HISTORY OF BRIGHAM YOUNG. 503. people, and that although persecution might rage and many might fall victims to the enmity and murderous hatred of wicked men, yet he knew that the kingdom now set up would stand forever, the knowledge of the Lord would eventually cover the earth, and the kingdoms of this world would become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. to be the "promised land;" that wise men were raised up on that land, and inspired of God to frame a Constitution for the government of its inhabitants, the wise and liberal provisions of which would admit of the establishment of the kingdom of God thereon; that the Gospel in its fulness had been revealed from heaven, on that land, to Joseph Smith, whom the Lord raised up as his chosen servant, through whom the plan of salvation had been revealed to this generation and the Church of Jesus Christ organized, and the kingdom of God set up. He, moreover, testified that the Prophet A hymn was then sung by the choir, Joseph fell a martyr to the Gospel of to which much credit is due for the Jesus, and sealed his testimony with enlivening tones in which their inspihis own blood; that President Brig-ring hymns and anthems were sung ham Young was his legal successor, during the day. called of God and sustained by his Benediction by President Cannon. So powerful was his testimony, and so liberal was the out-pouring of the Spirit of the Lord upon the Saints, that tears of joy flowed freely from many an eye. HISTORY OF BRIGHAM YOUNG. (Continued from page 488.) June 1st, 1837.-There were a few | some pretended debt. Joseph immissionaries appointed for England-mediately entered into trial before the Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, of the Twelve. Brother Kimball was very anxious I should go, but brother Joseph told him that he should keep me at home with him. Brother Willard arrived a day or two before the mission started, and was appointed to accompany them. I accompanied the mission as far as Fairport, and saw them safe on board a steamboat for Buffalo. July 25th, I baptized my cousin Albert P. Rockwood, to whom my brother Joseph and I had first introduced the latter-day work in July, 1836. I called on him in March last, in company with brother Willard, on business transactions. He came to Kirtland a few days ago, and having searched into the Work, and being satisfied that Joseph was a Prophet, he requested baptism at my hands, I started from Kirtland on a mission to the east, accompanying the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, David W. Fatten, Sidney Rigdon and Thomas B. Marsh, on their way to Canada. When we arrived at Painsville, the Prophet was arrested by an officer for court, which found no cause of action. After his release he was again arrested and brought before the court, when he was again dismissed. He was arrested the third time, and on examination was held over to trial. Brother Anson Call, who had lately joined the Church, stepped forward and proffered to become his bail. The sheriff, who was personally acquainted with brother Call, took him to one side and advised him strongly against being bail for the Prophet, asserting the Prophet would be sure to abscond, and he would lose his farm; but brother Call willingly became his bail. On being released he was arrested a fourth time, for a debt of a few dollars, which was paid forthwith, and the fifth time he was arrested, which cause was soon disposed of, and he concluded to return to Kirtland for the night. As he got into his buggy, an officer also jumped in, and catching the lines with one hand, put his other hand on Joseph's shoulder and said, "Mr. Smith, you are my prisoner.' Joseph inquired what was the cause of action. The officer informed him | Rockwood, and from thence we took that a gentleman, a few months previous, had left a stove with him, for the price of which he was sued. Brother Joseph replied, “I never wished to purchase the stove, but the gentleman insisted on putting it up in my house, saying it would bring him custom." Joseph left his watch and other property in security, and we returned home to Kirtland. a line-boat for Utica. Brother Rockwood stopped at Auburn to see some of our relatives, and I took the cars for Albany, and from thence by stage to West Stockbridge, arriving at uncle Joseph Richards' at half-past 6 o'clock Friday morning, August 1st, and found them all well. I transacted my business and returned to Albany, where I took steamboat for New York, and found cousin A. P. Rockwood on board. We arrived in New York Sunday, 5 o'clock, p.m., called at brother Elijah Fordham's, and learned that Elder P. P. Pratt and brother Fordham had gone to meeting. We found Elder Pratt preaching on board a schooner at the foot of Canal Street. I remained in the city a short time, and held three meetings. I ordained brother Rockwood an Elder, predicting on his head that his family should all be gathered into the kingdom, and that there should be a Branch of the Church raised up in his native town, Holliston, Mass., where he then resided and kept store, and set him apart to preside over said Branch when it should be raised up. Having closed up my business I started for home. (To be continued.) Next day we started again, and travelled by land as far as Ashtabula, shunning Painesville and other places where we suspected our enemies were laying in wait to annoy Joseph. We tarried in Ashtabula through the day, wandering over the bluffs, through the woods and on the beach of the lake, bathing ourselves in her beautiful waters, until evening, when a steamboat arrived from the west. We went on board and took passage for Buffalo. I gave the Prophet my valise for a pillow, and I took his boots for mine, and we all laid down on the deck of the vessel for the night. We arrived in Buffalo early the next morning. Joseph and the brethren proceeded to Canada. I took the cars for Lockport, with brother A. P. THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1863. KNOWLEDGE, WITHOUT THE AID OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, NOT SUFFICIENT TO SAVE. To a person without experience in the Work of God and in the operations of his Holy Spirit, it appears strange that men who have known the truth and who have testified to having received such knowledge, should ever deny or forsake it. Such persons seem unable to comprehend how a man can become so utterly inconsistent as to declare that to be false, either by his words or by his actions, which he formerly declared to be true. Yet the history of the Work of God in these days abounds with instances of men who have thus acted. The fact is, knowledge alone is not sufficient to save men. They must put their knowledge into practice and act up to that which they know. There must EDITORIAL 505 be united with the knowledge that the Gospel is true, a desire to put its principles into operation and to apply them to themselves. Men have not apostatized from the Church of God because they have lacked knowledge, (for God has always bestowed it upon those who have entered his Church in a proper spirit,) but because they have not put their knowledge to a proper use. The Lord has pronounced certain penalties for disobedience. He has threatened the transgressor of His commandments with the loss of His Holy Spirit, which loss should be attended on their part with the denial of the faith. Yet, though men have seen numerous instances of the infliction of this penalty, they will themselves go and deliberately commit the very acts which they have every reason to know will be followed by such terrible consequences. In this case their knowledge fails to save them from the loss of that salvation which, when they embraced the Gospel, they hoped to obtain. No man can retain that knowledge of the truth which is necessary to save him, if he does not possess the Spirit of the Lord. There may be some truths of which he may have a knowledge, and of which he cannot be deprived. There have been men connected with this Church who have received such a knowledge from God respecting the revelation of the Gospel to the earth, through the agency of angels and of the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon by His almighty power in raising up His servant Joseph to be a Prophet, as to be forever after incapable of doubting the truth of those things; yet, through grieving the Holy Spirit they have fallen into gross transgressions and fought against that work and that man which, but a short time before, they would have been willing, apparently, to have defended at the cost of their lives. The knowledge which they had respecting this being the Work of God, instead of being an aid to them after the Spirit of the Lord had withdrawn from them, was a condemnation, and they strayed as widely from the path of salvation as the most ignorant could have done. The Saints should not imagine that because they know the truth and the Work of God at the present time, that they will always know these things and therefore be able to stand. If they lose the Holy Spirit through their transgressions, from that moment their knowledge respecting the Work of God ceases to increase and becomes dead; a short time only elapses before such persons deny the faith. They may not deny that the Work was ever true, or that the Elders were ever the servants of God, but they will place a limit and say, "Up to such a time the work was true and the Elders were all right, but, after that, they went astray"—that very period being the time at which they themselves had committed some act or acts to forfeit the Spirit of God and kill the growth of that knowledge which they had had bestowed upon them. This has been the case in numerous instances in the past. During the Prophet Joseph's lifetime, men who had lost the Spirit themselves through their transgressions would declare that he had gone astray, and in some instances attempt to point out the time when and the spot where his departure from the right path had commenced. Many of them were not in the least degree loth to contend that the work was of God, and that Joseph had been the Prophet of God, but he had fallen, and they felt it to be their duty to deal with him and to rectify the errors and wrongs which he had committed. From his days until the present time numerous instances of this kind have occurred, and but few men have apostatized who have not been willing to affirm that the Work was all true and the servants of God were all right up to a certain point, since which everything had gone wrong. The progress of the Work of God and the blessings which have rested upon his servants and people, have given abundant proofs that the fault has lain with these persons who have been so loud in their talk respecting the trangressions of the servants of God. Indeed, if these were not sufficient evidences, their decrease in everything that pertaineth to godliness, and the miserable results which attend their efforts, would be quite ample of themselves to convince a Saint of God that his displeasure was resting upon such characters. It is plain that it is they who have transgressed, and thereby driven the Spirit of the Lord from them; and at the very time they say the Church of God strayed, they themselves were guilty of transgression. Every delusion, if it be in the least degree plausible, which presents itself to persons in this condition, is readily adopted. Their past knowledge is of no avail to guard them against the wiles of the Adversary, and they readily fall into the trap which is prepared for them. If this were not the case, and men were able to stand in the Church of God because of their knowledge that it was once true, and irrespective of the presence of the Spirit of God, we should be ready to despair, because wickedness would prevail on the right hand and on the left, and the pure and the meek would be contaminated by its close proximity. From the beginning of the Work of God in these days until now, they who have arisen one after another as leaders, in opposition to the regularly constituted and authorized servants of God, and who have been so profuse in their denunciations against the latter, have had but one effect, namely, to gather out from the midst of the people of God those who were in similar transgression and were experiencing a similar penalty to themselves. "My sheep hear my voice," Jesus says, "and I know them, and they follow me ;" "a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers." The sheep of Christ cannot be deceived by pretended shepherds. They can only lead those whom He has discarded and withdrawn himself from because of their disobedience. No Saint who is living his religion need have any fear of such deceivers. The presence of the Spirit of the Lord will impart unto them the needed knowledge and strength, but they who are depending upon past knowledge, and who have failed to cherish that Spirit which produceth knowledge and causeth it to increase, have cause to fear and tremble, for they have no security that they will be able to escape the flatteries of the false shepherds. ARRIVALS.-Elders David P. Kimball and R. H. Parker arrived in this port from Zion, on the 29th ult, per packet-ship Neptune, after a pleasant, though rather tedious passage of 39 days from New York. On the same day Elders Martin Wood, William W. Riter and C. M. Gillet also arrived from the same place per steam-ship City of Washington. All of these brethren were in good health and spirits, and rejoiced to arrive in the destined sphere of their labors. THE FARMER'S ORACLE.--We have received the first and third numbers of the above-named periodical, which is being published at Spring-Lake Villa, Utah Co., Utah Territory, under the auspices of our old friends J. E, and W. D. Johnson, the former as editor and publisher, and the latter as proprietor. ABSTRACT OF CORRESPONDENCE. This paper, as its title denotes, is devoted, principally, to the promotion of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Stock raising, and will necessarily include home manufactures and all those interests which affect the prosperity of that young and thriving Territory. We sincerely wish it success, and take pleasure in placing it on our list of exchanges. ABSTRACT OF CORRESPONDENCE. SHEFFIELD DISTRICT.-Elder Joseph Bull, writing from Stavely, Derbyshire, under date of July 24th, says he had been busy travelling through the District, making the acquaintance of the Saints, holding meetings, attending to business connected with the several Conferences, and getting matters properly arranged and in working order. He speaks in terms of commendation of the labors of Elders Swan and Nicholson, and very cheeringly of the general He says the Saints have prospects of the Work throughout the District. received him very kindly, he feels quite at home with them, anticipates many happy seasons with them, and believes his association with them will be proElder B. has also been directing the ductive of mutual pleasure and benefit. attention of the Saints to the necessity of obeying the law of Tithing, and they manifest a willingness to do all in their power that may be required of them. WARWICKSHIRE CONFERENCE.-Elder Robert Pixton, writing on the 21st ult., says that he feels well in his labors, the blessing and Spirit of the Lord are with him, and there is a prospect for doing good in that field. pleased to learn that in this Conference, as well as in most others, the Elders, and Priesthood generally, are improving the opportunities presented by the fine weather to hold open-air meetings, which are generally well attended. Elder S. L. Sprague had arrived and proved a valuable aid to Elder Pixton. We are Elder IRELAND.-We have received an interesting letter from Elder Robert Brown, President of the Dublin Branch, from which we make some extracts. B. writes that there are but few Saints in Dublin, and but little interest in the Gospel is manifested, at present, by its inhabitants, still, he and the few Saints associated with him, feel well, rejoice in the work of God, and are ready to do all they can to make their fellow-beings acquainted with the message which the He continues :Lord has sent unto them. "We still hold our meetings in Elder J. McMeeking's house, cheering and comThese meetings are sweet and forting each other with the hopes of better times. delicious to us, and I feel grateful for them. Often when I feel sad and downcast for want of success, does the good Spirit cheer and comfort me and make my heart light and buoyant with the thought of opportunities yet being given to do good in this city. I sometimes feel as if that time was near at hand-how my heart longs for it. Out-door preaching is not allowed here, the authorities having made a local law to that effect, unless it be on private property, and we have been unable, as yet, to find any one who will grant us this favor; but, so far as my power and influence extend I have used them in spreading the Gospel in this city, time will yet tell with what result. Some have been taking a great interest in me, and would fain convert me from the error of my ways; I am glad that they are so inclined, for it gives me an opportunity of vindicating our principles from their aspersions, and removing erroneous impressions engendered through newspaper reports and otherwise. A few nights ago I called at the house of a gentleman who holds a respectable position in |