How many of us feel like the poet said in ?Awake, Ye Saints of God, Awake!? (by Eliza R. Snow, page 4 of Latter-day Saint Hymns)? We are right in that position today, my brothers and sisters. Not only are the men sentenced, but the wives and daughters of some of us also. What for? For keeping the laws of God. Where is it coming from? From the same place that persecutions usually come from. (Here he spoke of Samuel getting up on the walls to tell the people what to do, and how they tried to run him off.)

Isaiah 28 14. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. 15. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: That is the position our persecutors are in. How many of you can see the handwriting on the wall? Brothers and sisters, if we are prayerful and humble, a door will be opened for us. If we are not, then some of us will be going to jail. Are we ready? How many are? I do not want to go to jail, but I will if I have to. If it takes that to purify me, then I will have to. We all say we will do this and that. Wait till we get up against it. You have been preached to today and it puts me in mind of a horse parade wherein a man said, ?You have shown me the ?has-beens? and the ?going-to-be?s?. Now show me some others.? We must keep the commandments of God ourselves. All the early Prophets, and those down to our present time, have told us what was going to happen. Do we believe it today? Brigham Young said he went out by the hot springs and saw a bunch of sheep. Some were fine looking sheep, and others were not. They were a fine example of the people. The Spirit said that they were all sheep and had to be taken care of. We find it just the same today. Some are outstanding, some are not. How many of us have our family prayers day and night and turn and face toward the temple of God as that Prophet told us to do? ?When thy people are cast out and they turn their faces toward thy house, hear their prayers.? Brothers and sisters, the people are against us, the laws are against us, the Church is against us. What are we going to do? We have only one Friend, and that is God, if we approach Him in the right way. If we keep His commandments and live in a [right] way, He will send His messengers to us as He did to John Taylor and others. When we get to that place, then we will advance. One must not be pulling one way, and another another way. I ask you people, all of you, to remember and pray. And I want to say to the people today, if any of you have any property, to go bonds, help us out. The judge told us plainly that we would go to jail Friday if we do not get them. God has never revealed just how this thing is going to go. I have asked Him, but He has never revealed it to me. One thing we do know, we will not back down and go the way they want us to do. God bless you, that you may be humble in your hearts, that you may be able to meet whatever comes. Be prayerful and humble. If there is anything that the Lord dislikes, it is a proud, haughty people. He likes a meek and humble people. When we learn to be humble and prayerful, no matter what comes, then we learn to serve God in Spirit as well as in action. God bless you, amen.