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general subjects in the previous
Epistles are so copious, and apply so
directly to the entire lives and sur-
roundings of the Saints, that we deem
it not necessary to repeat them at the
present time or to write a lengthy
Epistle.

OPPOSITION CONFRONTING THE
SAINTS

No people of whom we have any
knowledge have been called upon to
pass through such scenes and to have
such a peculiar experience as the
Latter-day Saints. The trials and dif-
ficulties we have had to content with,
so numerous and so varied in char
acter, have scarcely been equalled in
our generation. But those we have
had to meet during the past three or
four years, and which still confront
us, are new even in our experience
They have come upon us in a new
shape. Originating in the same source,
prompted by the same spirit, and de-
signed for the same end, as other plans
which have been put into operation for
our injury and overthrow, the present
attack which is made upon us, differs
largely in many of its features and
methods from anything we have ever
had to encounter. We have been led
to expect from the beginning that as
the work of God grew and developed
in the earth, the resistance to it would
become more formidable and wide-
spread, would increase in intensity
and vigor, and bring into antagonism
to it more influential powers. This
has ever been the voice of prophecy
and testimony unto us concerning the
future of the work of God which
we have espoused. If, then,
we have not been prepared for these
trials which we now have to overcome,
it has not been because we have not
been warned of their approach. By
the testimony of His Spirit and by the
voices of His faithful servants, God
has given His people ample time for
preparation. And the Latter-day
Saints who have lived so as to enjoy
the spirit of their religion have ex-
pected, and have prepared themselves to
meet, such trials as have come upon us,
and others which may yet be in reserve
for us before the final victory is
achieved over Satan and the embattled
powers of darkness.

THE PRIVILEGE OF REVELATION

It is this pre-knowledge which God
has given concerning His work, and
which He constantly imparts as it is
needed to His people, which is one of
the chief causes of the strength pos
sessed by the Latter-day Saints. It is
the principle of revelation from the
Head of the Church to the Church itself
--a principle which in its operation is
not confined to one man, or to three
men, or to twelve men; but is extended
to every individual in the Church, in
greater or less degree, as each one
chooses to avail himself of it There
is an appointed way, however, by
which revelation from the Lord for the
government of His Church is received
There is but one man on the earth,
at a time, who holds this power. But
every individual member has the priv-
ilege of receiving revelation from the
Lord for his guidance in his own af-
fairs and to testify to him concerning
the correctness of public teachings and
movements.

The great promise which accom
panies the preaching of the Gospel, as
revealed from heaven in our day, is
that the Holy Ghost will be bestowed
upon the sincerely penitent who obey
its holy ordinances. Through the
Holy Ghost a knowledge of things
past, present and to come is commun
icated and the mind and will of the
Father made known. In this way the
Almighty reveals His purposes to those
who obey His commandments and
whose lives are pure and acceptable
before Him, so that they can be pre-
pared for all the events and trials that
may lie in their pathway.

If there are any members of the
Church who do not know by their own
experience that this is true, they may
be assured that they do not live up to
their privileges. All Saints should be
in close communion with the Holy
Ghost, and, through it, with the Fa-
ther, or there is danger of their being
overcome of evil and falling by the
wayside.

We, therefore, say to the Latter-day
Saints: The Holy Ghost will not dwell
in an unholy tabernacle. If you would
enjoy the full powers and gifts of your
religion, you must be pure. If you are
guilty of weaknesses, follies and sins,
you must repent of them; that is, you
must thoroughly forsake them. In no
other way can we please God. "Man
of holiness" is His name, and He de-
lights in the efforts of His children to
be pure.

ABSENCE OF OFFICERS OF THE
CHURCH.

We feel led to speak in this strain,
for the reason that while the Latter-
day Saints in order to prosper in their
religion and to increase in the knowl-
edge of God must always live close to
Him, the present is an extraordinary
time which appears to require more
help and strength from the Lord than
usual. The Church has been left, as
never for so long a time before, with-
out the public ministrations of a num-
ber of the men to whom its members
havelooked for instruction and counsel.
Not only has the number of the
Apostles who could minister in public
been greatly reduced, but the same
causes which have relegated them to
seclusion have had the effect to keep
many Presidents of Stakes and their
counselors, Bishops and their coun-
selors, as well as High Councilors and
other active men in the priesthood,
from officiating in their callings The
people have felt the absence of these
men and the loss of their teachings and
guidance. But has the Lord, on this
account forgotten His people? No,
certainly not. The prayers of the
faithful men of God, who have been
prevented from ministering to the
people, and whose hearts have been
full of love and earnest desire for their
welfare, have been constantly offered
to the Lord that He would have mercy
on His flock, that He would make up to
them, by the more abundant outpour-
ing of His Holy Spirit, for the depriva-
tion to which they have been subjected
in not having the presence of many of
His servants among them.

THE HAND AND PURPOSES OF GOD.

The Savior said, "It is impossible
but that offenses will come; but," he
added, "woe unto them through whom
they come." In our case offences
have come, and it has appeared that we
could not avoid them. Shall we not
acknowledge the hand of God in that
which has taken place in our land and
which affects us so deeply? We who
have seen in all our affairs, and in all
the events which have happened to us,
His providence so visibly manifested,
must feel that the occurrences of the
past three or four years have been per-
mitted by Him for a wise purpose. We
cannot suppose that these happenings
have been by chance and without a de-
sign. God has not so dealt with us in
the past. Mysterious as have been
many things when we had them to en-
counter, time has never failed to throw
light upon and explain them. When
they happened we, perhaps,
acknowledged the hand of
the Lord in them, be
cause of the Lord having said we
should do so; but this was upon the
principle of faith. Afterwards, how-
ever, we have looked back to these
events, and seeing how wondrously
God had wrought, we, in the fullness
of our hearts and in view of the re-
sults, have acknowledged, not in faith
but in developed knowledge, that
God's hand was in all that had oc-
curred. So with the experience, pain-
ful though it be, which we are now
gaining.

God has a purpose to accomplish in
permitting the treatment which we
have received. Whatever the result to
others who have prompted and been
active in pushing it, to us it cannot be
anything but profitable and beneficial,
if we receive it in the right spirit and
bear it patiently. One good effect is
apparent. The Latter-day Saints are
compelled, perhaps to a greater extent
than ever before, to think and act
for themselves and not to depend
so much upon others to lead them.
Some, not having lived so as to have
the presence and guidance of the
Holy Ghost, may stumble and fall.
But those who have lived up to their
privileges will find that God has not
forgotten His promises and has not
left His people to themselves, nor
without a testimony as to the course
they should pursue.

THE SAINTS MUST BE TESTED.

The pathway of the people of God
has been beset with difficulties They
have been environed with dangers.
Dark clouds have almost enshrouded
them. But amidst all these, the still,
small voice of the Spirit of God has
been heard. His Saints have had a
testimony from Him that the course
they have been led to take is the right
one and that He will never fail to
make known His mind and will to
them so long as they live up to His re-
quirements.

It appears plain that it is God's pur-
pose to suffer His Saints to be
thoroughly tried and tested, so that
they may prove their integrity and
know the character of the foundation
upon which they build. Many things
have occurred during the last twelve
months which are well adapted to test
the faith and integrity of the people.
It does not seem possible that those
who do not live so as to have the light
of the Holy Ghost shining in their souls
can escape doubts and fears concern-
ing the work of God. So many things
have occurred which are entirely dif-
ferent to pre-conceived notions as to
the course that would be taken in
building up Zion that each one needs to
have a knowledge for himself to clear-
ly understand that God is leading us in
the path which we are now pursuing.
To some who are inclined to despond
and to take a gloomy view of affairs,
the ship Zion may, perhaps, appear to
be drifting away from its old moorings,
because things are being done or
movements consented to which, to
their eyes, portend disaster to us and
to the work of God.

UNJUST CRITICISM

There has always been a few among
us who have been filled with evil fore-
bodings, and who have failed to see the
wisdom of God in the steps which His
people have been led to take. They
have questioned and found fault with
the counsel that has been given and
the measures which have been adopted,
and have asserted that revelation had
ceased and the Saints were no longer
guided by men to whom God made
known His will. The prophet Joseph
during his lifetime did not escape the
criticism and censure of this class.
He was often accused of being a fal-
len prophet and of leading the Church
astray. During the long presidency of
President Brigham Young, the same
charges were made, and many aposta-
tized because they believed, as they
stated, that he was no longer led by
the Lord. Experience has proved that
in all such cases those who make these
accusations are themselves in the
dark.

But the faithful people--those who
have lived strictly in accordance with
their profession as Saints and with the
requirements of the Gospel--have
not been assailed by doubts of
this character. There might be many
things which they could not clearly
understand, the reasons for which
might not be fully apparent to them at
the time; but possessing the Spirit of
God, and being led by it, they trusted
in the Lord and felt satisfied to leave
the management of His kingdom and
its affairs to His supreme wisdom.
Time developed to their minds the
correctness of the course which the
Church had been led to adopt. This
has occurred so frequently in our
career that the instances will readily
suggest themselves to those familiar
with our history. In this way, how-
ever, the faith of the people has been
constantly tested.

THE ANOINTING THE SAINTS HAVE
RECEIVED.

The Apostle John, in speaking to the
Saints in his day, said: "But the
anointing which ye have received of
him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all
things, and is truth, and is no lie, and
even as it hath taught you, ye shall
abide in him." [##1 John 2:27##]

The Saints in our days have received
this same anointing and they should
be in a position to not be dependent
upon man to teach and tell them that
which is right. They have had a flood
of instruction given to them in days
that are past. This instruction has
covered the entire policy of building
up the kingdom of God on the earth
Of this continued instruction they have
been to a great extent deprived of late.
It has appeared to be the design of
Providence that they should be left to
show to the heavens, to each other and
to the world whether the truths they
have been taught have had the proper
effect upon them, or not--whether
when left to a certain extent to them-
selves they will be governed in their
daily lives and acts by principle--prin-
ciple to the truth of which testimony
has been borne by the Holy Ghost--or
by the spirit and customs of Baby
lon by which they are surrounded, but
from which they are supposed to be
gathered out.

NECESSITY OF SELF-EXAMINATION.

The present is an appropriate time
for each member of the Church to in-
dulge in self-examination--to measure
his conduct and life in the full
light of the heavenly principles re
vealed to us. Ours is no ordinary
calling. Great opportunities and
privileges have been bestowed upon
us. To us, as a people, has been en-
trusted the grand and glorious labor
of laying the foundation of the king-
dom of God upon the earth. Every
act of our lives should be performed
with this in view. Nothing should be
done by any one calling himself a Lat-
ter-day Saint that will conflict with
the policy which God has announced
as proper to be adopted in establish-
ing that kingdom. In this connec-
tion there are questions which each
one should ask himself: Do I, in all
my words and influence and in all the
transactions of my life, constantly
keep before me the advancement and
prosperity of the Zion of God as the
first and most important considera-
tion? Do I, through covetousness or
a desire for personal profit and advan
tage, depart from that line of conduct
which God, through His Spirit and the
teachings of His servants, has said His
Saints should follow? Do I, by my
words and acts, set such an example
before my family that my children will
grow up to manhood and womanhood
fully imbued with a love of Zion and
with an understanding of the princi
ples upon which Zion will be built up.

Many more questions of a similar
character each one can ask himself in
the process of self-examination. If
these can be answered correctly, there
need be no fears indulged in concern-
ing the effect of the Edmunds-Tucker
law, the confiscation suits, the state
movement, the "boom" as it is called, or
any other measure which may be
adopted either in favor of or against
the Zion of God. Respecting all these
movements, about which there is more
or less agitation and concern and per-
haps excitement, there need be no
fears if the Latter-day Saints will only
be true to the covenants they have
made with their God and strictly carry
out the principles which He has told
us must govern us in the building up
of His Zion.

CONSEQUENCES OF FORGETTING
COVENANTS.

If, however, we forget our cove-
nants, and depart from and disregard
the teachings which He has given us,
then be assured, Latter-day Saints, our
position is full of peril to us God's
purposes will not be thwarted; but we
shall be scourged, and those who per-
sist in this course will be rejected and
be deprived of all share in the bles-
sings promised to Zion. Where those
professing to be Latter-day Saints
knowingly and flagrantly act in
contravention of the counsels
which he has given us, then we have
cause to fear and the plots of the
wicked against us, joined by the foolish
disobedience and rebellion of pro-
fessed Saints, become a serious men-
ace to the peace, prosperity and pro-
gress of Zion.

Praying the Lord to endow every of-
ficer of the Church who desires to
magnify his calling, with every gift and
qualification which belongs to the
Priesthood which he bears, and to fill
the members of the Church with the
Holy Ghost and its gifts.

I remain your Brother and Servant
in Christ Jesus,
WILFORD WOODRUFF

In behalf of the Quorm of the Twelve.
April 6th, 1888.