 1 on S wh which I 1 ch had prevailed among the people of tile the whole earth and these notions were in dai direct r e et opposition to the order beav heaven e n the notions and bradl eions of the world were that 0 overy every ve ry man must be for himself every family for themselves and they must labor with their ml t mind and strength to gain all mey they possibly could gain and use it only for I 1 themselves and their generations after them caning caring nothing at all about their neighbors these traditions had been instilled into our minds and we were too full of covetousness and of false notions about property to carry out the law of god and hence many when they came up to zion looked abroad upon that beautiful rich soil and the excellent groves of timber and the fine prairies and meadows with springs breaking forth in numerous places as the they do in jackson county and the their r souls lusted after these things and the rich man said P no 1 I 1 will not consecrate all my property I 1 will go to the general land office and purchase for myself and I 1 will eu buy la largely in order that I 1 may s sell seil e I 1 to m my y poor brethren when they come up here I 1 will buy land and speculate upon it and make my for fortune turio that was the feeling which existed in the hearts of some of the latter day saints god saw this and reproved us by revelation and he said to the people in jackson county by the mouth of his servant joseph that if they did not repent of this covetousness he would pluck them up and send them out of zion for said he the rebellious are not of the blood of ephraim wherefore they shall be plucked up and sent away out of the land god fulfilled this ahw revelation he did pluck up tho fhe people he did cast them away out of that land in the year e ar 1833 some two ye years ars and a few months after we first began to settle that country we were were cast out of the land plucked up just as tile the lord had predicted and we were told that it was because of our sins and covetousness that we were sent away did the lord forsake UP ur no he had compassion upon us a as he had upon ancient israel when they w were ere cast uway away out of their land from time to time in what respect did he have compassion upon us when he baw saw the hold bold that the traditions in which we had bad been trained had upon our hearts he be revoked for the time being the law of full consecration says one 1 what god revoke a commandment yes that la Is the way he be did in ancient times and ho he la Is the same game god yet he did it for our good rood for if that law had been in full force this deorle people would not have been lui iri these moun mountains ta ns I 1 this day our selfishness and covet covetousness ous are so great that as us a people we nye never would have haTe complied compiled with it afew A few amongst us might have done so but as a we should haye have been beebi overcome and ruined but owing awing to that law being revoked many of us will now perhaps be saved in the year 1831 |