I feel as though I would like to express a few of the sentiments and feelings that are passing in my mind. We have had much preaching, exhortation, correction, and reproof, and some might say a great deal of chastisement; though I call chastisement neither more nor less than reproof or correction. When we are corrected by our leaders, it is to set us right, to show us the wrong course, and induce us to pursue the right one. If I do wrong, if I get astray, it is perfectly right that some one should correct me; and when I am corrected, it is not right for me to justify myself; for, if I do, I sustain the course of an incorrect purpose. When I am corrected, it is my duty to listen, to reform, and walk in the straight and narrow way. If we will not learn by precept nor by example, we have to learn by the things we suffer. Is it not better for people to learn by correction than by bitter experience? The old saying is, that "Experience is a hard master."
There are some who are not so much benefitted by preaching as they might be, because they do not remember and apply what they hear. It has a pleasing effect upon the ear, like a tune well played upon a musical instrument, but makes so little of an impression, that it cannot be repeated by the hearer. The word does not enter the ear and proceed to the heart, which is the place of deposit. There the word of God should be deposited, which would be at the seat of government in the human form. We each have a seat of government within us, because we are incorporated bodies. Every man that comes into this world is an independent being, upon the same principle that our Father and our God is independent, only He is independent to a greater degree, being further advanced in perfection. He came here, and helped to organize this earth; and having had an experience in organizing earths before He came here, He was capable, and had every principle necessary to create this earth and fill it with inhabitants. If there had not been a seat of government in Him, and all those powers and faculties necessary to propagate the human species, He never could have done that work. We are His sons and daughters.
Now, what course is it for us to take as a people? It is for us to unitedly go to work and live our religion, practise it in our lives; and the more you live it and practise it the better you will be, and it will beget a love of truth and righteousness in you that you never can get rid of in time nor in eternity. Then our posterity will also partake of that holy principle which is in us, wherefore they will naturally love the truth from their infancy. A great many people do not think that our characters and course of life are going to affect our posterity, but they will. The seed from a good ripe cucumber will produce good fruit, like that which produced the seed. Has the woman an interest in this, as well as the man? She has. The tree that bears the fruit affects that fruit for better or worse. The Saviour says that a good tree will produce good fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit, but it will produce corrupt fruit. Upon the same principle, how can a woman produce a good posterity when she is corrupt? She cannot.
If we will do right, will do just as we have been told in all things, we will dwell in peace and quietness from this time henceforth and for ever, and I know it.
For some time past, the weather has been warm, and the ground parched by heat, and now the Lord has again given us rain. What a beautiful shower we had last night! Do I not feel thankful? Yes, as much so as for anything of this nature I ever received. Did it bless me? Yes. It also blessed every one of you, whether you have any grain, fruit, and vegetables growing, or not. Why? Because if you have not, you have to live upon the products of the fields and gardens of some of your neighbours. It affects every one of you as much as it does me; you are blessed as much as I am; I can only eat what one man can eat. I cannot partake of these benefits to any greater amount than you can, and all that I expect while I dwell in the flesh is what I want to eat, clothes that are comfortable to wear, houses to live in, and what I want to drink; I cannot drink all City Creek myself; I can only just partake of enough of those blessings to sustain myself.
