By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Tabernacle, Dec. 6, 1857. -[REPORTED BY G. D. WATT. ]- I esteem it a privilege at all times to join with my brethren in bearing testimony of the work of God. I am satisfied that we as a peo- ple have great reason to rejoice for the privil- eges and blessings granted unto us in these valleys of the mountains by our Father in heav- en. We are in a great school, and it is a pro- fitable one, in which we are receiving very im- portant lessons from day to day. We are taught to cultivate our minds, to control our thoughts, to thoroughly bring our whole being into subjection to the Spirit and law of God, that we may learn to be one and act as the heart of one man, that we may carry out the purposes of God upon the earth. Yes, we are taught many principles which tend to our ex- altation and glory which could not be made manifest unto us only as they are revealed unto us by the inspiration of the Almighty through the mouth of His servants the Prophets. The principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are made plain to us by the figures and illus- trations which have been made to-day and which are made from time to time, so plain, that a child could not misunderstand; also to impress upon our minds our duties. Those principles are not surrounded with that mys- tery that shrouds the doctrines taught by the sectarian world. We as a people have long been praying for the kingdom of God to come and His will to be done on the earth as it is done in heaven. We have been taught this prayer from childhood, but neither we nor our parents understood what we were praying for, only we made a practice of uttering those words from tradition, and never understood the meaning until we were made acquainted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since we have become acquainted with br. Joseph and the gospel we have looked forward with much interest to the day when the kingdom of God should be established up- on the earth in the same light, power and glory in which the Apostles and Prophets saw it by vision and revelation, and that all which God has promised concerning it should have its ful- fillment. During the last twenty or twenty-five years many things have been prophecied; and the Lord through his servants has made many promises which have been revealed unto us concerning the blessings that are in store for us if we faithfully do our duty. I can say with my brethren that I rejoice that I am in these valleys of the mountains associated with the people of God a thousand miles from christianity, civilization and the fruits thereof, at least such as is now manifest throughout the christian world, and I feel to prize this bles- sing and to acknowledge the hand of God in leading us here, for the hand of God has been plainly visible in delivering us from the hands of our persecutors and planting us in a land of health, peace and safety; and the more my mind is enlightened by the Holy Spirit the more precious and glorious do these principles ap- pear unto me. I am satisfied that all is right in Zion. All is right with those who lead us. All is right as far as we do right. We have enjoyed many blessings during the past year. The Lord has in his mercy poured out his Holy Spirit upon us as a people, and there is a great change with the inhabitants of Zion during the past year. We were in a great measure asleep, and the Lord knowing the things which lay before us poured out His Spirit abundantly upon our lead- ers who called upon us to wake up, and the Spirit of God was poured out upon the people and they have, in a great measure, endeavored to repent, forsake their sins and unite them- selves together to carry out the counsels of his servants. I have never seen the hearts of this people so united as during the past year. No person who has listened to the words of the Presidency of this church during a few months past and has seen the fulfillment of their say- ings, but can clearly see the hand of God with them, and His Spirit guiding them contin- ually. The day that many of us have anticipated since we have been made acquainted with Jos- eph Smith and the gospel, has began to dawn upon us. The revelations [of] Jesus Christ are fast fulfilling before our eyes. We see the king- dom set up; and the time has come when the nation that has given many of us birth has entered the field as our open enemies and per- secutors and commenced an unhallowed perse- cution against us, with a determination to des- troy us from off the earth, the same as cities, towns, counties and states have done before them, they have united together to crush and destroy this people and remove them, if possi- ble, from the earth. Ever since I have been made acquainted with the gospel and the progress of this peo- ple, I have always believed that the United States would take this course and in a nation- al capacity and under the form of law, seek to destroy the church and kingdom of God from off the earth. For the light has come unto them and the gospel of salvation offered unto them and they have rejected it, and killed the prophets; hence the light and Spirit of God is taken from them, sin abounds, and they are filled with anger against all that is good. Their course is unconstitutional and contrary to every principle of law, righteousness, justice, judg- ment and truth. In all our persecutions our persecutors have had no just cause for pursuing the course against us they have, only, they were stirred up by the devil. Darkness, wickedness and abominations of every kind are increasing in the minds of the wicked nations of the earth because the Spirit of God is withdrawing from them. They have had the fullness of the ev- erlasting gospel offered unto them but they have rejected it. There has never been a set of men since the Lord made the world who have labored more diligently then the Twelve Apostles and El- ders of this church in preaching the gospel to the world. They have rejected the message sent to them revealed by an angel from God, which leaves them now under condemnation. Br. Joseph would have embraced the whole circle of the human family in the principles of salvation if he had possessed the power. He had that greatness of soul never seen in the human breast unless it was inspired by the power of God. That same spirit has rested upon the present Presidency of this church, they have labored incessantly for years to save the children of men. And what have we re- ceived in return from the hands of the chris- tian world? They have driven us from our homes and fire sides and smitten and robbed us of the rights that are dear and most sacred to man, until we have at last been driven from the borders of civilization, so called, unto the wilderness by the nation that has given us birth, whose boasted freedom exists only in name. Here they expected we should perish, but we still live, grow and flourish in these mountains, through the mercy and goodness of God, without the aid or assistance of our per- secutors. Our nation was under no condemnation in this respect until the light came and they heard the gospel, rejected it, and cast out the Saints from their midst, slaying their leaders and depriving thousands of the Latter Day Saints who were American citizens of every blessing, right and privilege guaranteed unto them by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Many of our nation have been guilty of crimes in their persecutions against us that would cost the lives of presidents, governors, senators, legislators, and many thousands of men if law and justice were executed in righteousness against them. I do not know what more they can do to fill up the cup of their condemnation than to carry out the course they have begun. There is more crime, wickedness and abomin- ations committed now throughout the United States, according to the population, in twenty- four hours, a thousand times, than there was thirty years ago. I do not suppose there has been a generation more wicked and corrupt than the present christian world. We have been told to-day that we are under great obligation to God and that we ought to acknowledge his hand in all things. That is true. We had no knowledge of the plan of salvation until God revealed it unto us. We are dependent upon God and his servants for light, and truth, and blessings that are in store for us. We are told that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. Daniel of old says this, and pointed out the establishment of that kingdom in the last days which should stand forever and not be thrown down. He also pointed out the ef- fects which would follow. The Lord has al- ready revealed great and glorious truths and principles concerning the government of the children of men in the establishment of his church and kingdom upon the earth. Does it not require as much wisdom and revelation from God to govern the nations of the earth in a way to bring men into subjection to righteous laws, light, privileges and blessings which they are now deprived of in the organization of temporal governments of the world, as is re- quired in the spiritual government of the church of Christ upon the earth. Where is that know- ledge to flow from? The spirit to do men good and relieve the sufferings of mankind does not dwell in the breasts of monarchs, kings, presi- dents and rulers among the nations of the earth at the present day; but sorrow, crime, poverty, tyranny, oppression and starvation prevail throughout the world. The rulers of mankind have not sought for the Spirit of God and the light of eternity to show them the responsibility they are under to Him who has raised them to power and au- thority, and given them dominion over their fellow beings; they have not exercised their power and authority to honor God and redress the wrongs of the poor and oppressed over whom they preside. The misery and evils which now exist throughout the world have got to be corrected in a great measure through the power of God, before the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of God and his Christ. It is a great and mighty work to establish the king- dom of God on the earth, that the law may go forth from Zion to rule the kingdoms of the world. The light, knowledge, truth and wis- dom to do this has got to come through the Holy Priesthood, which is the government of God upon the earth. Our temporal and eternal salvation is all con- nected and linked together as we have been told to-day. The Lord has raised up unto us fathers, leaders, and counselors after his own heart; they possess his will and they are lead- ing the people to exaltation and glory. If we take their counsel we shall receive all the sal- vation men can desire in time and in eternity. I thank God that I have lived to see the dawn of this glorious day. With regard to the dealings of the Lord with us this present season. President Young has been as calm and serene as a summer's morn- ing, and so have his counsellors, and that spirit in a great measure has been diffused among the people. When there was every appear- ance outwardly of our enemies coming upon us, the spirit with them has been all the time, "We do not believe we shall have to go to bat- tle or shed the blood of our enemies this sea- son." This has been the feeling when to all human appearance it would seem that we would have to shed the blood of our enemies or they ours. There is not such an example on history as the way in which our enemies have been staid from fulfilling their hellish designs. It is the first time the American army has been staid in their course. They got as far as Ham's Fork and there they stuck. We have heard read their gracious proclamation. Many of the brethren wonder that they have not wis- dom enough to make out a decent document, but I do not wonder at it, for this whole peo- ple have prayed that their natural wisdom might be taken from them. I should wonder if they had wisdom to make a sensible document or one that would pass an examina- tion. The Lord so far has fought our battles, and has proved his people. When men have been called upon to go out and lie in the path of the enemy, I have not known one instance of a man refusing to go. All have been willing to go and do as they were told. The Lord has proved you in this and has accepted your offer- ing. The prayers of the Saints of God have been heard, and they will never fail of being heard and answered if we do our duty, for we have a ruler who can do something for us when our cause is just. I feel as br. Taylor said to-day. It matters not to me what the Lord designs of us, we should be passive in his hands. When different opinions were expressed as to the course to be pursued this fall with our enem- ies, the Spirit has said to me at the time, be still and passive, and pray that wisdom may be given to President Young to dictate, and lead just right. There is where our prayers should center, we should continually call upon the Lord to inspire him with wisdom sufficient to lead forth the church and kingdom of God unto exaltation, glory, and victory. It is different with us than with the world, we have a main channel thro' which to receive our light, knowledge and blessings, as was beautifully illustrated by the President in the figure of the