| 1101 high, or the intelligences that surround the throne of God. The trials to which they are exposed drag into day-light their follies, tear away their mask and false covering and make them appear in their true colors. This is just the situation that we are placed in and it is necessary that we should be tried and kicked, and cuffed, and twisted round, that we may learn obedience by the things we suffer. You never would whip your boy if you could make him good without whipping. I will tell you how it is with me, if I had sinned against God, I would go to him and confess my fault and ask for forgiveness. If I have sinned against the brethren I will go to them and ask them to forgive me. I would not have any charge brought against me for I should be sure to get a flogging, and I would rather humble myself and ask forgiveness before I got it. If you transgress against the law of God, and do not find it hard to kick against the pricks, I do not know any thing about it; but says one, it is almost impossible for me to endure it. You had better however endure it than endure a worse thing for it is the intention of God to try you. Some of the brethren talk a great deal about their troubles and trials. They say I can hardly endure it. I am not sorry that you are tried; but I am glad of it; and some of the sisters will put on a pitiable face, and look so mournful; you would think they were going to give up the ghost; I am glad of it, I am glad to see people in trouble when I know that it is for their salvation! Do you feel sorrowful? I do not know that I do, & if I did, I would not tell any body about it. I feel just like the Methodists sing 'there is a better day a coming, praise the Lord.' I believe in that scripture that says: We have sorrow in the night but joy cometh in the morning. I am willing to bear it, and say roll on ye proud billows, and take your own course. I pray that I may not swerve to the right or to the left, and do nothing against my brother or my sister or against God; but act all the time with reference to eternity. I will tell you what it is, I know before God, that if we were only prepared to receive greater blessings. We should have them roll upon our heads; until there was no room to contain them: blessings of every kind; blessings temporal, spiritual, and eternal, and as we have began to live for eternity, and as God is our Eternal Father, and has taught us eternal principles, and as we are obtaining an eternal relationship with God, and with each other, we shall understand, by and by, when that house is completed, all things that are taking place.
What have we to fear? What fear have we of mobs, beasts, or any body else? We fear nothing but God. We fear God and know no other fear. We are in the hand of God, and know the will of God, and are acting with reference to eternity, to make provision for our dead, and our posterity to come. Well, says some, "we do not all understand this." You will understand it and what you do to know now, you will know hereafter, for there are those that understand it perfectly. There are those who know how to save themselves, and those that are dead. They know what step to take; what course to pursue, and what ordinances to administer in, and how to administer them; and all about it, and how to place you in a relationship to God and angels, and to one another, and you will know more about eternity and eternal life than you do now. These are some of the feelings that I have in relation to this subject; and when I speak of living forever, and being in eternity; I will tell you how I feel:-I feel surrounded with eternal principles; I feel like being united with an eternal covenant, to God and my friends, which you will understand, by and by, and being in possession of eternal principles, the necessity of an eternal covenant, and to hold a relationship with those who have gone before, for without them we cannot be made perfect. What have we to fear? All things are ours; the kingdom is ours; all things are ours; and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's, and when he who is our life shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory.
Persecution is for our good, and if we have hard things to endure let us round up our shoulders and bear them in the name of the Lord, and not murmur. The pattern has been set before us by some of the ancients; at the time that Job's sons were slain, by the falling of the house; and the taking away of the earth &c. All the times he was deprived of every thing, and his body was covered over with scabs and putrifying [putrefying] sores, and at the time his friends forsook him and his enemies tantalized him. Did he begin to find fault with any of those people that had stolen his oxen, sheep and camels &c? No, he never opened his head about it. He knew they were under the guidance of the Almighty. He did not complain, nor wish his enemies to be cursed; but he said, the Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Do not find fault if we have a few apostates among us here, for they are mean, damnable, and pitiable characters. They were made for that purpose, and have got to magnify their calling. How mean and contemptible and devilish they are; they would not fulfil [fulfill] the measure of their creation if they did not do it. Do not find fault with
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