Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow / One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

by Eliza R. Snow

So in regard to us respecting the things which we are undertaking. If we expect to improve and advance in the work immediately before us, and finally obtain possession of those gifts and glories—coming up to that condition of exaltation we anticipate, we must take thought and reflect; we must exert ourselves, and that too to the utmost of our abilities.

The text given us by President Young yesterday, and to which we, in our prayer this morning, asked God to direct our remarks, was the work pertaining to our present wants and necessities, in which we are now immediately concerned. The question here arises, How shall we regulate affairs so as to qualify us to perform the duties and obligations devolving upon us to-day, and secure to ourselves the blessings of eternal life? On this subject, so far as the Lord will give me His Holy Spirit, through the exercise of your faith, I wish to speak this morning. I desire, however, to confine myself more particularly to the subject relating to our financial union—uniting ourselves together as brethren who have entered into the everlasting covenant of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, expecting to dwell together in the presence of God in the celestial world.

We have been told, through the revelations of God, to which our attention has often been called, that unless we become one in temporal as well as spiritual things, it were useless to anticipate the fulness of celestial glory or a state of oneness in the spiritual things of God. But what course we are to take in order to arrive at this most desirable condition seems to remain a difficult, unsolved problem. Doubtless many have asked themselves, What can we do, and how shall we do it?

Now let our minds revert for a few minutes to the time when we received the fulness of the everlasting Gospel, in the countries where it first reached us. As soon as we became convinced of the truth, and that the Elders who preached the Gospel were the servants of God, we offered ourselves as candidates for baptism for the remission of sins, receiving the Holy Ghost through the laying on of their hands, and then felt determined to do whatever the Lord should require through His servants, and continue to follow their counsel in all things, even to the sacrifice or all that we possessed, if necessary, whether pertaining to the world's wealth, or that which we held in higher or dearer esteem.

We learned an important and significant fact, that we were the offspring of God, inheriting, though only in infantile form, the same attributes He possessed, and that through probationary experience, by passing the ordeals of earth, rejecting the evil and accepting the good, these attributes could be developed until eventually we might receive a fulness of the Godhead and dwell in the presence of the Father. We became acquainted with this fact, and were convinced in our hearts that the object that then appeared before us was well worthy of all that we could bestow upon it. Hence we resolved that we would accomplish the undertaking, though at the sacrifice of all we called our own. We well understood that in order to attain to that position which would entitle us to this exaltation, it would be necessary to submit ourselves wholly to the mind and will of God. We felt in our hearts to consecrate our wives, our children, our property (if we had any), and our time and abilities to the service of God. Had the law of consecration been presented at that time, without doubt it would have been hailed with joy, as it is in exact accordance with the spirit of our covenants.

According to the order of the celestial world, as revealed to the Latter-day Saints, respecting the property we might possess, we were required to consecrate all to the Lord, and then to be made stewards, as pointed out by revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and were to continue to devote that which might be entrusted to us to the service of God; and so far as we increased the property of our stewardship, we were to devote the same to the benefit of the Kingdom of God, which would be used for the building of temples, emigrating and sustaining the poor, and for carrying on the great work of redeeming Israel. This feeling which we entertained at the beginning was to continue to burn in our bosoms, and we were to be faithful and honest in our professions.

I know that many of us, when we came to the valleys, conformed to this law of consecration, which is now published in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. We deeded our property, and many were willing, perhaps not all, that, if necessary, every part and portion of it might have been used as the servants of God should have directed. This is the kind of feeling that we then entertained, and just so long as we maintained this condition of mind, of willing obedience, it was all that was required. But I fear that this feeling which gave us so much joy—which tended to increase our faith and confidence in God and in one another, has not continued to grow correspondingly with our general prosperity, experience and knowledge of the Gospel. So far as this is the case, my testimony to you is that we stand this day not wholly approved of God, although we have the privilege of worshiping in this Temple, reared to His holy name. But just so far as this willingness exists in our hearts to appropriate our means which we have accumulated, for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God upon the earth, and that too without grudging, even as the former day Saints laid theirs down at the feet of the Apostles, so far are we approved and accepted of God. Who, among the Latter-day Saints within the hearing of my voice this day, could fail to comprehend this?

In many of our business relations one with another, there does not exist that spirit of union and brotherly interest which should be maintained. We need to take a course that will enable us to acquire it, and this spirit should prevail throughout all our settlements.

Who cannot perceive the hand of God in bringing us from the turmoil and strife of the business world to these mountain vales, where we have the opportunity and the privilege of building up cities and villages upon the principle of unity which has been revealed to us, thus affording that necessary discipline which we could not have obtained among the cities of the Gentiles? This training cannot be acquired in one year, nor in five years, but its acquisition is enhanced in proportion to our willingness to sacrifice in order to obtain it. By and by the Lord will prepare the way for some to return to Jackson County, there to build up the metropolis of Zion. How easily this work can be accomplished, after we have learned to build up cities and temples here to His divine acceptance! Our present experience is a very needful one; without it we should be totally unfitted for the performance of such a work.

We read that the temple which Solomon built was erected without the sound of a hammer being heard. There had been a previous preparation, and an experience gained in some distant locality, and a proper training. The materials were accurately prepared elsewhere, and when brought together were ready for setting, each piece to its proper place.