_UNITY AND CO-OPERATION_
_Be of One Mind and One Heart_--I pray, my brethren, the Bishops,
the Elders, the Seventies, the Apostles, yea, every man and woman and
child who has named the name of Christ, to be of one heart and of one
mind, for if we do not become of one heart and mind we shall surely
perish by the way. 12:156.
If we were one, we should then prove to heaven, to God our Father, to
Jesus Christ our Elder Brother, to the angels, to the good upon the
earth, and to all mankind that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus
Christ. If we are not one, we are not in the true sense of the word the
disciples of the Lord Jesus. 11:273.
When truth comes, receive it as from the Lord, and let everything be
simplified to us as unto children, for the Lord has ordained that we
may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the truth, and be able
to receive more knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and it is not
possible for us to receive it any other way, only as we apply our
hearts strictly to overcome every evil and cleave to that which is
pleasing to the Lord--to that which tends to life and salvation. This
is the only channel in which we can become of one heart, and of one
mind. 3:355.
Jesus offered up one of the most essential prayers that could possibly
be offered up by a human or heavenly being--no matter who, pertaining
to the salvation of the people, and embodying a principle without which
none can be saved, when he prayed the Father to make his disciples
one, as he and his Father were one. He knew that if they did {434} not
become one, they could not be saved in the celestial kingdom of God.
If persons do not see as he did while in the flesh, hear as he heard,
understand as he understood, and become precisely as he was, according
to their several capacities and callings, they can never dwell with him
and his Father. 6:96.
The Church of Jesus Christ could not exist, and be divided up into
parties. Where such disunion exists in any government, it ultimately
becomes the means of the utter overthrow of that government or
people, unless a timely remedy is applied. Party spirit once made its
appearance in heaven, but was promptly checked. 9:332.
That perfect union, which must ultimately be enjoyed by the Latter-day
Saints, can only be brought about by every man and woman living so as
to keep their minds pure and unspotted like a piece of clean, white
paper, being constantly free from the love of the world, that the
spirit of revelation may easily indite upon the heart whatever is the
mind and will of the Lord. We cannot be truly the members of Christ's
mystical body without living in this way, that the Spirit may indite
as easily upon the heart the things of God, as these brethren, our
reporters can write with ink on paper. 11:19.
_Perfect Oneness Will Save a People_--We must become of one heart
and mind, in order to fully enjoy the blessings we anticipate. 6:41.
If we are united, we are independent of the powers of hell and of the
world. 5:257.
Unity of purpose and action, in carrying out the will of our Father,
has been my theme all the day long. 18:356.
A perfect oneness will save a people, because intelligent beings cannot
become perfectly one, only by acting upon {435} principles that pertain
to eternal life. Wicked men may be partially united in evil; but, in
the very nature of things, such a union is of short duration. The
very principle upon which they are partially united will itself breed
contention and disunion to destroy the temporary compact. Only the line
of truth and righteousness can secure to any kingdom or people, either
of earthly or heavenly existence, an eternal continuation of perfect
union; for only truth and those who are sanctified by it can dwell in
celestial glory. 7:277.
The Savior sought continually to impress upon the minds of his
disciples that a perfect oneness reigned among all celestial
beings--that the Father and the Son and their Minister, the Holy
Ghost, were one in their administration in heaven and among the people
pertaining to this earth. Between them and all the heavenly hosts
there can be no disunion, no discord, no wavering on a suggestion, on
a thought or reflection, on a feeling or manifestation; for such a
principle would differ widely from the character of him who dictates
them, who makes his throne the habitation of justice, mercy, equity,
and truth. If the heavenly hosts were not one, they would be entirely
unfit to dwell in the eternal burnings with the Father and Ruler of the
universe. 7:276.
All who keep the faith are of one heart and one mind, and this
testimony is so confirmed to all that we cannot be mistaken. 18:231.
How is it that the Latter-day Saints feel and understand alike, are of
one heart and one mind, no matter where they may be when they receive
the Gospel, whether in the north, or the south, the east or the west,
even to the uttermost parts of the earth? They receive that which was
promised by the Savior when he was about to leave the earth, namely,
{436} the Comforter, that holy unction from on high which recognizes
one God, one faith, one baptism, whose mind is the will of God the
Father, in whom there dwelleth unity of faith and action, and in whom
there cannot be division or confusion; when they received this further
light, it matters not whether they have seen each other or not, they
have at once become brothers and sisters, having been adopted into the
family of Christ through the bonds of the everlasting covenant, and all
can then exclaim, in the beautiful language of Ruth, "Thy people shall
be my people, and their God my God!" And the fact that we receive this
Comforter, the Holy Ghost, is proof that the spirit in warring with the
flesh has overcome, and by continuing in this state of victory over our
sinful bodies we become the sons and daughters of God. Christ having
made us free, and whoever the Son makes free is free indeed. Having
fought the good fight we then shall be prepared to lay our bodies down
to rest to await the morning of the resurrection when they will come
forth and be reunited with the spirits, the faithful, as it is said,
receiving crowns, glory, immortality and eternal lives, even a fulness
with the Father, when Jesus shall present his work to the Father,
saying, "Father, here is the work thou gavest me to do." Then will
they become Gods, even the sons of God; then will they become eternal
fathers, eternal mothers, eternal sons and eternal daughters; being
eternal in their organization they go from glory to glory, from power
to power; they will never cease to increase and to multiply, worlds
without end. When they receive their crowns, their dominions, they then
will be prepared to frame earths like unto ours and to people them in
the same manner as we have been brought forth by our parents, by our
Father and God. 18:259. {437}
To be a Saint is to be as Jesus was; to be assimilated to the spirit
and character which he exhibited while here on earth. 12:310.
_Unity in God's Work, the Strength of Zion_--Who can resist the
power possessed by the Latter-day Saints in their union? And the
stronger our union, the more mighty are the bands of our strength.
9:241.
I wish the people to understand that they have no interest apart from
the Lord our God. The moment you have a divided interest, that moment
you sever yourselves from eternal principles. 4:31.
The faith of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is calculated to unite the
people in one, and to bring them back to the unity and faith of those
who obeyed the Gospel anciently, and finally to bring them back to
glory. 5:228.
We have not in our society an aristocratic circle. Whether a brother
wears a coon skin cap or a fine beaver hat is all the same to us. If
a person is a faithful servant of God we do not object to his coming
to meeting, though he has only a piece of buffalo skin to wear on his
head. We partake of the Sacrament with him, hail him in the street as
a brother and a friend, converse with him, meet with him in social
parties and greet him as an equal. 9:188.
We have been gathered from many nations, and speak many languages; we
have been ruled by different nationalities, and educated in different
religions, yet we dwell together in Utah under one government, believe
in the same God and worship him in the same way, and we are all one
in Christ Jesus. The world wonder at this, and fear the union that
prevails among this, as they are called, singular people. Why is this?
It is because the Spirit of the Lord Almighty is in the people, and
they follow its dictates, and {438} they hearken to the truth, and live
by it; this unites them in one, and causeth them to dwell together in
peace. 11:124.
I will give you a text: Except I am one with my good brethren, do not
say that I am a Latter-day Saint. We must be one. Our faith must be
concentrated in one great work--the building up of the Kingdom of God
on the earth, and our works must aim at the accomplishment of that
great purpose. 7:280.
We have come here to build up Zion. How shall we do it? I have told
you a great many times. There is one thing I will say in regard to it.
We have got to be united in our efforts. We should go to work with a
united faith like the heart of one man; and whatever we do should be
performed in the name of the Lord, and we will then be blessed and
prospered in all we do. We have a work on hand whose magnitude can
hardly be told. 13:155.
Now, besides being our duty to pray, it is our duty to live in peace
with one another. It is also our duty to love the Gospel and the spirit
of the Gospel, so that we can become one in the Lord, not out of him,
that our faith, our affections for the truth, the kingdom of heaven,
our acts, all our labor will be concentrated in the salvation of the
children of men, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the
earth. This is co-operation on a very large scale. This is the work of
redemption that is entered into by the Latter-day Saints. Unitedly we
perform these duties, we stand, we endure, we increase and multiply,
we strengthen and spread abroad, and shall continue so to do until the
kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of our God and his Christ.
15:63.
To Saint and sinner, believer and unbeliever, I wish here to offer one
word of advice and counsel, by revealing the {439} mystery that abides
with this people called Latter-day Saints; it is the Spirit of the
living God that leads them; it is the Spirit of the Almighty that binds
them together, it is the influence of the Holy Ghost that makes them
love each other like little children; it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ
that makes them willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Truth;
and it was that same Spirit that caused Joseph, our martyred Prophet,
to lay down his life for the testimony of what the Lord revealed to
him. This mystery, the great mystery of "Mormonism," is, that the
Spirit of the Lord binds the hearts of the people together. Let the
world look at it. 1:145.
If we will live so that Christ can make us one through our obedience,
where are wars and contentions? All will cease. Where is the spirit of
bickering? There will be no more of it. 14:209.
The religion of heaven unites the hearts of the people and makes them
one. You may gather a people together, and no matter-how widely they
differ in politics, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will make them one, even
if among them were found members of all the political parties in the
country. If members of all these various organizations were to obey
the Gospel and gather together, the religion of heaven would clear
their hearts of all political rubbish and make them one in voting for
principles and measures, instead of men, and I think that any religion
that will not do this is very feeble in its effects. 14:159.
_Advantage of Temporal Unity_--Would you like to live at ease and
get rich? Would you like to keep your homes in this city? I know you
would. You can do so by being one in all things. 11:278.
I want you to be united. If we should build up and organize {440} a
community, we would have to do it on the principle of oneness, and it
is one of the simplest things I know of. A city of one hundred thousand
or a million of people could be united into a perfect family, and
they would work together as beautifully as the different parts of the
carding machine work together. Why, we could organize millions into a
family under the Order of Enoch. 16:170.
I can see no good accruing to this community in maintaining a divided
interest; our interest must be one throughout, in order to produce the
good we desire.
If we will work unitedly, we can work ourselves into wealth, health,
prosperity and power, and this is required of us. It is the duty of a
Saint of God to gain all the influence he can on this earth, and to use
every particle of that influence to do good. If this is not his duty, I
do not understand what the duty of man is. 12:376.
If we would work together in our farming, in our mechanism, be obedient
and work as a family for the good of all, it would be almost impossible
for anybody to guess the success we would have. But we have got to
do it in the Lord. We must not do it with a covetous heart. Always
be ready and willing that the Lord should have it all, and do what
he pleases with it. I have asked a favor of the Lord in this thing,
and that is not to place me in such circumstances that what he has
given me shall go into the hands of our enemies. God forbid that! But
let it go for the preaching of the Gospel, to sustain and to gather
the poor, to build factories, make farms, and set the poor to work,
as I have hundreds and thousands that had not anything to do. I have
fed and clothed them and taken care of them until they have become
comparatively independent. I have made no man poor, but thousands
and thousands {441} rich, that is, the Lord has, through your humble
servant. 15:166.
Suppose there was a union of effort in every political and financial
matter undertaken for the benefit of the whole people, who cannot
see the good that would result? We have tried this to some extent in
relation to our markets here; but suppose we were fully agreed on the
point, we could demand a fair price for our products, and we need not
be imposed upon by traders and traffickers. If we were agreed we could
supply ourselves from distant markets, say with our clothing, at a far
less cost than now. 12:35.
Now the object is to improve the minds of the inhabitants of the
earth, until we learn what we are here for, and become one before the
Lord, that we may rejoice together and be equal. Not to make all poor,
no. The whole world is before us. The earth is here, and the fulness
thereof is here. It was made for man; and one man was not made to
trample his fellowman under his feet, and enjoy all his heart desires,
while the thousands suffer. We will take a moral view, a political
view, and we see the inequality that exists in the human family. We
take the inhabitants of the civilized world, and how many laboring men
are there in proportion to the inhabitants? About one to every five
that are producers, and the supposition is that ten hours work by the
one to three persons in the twenty-four hours will support the five. It
is an unequal condition to mankind. We see servants that labor early
and late, and that have not the opportunity of measuring their hours
ten in twenty-four. They cannot go to school, nor hardly get clothing
to go to meeting in on the Sabbath. I have seen many cases of this
kind in Europe, when the young lady would have to take her clothing
on a Saturday night and {442} wash it, in order that she might go to
meeting on the Sunday with a clean dress on. Who is she laboring for?
For those who, many of them, are living in luxury. And, to serve the
classes that are living on them, the poor, laboring men and women are
toiling, working their lives out to earn that which will keep a little
life within them. Is this equality? No. What is going to be done?
The Latter-day Saints will never accomplish their mission until this
inequality shall cease on the earth. 19:46.
_Unity Does Not Mean Individual Uniformity_--How could you ever
get a people equal with regard to their possessions? They never can be,
no more than they can be in the appearance of their faces. 4:29.
We never shall become one to that extent that we shall look alike or
possess precisely the same mental power and ability; this is not the
design of heaven. But we expect to become one in all our operations to
bring forth the fulness of the Kingdom of God on the earth, that Jesus
may come and reign King of nations as he does King of Saints. Shall we
call this a union for political purposes? I say it is good policy for
people to be of one heart and mind in all their operations. 12:35.
_The Co-operative Movement_--This co-operative movement is only a
stepping stone to what is called the Order of Enoch, but which is in
reality the Order of Heaven. It was revealed to Enoch when he built up
his city and gathered the people together and sanctified them, so that
they became so holy and pure that they could not live among the rest of
the people and the Lord took them away. 13:2.
Now, I will tell you the facts about this movement. We started the
co-operative system here when we thought we would wait no longer; we
opened the Wholesale Co-operative {443} Store; and since that, retail
stores have been established, although some of the latter were opened
before the wholesale store was opened. I know this, that as soon as
this movement was commenced the price of goods came down from twenty
to thirty percent. I recollect very well, after our vote last October
Conference, that it was soon buzzed around, "Why you can get calico
down street at eighteen and seventeen cents a yard;" and it came down
to sixteen. But when it came down to sixteen cents, who had a chance to
buy any? Why, nobody unless it was just a few yards that were sold to
them as a favor. But when it came to the Wholesale Co-operative Store
the price was put at sixteen cents, and retail stores are selling it
today at seventeen and a half or eighteen cents a yard. 12:373.
What I have in my mind with regard to this co-operative business is
this: There are very few people who cannot get twenty-five dollars
to put into one of these co-operative stores. There are hundreds and
thousands of women who, by prudence and industry, can obtain this sum.
And we say to you put your capital into one of these stores. What
for? To bring you interest for your money. Put your time and talents
to usury. We have the parable before us. If we have one, two, three
or five talents, of what advantage will they be if we wrap them in a
napkin and lay them away? None at all. Put them out to usury. These
co-operative stores are instituted to give the poor a little advantage
as well as the rich.
Brethren, if you will start here and operate together in farming, in
making cheese, in herding sheep and cattle and every other kind of
work, and get a factory here and cooperative store--I have been told
there is no co-operative store here--get a good co-operative store, and
operate together {444} in sheep-raising, store-keeping, manufacturing
and everything else, no matter what it is, by-and-by, when we can plant
ourselves upon a foundation that we cannot be broken up, we shall then
proceed to arrange a family organization for which we are not yet quite
prepared. You know, right here in this place, commence to carry on your
business in a co-operative capacity. In every instance I could show
every one of you what a great advantage would be gained in working
together; I could reason it out here just how much advantage there is
in co-operation in your lumbering and in your herding. You have men
here, I suppose, who have had an arm shot off; they cannot go into the
canyons and get out wood. Another, perhaps, has had a leg cut off; he
cannot run here and there like some of you; but he can do something; he
will make a first-rate shopman, and at keeping books, perhaps, he will
be one of the best. He cannot take the scythe and mow; he cannot attend
to a threshing machine; he cannot go into the woods lumbering; he could
not herd well,--but he could go into the factory, and he can do many
things. Well, we can do this and keep up co-operation. I can take fifty
men who have not a cent, and if they would do as I would wish them to
do, they would soon be worth their thousands, every one of them. 16:169.
I am prepared to prove to any sensible congregation, any good
philosopher or thinking person or people, who have steady brain and
nerve to look at things as they are, that can tell white from black and
daylight from midnight darkness, that the closer the connection in a
business point of view that a community hold themselves together, the
greater will be their joy and wealth. I am prepared to prove, from all
the facts that have existed or that now exist {445} in all branches of
human affairs, that union is strength, and that division is weakness
and confusion. 13:267.
If the people called Latter-day Saints do not become one in temporal
things, as they are in spiritual things, they will not redeem and build
up the Zion of God upon the earth. This co-operative movement is a
stepping stone. We say to the people, take advantage of it, it is your
privilege. Instead of giving it into the hands of a few individuals to
make their hundreds and thousands, let the people generally, enjoy the
benefit arising from the sale of merchandise. I have already told you
that this will stop the operations of many little traders, but it will
make them producers as well as consumers. You will find that if the
people unitedly hearken to the counsel that is given them, it will not
be long before the hats, caps, bonnets, boots and shoes, pants, coats,
vests and underclothing of this entire community will all be made in
our midst. 13:3. {446}