LETTER TO HIS FAMILY.

"To my wives, my children, relatives and friends, who may have assembled at the Gardo House, to celebrate the return of my birthday, November 1st, 1886:—

"As I am prevented from being with you on the present occasion, I desire to send to you my benediction and blessing; and to say unto you: May grace, mercy and peace be extended to you from God our Eternal Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, Redeemer and Friend.

"I need not say unto you, that it would have afforded me very great pleasure to have been with you on the present occasion, and to have saluted you personally, as I know it would have been very gratifying unto you. But, through the dispensation of an All-wise Providence, things are not in a position that we would desire to have them; they are in accordance, however, with the design of our Heavenly Father, who ordains all things in harmony with the dispensation of His providence towards the children of men.

"Some people suppose that persecutions and trials are afflictions; but sometimes, and generally, if we are doing the will of the Lord and keeping His commandments, they may be truly said to be blessings in disguise. When our great Redeemer was on earth, He said to His disciples: 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.'

"Although for the time being, these things may be painful, yet if properly comprehended and realized, we should look at them in another view, and feel as Paul said to the saints in his day: 'For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal,' and will lead us to reflect in most instances even as John Wesley sang:

"'Shall I be carried to the skies,
On flowery beds of ease;
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas!

"'No; I must fight, if I would reign,
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.'

"The foregoing are my sentiments, which I express from the bottom of my heart; and I would state further, that if we expect to be united with the hundred and forty-four thousand of which John speaks; who are clothed in white raiment, and who were gathered together from every nation, kindred, people and tongue, and who had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (therefore were they next the throne and serve their Maker day and night); we must pass through the same ordeal they did.

"These people who were so honored of God, and of the Redeemer, and the heavenly hosts, were those who had come up through much tribulation; and we are further told in late revelations which God has given us through the Prophet Joseph, that 'After much tribulation cometh the blessing.'

"I was very sorry to learn, in the midst of other things, of the sickness of my wives Jane and Sophia, and my heart has gone out in prayer for them, accompanied by my brethren, that they may be healed, and I am pleased to learn that there is some slight improvement in the health of Aunt Jane, and also that there are some reasonable hopes of the removal of the terrible affliction that has overtaken Aunt Sophia. I would here remark that in speaking of these strokes, I have been making careful inquiry about them since her sad affliction, and learned that it is no uncommon thing for people to be healed of this kind of disease. A lady of about her age that I conversed with quite recently, said she had had two strokes of that kind, and she is now quite well, hale and hearty. I mention these things in hopes that it will afford some consolation to Aunt Sophia and to you, her friends.

"I am pleased to be informed that the health of the family is generally good, and that the disposition and feeling of both wives and children is to fear God, to work righteousness, and to yield obedience to His laws. For if we expect to obtain a celestial glory and exaltations with thrones, principalities and powers in the celestial kingdom of our God, we must abide a celestial law. For it is expressly stated that we can only inherit such a kingdom, such glory, and blessings as we prepare ourselves for, by yielding obedience to the laws thereof; whether it be a celestial, or terrestrial or telestial.

"We are engaged in a great work, and laying the foundation thereof—a work that has been spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world was; namely, the dispensation of the fullness of times, wherein God will gather together all things in one, whether they be things in the earth, or things in the heavens; and for this purpose God revealed Himself, as also the Lord Jesus Christ, unto His servant the Prophet Joseph Smith, when the Father pointed to the Son and said: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.' He further restored the everlasting gospel; together with the Aaronic and Melchisedek Priesthoods; both of which are everlasting as God is; and in the interest of humanity sent forth His gospel to the nations of the earth. I am happy to say that I have been a bearer of this gospel to several nations, and have been the means of bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; among which are some of you, my wives. We have been gathered together, according to the word of the Lord, and the order of His Priesthood, to our present homes, our lands and our possessions. We have had the privilege of assisting in building temples to the Lord, and administering therein. The principles which have been developed for the progression, the happiness and exaltation of the faithful in Christ Jesus; and some of you, my sons, have been favored with the Holy Priesthood, which is after the order of Melchisedek, after the order of the Son God and of God the Eternal Father, and after the power of an endless life. We expect and have faith, that this earth will yet be renovated and purified, the wicked will be rooted out of it, and the righteous inherit it; and we further look forward to the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness; and a new Jerusalem, wherein the Lord God and the Lamb will be the light thereof, and you, my wives, and also my children who have come to years of maturity, will have the privilege, if faithful to your covenants, of entering into and partaking of the most exalted, glorious, and eternal blessings, which any men or women on earth have enjoyed in this world, or in the world to come; and will eventually be associated with the Gods in the eternal worlds.

"We are here gathered together in this land of Zion for the purpose of purifying, instructing and building up the Church of God; and also building up a Zion of God, and establishing the rule and government of God on the earth, and fulfilling that which is spoken of by the Prophet: 'The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.'

"In view of the many great and precious promises which are made to us, and which fall to our lot through obedience to the laws of God; we should at all times place ourselves in conformity with the laws, usages and requirements of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. Our lives should not be a blank. We are heirs of eternal lives. We ought to use all our energies in the interest of humanity, in the establishment of the Zion of God, and the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth.

"It would be very proper for you, my wives, and daughters who are of sufficient age, if you have not already done so, to associate yourselves with the Relief Societies; and of my sons and daughters to unite themselves with the Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Associations; and thus, while you are receiving information and benefit, you, at the same time may make yourselves useful and a blessing unto others. Let me here say, that the Prophet Joseph Smith instituted the Ladies' Relief Society for that purpose. It is proper that you should all reverence the Lord your God in all things, and cultivate His love and fear in your hearts. All ought to dedicate themselves daily, morning and evening to the Lord, and seek for His mercy, blessing and oversight, both day and night. You who have families ought to gather them together every morning and every evening, and dedicate yourselves to the Lord. And this dedication ought to be in private, between yourselves only and the Lord, as well as in public or family prayer. The Prophet Joseph gave a special charge to me while living, as near as I can remember as follows: 'Brother Taylor, never arise in the morning or retire at night, without dedicating yourself unto God and asking His blessings upon you through the day or night, as the case may be, and the Lord God will hear and answer your prayers; and don't let any circumstances prevent it.' I had been in the habit of doing so, for years before this; but since that time I have not omitted, to my knowledge, the observance of this duty, morning or evening.

"Never do an act that you would be ashamed of man knowing, for God sees us always, both day and night, and if we expect to live and reign with Him in eternity, we ought to do nothing that will disgrace us in time.

"We should be strictly honest, one with another, and with all men; let our word always be as good as our bond; avoid all ostentation of pride and vanity; and be meek, lowly, and humble; be full of integrity and honor; and deal justly and righteously with all men; and have the fear and love of God continually before us, and seek for the comforting influence of the Holy Ghost to dwell with us. Let mothers be loving, kind and considerate with their children, and the children kind and obedient to their mothers, and to their Fathers; and seek always to be governed by good and wise counsel, and so to live every day, and in all our acts, as to keep a conscience void of offense towards God and man. Be kind and courteous to all, seek to promote the welfare of all, be gentlemen and ladies, and treat one another, and all men with proper courtesy, respect and kindness. So shall you be honored by the good and virtuous, enjoy the blessings of a good conscience, and secure the approbation of God, and of the holy angels, in time and throughout all eternity.

"The protecting care of the Lord over me and my brethren has been very manifest since my absence from home, for which I feel to bless and praise His holy name. I always am very desirous to acknowledge His hand in all things, and I am very anxious that you should do the same. For to the Lord we are indebted for every blessing which we enjoy, pertaining to this life, and the life which is to come.

"While we seek to God our Heavenly Father for His blessings, let us be careful to so live that we can secure and claim them, by our obedience to His laws. Be merciful, and kind, and just, and generous to all. Preserve your bodies and your spirits pure, and free from contamination. Avoid lasciviousness, and every corrupting influence; that you may be indeed the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

"I pray God the Eternal Father that when we have all finished our probation here, we may be presented to the Lord without spot or blemish, as pure and honorable representatives of the Church and kingdom of God on the earth, and then inherit a celestial glory in the kingdom of our God, and enjoy everlasting felicity with the pure and just in the realms of eternal day, through the merits and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, in worlds without end. Amen.

"To those present of my friends and not of my immediate family, I present a most hearty welcome, and an affectionate regard.

"I thank you all for your sympathetic, kind and generous feelings manifested through the letters I have received. I must also beg you to exercise to me a spirit of benevolence and charity, over my apparent negligence, at times, in not being as prompt as desirable in answering your communications. For while I profoundly respect and appreciate your kindness, it is not always convenient for me to send an immediate reply, as I have daily to attend to all my official duties as when in my office at home.

"In regard to my position and that of my brethren who are with me, I am happy to inform you that we now are, and always have been, during our exile, supplied with everything that is necessary to our comfort and convenience. Go where we will, we have good accommodations, plenty of food and the necessaries of life, kind and sympathetic friends, and the best of treatment. I am also happy in the belief that you are comfortably situated. If there is anything that any of you require and you will inform me, I shall be happy to supply it, if within my power. Some of you have written that you 'would like to have a peep at me.' I heartily reciprocate that feeling, and would like to have a 'peep' at you on this occasion; but in my bodily absence my spirit and peace shall be with you.

"God bless you all, in time and throughout the eternities to come, is the prayer of your affectionate husband, father and friend in the new and everlasting covenant—

"JOHN TAYLOR."