[Brigham Young Sermon] President Brigham Young said that the saints would expect to hear from him consequently he would say what the Lord would give him. That be would like to spend a whole day with the Saints before he left them and would likely have a meeting on the morrow. Experience is the dear schoolmaster and many have served their time out though many have fallen and have been laid aside as we do the green herbs, implements of husbandry having done all that they could do. Still if the people were universally righteous they might overcome and not fall by sickness, yet the Lord takes some away before they arrive to years of maturity to accomplish His will. He giveth and He taketh away, and the time will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess His hand in all things and that He is the Christ and our Lord. I wish to exhort my brethren to humility and neatness that they may come unto the Lord and ask and it shall be done unto them. There is a principle that dwell in the heart of the Saints and always did that teaches them to know whether they did actually live so as to keep their hearts open to the whisperings of the spirit and do the work that entitles them to claim privileges of the Kingdom by the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world. The Lord bestows upon his children a certain portion of the dowry that he has for them according to the light which they have lived up too (which has been given to them) and says to them go and occupy upon what I have given and that is what the Apostle Paul had allusion to when he said the spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Keep your hearts open and never bar against the spirit of the Lord. He then related a dream which he had a short time since while in the hour of affliction. The dream I have recorded as he related it before, and impressed upon the minds of the Saints to keep the spirit of the Lord that they may not be destroyed. This Joseph said to him while in the vision, repeatedly, and insisted to have him impress it upon the minds of the Saints. Be pure and holy for the Comforter will not dwell in an unholy temple. Said that he did not want to go into heaven (if he could) with a back load of sin but the feelings of the brethren are they have been driven from their homes and their feelings are good God could they have power over them if we didn't use them up then I would tell it. What business have you with them? Vengeance belongs to the Lord. It is not for you to set in judgment. They have contracted the debt and they will have to pay it. This principle is in the hearts of some which is damnable and when the Twelve goes away you will see sights. Those characters will steal old spaven horses, wagon wheels, quilts, etc. Let such men go down to hell and if you do not understand what this means, cut their infernal throats. Never steal till the Lord tells you. and never steal that that should not be stolen. And when you hear of Brigham Young stealing you may know that it should be stolen There is another principle that is as damnable as stealing; that is this murmurings and saying that the rich does [not] feel after the interest of the poor. You should never covet the goods of any person and never find fault with your brethren. Be contented with your lot and station and stop your whining and babbling about the twelve, saying that Brigham oppresses the poor and lives off their earning and that you can't see why you can't have some of his good living, and so on. Did Brigham Young ever get anything from you, did you ever help him to any of his fine living, you poor curses, or was it through Brigham's influence that thousands of the poor have been fed? You poor stinking curses, for you are cursed and the hand of the Lord shall be upon you and you shall go down to hell for murmuring and bickering. This people means to tie my hands continually as they did last year so that we go to the place of our destination. They are already coming to me saying can't you take me along? Don't leave me here, if you do I am afraid I shall die, this is such a sickly place. Well I say to them, die, who cares. If you have not faith to live here you will die over the mountains. This people will be subject to sickness and disease and death until they learn to be passive and let council dictate their course, without this their efforts are vain. I shall be glad when the time comes that this people will unanimously hearken to and be governed by council. We want to build up another Temple and then send out 1000 of elders to preach and gather out the honest in heart, by the power of their calling in the Priesthood and that the spirit that are in the Elders should beget the same spirit in the people and thereby draw them from among the wicked by the power of faith; but such men steal, murmur and whine at everything and that nothing goes right will never feel the power of their calling in the ministry. They blackguard a little but can never preach. Closed by saying that he wanted to spend one whole day with the Saints before he left for the mountains and that he wanted the sisters that comes meeting to be brought in wagons. -- Winter Quarters, Nebraska [Journals of John D. Lee 1846-47 and 1859. Charles Kelly, ed. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1984. 127-130]
[The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009)]
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