Truth Never Changes Volume 12, Number 01

truth never changes

Y Volume 12 JULY 2009 edition number 01   Y

A Publication in the spirit & Tradition of TRUTH Magazine

Excerpt from Supplement to Gospel Problems

Heber Bennion, pp. 66 – 73

For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion. --Doc. & Cov., Sec. 64:38.

               

The authorities of the church are very insistent that all revelations for the guidance and instructions of the Saints shall and must come through them--the regular channel of the organized priesthood. This is all very good to guard against cranks and imposters and false prophets, but may not this idea be carried to an extreme until it leads to a monopoly of spiritual power, and even to oppression or suppression. You remember there was an idea extant that all law should be for the protection and encouragement of capital and the upper classes--the trusts and corporations, with the idea that prosperity would be sure to trickle down to the lower classes--the laboring people; but

the people got it into their heads that it was just as well to legislate a little for the lower classes, that prosperity to the masses might work its way up through the classes to the aristocracy above. They got tired and hungry, from eating the crumbs from the rich man's table, and demanded that they be given a seat at the table in a fair and equal chance.

IN THIS ISSUE: Excerpt from Supplement to Gospel Problems……………………1 Quote, George Washington…………………….…………………4 The Mormon Creed………………………………………………..5 Spiritual Maturity, Part I…………………………………………..5 The Trial of Apostle Mathias F. Cowley………………………….7 A Discourse Delivered by J. M. Grant…………………………...16 Quote, Joseph Musser……………………………………………21 Editorial…………………………………………………………..21

                Of course, there are extremes in all things and any [67] good thing may be run to an evil by extremes. The miser is one extreme and the prodigal son the other. The truth almost invariably lies half way between two extremes—the strait and narrow way. So it may be just possible to become extremely

solicitous in guarding the channels of communication to the church. You cannot stop the mouth of the Lord. He will speak to whom He will, and if the regular

channels become clogged and choked with moneymaking schemes, or love for the honors of men, the Lord must not be bound with red tape and prevented from inspiring others to do His will. Under such circumstances it might be as well to inspire the people and let the inspiration work up, like financial

prosperities, instead of downward. We all have noticed that heat and steam will work upward better than downward. The fire is more effective underneath

the boiler than on top. There might be such a thing as good leadership resulting from inspiration through the people.

                You know the Lord has objected to kings on the grounds that such leadership did not come direct from the choice of the people governed. He desired that the people should lead, through the free and untrammelled choice; that inspiration should work up from the masses and the leadership be thoroughly representative of the people. If their choice was good, the fruits would be good and deserving--if the people became bad their choice would become bad and the fruit bad and they would suffer according to their just

merits. It is genuine democracy. Suffering is necessary to bring repentance, so that free government is automatic and self-regulative. If the fountain is good the water will be good. You do not gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles, nor good leadership from corrupt people, nor bad leadership from virtuous people. The leadership should the representative of the people, and not the people representative of the leadership.

                True, we have had good leadership in kings, such as Nephi, King Benjamin, Mosiah and Hezekiah, but they are exceptions to the rule. The 29th Chapter of Mosiah is the best and plainest dissertation on civil government we ever read; replete with fatherly love and wisdom equal to whole volumes of learned opinions of uninspired [68] historians and jurists of the world--read it. Even the Lord's choice and anointed King Saul, and David, and Solomon went astray, and may not have been truly representative of the people. The only safe person to be entrusted with full power is the Lord Himself, and when He comes He will reign as Lord of Lords and King of Kings in righteousness. But until then we are instructed "to trust no man to be your teacher or minister except he be a man of God, walking in His ways and keeping His commandments." (Mosiah 23:14.)

But we cannot do this without a free and untrammelled vote. Hence the Lord has said that all things should be done by common consent in His church. (Doc. And Cov., Sec 26.) But if we are not free to vote yes or no according to our free and untrammelled choice, it is not common consent. The privilege of voting but one way is a snare and a delusion, a mockery of freedom; it must be not only

free in theory but in practice. An open vote is a dangerous and very doubtful method of choice, especially when not accompanied with the free and open discussion. We have a church rule that voting shall be open, but the discussion secret or private.

                This may work all right so long as everybody is good and unselfish, but so soon as differences arise and everybody is not just what they should be, it becomes a dangerous rule. It will not work, except as a miracle, nor be tolerated in any civilized government on earth, except with the Latter-day Saints. Germany and Russia came the nearest to it, but it has failed there, miserably. We make a great deal of President Wilson's declarations of "open covenants openly made," but an open vote and private discussion is an entirely different thing. O, but some will say; church matters are different from civil or political matters; but we think they are creating a distinction without a difference. There can be no distinction between religious liberty and civil

liberty. If there is any it should be in favor of religious liberty. The freedom of the conscience to worship God according to dictates of conscience

is more important than civil liberty--as eternity is greater than time, soul than body. If an open vote and private discussion is wrong in one, it must be wrong in the other. If right in one case, it is [69] right in the other, especially if the laws of the land are perfect.

                If this rule will always work righteousness in the church, it is because God makes it work in a "mysterious way His wonders to perform." It may work so long as our leaders are guaranteed to be good, but no longer. "We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men as soon as they get a little authority as they suppose they will begin to exercise unrighteous dominion."--Doc. and Cov., Sec. 21:29.

                For this very reason the Lord gave us the franchise in His church, and we are derelict in our God-given duty if we do not exercise it.

                We often hear it said that God will never allow any man to lead this church astray, and that He will remove any man tho tries to do so; but the Lord gave us the right and power to do this ourselves; otherwise He would have told us to follow our leaders without voting. If He guarantees our leaders

there is no need of the vote, and further the leaders should not ask, or invite us to vote if they are guaranteed to always be right; for an invitation to vote is an invitation to differ, and if it is wrong to differ with authority, it is wrong to tempt us to differ. Is there any getting away from this logic? Is it right that we should throw all the responsibility on to the

Lord when He has put it on to us with the vote? Must we shirk the responsibility and insist that God strike the leader with death as "by the vivid shaft of lightning," rather than exercise the right and duty of the franchise? He has put it in our hands to see that no man, or set of men, lead us astray. If we are led astray, it is our own fault, for the Lord has placed the responsibility and remedy in our hands and command us to use it; and if we are led astray we must blame ourselves.

                If God is so particular about authority, how is it He would suffer Nephi, the youngest of the Lehi colony, to lead even his father, the founder and leader of the colony? At one time he was in opposition to his father and older brethren. He says: "I did preach unto them with all the energy of my soul."

King Noah was duly appointed and anointed leader and king by a godly father, Zeniff, but he went astray and was leading the [70] people wrong when God

inspired Abinidi to criticise his authority, and that publicly too, and they burnt him to death. Alma took up the good cause against the authority by secret teaching and preaching. Eli, the high priest of the temple, displeased the Lord by sustaining his sons unworthily in temple work, and the Lord inspired a man of God to reprove him, and tell him that in consequence of this indulgence and tolerance of sin, in his sons, they "should die, and there never should be another old man in the house of Eli." This is not only an example of proper criticism of authority, but an evidence that God is "no respecter of persons, and that He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance"--whether it be in leaders themselves, or their sons, or son-in-laws. It is an example of what extremes will lead to. Extreme love of kindred even to the toleration of sin; extreme love of loyalty to leaders will lead to the same thing. The loyal followers of Saul and David and Solomon, following in the footsteps of their file leaders, went wrong with them. Then, as now, there were not many Nathans or Samuels. O, but some will say, these were God's prophets. Well, may not God have prophets to do the same thing now?  Is He not the same today, yesterday and forever? And is not human nature the same? Jesus called the leaders of the Jews "whited sepulchres," who "garnished the tombs of the ancient prophet and stoned the prophets who came among them."

If God should send Nathan or Samuel today, who would believe them? God has promised to send "one mighty and strong and one like unto Moses." See Doc. And Cov., Sec. 85 and Sec. 103. But the authorities say this revelation never was nor never will be fulfilled; that it is obsolete, and so of course will not accept him when he comes. Peter held the keys of the kingdom anciently, but when Paul saw him playing two parts, one thing to the Jews and another to the Gentiles, his righteous indignation was kindled and he boldly criticised his deceptive attitude publicly and "withstood him to the face for he was to be blamed." (Galatians, 2:11.)

                No doubt the Lord justified him and will justify like conduct today under

similar circumstances.

                "So, when you speak of the one who stands by the voice of the people, and by the voice and will of God, [71] at the head of the Church, as being a

prophet, seer and revelator, I don't want you to forget the fact that there are tens of thousands of our people called to be prophets and relevators in the spheres in which they are called to act; and when you honor the head, honor the body, the limbs; honor each branch in its place, and hold in sacred remembrance and in sacred reverence the rights and privileges and endowments that God has bestowed upon his children who have been faithful before him in keeping his commandments and in doing and working righteousness in the earth."

J. F. Smith, 75th birthday anniversary.

                We hear people say, "What is the use of praying for the authorities if we are not going to sustain them?" We might answer, "What is the use of praying for the authorities to keep in the right way unless we add works to our faith by helping to keep them right. Keep them right by our vote and counsel, as well as prayers. It is pure nonsense to say we have no right to counsel those who are above us. Then the counsellors of any presidency have no right to counsel the president over them--the very thing for which they are called. Solomon said, "In the multitude of counsel there is safety." Joseph F. Smith

said before the Smoot Investigating Committee he was always ready and glad to take counsel from all good men and women. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery to reprove Joseph Smith, the prophet, in his faults and receive admonition from him. No doubt the people prayed for Saul and David and Solomon, but

consistency did not insist they should follow them in case they went wrong. No doubt Paul prayed for Peter, but consistency prompted him to add works to his faith by trying to keep Peter in the right way. It is the duty of the ward teachers to teach the Bishops, President of Stake and President of the church in that capacity and admonish them of their faults. It is hard to think intelligent people will argue they must follow the leaders, right or wrong, without question, because we pray for them. If by following leaders who lead us to the wrong place, will we make the plea that we were bound to follow them in order to be consistent? The answer will doubtless be, "You had your free agency."

[72]         We pray for the authorities of our nation, or should do, but that does not mean that we shall always agree with them and follow them. Are the

Republicans disloyal and false in talking and voting in opposition to a Democratic president? The mere hint of such a thing by President Wilson before the last election drove the whole country Republican.

                But some will insist religion is different to politics. Well, we would not have the church descend to the same level with political graft and wire pulling, but there should not be so much difference between good civil government and good church government. The kingdom of the stone cut out of the mountain is to be a civil as well as church government, spiritual and temporal; a theocracy, and it is to fill the whole earth.

                Our excuse for consuming so much time and space over this simple matter is that good intelligent saints raise these objections to differing with authority of the church, but it seems so plain that a child should not err therein.

                The authorities themselves are differing now over the League of Nations and it is gradually crystallizing into a political issue and bone of contention over which to scrap for the next presidential election and quoting the same scripture to battle each other. Both mutilate the scriptures and run off to extreme, leaving a strait and narrow path high and dry, dividing and bewildering the people until they hardly know which way to turn or what to

believe. Senator Smoot quotes the 35th verse of the preface section of the Doc. and Cov., or rather part of it, cutting a sentence off at a comma. He quotes, "For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh, the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand when peace shall be taken from the earth." But why not go on? Why stop at a comma?

"And the devil shall have power over his own dominion." The inference from this end of the sentence is that the devil would have power over all the nations, this nation included, and that would be unpopular. Shall we withhold the truth because it is unpopular? Lincoln said he knew it was unpopular to

say that the civil war was a "judgment on both North and South" but that "it was a [73] truth that needed to be told, and that he probably could better afford to tell it than any one else."

                It is regrettable that the watchmen upon the towers of Zion are less courageous than Lincoln, who belonged to no church (See Ez. 33 Ch.) Roberts and Smoot both quote and mutilate the 12th verse of 2nd ch. of Ether in the same way, stopping at a comma. It was not so much the comma as the big "if" that stopped them. We all remember the story of how the devil proposed to save all mankind without any "if," without repentance, or baptism, or the Ten Commandments; He was too generous. He was determined to save everybody, good or bad. It was very popular with many and might have prevailed, but God knew that such a salvation without free agency would be worthless. No one could take comfort in a salvation costing them nothing, that came free, without effort or sacrifice, so Christ's plan of repentance and baptism and free agency prevailed. It had a big "if" in it. But our brethren think of adopting Satan's plan and excluding the "if" in the scripture quoted. Here it is:

"Behold this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage and from captivity and from all other nations under heaven IF they will but serve the God of the land who is Jesus Christ who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." You see, the good things are promised on conditions, "if they will serve the God of the land." Instead of

omitting the conditional part of the sentence they should include the five preceding paragraphs, so they might take warning from the fate of the Jaredites and Nephites. It is our bounden duty to give this solemn warning.

See Ez. 33rd Ch.

“Remember officers and soldiers that you are free men, fighting for the blessings of liberty.”

General George Washington

The Mormon Creed

President John Taylor,
Ogden, 19 OCT 1884

Another thing: I was lately called upon as a witness—perhaps you may have seen some account of it in the papers—and I want to make some explanation in relation to the matters that I then presented, because they are not generally understood: I was required not to divulge certain things.  I did not know them to divulge.  Perhaps some of you have had people come to you with their confidences.  I have.  But I don’t want to be confidant.  Why?  Because if they made a confidant of me and I was called before a tribunal, I could not, as an honorable man, reveal their confidences, yet it would be said I was a transgressor of law; but no honorable man can reveal confidences that are committed to him.  Therefore I tell them to keep their own secrets, and remember what is called the Mormon Creed, “Mind Your Own Business.”  I don’t want to know the secrets of people, that those I cannot tell.  And I could not tell very much tot hat court; for I have studiously avoided knowing any more than I could possibly help about such matters.  I was asked questions about our temple, which of course I could not divulge.  I was asked questions about records, which I could not tell them, because I did not know.  I have studiously avoided entering into a knowledge of these matters.  They did not build our temples.  We have never had revelations from God, through them!  We may have had from the devil (laughter), but never have had revelations from God through them.  And I think there are some things we have a right to guard sacredly in our own bosoms.  We are told “The secret of the Lord is with them.

Spiritual Maturity—Part I/Faith and Repentance

(Contributed)

I Corinthians 13

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

These are the words of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. In the New Testament, the Lord through His Apostle, Paul of Tarsus, wrote prolifically to the Saints all over the known world, giving them information and knowledge regarding the Gospel and the administration of the Ancient Meridian Church.

In those instructions, the Apostle Paul makes a distinction between those Church members who were being sustained by “the milk of the Gospel” and those who were seeking “the meat of the Gospel”. What this is to say is that when we first joined the Church, we were given the simple basics which is what established our faith.

Being hungry for more understanding, light and knowledge regarding the Lord, the Lord’s Servants and the deeper aspects of Eternal Truth, we go on our own quest to find these deeper Truths, what is termed as “the meat”. Such a quest always starts with a question. And then comes the diligent study, contemplation, meditation and sincere and mighty prayer in all humility. The Lord answers such questions through personal revelation as the Spirit abhors a vacuum where Light and Knowledge is sought and is yet to be delivered to the Honest Seeker of Truth.

The problem comes with those seekers of truth, having been given sacred personal revelation on some particular subject that they now somehow feel that they must share it with one and all alike, even with those who have no hunger to know and have not been asking similar questions. Such sharing is a betrayal of the sacred nature of personal revelation and also raises the possibility of engendering pride in the one who has received such personal revelation and is now attempting to share it.

It is analogous finding a rich cache of food, delicious and appealing, in your pantry and then inviting your neighbors over to your home and cramming it down their throats with a spoon and knife, when they are not hungry, have no desire to eat and may not find your cache of food so delicious and appealing. Needless to say, they would gag, rebel and become angry over your attempts to ram food down their throats, in spite of your zealous declarations that such food “is good for them and so they must eat it.”

What did the Lord instruct His Latter-day Servants to say and do in relationship to what we are to share?

D&C 6

8 Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.

9 Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.

(Also D&C 11:9)

In Church History and even today, missionaries have been known to “wander off this sacred charge” and begin to delve into the mysteries of the Gospel, going in this direction and in that direction. When they do this with their investigators, they confuse and bewilder and we know who the author of confusion is. The whole goal of sharing the Gospel with them is to persuade them to repent. This Principle is well established in this Dispensation and for that matter, in every prior Dispensation as well.

Faith and repentance, knowing that our repentance is efficacious through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and baptism is all that we should share with this wicked world, praying and hoping that these simple principles will lead the people to begin the process of changing their carnal nature to that of a divine nature, full of charity, goodness and a desire to do good to all men.

We should also be aware that even our own Church is in much need of repentance that type and shadow established by the Temple-going Saints of King Benjamin’s day. (see Mosiah Chapter 3—the whole of it)

At the beginning of Chapter 4 of Mosiah, we see what effect the King’s call to repentance had upon the Church of God in that time—

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

Oft times, when a Priesthood Holder takes such scriptures literally and seriously and applies such scriptures to his own situation and to that of the Saints in general, he is viewed as “putting the Church down” or “being ‘against’ the Church”, causing some to question his testimony or worse yet, drive him from the Church, as he is “upsetting the members”.

Yet, this man is doing exactly as the Standard Works command him to do—declare repentance to this generation and this generation includes Church members. When we observe the number of divorces and broken families in our Church, the vastness of our singles population, lonely men and women without Eternal Partners, the number of sexually “active” youth, the number of men and women acting in immoral ways and deceiving and stealing from their fellow men, the kinds of false concepts and doctrines that have crept in among us, many are left to exclaim “how great is our wickedness” in light of the Standards the Lord has given us in His Standard Works.

Most lie dormant and silent, fearing to incur the wrath or displeasure or unpopularity of those who have been involved or are now involved in such wickedness. They say that the people are not perfect but the Church is, when such a statement does not belay a true understanding of the word “Church”. The Church is defined in both Hebrew and Greek as “those called out from among the people” to some special calling. In other words, the Church is the People. What might be more accurate to say is that the Gospel is TRUE and PERFECT, whereas the Church is a hospital for sinners, the only healing medicine to be applied that of faith and genuine heart-felt repentance—the kind of repentance that the Saints of the King Benjamin’s Church experienced in their day, experiencing the Mighty Change.

In his conference talks, President Benson made frequent mention of our need as a Church to experience “The Mighty Change” and he was addressing the Latter-day Saints when he made such pointed reference to this challenge that we all share.

The Scriptures speak of bearing down in “pure testimony” against wickedness and false doctrine, reminding the people of their sore need to repent and to go a new direction that they may yet find salvation in the Lord. Recall that this scripture is not about “the non-members” but is specifically directed at the Church.

Alma 4

19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

The same charge that was given to Alma is given to every Priesthood Holder who has the Spirit of God. When we say that “all is well in Zion , yea, that Zion prospereth” we are following that great deceiver as he carefully leads us down to hell, bound by the chains of ignorance or Hell which is the same thing.

Alma 12

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

When we begin to raise the Warning Voice, we should expect to receive opposition from both the World and the Church. No one likes to have their sins and weaknesses revealed and every one likes to believe that they are the Lord’s favorites, approved in how they live and that if there are sins in their lives, the Lord “will beat them with a few stripes at the last day” and save them anyway, miraculously waving his “magic wand” of forgiveness over them and making them whole in spite of the reality that they have done nothing to warrant such forgiveness beyond doing a few outward “things” that they were told would “save them”.

2 Nephi 28:8

and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God .

The Book of Mormon contains the Fullness of the Gospel of Repentance and Salvation. Read it. For in there, a man can find the principles upon which repentance is gained and how that repentance is manifested. When a man repents, you will see a quantum shift in what he does in his physical life as in the case of Alma the Younger who shifted the entire focus of his life to physically going about to undo the damage he had done by preaching the Gospel. Barring the actual physical changes, there is no genuine repentance.

And to that end, was the Gospel of Salvation restored into this Dispensation.

The Trial of Apostle Matthias F. Cowley

Minutes of a meeting of the Council of the Twelve held May 10, 1911, at 10:30 A.M. in the Salt Lake Temple, at which there were present:

President Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, George Albert Smith, Charles W. Penrose, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Anthony W. Ivins and Joseph F. Smith Jr., of the Council and Matthias F. Cowley in response to the following summons.—

Salt Lake City, Utah, April 27, 1911.

Elder Matthias F. Cowley,

123 North, West Temple St., City.

My Dear Brother:

By this writing you are summoned to appear before the Council of the Twelve Apostles in the Salt Lake Temple at 10 A.M. on Wednesday, May 10th, to answer complaints against you of marrying plural wives yourself and of giving plural wives to others. Also of advising and encouraging other men to enter into plural marriages illegally and of the Church, and to show cause why you should not be adjudged guilty.

You will be required to answer all questions that will be asked you by the Council along the above lines, telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Do not fail to appear as we shall be there to receive you.

Affectionately,

Your Brother,

Francis M. Lyman,

In behalf of the Council.

The meeting commenced by singing, "This Earth was Once a Garden Place, " p. 277. Prayer by Elder Heber J. Grant. Singing: "Come O Thou King of Kings, " p. 209.

President Lyman: The brethren will remember that we have been for quite a long time trying to discover Brother Cowley. We have taken pains to put letters into his wife's hands, we have registered them to him at Baker City, Oregon, and to Boise, Idaho, and around the country and have been unsuccessful until a short time ago when we learned he was in this neighborhood and would come and see me. I talked a little with Brother Cowley when I served the summons on him about ten days ago and he disclaimed any intention of trying to keep away from us although circumstances have led us to believe that he has. I believe his case is the most remarkable that has come before us in as much as he has been with us once or twice before and he has expressed his respect for us, but we have felt that we have not been properly treated by him. We have met some things in our travels that have disposed us to believe that he was working against us and giving encouragement to those who are in this position. I am simply making these statements Brother Cowley, to give you an understanding so that you can clear yourself. We have been under the impression that Brother Cowley has been at the forefront and has been under the cause of more people entering into this condition of plural marriage than anyone else and no man did more toward getting Presidents of Stakes and Presidents of Missions to enter polygamous marriages, which he should not have done and we want him to come here and tell his story, as we tell him in the letter and tell all he knows and clear himself. He has been very well informed as to the position of the Church on this question from the time of President Woodruff. We have always had advice and could always get it from those who would have advised him aright. From the time of his ordination into the Apostleship his confidence and that he should have approached me in preference to any other man because I took him a little under my wing and we were quite confidential with each other, but since he has taken his stand contrary to the Church he has not advised with me as he should have done because he knew of my views on the question. The report is that he said you should not talk with Brother Lyman or with Brother Joseph F. Smith, as I was opposed to and President Smith did not want to know anything about it. I am convinced that in Canada and Mexico, in Idaho and Wyoming and all over he has been effecting plural marriages among the people and has done a great deal of harm in this respect. We would like Brother Cowley to stand up here and begin at the beginning and tell us of every case that he has been connected with and if he had authority where he got the authority and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and after he has got through we will be prepared to ask him a few questions. We would not like him to involve any one or place the responsibility upon some one else when he should shoulder it. We do not want him to put the responsibility upon the Church, as we stand here to defend the Church in President Snow's and subsequently President Smith's administration. We feel that Brother Cowley is more responsible for the condition in the Church than any other man in the Church and we do not want him to place the responsibility upon any dead man unless he can prove it and we want him to open his heart and be candid with us and tell everything. Brother Lyman read the summons appearing at the beginning of these minutes and also a copy of a letter which he sent Brother John W. Taylor and he was under the impression to Brother Cowley also. He had sent one to Brother Grant who acknowledged receiving it and he thought also to Brother Teasdale. Brother Cowley said he did not remember receiving the letter although he received the word from Brother Teasdale. The letter follows:

            Salt Lake City, Utah

            Elder John W. Taylor,

            Colonial Juarez.

            Dear Brother:

            Acting under the advise and counsel of the First Presidency I take this means of calling your attention to the official declaration on the subject of plural marriages adopted by the late General Conference of the Church; and I bespeak your hearty cooperation in emphasizing the same in your private conversations and counsels as well as your public utterances, to the end that no misunderstanding may exist among our people concerning its scope and meaning; but on the contrary, that all may be given to distinctly understand that infractions of the law in regard to plural marriage are transgressions against the Church, punishable by excommunication.

That God may bless you in all your ministry is the prayer of

Your affectionate brother,

Francis M. Lyman.

From that time I feel the brethren have been thoroughly advised. Brothers Taylor, Cowley and Woodruff were with the Council when President Snow was selected as President of the Church and the question of plural marriages came up. Brother Lyman related the circumstances surrounding the (sic) of the First Presidency at that time. President Snow stating that they (Plural marriages) would stop and later in January issued his declaration on this subject which appeared in the Deseret News of January 8th following his selection as President. President Lyman read this statement as also that of President Smith. Now we would like to hear from Brother Cowley

concerning where he has done wrong from the first offense, where he got his authority, whether by word of mouth or written authority what his thoughts have been, who have been in his confidence and who his advisers have been. I think he has more to tell on this subject than any other man living in the Church today.

Matthias F. Cowley: I will say, Brethren, in the outset in regard to appearing before you that it was purely an accident that I did not get the word. I moved from Boise on my way to Spokane and left word to have my mail forward Oregon, I got word not to go to Spokane, I did not have an address, but went to the Post Office for my mail. You have had a wrong understanding of this, as I have had no intention of trying to avoid you, but I would rather not discuss these things. I have been accused of many things which I have not done, but I do not know how I can prove my innocence. The first case of plural marriage I was connected with, as I remember, was Brother Kelsch. He returned from his mission in 1898, and was sent to me by President Cannon and all

the authority I exercised on that occasion came from President George Q. Cannon. President Cannon told me he had the authority from President Woodruff and Brother Joseph F. Smith told me on two occasions that Brother Cannon had the authority and Brother Woodruff didn't want to be known in it. Brother Ben E. Rich came to me. Brother William W. Burton, a relative of President Joseph F. Smith, came to me from him. As to Mission Presidents, Brothers Rich, Robinson and Duffin are the only ones I have marred. I have had nothing to do with these marriages since the resignation of Brother Taylor and myself, I have had nothing to do with any of these. Brother Alpha Higgs came to me and I told him I could not do it and as I understood things now would have nothing more to do with it. I have had two conversations with President Smith, one a few evenings ago and he said if you are free of these later offenses that is all we want to know, but we feel hard toward the man who has induced the people to go in since the declaration of the Presidency. The reason I didn't consult President Lyman was because it was given me to understand that I should consult no one. I was told to keep my own counsel and was severely censured one time by Brother Cannon for consulting someone else regarding a certain marriage. Brother Penrose told me once in the city of Mexico, that he had written the manifesto, and it was gotten up so that it did not mean anything and President Smith had told me the same. I

mentioned to show the training I have had from those over me. I have been conscientious in these things; when I got the dispensation from President Cannon, Ben E. Rich came to me and had two women and I told him I only had the dispensation for him and Laura and he eventually

accepted my word. I didn't try to get people to go into it. I married Apostle Brigham Young and Brother Merrill. I couldn't induce these men to take plural wives if they were not already converted. The people came to me understanding I had the authority. I married Brother Young about 1902, I cannot remember the exact dates. I was never instructed to go to a foreign land to perform these marriages, although in some cases I did so. If you can give me some specific case I can better tell and you can decide whether I have been guilty. I have been lied about as others have.

Question: It is claimed that you told Sister Dusenberry that it is probable that plural marriages could be performed.

M. F. Cowley: I saw her and Brother Jex in Provo one day talking very nicely together, I said you look like two lovers about ready to get married. It was said simply in a jocular sense, possibly unwisely.  President Snow told me at one time when I went to consult him about marrying Joseph Morrell of Cache county, that he would not interfere with the unfinished business of President Woodruff. I do not feel that it is right to put all these responsibilities on me, but if it were before the world I would be willing to bear them. I married Frank Y. Taylor, John M. Cannon and others who are held in high esteem here.

They were all before 1904, I think about 1901 or 1902. The first I performed was Ben E. Rich and the last David Udall, the last taking place in Idaho. I married most of them in the United States. Brother Merrill was married, I think in 1903, to Hulda Erickson. I am not dishonest and not a liar and have always been true to the work and to the brethren. I have always been true and faithful myself. We have always been taught tight place that it would not be amiss to lie to help them out. One of the Presidency of the Church made the statement some years ago when I was in the presidency of one of the stakes of Zion in Idaho that he would lie like hell to help his brethren. What I have done has been done conscientiously and under the direction of those higher up not defiantly or with the idea of taking the bits in my own mouth. I doubt if you can bring one man who can honestly claim that I have got him to enter a plural marriage. If I have erred through these influences. I ask to be forgiven. I feel that I have been punished once for these offenses and that I should not be punished again. I have done nothing since 1906 nor taken a plural wife myself. I married my last wife in Canada in the summer of 1905, Sister

Harker in 1899.

President Lyman: Who married you?

M. F. Cowley: Brother Merrill put me under a solemn covenant binding me not to tell, I was married in the Logan Temple so leave you to guess the rest.

President Lyman: Whose advice did you seek?

M. F. Cowley: President Cannon told me to do these things or I would never have done it. President Snow, did not, he simply told me that he would not interfere with Brother Woodruff's and Cannon's work. I married Sister Harker and Mary L. Taylor, Brother J. A. Wolff married me to Sister Taylor. I heard two of the brethren in Mexico and two in Canada had authority to perform plural marriages and that it came from President George Q. Cannon. I believe no authority has been exercised, except in the Tolman case, which I know nothing about, but what came from President Cannon. I understand that President Isaac Smith had his marriage performed in Canada and Brother _____ of Rexburg went to Mexico. I never directed any one to go to Brother Wolff.

Question: Did Brother Taylor give Brother Wolff any authority?

M. F. Cowley: I don't know. All I know, I think a Brother Levitt went to President Smith and asked him if it would be alright and he referred him to Brother Taylor who had charge of all things in Canada.

G. F. Richards: Was it known at the time you were dropped from the Council of the Twelve by the Council that you had taken these two wives?

M. F. Cowley: These facts were understood although the dates were not given. President Smith assured me that I should not be molested if I have not been guilty. I performed the ceremony for Brother Woodruff at Preston, Idaho, and Sister Clark about 1903, I think. I married John M. Cannon and Frank Y. Taylor to two each, long before 1904, both on the same day. Byron Sessions in the Big Horn in 1902. I did not marry Brother Bassed of Rexburg. He came to me and asked if I could help him out and I told him no.

H. M. Smith: When did you feel your authority ceased that Brother Cannon conferred upon you?

M. F. Cowley: I felt that the authority I received continued only that I didn't exercise it without getting all the support I could. The most of them went to Brother Cannon and then came to me.

Question: After Brother Snow and Brother Cannon were dead did you still exercise the authority?

M. F. Cowley: I don't think I have.

H. J. Grant related a conversation he had with Brother Cowley after he came home from Japan, when Brother Cowley came to him and said if he could get a wife he, Cowley, would go with him to Canada or Mexico and help him out.

This conversation was denied by Brother Cowley.

Brother Grant stated further that he went to President Smith and asked him if it was possible for him to get another wife and President Smith told him it was not. Brother Grant being desirous of marrying Fanny Woolley, and Brother Cowley told him: "if you want her I will help

you."

D. O. McKay: Did anyone else know you married Brother Sessions?

M. F. Cowley: I think Brother Woodruff was the only one. I have had the idea that President Smith was not opposed to these marriages if it could be done without trouble with the government.

H. J. Grant: Several Elders came to the British Mission while I was presiding there and told me that after they had been instructed in the Temple that these things had stopped, Brother Cowley had come out and told them that if they wanted another wife when they came back they could get one.

This Brother Cowley denied.

M. F. Cowley: I married Brother Taylor twice, but not the last time, that is new to me. I don't know anything about the Sandberg girl. I married Brother Chamberlain. here in Salt Lake. He was in touch with Brother Cannon. Also Brother Robinson, who was in touch with Brother Cannon.

A. W. Ivins: Was it talked among the people that they could not talk to Brother Lyman and John Henry Smith about these things, and also thought permissible to date these things back before the manifesto?

M. F. Cowley: I believed it was. Brother Merrill led me to believe that President Smith's declaration was not meant for foreign countries and with that understanding I took my last plural wife.

President Lyman: How did you come to marry Brother Thomas Chamberlain?

M. F. Cowley: As I remember it, he came to me and said he had seen President Cannon. I did not marry Israel Barlow. Brother Cowley related the Circumstances connected with the marrying of his last wife, being engaged in Mexico and later marrying her in Canada, after she had become infatuated with another man and fallen out with him. I married Henry S. Tanner to one of the Richards girls and one of the Thatcher girls but don't know anything about any other marriages.

A. W. Ivins: Did you have the Idea in your mind that it would be alright to date your marriage back prior to the date and to misrepresent the facts?

M. F. Cowley: The influence of Brother Merrill and his position and his having received the authority from President Cannon had a good effect upon me.

Question: Had it ever been discussed or thought that John W. Taylor would ever become President of the Church and it was the proper thing to get into line and stand in defense of the principle of plural marriage?

M. F. Cowley: I have heard the idea that some time John W. Taylor would preside over the Church, but not in connection with plural marriage. I never entertained any idea of superiority upon the theory of plural marriage on account of those in the position. I believed President Woodruff married a wife the year before he died, of course I don't know, I can't prove it. I married John W. Taylor in Farmington at his home. I have refused to marry Charles H. Hyde, George Porter, Lula Johnson and a girl who wanted to marry George Goddard. I didn't encourage Charles Woolfenden and Dr. McGregor. They both spoke to me and I told them that there was no possible way. Woolfenden knew Tolman and he talked to me about it and I told him I did not think Tolman had any authority. I married J. M. Tanner to Mrs. Evans, George C. Parkinson to Fanny Woolley in Colorado. I married Brother Arthur Hart, but not Dr. Cutler or William C. Parkinson. I don't know anyone who has been performing these marriages except Tolman and I don't know where he got the authority. I did not marry Clayson.

Question: Have you ever authorized any one at any time to marry anyone else?

M. F. Cowley: No sir, I don't think I had the right to.

C. W. Penrose: What do you think of the revelation to President Taylor in 1886?

M. F. Cowley: This would not justify me. He referred to a revelation to President Woodruff, which he took to President Smith and read it to him and he said if it had not been for President Woodruff's strength in that principle we would have had worse than the manifesto, and explained what certain diplomatic brethren thought was best to do. In view of this revelation thought the brethren really felt that they were not justified in stopping it and that is all the effect it had on

my mind and the Taylor revelation had very little effect. I thought I should receive my instructions from the living oracles. I claimed to have been in harmony with you brethren since I was dropped from the quorum. I had nothing to do with the Roberts case, of Wasatch, and Joseph W. Musser, except ten or twelve years ago, I married a Hill girl to him. Married John W. Wolff ten or twelve years ago.

President Lyman: Did you marry my brother?

M. F. Cowley: He talked with me, but I had nothing to do with it. I possibly told him he could go to Mexico or Canada. I am willing to do anything I can to be in harmony with you, if I have done wrong. I ask your forgiveness. I am, willing to do anything to set matters right. I want you to treat me as considerately as possible. I feel that I have erred in view of the sentiments and feelings of the brethren. I feel that the Lord has greatly blessed me in spirit and in regard to my

personal standing before Him, and when you brethren have ruled I propose to stand by it in the future. I have never made a practice of performing marriages and encouraging them.

Meeting adjourned at 2:30 and reconvened at 3:30 P.M.

H. M. Smith: Did you place any of these brethren under covenant not to divulge anything regarding their marriages or place them under oath?

M. F. Cowley: No, not under covenant or under oath, but I told them to be cautious and not get the Church into trouble. I was put under oath myself. The conditions were different then than now. I never performed a ceremony except in all solemnity. We always had prayer first and everybody knew who I was and I knew who I was marrying. No one was in disguise. I was asked to hold up my hands and solemnly swear, but I never did anything of that kind with the people I married.

President Lyman: You didn't consult me regarding these marriages.

M. F. Cowley: I understood that I was not to consult you or John Henry Smith, that you didn't want to know anything about these things.

President Lyman: Do you think you are justified in lying to help your brethren?

M. F. Cowley: I don't feel that a brother would be justified in screening another brother in doing that which is wrong, but in protecting him in doing that which is right.

President Lyman: I do not know how far I would be justified in lying or in [not] telling the truth to protect a brother in doing what is right to protect him. (sic) As far as I feel, I don't think it has been required since President Woodruff's time that a man enter into plural marriage and those who have entered into it have done so upon their own responsibility.

G. F. Richards: Has Brother Tanner ever asked you to marry him more than twice?

M. F. Cowley: No sir.

President Lyman: Where you married people have you had recommends from their Bishops or presidents of stakes?

M. F. Cowley: No sir, they usually came with word from President Cannon.

Question: Did you marry Peter Anderson? Or Patriarch Tolman?

M. F. Cowley: No sir. I married Alonzo Merrill, but not, Fred, who I understand committed adultery. I married Hugh J. Cannon about 1903, I think. After President Cannon died I performed marriages for people who had been promised before that time. I married Heber Bennion and Brother Smart in Salt Lake City, also Jesse N. Smith.

The Sears matter was referred to and Brother Cowley President Smith was vexed when he heard that he had not been married and he was married as late as 1906. There were instances where Brother Merrill sent men to me with the understanding on my part that they came from

President Cannon.

C. W. Penrose: I understand that Brother Cowley advised Brother Bastian?

M. F. Cowley: I don't remember talking with him. I had the understanding when I married any one that they had been promised by someone in authority higher up. I also married Reuben G. Miller, Josiah Hickman, Abraham O. Woodruff, M. M. Steele, Jr. and George M. Cannon.

It was moved that Brother Cowley be excused, in parting he said: I want you brethren in considering my case to prove John W. Taylor a false prophet when he said that I would be excommunicated from the Church. If there is anything I can do to make good our honor to the nation and to the saints I am willing to do it. I want you to know that I am not rebellious and never have been and if I have erred it has been because of these circumstances and the example of my brethren. I am in harmony with you and I would like you to put me upon my honor to make that good in the future. I would rather die than be cut off from the Church.

After the departure of Brother Cowley the Brethren of the Council each in turn expressed his views in relation to the case of Brother Cowley, the brethren remaining in session for some time. The matter was continued until Thursday, May 11th.

At a meeting of the Council of the Twelve Apostles held in the Temple, Thursday afternoon, May 11th, 1911, the following action was taken:—

This day by unanimous vote of the Council of the Twelve Apostles it was decided that Matthias F. Cowley, for insubordination to the government and discipline of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be and he is hereby deprived of the right and authority to exercise any of the functions of the Priesthood.

Francis M. Lyman,

In behalf of the Council.

*   *   *

A Discourse Delivered by J. M. Grant,

In the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, October 26, 1856.  (J of D 4:122-129)

               

While the sacrament is passing, I will occupy a short time, for I wish to bear my testimony to the truth of what we heard in the fore part of the day.  It is not for want of truths or testimonies that the people are careless, but it is for the lack, on their part, of living up to the truths and testimonies they hear.

                We have, in the revelations of God and in the teachings of the servants of God, a great variety of truths, but those truths are not specially in force and brought to bear upon our mind, and to be carried out in our practice, until we are fully impressed by that gift of the Lord God, which we call the Holy Ghost.

                When the Spirit of the Lord rests upon a community, they naturally are inclined to feel after the Lord their God, and they are inclined unto righteousness, and they like the influence of that Spirit which leads into all truth; it is sweet and very delicious to them.  But when darkness beclouds the people in consequence of their transgressions, they have but little relish for the things of God; they relish everything else but the things which pertain to the kingdom of God on the earth, and the kingdom of God hereafter.  They cannot enjoy the Gospel as do those who are not in the dark, for those who are in the light can appreciate the light they are in the enjoyment of.

                But while people are in the dark, they do not see the light; their deeds are not made manifest, for it is the light that maketh manifest.  If a room be dark, the objects in that room are not discernible, but when light breaks into the room, the objects therein can be plainly seen.

                We may say the same of the people of God; when they are in the dark, no difference how much light they may have had, if they pass from the light into the dark, they may remember that they once saw the light, they do not enjoy the light because they have passed from light into darkness, and they do not discern the objects in themselves.  They gradually are sliding from the law of God, or from the Church of God, and do not discover where they are going or what from, from the fact that they are in the dark, they cannot see.

                But when the light comes they discover that they are about falling from a precipice, about plunging into ruin, about going to destruction; the light makes this manifest, and they see their situation.

                I have no idea that chastisement from this stand will increase the darkness, or aggravate the transgressions of the people; but if light breaks forth from any source and reflects upon the people, they then see the motes, the beams, and the dross in themselves.  While the light make manifest, the Spirit of God reveals the secrets of the heart, and makes manifest those dark spots that exist among the Saints of God.

                Some suppose that they can pass by the Priesthood of God on the earth, and very lightly esteem the men who hold it.  They think it is not material about offending the Bishops or the presiding Elders, or the councils that preside over them, and no difference, specially, about brother Brigham, "he is only brother Brigham, no difference about giving offence to him, or in associating with him."

                "We are conscious," says one, "that we have offended him and many of the Councils of the Church, but notwithstanding this, we will go to God and ask Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to forgive us, and we will make it all right between us and our God; and if we can only keep the stream pure between us and our God, no difference whether the water is dark and turbid between us and His servants, or not.  We can get the Spirit of God for ourselves, and the blessings we want we will ask God for, no difference about offending His Servants."

                A great many people actually suppose that they can treat with impunity the authority of God, and the light of God, the chain that the Almighty has let down from heaven to earth, which we call the Priesthood; that they can break and insult that chain and trifle therewith, as much as they please, and when they please, that they can abuse Jehovah in His power and attributes.  I reason in a different circle, or upon a different principle; I have practiced a different principle.  When I offend one of God's servants, I consider it my duty to atone, to make reconciliation for my offense, no matter whether he be above or below in this Church, as the term is used; no matter whether it be President Brigham Young or my teacher, I have erred in either case.

                A great many say, "If I can only keep the stream clear between me and the heads of the Church, that is all I want or care for."

                A High Priest in the road the other day, a talented man, an important man, said, "If he could only keep the stream clear between himself and the heads of the Church, that he would consider that he was all right." I said to him, if you act upon that principle, in the same sense you have thrown it out to me, it will send you across lots to hell.  The spirit of the principle to me was, that it did not matter about offending persons below him, or injuring different individuals in the Church, such as Elders, Priests, Teachers, Deacons, and Members, if he could only keep the stream pure between him and the First Presidency.

                This idea a great many people entertain; they can offend their Bishops, or the Bishop's Counselors, and the Teachers, and they can offend the President of a Branch of the Church, the President over the High Priests' Quorum, and the President over the High Council, and they can offend all the Church, so they can only have the good graces of brother Brigham and his Council, that is enough for them.

                That is actually the idea of some people.  Such doctrine as that, with me, is the height of nonsense.  You have not their good graces, only as you treat every person right.  If you are dishonest with one of those poor benighted Indians, you foul the water between me and you, and God Almighty will not give me power to bless you, until you rectify that wrong with that poor Indian, or with the least person on the footstool of God.  And you should not pass by your Bishop and insult him, if you do, you will forfeit your claim to the throne of God in heaven, until you make reconciliation to that Bishop, or to any other person you have injured; and then it is time enough for you to bring your offerings, and they will be accepted in the sight of God, and in the sight of His servants.

                We exist here in an organized Branch of the Church, we have several councils, quorums, and organizations.  We were called upon during the last Conference, to elect a President of this Stake of Zion; Daniel Spencer and his two Counselors, Elders Fullmer and Rhodes, preside over this Stake.  Now suppose they know that the Bishop of some ward, or one of his Counselors, is teaching an erroneous doctrine, it is the duty of Daniel Spencer to send for that Bishop, or that Counselor, or instruct someone in that ward to rectify that people.

                The Presidency of this Branch of the Church should go to work and learn whether every quorum in this Branch is doing its duty.  The First Presidency, by their sanction, have ceded the local Branch of this Church

in Great Salt Lake City, to Daniel Spencer and his Council, and he should understand whether the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth wards are in order; and if his jurisdiction extends beyond the city, he should ascertain whether every man is doing right within the bounds of that jurisdiction.  And he ought to come up to the First President of the Church, and consider himself one of his Council, and report the situation of the  different wards; and he ought to have a book containing full and correct reports from every Bishop of the different

wards, that when the First President of the Church shall say, brother Spencer, in what condition is this or that Branch of the Church, he may be able at once to give a truthful report.  He ought to know all about the High Priests, their number, and the number of the Seventies; where they meet, and what they are about.  His eye ought to be through the city like the eye of God, to search the people over whom he is made President; and he ought to know that his Counselors are alive and active in the discharge of their duty.  I do not know whether he can report so now or not, but I very much doubt whether he can.

                Brother Spencer should come to the First President of the Church, and not consider that he is intruding, for he is rightly connected with him.  Can a man be intruding when he does those things he has a right to do, and which pertain to his duty?  No.  Neither can he be intruding by reporting to the first President of the Church.

                The presiding Bishop belongs to the First Presidency of this Church, and he ought to know about the situation of each ward, and not merely talk about the people's paying their tithing, for there has been too much mere talking about it already.  I would ask, have the people in this city paid their tithing?  I sincerely doubt whether one fourth or even one eighth, have paid it.  It is the duty of the Bishop not only to sound his trump outside this city, but in this city, and learn what persons are deficient in this point, and not cease with merely talking about it.  Talking so

much and not doing is one of the grand evils; it is not for the Bishop to merely talk about the people's paying their tithing, and say that they are good fellows, &c., but we want him to know that the people pay their tithing, and that they are right; and then come to the First President of the Church and tell him those facts, reporting faithfully the situation of all the Bishops in the Church, and how they stand in their accounts with the General Tithing Office; and let him gather all the pile together.

                If Bishop Hunter waits until the roads are muddy, he may expect to meet with drawbacks and losses, the bins are now as full as they will be.  Strike while the iron is hot, is the old adage; but my adage is, strike while the roads are good, and while there is grain.

                If you wait until after cold weather comes, after the mud comes, and after the people come in hungry, the bins where the wheat is now may be like they were with brother Browning; he had several hundred bushels of tithing wheat, and when we sent for it, there were somewhere about forty or fifty bushels; it had wasted; the cats, the goats, the ducks, the rats, the mice, the geese, and the ganders all were at work in those bins.

                I want the Bishop to understand that we want the tithing brought to the store-house of God, while it can be brought without delay; not merely to talk about it, but we want the work performed.  I tell you that the people in this city do not walk up to their duty on the subject of tithing.

                Members of the quorum of the Twelve, when at home, ought to be right about the First President of the Church with the power of God that is in them, and communicate some of that light to brother Brigham to comfort him.  Do you expect brother Brigham to put fire into the whole of this people, and no man on earth put fire in him and bless him, and give him instruction and information?  Must he impart and teach and teach, and no man tell him anything?

                We have missionaries who go out to different parts of this Territory, and over the earth, gaining experience and information, but can we get them up here to tell us one single thing they know?  No, unless you take them by the back of the neck, and the seat of their pantaloons and haul them in sight, making them squeal like a "possum cat," before you can get anything out of them.

                We want you to impart what you know, if you have the light of God, or any information about heaven, earth, or hell.  We want you to furnish your share to the fund of information, and not cry, all the day long, give,

give, give, without imparting anything to the giver.  We want the Twelve, when they are full of the Holy Ghost, to come up and bless us.  And if any of you know how to make a good goose yoke, a hog yoke, a good jackknife, or anything else that is valuable, do not put your hands on your mouths and cry mum.

                If you know how to raise wheat, potatoes, or anything else, impart your knowledge, that the light in you may not be hid under a bushel.  It is so with almost every person in the Church; if they have light they keep

it under a bed, or under a bushel; they keep it locked up within their bosoms, and we cannot get it out.

                If a man knows anything valuable, we want him to impart his knowledge.  We want the President of the Seventies, brother Joseph Young, about us; we do not want him to go on the hill where Lorenzo lived, but we want him to live in the city near brother Brigham, because, if he does not, he will die.  Some of brother Joseph's Council want to wander off, saying that brother Brigham says they may go.  Why; Because they want to go.  If the light of God was in them, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, they would know that their place is at head quarters.  We want such men to come and be one with the Prophet, and believe and understand for themselves.

                If you offend your brother, you have to make reconciliation.  You might as well baptize a dog, as baptize a man or woman who will not make reconciliation for the offences they have committed.  Some women will say,

"What is the difference, suppose I offend my husband, if I can only lie to brother Brigham, and tell him a first-rate tale, and make out that my husband is a poor curse?  I will get as many blessings as I want from brother Brigham, and from others that I can make believe that I am a good woman."

                I may not have used their words exactly, but those words portray their practices.  That woman who offends her husband, if he has on him the power of the Priesthood and does right, I would not give a groat for all the blessings she will get from the Holy Ghost.  You may as well baptize a dog, or a skunk, as such a woman, until she makes reconciliation with that man of God whom she has offended.

                I sometimes talk about the old stereotyped edition of "Mormons?" Is it that I do not love our old fathers in Israel?  No, for I know their labors, toils, and anxiety, and I love them; but many of them feel that they have done enough.  Men have to be rewarded according to their works; if a man ceases to work, there is no more blessings for him.  He is lariatted out, as Orson Pratt lariatted out the Gods in his theory; his circle is as far as the string extends.  My God is not lariatted out.

                I do not want the old men to grow dull.  Was father Adam dull in his old age, when he blessed his children, and predicted what would befall them down to the latest generation?  Will a man, fired up by the fire of the Almighty, be dull?  No.  I do not want the old men to think that they have done enough, but to exert themselves to the last, and not to believe in a God that is lariatted out, nor be lariatted out themselves, and say, "I have worked ten, fifteen, or twenty-five years, and I do not want to work anymore, my rope is long enough now."

                Do not imbibe that principle, but keep advancing and advancing in the knowledge of the truth, in the light of the Almighty, which brightens up your intellects, enlightens your minds, and makes you feel the fire and power of God Almighty in your earthly tabernacles.  We want our fathers in Israel to wake up and bless their children, to bless the young men and the Church of God, and let the fire of the Almighty be in them.  We want the presiding Patriarch to freely call upon the Prophet, brother Brigham; and we want the heads of the different departments of the kingdom of God to come up and strengthen the hands of the Prophet.

                The old men, those men who have been in the Church twenty years and more, are ready to run from the man of God that holds the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  If you was full of the Holy Ghost you would not do this, but you would be round about us, instead of being all the time with your wives.  It is the greatest piece of nonsense that was ever planted in a Gentle breast, for a man to tie himself down to be at home day and night with his women.  Where would this kingdom go, if brother Brigham and his Council were to do so?  It would go to hell, across lots, in double quick time.  Do not let your wives bind you up with green withes and strong cords as Delilah did Sampson, and make you powerless.  Break asunder the cords, the ropes and cables that bind you, and come forth, ye old men, out of your shells, and break your lariats and your stakes, and begin to drink of the fountain of life, with God and His servants.

                I might say to the young men wake up from your sleep, that you may have the blessings of God poured out upon you.  And if the women want to know what I think of many of them, let them read the 32nd chapter of

Isaiah; I had better read part of it for you.  "Rise up ye women that are at ease, hear my voice, ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech.  Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.  Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins."

                I want to say to many of our old women, and to hundreds and thousands of our young women, that the life of God Almighty is not in you; you are at ease, and careless, and dull, and blind, and you do not understand the rights that God Almighty wishes you to enjoy.  I want such women to humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes, until they get the Holy Ghost.  I want every mother and daughter in Israel to serve their God, have the light of God in them, instead of pride, foolery, nonsense, and everything that is light and vain.  Rise up, ye careless women that are asleep in Zion, and betake yourselves to mourning and lamenting before God, until the light of heaven shall shine upon you, until the light of God shall chase away your pride, and your abomination, and your sins, and be round about you, and until the eye of heaven smiles upon you and blesses you forever.  I want you to be blest and saved, that your children may rise up and be blest.  I want the women to understand that there is something in Zion for them to do, instead of going to sleep.  There is a work upon you; you have made covenants and sacred  obligations, as well as the men, and we want you not to falsify those obligations, but to keep the law of your husbands, and listen to them, and know that they are your head.

                A man is a president to his family.  If the Church has a head, which is Christ, then is the man the head of his family.  Some men are not the heads of their families, but their wives walk on them, their daughters walk on them, and their sons walk on them, and they are as the soles of their shoes.

                Talk of some men's being the heads of their families.  It makes me think of the old deacon, that went to teach a man and his wife who were quarrelsome; said he, "Do you not know that you and your husband are one flesh?" "You don't say that, do you, deacon?" "Yes, the Lord has made you one." "Lord God," said she, "if you were to pass by here when me and my old man are quarreling, you would think there were fifty of us." This is often the case in Israel; instead of the men being the heads of their families, they are as sole-leather under their feet.

                I want the women to understand, when they have a good husband, one that does his duty, that he is president over them, and that they have made covenants to abide the law of that husband.  Talk about women leaving their husbands!  I would be far from taking a woman that would leave a GOOD man.  A woman that wants to climb up to Jesus Christ, and pass by the authorities between her and him, is a stink in my nostrils.  I have large nostrils, and often talk about smelling, for my olfactory nerves are very sensitive.  I want women to know their places and do their duty; but there is a low, stinking pride in a woman, that wants to leave a good husband to

go to another.  What does it matter where you are, if you do your duty?  Being in one man's family or the other man's family is not going to save you, but doing your duty before your God is what will save you.

                Because I am one of the Council of the First President, will that save me?  No, but if I am saved, I shall be saved because I do my duty as a man of God.  Shall a man be saved because of some particular Quorum to which he belongs, or a woman be saved because she is in some particular family?  No, that is foolery.  Men and women are saved because they do right.  It is nonsense for a woman to suppose, that because she is sealed to some particular man she will be saved, and at the same time kick up hell's delight, play the whore, and indulge in other evil acts and

abominations.

                Even some mothers in Israel actually suppose that if their daughters are sealed to a certain man they will be saved, no matter what they do afterwards.  That is damned foolery: and I want men and women to understand that salvation is based on a better foundation, that it is made up of righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.

                We want you to understand that the power of the Holy Ghost should be in you.  We want fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and the whole Church renovated and made one.  Do you suppose that I can be saved by standing alone, or that brother Heber can, or by attempting to use our Apostleship independent of brother Brigham?  We have sense enough to know that we have no power, only as we are one with him.  Or can the Twelve, or anyone else, have any power, only as they are one with brother Brigham?  No.  In the same way no woman can be right, only that woman who is one in spirit with her husband.  We should then be one in understanding, in power, in the gifts of God and in the light of the Gospel, and do right all the time.  May God Almighty wake up the fathers, the mothers, the sons and the

daughters, and bless you all and keep you in the path of your duty, and save you in the name of Jesus Christ.              Amen.

“April 6, 1892, I stood with my grandmother, Anna Bitner Starr, (Father's mother, 89 years of age) with the Saints to witness the placing of the capstone on the Salt Lake Temple. Apostle Lorenzo Snow led the open air congregation in the "Hosanna Shout." It was a grand affair and was participated in by many thousands.”  Joseph W. Musser, Journal of Joseph Musser, page 51)

E   D   I   T   O   R   I   A   L

Brothers and sisters, I would solicit your faith and prayers at this time that the Spirit of the Lord might rest upon me, that I might be led to say something that would be beneficial to you and to me.  I feel to say some things that are high and lofty.  William has received an ordinance in the Priesthood to a high and lofty calling.  Melchizedek Priesthood, in ancient times, was called the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God.  And there is nothing within the Gospel that doesn’t come through the Son of God.  The Gospel is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We honor Melchizedek, in calling the Priesthood: Melchizedek Priesthood, but it is the Priesthood of Jesus Christ.  We receive our ordinances in the name of Jesus Christ.  There is nothing that we receive within the Gospel that isn’t through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  What a high calling to be given to one so young, and I am in agreement with Brother Mel, I think it is all appropriate that you receive it.  I’ve received a witness to the Spirit that it isn’t your father that has called you to the Priesthood, it is the Lord.

That means every man that holds the Priesthood, has to conduct himself a little bit different.  He can’t be the same as others within the world; he can’t even be the same as others within the Church.  He can’t be the same—he has to conduct himself—because God has honored us with the Priesthood.  We spoke somewhat about the Priesthood last night.  The Priesthood is God’s.  In the fact that it is the power of God.  The Priesthood is that power, which created the earth and the universe.  Here of late, the past month or so, we have—our family, with great interest, have been observing this comet (Hale-Bopp), because out on the land in the middle of the night, especially, when it is a moonless night, that comet will shoot by, or on its travels, and will show a gigantic tail that is visible—and its more visible and more brilliant out on the land.  And that comet, with its tail, makes the signs of the Priesthood.  And I thought, what a testimony to the inhabitants of the earth, but they don’t see it.  It wasn’t sent here to trigger some group of fanatics to kill themselves.  It wasn’t sent here for anything other than a remembrance—a sign of the coming of (The Son) of Man.  For us to remember that it is coming soon—soon—at the very gates, our Savior will make His appearance.  And these signs in the heavens are testimonies, if we correctly interpret them.  Testimonies that we should be preparing ourselves for that.

Moroni in our November conference said, “That for good or for bad, we have been called out.”  And I want to tell you that the Lord, in reality had has His hand in what we are doing.  I know just as Brother Mel knows, that the work we are engaged in—the work of the Priesthood, is Truth.  It is the Work of God.  I never expected us to be here, where we are at, in this position.  I never anticipated that.  But it has pleased the Lord to call a group of people to keep the Fulness of the ordinances alive.  And I feel, brothers and sisters, that there is a necessity of us coming, first of all, to comprehend the Priesthood, and second of all, to be willing to maintain it.  And I pray the Lord gives me the license to speak upon these things.

Do you know who you are?  Do you know who you are?  Do you think you’re just some individual, who was born on the earth—an American—living in the United States?  Do you think that’s just who you are?  Where did you come from?  The Prophet Joseph Smith told us that there was a council in the heavens.  Now some would interpret that as being a great meeting, but there was a great meeting in the heavens.  That council, is the Council of Gods.  God the Eternal Father sat in council with His co-heirs, and all of their children were there, who sat in council with them.  That means, brothers and sisters, that we have come from the Council of Gods—that is our birthplace; that is our origin; that is where we have come from.  And the Gods took conversation, and they said: There is material here; let us take of this material and let us build an earth, where these, who are in our midst, who are sitting in council with us, can go and prove now, if they will abide of the things that we abide by here in this council.  For us sitting in that council, it was natural to understand the mysteries of Godliness.  Our education was immense—we have witnessed thousands upon thousands—millions, perhaps—of planets coming into existence, and going through the judgment period.  We have witnessed that; we have seen it; we have been in agreement with the decisions that the Gods have made, and now it is our turn—our turn—to come down here upon this earth.

When my father passed away, I was fourteen years old, and I have to confess that I didn’t really know who the man was.  I really didn’t know who the man was.  I asked myself the question as a young boy: What great thing did my father do?  What great work did my father do?  And I thought: I really can’t think of any really great thing that he did, he was just an ordinary person.  And you’ll have to bear with me and excuse me because of my age, at fourteen, I wasn’t capable of evaluating my father’s work; I wasn’t capable of understanding it.  I had no way of understanding what he was doing—he was a man who had weaknesses and strong points, but you know the great thing he did upon the earth?  Is he did not disqualify himself—that’s the great work that he did—he didn’t disqualify himself to go back to that council and to take his place in that council.  You see, it doesn’t matter whether you’re called to be the bishop, it doesn’t matter if you’re called to be the Relief Society president, it doesn’t matter if you’re called to be an Elder, to be a Seventy, a High Priest, and Apostle, a Prophet—it doesn’t matter what your calling on earth is.  It isn’t what great work you will do, pray to God that you don’t do the other work that disqualifies yourself from going back into the presence of God.  That is the key point—the key point, and what was the work of Joseph Smith?  He labored and labored and labored.  For what?  To teach men and to bring him up to his level, and in his zealousness, and his desire to give, he would often give prematurely to different individuals.

He called one man to the Seventy Apostleship to be one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventies, and that poor man didn’t realize what he had received (knocks on the pulpit in emphasis).  Because you see, the Church was just a very small, little, insignificant group of people.  He didn’t go to his meetings, and soon he was dropped.  He had no idea—no idea—of the magnitude of the calling that he had received.  Because he just evaluated it as, “Well, this is this little group of people here, and yeah, they’ve given me an honor and that, and my crops are coming in and I gotta go harvest, and I wonder who’s going to win the presidential election,” and things of this nature and getting on with the “important” things in life and he missed the boat.  And the reason why he missed the boat is he evaluated on his own judgment and not the judgment of God—he didn’t take the Spirit of the Lord as his guide.

Brother Joseph bestowed other higher offices and callings upon individuals—the Apostleship was given to many, who failed to understand it.  The historians, professors have written several books in the last few years, and they have written and done research and published to the world, great things, and a common theme among them, is they say Joseph Smith was evolving the endowment.  Jan Shipp was a Methodist in Kansas and was a very astute student of Mormonism, and she studied it not from a perception that the Church is true, because she believes the Methodist Church is true, but she studies it, “Well, Mormons believe it’s true.”  So she studies it from that, and she hastens to point out how the endowment was evolved.  You know that they don’t understand—they don’t understand it wasn’t evolving.  It wasn’t evolving at all.

Joseph Smith’s life was imperiled many, many times; he couldn’t even come up here like we have, to a meeting, without people hounding at the door wanting to arrest him.  He was constantly plagued by false brethren who sought his life.  At one point he had to jump out the back window and run—run for his life.  The poor man.  And every time he thought, “Its getting so hot; they’re gonna kill me,” he say, “Brother you, you and you come here,” and he would bestow upon them the highest blessings that can be bestowed.  But unfortunately, for the first few times, that had a negative impact.  Unfortunately those brethren were not prepared to receive those things.  They weren’t ordained Apostles, they were anointed Apostles.  They were anointed to a Fulness of the Priesthood, which allows an individual the opportunity to open the doors—the windows of heaven, just as soon as that individual can qualify himself.

And Joseph said, “I’ve got to do this: I’ve got to get these keys to these men, because I’m gonna be killed, and there’s got to be someone who can continue on with the work, who can open the windows of heaven and receive revelation from God and continue the work, and so brother: Here, take this great load that I’ve got.”  And these brethren would wither underneath it, and they failed to believe in it, is what they’d do.  They’d fail to believe in it.

And when they go through those sacred ordinances, if the man is anointed an Apostle, pray tell, to what is his wife anointed?  Could it be anything less?  Could it be anything less?

Sonia Johnson was a lady that was really active in the late sixties and early seventies and wanted to revolutionize the Church and was clamoring for women’s rights.  And she was on television and interviewed on 60 Minutes, and Dan Rather interviewed her and others would interview her and she’s clamoring and clamoring how these moss-backed old men in Salt Lake are just denying women the opportunity to progress and that she should be made bishop, in essence is what she was saying.  She was saying that she should be ordained to the Priesthood, just like a man—she was as good as any man and she could do anything a man could do, and that she should receive the Priesthood, and that these men were wicked for withholding that from her.  Well, it was interesting to observe, because Salt Lake did excommunicate her from the Church, and I understand that she just kind of withered and faded and she wrote a few books and things like that, but she was plagued with infirmities.  But you know, the sad part—the sad part about this dear sister, is that she just failed to understand Mormonism.  She wanted to say that women are as good as men—let me tell you: Women are better than men.  I don’t know a woman I can hold a candlestick to.  Its presumptuous for a man to think that he’s on an equal level with a woman.  I admire women, and particularly mothers, who go through that great sacrifice—you talk about the Olympics and the great physical efforts—they don’t hold a candlestick to birth.  They don’t hold a candlestick to giving birth, and I’ve watched my dear wife bring forth children, and I’ve witnessed the birth of most of my children.  And it doesn’t hold a candlestick.

But you see, Sister Johnson went about this altogether wrong.  She thought we could petition and politically put enough pressure upon the Church so we get the Priesthood.  The Lord had already provided a way for the women to get the Priesthood.  And they way women get the Priesthood, is to assist their husbands in magnifying the Priesthood, and growing within the Priesthood, until their husbands are called to receive their Second Anointing, and when they receive them, there wife also is anointed to the Priesthood.  If he is a King and a Priest, she is a Queen and a Priestess, and if you don’t think that is literal, study Eliza R. Snow.  She stood in the Temple of God as a Prophetess, as a High Priestess, as an Apostle!  But there are a whole lot of people who failed—who failed—to understand the magnitude of those great callings.  They failed to exercise faith in them, and they dwindled along the way.

You see that’s why I greatly so admire my father.  Is because he did not disqualify himself.  He didn’t achieve to some of these things, but he did not disqualify himself, and his work—his greatest work, was with his children.  And I’ll share something with you: He didn’t always make the right decisions.  And he sometimes listened to his wife, that he ought not to have done, and he made some decisions like Bernardo made, like Bernie has made.  When there was troubles in the Group, he didn’t know what to do, so he went back to the Church.  My Uncle Jim has told me that he (Jack Jessop) received the Priesthood under the hands of Lorin Woolley, that he was there, he saw it.  He didn’t see the ordination, but what he said is that he saw—what he told me—is that he saw a group of young men coming out of a room that Brother Woolley had ordained them to the Priesthood.  He says, “Your father was one of them.”

He went back to the Church—a pretty secure place, the Church, pretty secure.  It’s easy to be a member of the Church.  We sat in the Sunday School class last week, where a man from Denver was visiting the Concho Branch, who said, “Why, we don’t have to sacrifice, we don’t have to do all these things—we just have to attend our meetings and we have to—Monday night is Family Home evening—attend your meetings, pay you tithing, do your Home Teaching, go to the Temple—you’ve got it made!  As long as you’re willing to sacrifice.  Of course it does cost money,” he says, “To drive to all these meetings, but thank God we have all the money!”

I don’t mean to make fun of him, and you don’t know him, but it’s a pretty comfortable place to be.  It’s a pretty comfortable place to stay in.

And my father went back to the Church and I was raised in the Church.  And my Grandfather Moroni Jessop went to Brother Woolley and he said, weeping, I know those tears, “He said Uncle Lorin, what about Jack?”

He said that beautiful white-haired prophet just bowed his head for a minute and he says, “You don’t have to worry about Jack, he’ll be okay.”

What Jack did, I can’t remember the night, that my father’s light wasn’t on, that we was studying the scriptures, and when you asked my father a question, you’d better be prepared to sit and listen.  Mel asked me a question, yesterday, and I said, “Well I won’t answer, unless you are willing to hear the answer—it’s going to take a while.” 

Because he’d go all around and he’d paint you verbal picture and I remember a s a boy, and it seemed like TV—I was watching it as he was explaining, because he was so detailed, in his responses, and that’s the way my father was.  That he taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ—he taught me the things that he learned from Lorin Woolley.  He never told me that Lorin had taught him these things—it wasn’t that when I got older, that I discovered where those teachings came from.  But he taught me the Gospel; he sowed the seeds, so that when the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its Fulness was presented to me, I hungered and thirsted, and I couldn’t be satisfied with anything less.  And I couldn’t be satisfied with anything less. 

Brother Kempton was a Stake President, who handled me for my membership, but he’s a good man; I love him—I’m grateful to him for what he did.  But you see, I couldn’t back away from the Truth.

Brothers and sisters, there are some things that we need to do.  There’s some things that we need to put in order in our lives.  We need to call a School of the Prophets.  To call a School of the Prophets, requires some things.  It requires that we be willing to obey the Word of Wisdom—we can’t go into that School, without the determination to live it.  President John Taylor had every man screened, before he let them come in.  It requires plural marriage.  It requires that we be living a life of morality.  I’m living to live it if you will.  I’m willing to live it, if you will.  That means that we have to be busy—we have to be busy.

The Savior gave a parable, a parable of ten virgins, who were waiting to go into the marriage feast.  They were sitting there waiting, not knowing when the bridegroom would come, and they had oil.  Five had been prudent and gotten oil into their lamps, and five had not.  And so they said to the five, “Give us of your oil, so that we will also have oil.”  And they said, “Not so, because maybe the oil, if we divide it like that, we will not have enough, and we’ll all be out of oil.”  So they said, “Go to the merchants, who sell, and there obtain oil for yourselves.”  And as they went to do this, the bridegroom came, the doors were opened up, and they went in with the bridegroom—the five that had oil, and the doors were shut and they were locked.  And when they had obtained their oil, they came back and knocked on the door, and said, “Open up unto us,” and he said, “Not so.  Verily I know you not.”

No we’ve been told in the Church that that represents that half of the Church will be ready and half won’t.  Half of the Saints of God would be prepared to meet the Savior and half won’t.

And isn’t it strange, isn’t it strange that that very parable that the Savior gave, has to do with a polygamous marriage?  A man who is about to take ten wives, and five of them weren’t ready to live the principle, and five were.  And isn’t it strange that it had to do with oil—a direct reference to the holy anointings—half were anointed and half were not.  And when they went to obtain their anointings, it was too late.  It was too late and they let it go by.  I’m fearful—I’m fearful that we will be like the five virgins.

There has to be an active energy put in to seeking plural wives.  We can say, “Well, the Lord will bring them to me.”  Well you’re expecting too much from the Lord.  The Lord helps those who help themselves.  There has to be an active effort in obtaining these things.

We could put all the work of the Lord on the Lord, and you’ll find that the Lord’s already got His salvation and His exaltation, and He isn’t here to be tried and tested.  We’re not here to test the Lord and say, “Well, if it’s really your will, dear Father, then You make it happen.”  Because the Lord has already sacrificed and established His Kingdom—the one who is on trial here, is you and I.  We’re on trial.  We’re the ones that need to put forth the effort.  If it’s a sacrifice to build His Kingdom, we’re the ones who’ll be tried to see if we’ll sacrifice.  We’re the ones who are on trial to see if we’ll do it.  Five were ready, five were not.  Five, I guess, expected to go to the wedding feast, and that oil would be provided.  Five took the efforts to make sure they had received all of those things beforehand.

I’m so grateful for the Gospel; I’m so grateful for the Priesthood.  I’m so grateful for the privilege of being one of the most insignificant in the Kingdom of God.  I sometimes don’t think much of myself; I sometimes think of what a weak man I am.  How full of frailties, how full of trivialities, and that sometimes, my trivialities almost border on sacrilegiousness.  But I do have a desire to build the Kingdom of God, and I’ve told the Lord that I am willing to do that, no matter what it costs.  No matter what it costs.  And I know I have only been tried to the degree that I may yet be tried.

You see most of us here are either single or monogamous, and no one knows what it’s like to put a wife upon the altar, until you actually do it.  And when I say, “put her on the altar,” when you say to the Lord, “I’m going to walk down this path, no matter what it costs.”  When you tell the Lord that, you’ll find out what it costs, because the feelings of insecurities are within every woman.  Those are born and bred within them.  And I know, as a man, that it’s difficult for me to understand a woman, and I know that I never have—I’ve never understood my wife, and never understood my daughters—I’ve only guessed.  And most of the time, I guess wrong, but I have observed a few things; I’ve observed that the feelings of insecurity, the fears of rejection are real.

Most women feel, “If I let my husband take another wife, she’ll be younger than me; she’ll be prettier than me; he’ll want her and he won’t want me,” and those are real fears that are within them.  And then the younger wife will come in and she’ll say, “How can I compete with this other wife—she’s so pretty; the bond that is between them is so strong, that he won’t even want me.  I’m just going to go to the sidelines, you know,” and they’ll both have these feelings of insecurity.

And those are real.  Those are real feelings that have to be overcome.  I got a letter from a dear sister this week that said, “Well, from the point of view of a man, you probably think that it’s really great you having two wives, or you’re going to get two wives, and the point of view from the man, it’s just a piece of cake.”  But she doesn’t understand—she doesn’t understand men anymore than I understand women.  It’s so difficult for a righteous man to preside in a family with two or three wives and be fair and equitable and love the new wife as much as he loves the older wife.  Because it is true that there is a bond between a man and his wife that he has spent many years with.  But he must open his heart and receive a new wife.  And if there’s a conflict between those two wives, he must endeavor to make righteous judgment.

Vance (Allred) once told me, “There are some experiences that you don’t know anything about, yet.  When you have three wives and your children are fighting, I’ll guarantee you that only one’s going to be happy and the other two are going to be angry with you.  As just as you might want to say. ‘Well, this is what happened and this is what should be,’ those other two wives will take the side of their children.  So you think it’s real easy?  No, it’s not.”  No, it’s not at all—it’s not easy at all. 

I only have experience from observation, but I do know that the commitment that it requires, of a righteous man to say, “I will keep God’s laws, if I wind up with no wife.  If I wind up with no wife or no children, I am going to walk down the path that God has appointed to me.  I’m going to keep his laws.”

But you see, therein lies the strength: That man becomes an oak tree, giving shade to his wives and children, and by and by his wives will say, “This man is determined to keep God’s laws at all costs.  He’s going to the Celestial Kingdom; he’ll take me with him.”  And that is what a wife gives of herself to her husband.  She trusts him, because she has seen that he is endeavoring to live righteously, and you can’t fool a wife.  You can’t fake it.  If you’re a wicked man, she’ll know it.  My wife knows everyone of my weaknesses—every one of them—I can’t hide them from her.  I can’t look her in the eye and her not see right through me.

Conversely, she can’t hide from me, either.  I know her like the palm of my hand.  So you see that trust—that ultimate trust—the people who know you better than anyone else, is a husband and wife, and when that wife sees that this man is bound to go to the Celestial Kingdom, she will elect him.  God will call him to receive his anointings; she will elect him.  Or they will elect him.  And by and by, Christ will come and make that sure.  And that is the Calling and the Election made sure.  God help us to live up to our covenants.  We are covenanted to keep this and all of God’s laws alive upon the earth.  Let’s not splinter—let’s unite; let’s gather; let’s build a Temple unto God; let’s do what the Lord has called us to do and you’ll find that there’s joy and happiness in living that way.  I tell you that sister wives can find a happiness and a companionship that is found nowhere else.  If each will be willing to throw a mantle of charity over the weaknesses of the other.  I know that God’s laws are designed to make us happy.  As difficult as they may seem, they’re designed to make up happy; there is happiness and even security in living the United Order.  And I thank God for my sons, who are willing to do that.  We all must be united in the United Order.  That isn’t to give you the honor or the privilege to tell someone else what to do.  There’s only one way, and that’s done in righteousness and in kindness, and in long-suffering with each other.

The Lord told the Prophet Joseph that he was to teach people correct principle and they would govern themselves.  The United Order isn’t a vehicle where you step upon someone else—I know it’s been done, but it isn’t the person’s privilege of doing that.  It isn’t the bishop’s privilege of doing that.  When we all have the same goals of building Temples; building the Kingdom of God, that overwhelms the trivialities.  And are the trivialities there?  Oh, yes, they’re there.  Everyone’s weaknesses are then exposed to everyone else.  When you want to point your finger at someone else, just go look in the mirror and point your finger at yourself all that you want, because that’s justifiable.

My weaknesses are great and they are magnified in the eyes of my children and my wife, I know that—I know that, and I ask for a cloak of charity.  I ask for their patience and tolerance, because I am endeavoring to live God’s laws.  I’m trying not to live my weaknesses, but to magnify my strengths.  I pray the Lord’s blessings upon each one of you.  I am grateful for the ordinances that have taken place here.  I’m grateful of the ordinances that will yet take place, and I pray the Lord to bless each one of you, and I pray that He’ll bless you in such a magnitude that you won’t be satisfied with anything else because no one should take my word or Mel’s word, or anyone else’s word, other than the Lord’s.  Everyone should do just as Moroni has done.  I rejoice at the testimonies of Lehi and Rebecca.  I rejoice that they haven’t leaned upon the testimony of their father.  They can bear you strong testimonies, because it doesn’t come from me.  They have sought the word of the Lord and obtained it.  The Lord has spoken to them by His Spirit to where they have their own testimonies.

I leave all of these things with you in humility, and I say this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

(J. Ted Jessop, From The Teachings & Writings of Jackson Ted Jessop, pp13 – 21, Spring Conference, Priesthood Meeting, Saturday, 05 April 1997, Transcribed from Family Historical Audio Archive