The finishing of the Nauvoo House is like a man finishing a fight; if he gives up, he is killed; if he holds out a little longer, he may live. I'll tell you a story: A man who whips his wife is a coward. When I was a boy, I once fought with a man who had whipped his wife. It was a hard contest; but I still remembered that he had whipped his wife; and this encouraged me, and I whipped him till he said he had enough. Brethren, hurry on to the Nauvoo House thus, and you will build it. You will then be on Pisgah's top, and the great men will come from the four quarters of the earth--will pile the gold and silver into it till you are weary of receiving them; and if you are not careful, you will be lifted up, and become full of pride, and will be ready to destroy yourselves, and they will cover up and clothe all your former sins and, according to the scripture, will hide a multitude of sins; and you {286} will shine forth fair as the sun, clear as the moon, and you will become terrible, like an army with banners. I will say to those who have labored on the Nauvoo House, and cannot get their pay--Be patient; and if any man takes the means which are set apart for the building of that house, and applies it to his own use, let him, for he will destroy himself. If any man is hungry, let him come to me, and I will feed him at my table. If any are hungry or naked, don't take away the brick, timber and materials, that belong to that house, but come and tell me, and I will divide with them to the last morsel; and then if the man is not satisfied, I will kick his backside. There is a great noise in the city, and many are saying there cannot be so much smoke without some fire. Well, be it so. If the stories about Joe Smith are true, then the stories of John C. Bennett are true about the ladies of Nauvoo; and he says that the Ladies' Relief Society are all organized of those who are to be the wives of Joe Smith. Ladies, you know whether this is true or not. It is no use living among hogs without a snout. This biting and devouring each other I cannot endure. Away with it. For God's sake, stop it. There is one thing more I wish to speak about, and that is political economy. It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. 'Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it, as well as for a man who has no influence to use his. From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get. In relation to politics, I will speak as a man; but in relation to religion I will speak in authority. If a man lifts a dagger to kill me, I will lift my tongue.