[Brigham Young Sermon] I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for meeting with so many. The brethren are alive and well, this comforts our hearts. We've toiled to deliver ourselves from our enemies, any anticipations are realized in our location. I could not describe any land better than we've found. And feels to return to the Lord our hearty thanks. He then prayed to our Father in heaven. And called G. A. Smith to describe the country'- B. Young has a few words. First as we have met, we came here when sickness took hold of us. My council is not to hurry, be moderate, keep not of dust, it's the day dust that creates the fever. Keep the wagons a little separate and not in a huddle. Preserve your health. You have plenty of time to stay at Green River and send back teams to the [-] companies [-] in the valley. I want you to take our council, we shall send our Epistle back, we intend to nominate a High Council. I am glad bro. Pratt and Taylor will be with you, and you get in the valley. We want you to remember our council. If our hearts have not been filled with the power of God you would not have been here. Our minds, feelings, judgments and affections are to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth in spite of all hell. The Lord has led us this summer. It will not do for the people to gather for themselves and let the people go and the people get there. If you take our council and obey it till we come we'll give your more. I don't want any of the sisters to want their husbands to go and build their house on their lot but go to work and finish the fort. Every man and woman that is filled by the Spirit of the Lord will see that the Lord has guided this people since the death of the Prophet. You will see thousands living on the tops of their houses. I would rather live with my family on parched corn than go back for my family. If there are 50 sacks of salt in this camp I should just throw it all away on the ground, it is handsome [-] for 22 miles to get salt. 4 barrels of water makes 1 barrel of salt, as handsome as you ever saw. If you have vinegar us it freely, it will help you. Make all you can, in our present state it is impossible that every man to work by himself. We say to mechanics, stock those plows, then all plow and plant. We want you all to raise as much grain as possible. We have irrigated the land with cold water. I wonder it did not kill every seed, in a week the grain was up. We have directed about the water. Don't be greedy and think a man and boy can attend to 40 acres of ground. Plow up the city and fence it in. We have a city laid out in blocks of 10 acres each, etc. On the southeast of the city I have 2 tier of blocks. I want my brethren who chose to settle here to throw up a good adobe fence and made a farm and it will be enclosed, and all secured, so that an Indian can't look over up on horseback. Our motto will be '"Every man do his duty'" and if a man will not do his duty he must leave the diggings. You shall not have land to look at and another man without a foot. No man shall have land to look at. We have no land to sell nor you have any to sell, you shall not have the privilege of selling one foot of land. The land is here and we will occupy it, and if an Indian wants us to pay for any we will not do it. The Children of Israel never done say I own this land but the possession of it. If I have more that I can occupy let my neighbor use it. Our colors will be hoisted for all creation to gather to. If any man curses there to damn old Jo Smith and my religion I swear by all the Gods in eternity that I'll shed his blood. If a man wants to worship a handsome white dog what have I to do with the dog, its nothing to me. The Gentile nations have made war upon the Woman, and that is the reason we cannot live together. They are no more than the worms we tread upon. If the brethren will only be humble. I know that this Church will never no never be removed again. I am afraid (if any thing) of the brethren being covetous. I was to glad to see the sage roots so you see that our enemies will have to travel by as many sage roots as we do when they come and [-] us. We are going on after our families, they must not rip up our council. Br. Pratt and Taylor must not rip it up. If we appoint a council we want a man of God to stand up to it. We are the men to give council and we know it is right. I am going to forestall the devil when I see any thing going to sap the foundations. I will say one thing, P. Pratt and J. Taylor and so selfish that they can not see things. We give you the council and a man of God must stand up to it. Always be humble that you may discern the things of God. I want to live that God would want me to be, and if I am not right I want my brethren to right me. I am after right things. You will find out ere long that the High Council will have to know by the Spirit of the Almighty what is right and wrong. I know the liability of mans straying from right to wrong, and if I am not right I want some one to put me right. I am not going to have our council rift up. Since I've presided over the Twelve, only 14 days older than br. Kimball. I say walk up old fellow, has there been a difference in the Quorum of the Twelve since were been together? No, God has so ordained that we are all of one mind and of one heart. I know things you don't know of. If High Priests or Bishops have known of the things of [-] they have not manifested it. I calculate to keep a Quorum of the Twelve with me. If we had set our hands on bro. Pratt and bro. Taylor and set them about to find a location, they would have just done as we've done, and [-] we passed by those men. The keys of the kingdom just passed by them. The High Priests will find a perfect system and order. We expect our brethren to preach and pray, and regulate and dictate the affairs. (Spoke of brs. Kimball, Pratt, and John E. Page at Cincinnati) There are 7 or 8 of the Twelve, we want br. Pratt and Taylor to back up what we do; if they don't take care they are bound to fall, for they are shod with glass and we know the danger they are in. When they went to England they did a good work and effected the very work they went to perform. They may not understand the little keys and things. Will you go and finish the Fort and attend to no more land than you can cultivate. Will you water your land or have the rains, they choose to irrigate the land. Not a list of my meal has been sprout, not clothes mildewed'- They would not swap the country for a raining country. I sold the mill at Winter Quarters. Br. Whitney paid 1,500 in gold to Edwin Woolley to pay that debt. Then get the irons for a rim of stoves. That there may be no mistake about it. I can draw a furrow on the side hill and bring the water right to the top of my house. I am willing bro. Eldridge should take the water close to my house and set up his little run of stone and then use that water to irrigate the farm. We want you should built a bridge over the river and take your families to bathe in the Salt Lake, and also in the mineral springs, they'll find it beneficial for their health. It will cleanse [-] the old ague and chills. If your little children should get to the Hot Springs, it is dangerous for children. I want you to take crow bars and fill it up. -- Green River, Wyoming [Thomas Bullock Minutes, LJA; Thomas Bullock—LDS Church Reporter, 1844-56.C, Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.; GCM, Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah..; General Church Minutes. Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints DVD 1 (2002)]
[The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]
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