FUNERAL OF HEBER C. KIMBALL.
Address of Brigham Young.
Heber C. Kimball, the Mormon Elder, was buried in Salt Lake City on June 24. After fu-neral orations by various Mormon elders, Brig-ham Young arose and spoke as follows:
I wish the people to be as still as possible, and not to whisper. I do not know that I can speak so that you can hear me, but if I can I have a few reflections to lay before you. We are called here on this very important occasion, and we can say truly that the day of this man's death was far better to hint than the day of his birth. I will relate to you my feelings concern-ing the departure of Bro. Kimball. He was a man of as much integrity I presume as any man who ever lived on the earth. I have been person-ally acquainted with him forty-three years, and I can testify that he has been a man of truth, a man of benevolence, a man that was to be trusted. Now he has gone and left us, I will say to his wives and his children that I have not felt one particle of death in his house nor about it, and through this scene we are now passing I have not felt one particle of the spirit of death. He has fallen asleep for a cer-tain purpose, to be prepared for a glorious resurrection; and the same Heber C. Kimball, every component particle of his body, from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, will be resurrected, and be in the flesh, will see God and converse with him; and see his brethren, and associate with them, and they will enjoy a happy eternity together. Brother Kimball has had the privilege of living and dying in his own house in peace, and has not been followed up by mobs and massacred. I consider this a great consolation to his family and friends; and it is a great comfort to me to think that Brother Heber C. Kimball had the privilege of dying in peace. It is not a mat-ter of regret; it is nothing we should mourn for. It is a great cause of joy and rejoicing, and comfort to his friends to know that a per-son has passed away in peace from this life, and has thus secured to himself a glorious resurrection. The earth and the fullness of the earth and all that pertains to this earth in an earthly capaci-ty is no comparison with the glory, joy and peace and happiness of the soul that departs in peace. You may think I have reason to mourn. Brother Heber C. Kimball has been my first counsellor for almost 24 years. I am happy to state it is a matter of great joy to me; this is the third counsellor that has fallen asleep since I have stood to counsel this people, and they have died in the faith, full of hope; their lives were filled up with good works, full of faith, comfort, peace and joy to their brethren. I have looked over this matter. In the fourteen years that Brother Joseph presided over the Church, three of the prominent coun-sel he had apostatized. This was a matter of regret. Sidney Rigdon, E. G. Wil-liams and William Law, whom many of this congregation knew in Nauvoo, apostatized and left Brother Joseph. I have not been under the necessity of mourning and lamenting over the apostacy of any one of my counsellors, and I hope I shall never have this to regret. I had rather bury them by the score than see one of them apostatize. A great deal could be said concerning Brother Kimball, whose remains are here. He is not dead. His earthly taber-nacle has fallen asleep to be prepared for this glorious resurrection that you and I live for. What can we say to one another? Live as he has lived; be as faithful as he has been; be as full of good works as his life has manifested to us. If we do so, our end will be peace and joy, and we will fall asleep as peacefully. I held my watch with one hand and fanned him, with the other while he breathed his last. For his family to mourn is perhaps natural, but they have not really the first cause to do so. How would you feel if you had a husband or father that would lead you from the truth? I would to God that we would all follow him in his example in our faithfulness, and be as faith-ful as he was in his life. To his wives, his children, his friends, his brethren and sisters, to this family whom God has selected from the human family to be his sons and daughters, I say let us follow his example. He has gone to rest. We can say of him all that can be said of any good man. The Lord selected him and he has been faithful, and this has made him a great man—just as you and I can become if we will live faithful to our God and our religion. There is no man but what can do good if he chooses, and if he be disposed to choose the evil he will dwindle, especially if he has been called to the holy priesthood of the Son of God. Such a man will dwindle and fal-ter, stumble and fall, and instead of becoming great and good, he will be lost in forgetfulness. We pay our last respects to Brother Kimball. I can say to the congregation, we thank you for your attention. We are happy to see you here. It would be a pleasure to us if it would be pru-dent, and we had time, for you to see the corpse; but it would not be prudent and we have not the time. This, perhaps, will be a matter of regret to many of you; but you must put up with it. I want to say to every one who wishes to see brother Heber again, live so that you will secure to yourselves a part in the first resurrection, and I promise you that you will meet him and shake hands with him. But if you do not live so, I can give you no such promise. Now, my friends, I feel to bless you, and the family, the wives and children of Brother Heber C. Kim-ball. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Will you receive the blessing which a father and husband has placed upon your heads? If you live for them you will enjoy them. I think he has never cursed one of his family, but his heart was full of blessings for them. He has blessed his brethren and sisters and neighbors and friends. His heart was full of blessings, but he was a scourge to the wicked and they feared him. Now, my friends, I cannot talk to you; my sore throat will not let me. But I feel to thank you for your kind attention here to-day, in paying our respects to the remains of Brother Kimball, and may God bless you. Amen.
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