[Brigham Young Sermon] I rise to rejoice with those that rejoice, and, were it beneficial, I could weep for those that do not weep for themselves. It is two years ago this day, since I arrived in this valley. But the multitude of principles, circumstances, and ideas, that now crowd my mind, I shall have to take up lightly. Orson Pratt and Dr. Richards, with a great number of others, had been cutting the roads through the canyons, while I was sick on the Weber River. I met with them here in the afternoon, and now we commemorate this day. Let us look back to the past. Five years ago most of the Twelve were in the eastern states, and had just heard of the death of the Prophet Joseph, and when they returned to Nauvoo, thousands of men wore mourning on their arms, their heads, and their hearts, and every sister was veiled in mourning '" for what? Why in the boasted Republic, the governor, lieutenant-governor, sheriffs, officers and subjects, priests and people, had succeeded in shedding the blood of Joseph and Hyrum, the prophet and patriarch. Did the persecution cease then? By no means. The sayings of the Prophet were verified, that when they had succeeded in killing him, they would next attempt to kill me and my brethren. Two years ago, many of the oldest, whitest headed men now before me, and some of the young men, were bearing the flag of the United States triumphantly through the states of Mexico. We had to leave the United States because we said that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and the Book of Mormon was true; that is the cause why we are here. It is pure mobocracy that has brought us here. Some of you now before me, went to market in the United States to buy liberty, and you were told that your blood was the price of liberty. Here is Elder Taylor, who went to market to buy liberty, and he was pierced with four balls. They tried hard to get all his blood, but he has a little left this day. There is no gentleman who loves good laws, peace, or society, but loves this people. All good men delight in us as a people, and they delight in truth and righteousness. None but thieves and murderers are afraid of us. Brother Kimball has predicted there would be pestilence, war, distress, and trouble; it is true gentlemen, it is even at the door of the nations of the earth, there is the rapping at the door, and there is one foot in at the present moment. It is Mormonism that has brought us here. I will ask, why was it that Joseph Smith could collect together the highest talents in the nation? Why was it that so much mystery surrounded him? It was because God was with him, and is with us. The interests of the saints, temporally and eternally, are blended together like one man, because the Savior said, '"Except ye are one. Ye are none of mine'". You cannot destroy the union of the saints. There is no difficulty in the laws or constitutions, but many of the administrators are as corrupt as the bowels of hell. The reason why the murderers of Joseph and Hyrum were not taken up and hanged by Governor Ford, was because of the wicked administrators. We worship the God that sets up kingdoms and puts them down. He raises up empires and removes them at his pleasure, and he has done as much as to make a king feed on grass without his being questioned as to his authority. Why do we not celebrate the 4th of July? The Declaration of Independence is just as precious to me today as it was twenty days ago. Has it not the same validity that it had in 1776? Is it not as good today as it was 20 days ago? We chose this day that we might have a little bread to set on our tables. Today we can see the bread, cucumbers and beets that we could not have seen 20 days ago. Inasmuch as there are some strangers in our midst, I want you to give them their dinner, for they rejoice to see us happy, and I say they are welcome'- Where is the man or woman that has assembled here this day, that has sinned against God, heavenly beings, or his fellow man? I answer for myself and thousand of others '" Not one! We have had a day of gladness and joy, long to be remembered by our children, by the youth, and by the middle aged, and it will go down to the grave with the aged. I say unto this congregation, be ye blest in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Go your way and never sin more. The anger of the Lord is only kindled against the wicked. -- SLC Bowery [Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1847- 1850. William S. Harwell, ed. CollierÂ's Publishing, 1997.:232-234]
[source: The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]
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