Elder Rigdon's Discourse.
President Rigdon then read the 18th, 19th and 20th verses of the 18th chapter of Matthew, and preached more particularly from the 20th verse: "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He spoke two hours and a half in his usual logical manner. His prayer and address were very forcible and sublime, and well adapted to the occasion. At one time, in the course of his remarks, he was rather pathetic, and drew tears from many eyes. He was then taking a retrospective view of the toils, privations, and anxieties of those who had labored upon the walls of the house to erect them; and added, there were those who had wet them with their tears, in the silent shades of night, while they were praying to the God of heaven to protect them, and stay the unhallowed hands of ruthless spoilers, who had uttered a prophecy, when the foundation was laid, that the walls would never be reared.
In reference to his main subject, he assumed as a postulate that in the days of the Savior there were synagogues where the Jews worshiped God, and in addition to them, the splendid temple at Jerusalem, yet, when on a certain occasion, one proposed to follow Christ, whithersoever He went, He, though heir of all things, cried out like one in the bitterness of His soul in abject poverty—"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." This, said the speaker, was evidence to his mind, that the Most High did not put His name there, and that He did not accept the worship of those who paid their vows and adorations there. This was evident from the fact that they would not receive Him, but thrust Him from them, saying: "Away with Him, crucify Him! crucify Him!" It was therefore abundantly evident that His Spirit did not dwell in them. They were the degenerate sons of noble sires, but they had long since slain the Prophets and Seers, through whom the Lord revealed Himself to the children of men. They were not led by revelation. This, said the speaker, was the grand difficulty among them—their unbelief in present revelation.
Remarks on Revelation.
He further remarked, that their unbelief in present revelation, was the means of dividing that generation into the various sects and parties that existed. They were zealous worshipers according to outward forms, but such worship was not required of them, nor was it acceptable to God. The Redeemer Himself, who knew the hearts of all men, called them a generation of vipers. It was proof positive to the speaker's mind, there being Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Essenes, all differing from one another, that they were led by the precepts and commandments of men. Each had something peculiar to himself, but all agreed in one thing, viz., to oppose the Savior; so that we discover He could, with the utmost propriety, exclaim, notwithstanding their synagogue and temple-worship: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."
The Consequence of Rejecting Present Revelation.
He took occasion here to remark that such diversity of sentiment ever had, and ever would obtain, when people were not led by present revelation. This brought him to the inevitable conclusion, that the various sects of the present day, from their manifesting the same spirit, rested under the same condemnation, with those who were contemporary with the Savior. He admitted there were many houses, many sufficiently large, built for the worship of God, but not one except this, on the face of the whole earth, that was built by divine revelation; and were it not for this the dear Redeemer might, in this day of science, this day of intelligence, this day of religion, say to those who would follow Him: "The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."
Joseph Smith, Jun., Sustained as the Prophet and Seer of the Church.
After closing his discourse he called upon the several quorums, commencing with the Presidency, to manifest, by rising, their willingness to acknowledge me as a Prophet and Seer, and uphold me as such, by their prayers of faith. All the quorums, in turn, cheerfully complied with this request. He then called upon all the congregation of Saints, also, to give their assent by rising on their feet, which they did unanimously.
The following hymn was then sung: