[Brigham Young Sermon] Pres. Brigham Young then arose and said: Orson Hyde comes next on the list of the Twelve for the approval or disapproval of this people, and I don't know any necessity of motioning or seconding, but we will try the feelings of the people, by their vote. If it is the minds of the people that he should sustain his position in the Quorum of the Twelve, signify it by up lifted hands. He was sustained by unanimous vote'- Pres. Young then said: Lyman Wight comes next, '"the wild ram of the mountains.'" I don't know whether he is in the mountains or in the valleys; but he has been [with] us a good while; we feel yet to hold on to him; we have faith to hold on and not give him up. We hope he will come back and do a good work; he is wild, but we feel to fellowship him and retain him in the Quorum of the Twelve. He was for us the last time we heard from him; we give him our fellowship and remember him in our prayers. If you feel as we do, hold up your hands. (Clear vote)'- Pres. Brigham Young then continued his remarks and said: At our conference last winter something was said about the reorganization of the Church, a First Presidency and a Patriarch was selected, and Father John Smith was acknowledged Patriarch to the whole Church. It was a clear vote; we should sustain him; he has not received his ordination, but we can acknowledge him in the right thereof. This is a matter that has not been discussed before the people. Perhaps there are some who feel that the rising generation will be robbed in reorganizing the Church, that it would limit their privileges, and some have thought we were not able to do it, but take the Church here and abroad and the minds of the people generally are ripe for the subject; though there may be a few who do not see the necessity. If any have feelings that the rising generation will be deprived of their rights or curtailed in their privileges, I beg of such to dismiss their fears. The Lord God Omnipotent has reared up this kingdom thus far, and overruled and controlled all things to its advancement on the earth, and will sustain it until all things are consummated and the Church becomes triumphant. If he does not lead and dictate the affairs of the people, I would like the men on the walls of Jerusalem after crying wo to the city 7 years and now he said wo to myself. I say wo to the Church: wo to myself. It is for the people to live so that they can discern between the good and the evil, between the spirit of the Lord and opposite spirits; and if they do not, it is their privilege to humble themselves and to know that God is with us and for us, and not have to ask other people, or give heed to what this or that man may say. So brethren you may dismiss all your fears pertaining to the organization of the Church. It is our right and privilege and was at the first conference after Joseph's death to reorganize the Church, but we were not obliged to do it. It was wisdom not to then. I'll tell you how I felt, and how I feel now. To all apostates I say go it and all hell go it; we can whip you; yes with one hand tied behind our backs. I told the boys; '"Come home, build the Temple, let Uncle Sidney alone, and let him go it, and gather what he can. Go it; what can you do?'" Pretty soon James Strang stretches out his neck, and I said to Strang. Go it. Strangle away and see what you can do. I did not want to say any-thing about them but let them alone. If men don't know the things of God from the things of men, let them go. They are occupying seats that don't belong to them; they aren't worth their room. I want every apostate to go, every man and woman that can't put his neck right to it and bear up with patience. Go, I say, as I said going to the mountains, if you don't do righteously, I'll withdraw from the camp. I would rather go into the wilderness with 6 men than a host who won't act right and be overthrown. I said to Sidney and Strang; '"Go it; draw out all the filth you can.'" I'll tell you what it takes to make an honest man; it takes a man to be honest and upright from this time till he goes to judgment. You won't catch an honest man becoming a dishonest man, and I don't know the scrip- tures that say; My sheep hear my voice, but they don't know it. I want you to produce such scripture, if you can. It must be in Sidney's or Strang's Bible, and for me to say a righteous good man has been deceived by such characters, I don't believe it; they are naturally dishonest in their feelings and slippering in their deal; if they had been honest, they would have stuck by us (even if the shepherd was dead) and kept by the fold and fought the Devils, a great man can become dishonest. The Bible I read, the Bible we got from the Christians, and the Latter-day Saints Bible, all say that the sheep hear the voice of the good shepherd, and a stranger's voice they will not follow, and where are the apostates now; it is rumored that Sidney had to swear to his son-in-law, George W. Robinson, that he would never open his mouth about religion again, before he would take him in and give him a morsel of bread. I would have been killed a thousand times in Carthage Jail rather than deny my religion, or swear any such thing. I would have told my son-in-law: I'll do as I please. It is our privilege to reorganize, and if you do not know where the keys of this kingdom are, it is your privilege to repent and have revelations. Many repent and get so holy that they receive revelations to lead everybody but themselves. They get so holy that they leak out all good sense like my stocking. They are so holy that I had to put on one white and one blue stocking. I had not time to wait to get them mended. Those remarks pertain to the organization of the Church. You know what has been said and what others have done. They have written letters saying it was this and that one to lead this Church and this child they have robbed. They don't know any thing about it; let them know ever so much, they do not know enough to hold their tongues. If they had' good sense they would know to hold their tongues. I know how it was and is and how it will be and it will be as the Lord says; and when we get back to our places, we'll find its all right A great deal is said about covetousness; that is idolatry; to covet that which does not belong to you whether about your families, your field, or in the Priesthood. Don't you see it here almost in everything you do, and some are handling things, and others know not what they are. I am for the Lord, as I told my brethren, I am a friend to the Almighty; if I suffer persecution, the Lord will yet rule and overrule and sanctify it for my good and he will reign until he puts all his enemies under this feet, and then he will deliver up the kingdom to his father. Will we then take a course to do right; does it make you feel good to quarrel and be contentious. Every man and woman has to be tempted with a contentious spirit. I know you feel better to loose $5, $10, or $50, and let it go, than to quarrel about it. When a man makes a sacrifice and says, I'll be faithful and diligent and do all in my power to bear off the kingdom of God, he feels happy. Others say, where is my crown, where is my increase, where is my glory, and looking after pay all the time. I say, '"Look after your duty; seek to know it and do it, and it's all right about your pay. My payment is as sure as the rising sun.'" I worship a God on whose veracity the faith of the angels and all the Latter-day Saints rests. I'll risk it if some are afraid of it and that they will come short of going into the celestial kingdom, and they wonder if they will be saved with the sanctified. I don't care anything about it. I have enlisted in the service of my God and will leave it to him what he'll do with me. I'll do all I can, and if I have to go to hell, the devil and I will have a hard scratching, so Joseph said, '"we would turn the devils out and make a paradise of it'" I feel almost like the Baptists who were so overzealous that they had to confess that they were willing to be dammed before they could be baptized. A certain brother was being baptized in Black Ri
ver and he was dipped 20 times before he would confess and at last he got another dip, and was asked '"Dear Brother, aren't you willing to be dammed. Yes, Yes, he replied, I'm willing to be dammed.'" I'm serving a good master; am I going to have a great kingdom, or a very bright shining crown. Am I going to have the highest seat in heaven? No and I don't care anything about it I don't pray for the highest seat in heaven. A certain old man always used to pray for the lowest seat in heaven. On being asked why he said: '"Have you not read the scriptures: He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.'" I don't care any-thing about it only for grace to lead the people and fight the Devil. They accuse me of making bogus money. I have never counterfeited in any-thing but myself and that I did when I turned out Wm. Miller for Brigham. I sup- pose he is in the congregation. I always want to see him; his story is a story never to be forgotten. I hope the Lord will give me strength to fight the devil and live till I am 67 years old, if I have only buffalo beef to live on, for I want to live to see Christ reign as King of kings and all enemies put under his feet, and I'll see it any how if I should die. I think I can bear afflictions and troubles as well as any other man. It rolls off my shoulders, I want to be as righteous as the d loving Christians say we ought to be. I want to be just as good and holy as that and then we should have peace among ourselves, and then we would not be contending for an old oak tree so small that it would take three of them to make the length of a rail. 1 think I'll stay here myself and send my brethren on to the mountains and I'll go where there is plenty of timber and I'll be careful of my com, and saving, peradventure I may be able to feed some of my enemies. I'd rather feed my worst enemies on the face of the earth then waste it. When you cut timbers take the tops for firewood, and use it all up. Brethren, all is right, God will overrule and control the acts of men to the building up of his Kingdom; and when our enemies would do that which in the end would not be for our good, God will restrain them, and I say thus far shall you go, but no farther. And they are acting upon their own agency and from their feelings. But whatever is beyond doing good to my people, as it is written, the wrath of man shall praise him, the residue I will restrain. All is right, God will lead his people to the mountains, I have said so much about Patriarch. I move that it is Uncle John Smith's right to be ordained the Patriarch to the whole Church. (The motion was carried unanimously)'- I move that the two divisions be made into one and that is Joseph's division, and when we talk of the Camp it be called the Camp of Israel. (Orson Hyde seconded and carried unanimously.) I'll tell the Brethren what are my feelings; myself Heber C. Kimball, Amasa M. Lyman, Ezra T. Benson, Thomas Bullock and Joseph Young and William Clayton want to go to the mountains. I can raise about fourteen teams, I calculate to go, if I can get teams; otherwise I must stay. I can't go without 20 Wagons, 12 or 15 more to carry provisions. Many families and orphan children depend on me, 8 families besides my own wives and children, and they aint a few, I'll assure you. If you will come up and count them. I am willing to stay here another year, and I can let my teams go, but if we can get off I want it. My feelings are: its no matter where I am; I aint bound to this place, nor any place on the earth. I got no will of my own, nor I haven't since I got my cords cut, and my corns knocked of, when I was chosen as one of the Twelve. Then I had no home. I would just as leave go as stay, or stay as go, and was determined to have no will of my own, till God said it was my right to do as I will and please. We have a good deal of machinery and other things to take to the valley. No man need give a team to any other man and think I will be responsible for it. That tells the story. I will not be responsible for any horse, ox, mule, cow, or wagon, unless it be put into my hands. Now don't put teams out at random. When you send a team, send a good confidential driver who will take care of it and return it safe so that you need not be deceived. Some of the Brethren have loaned teams and they have had trouble upon trouble about them; its hateful. I'll defy any man in the whole world to say I have dealt deceitfully with him. I could swear by the Gods in the eternal world I never dealt deceitfully'- -- Winter Quarters, Nebraska [Journal History of the Church, Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints DVD 2 (2002); CA.; 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]
[source: 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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