[Brigham Young Sermon] Through the Lord strengthening me I shall endeavor to address the people. I trust I shall have strength to speak to be understood, although hard and tiresome and sometimes throws me on a sick bed to speak in open aid - I also trust to have command over my feelings to speak in a childlike spirit and yet with the confidence and courage of a man, although it may be hard to suppress my feelings I would rather sit and behold the people gathered together and when I had command and confidence without appearing as a child - perhaps not another person in congregation, I venture not another one that as the sensations I have, this people have been scattered and driven homeless and houseless scattered in a world friendless, not knowing where to go, this is but a small portion that has born a part of that weight that has been on my shoulders - I've felt their sufferings and all their feelings from the death of Joseph until now, I doubt if there are persons that feels as I do without having to guard every moment from bursting into tears and sitting down like a child were here thank the Almighty God of Israel we are not crucified disbanded or dispersed among the gentiles to share wickedness and plagues, matter of rejoicing to be here this morning, shall remark on different subjects to satisfy my own feelings. I say more for their kindness to assist me to valley when teams die, wagons down, men and women wore out - I say brothers and sisters please to receive my warmest thanks and receive the choicest blessings of the Lord and we shall receive the blessings in gathering up Israel and when they come they will exclaim like me, May the blessings of the Lord rest upon you - I don't feel like quarreling and have not seen a particle of quarreling since Winter Quarters. I could not get anybody to quarrel with me, my heart is full of blessings for you choicest blessings - in midst of poverty perplexity wantonness and foibles and falling out men and women I say trample it under you r feet and see [-] build up the kingdom of God - you've done first rate and we undoubtedly shall be the boys to better it - I'm happy to be here, my soul is full of joy - gold and silver houses and lands and even wives and fine company is not the joy for me my love is like D (David) and Jon (Jonathan) - its stronger than death - beyond the vail and in eternity and carries them into eternity to possess all things, there we can have wives and children that's the love for me - if I ask those who are with me if they are for righteousness and for the gathering of the kingdom of Israel every and would be up, and we mean to try you. I told you when we go you into the wilderness far enough we mean to make you know what law is or we'll walk over you - for a man to contend with his promptings about doctrine property or little things - lets contend to see who can do the most good to gather Israel, they will come by 1000 - 10,000 and millions. I'll see who can travel the furthest and save the most souls and see who'll do the most good - that's worth contending for - theirs a limit to the brethren - I'll walk over your [-] - I go into pounds - if there's any [-] bus - I shew you what [-] is and that is righteousness - you will all know my mind - I am not going to take, I want to know who is for God, for Israel and for gathering - I want to know who is for passing by the foibles of his neighbor - if I've not as many - thank God for the ability of escaping them - I wish I had the principle of succumbing to others - I want them to be right - I want to be where I am and then to have them ahead of me so that I may learn of them and thank them and the Lord too - those who have come in here with me - we concluded to stop here - we were baptized for the remission of our sins - we advise and council those who have come here take the same course, wash away your sins and commence anew to serve the Lord. Three years has past since we commenced removing from Nauvoo - we made an agreement to leave the States, it is a marvel to some why we do - from that time to this we have no abiding place to point too and say there's the place to go - if its a marvel why we agreed to leave Nauvoo - if Joseph Smith our beloved Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, who was slain in Carthage, if he had as long a of gold to fill this bowery he would have given it to be set down here. the gentile government was watching him - when they killed him they kicked us out we turn around and say thank you sir - from the day Oliver Cowdery and Parley P. Pratt went over the boundary of Jackson County - they would not let us stop, at last we've accomplished it - we are in their midst - its our duty to save Israel, we are here, thank the Almighty God. I wonder if there has been well ones enough to take care of the sick? after pioneers left - there more than 300 graves dug until I returned, not well enough to bury the dead - husbands carrying wives and burying them up - you have got to a healthy country - I will ask you an question - I told you in N I would lead you to a healthy country, every one decided in a moment - do you think I have [-] my pledge? (all hands up) you are in a healthy country. I'm glad of the rocks and mountains, the sage and the dust and frost - pretty discouraging - Government watching our movements - San Francisco, St. Louis, United States, Canada, England all watching our movements. Glory to the Lord for those things - and here is the place of begin - and no man has any business to go any where unless I tell him to go - I knew how to escape Tom Benton's dead fall, he wanted it to fall easy and asked for 500 men - if they wont let them go - and he told them he knew they would not do it - the dead, dead fall was working - and said to government of Missouri mash up those men - by and by Captain Allen came along and I mashed up the dead fall. I know when the time comes for a man to go to the islands of the sea or anywhere else and if he don't believe it - let him please himself - parents know what is care for the children - General for army but very little - when Gen Hardin came all kept dark - they knew we were going to San Francisco for we shipped them there, we did not care for the property but we pulled the wool over their eyes and we believed we were going to the midst of the mountains - and here we are - the most I dreaded of Missouri, old Major Miller could see the sixty pipes of whiskey - I told Medge to unload the alcohol - and I told him if old Major Miller split a drop I would split his damn old claret. I don't love them and don't fear them we could outreach them and use them as we now have to get the best places, best houses, and we have the best place in the mountains for the first location, my worth? is, I don't know that I could better my life its my joy day and night to build up the kingdom of my God and I don't know it would be any better if I were to live seventeen years over again and now who is for God and none else - I've a good mind to unravel it - my motto is for God and his kingdom and if a man wont do it - I withdraw the hand of fellowship - if they try to be righteous and do right - I will forgive their weaknesses - but if they wont do it they stand aside on my faith. Lyman Wight is riding on our faith at this time, he is a first rate noble good heart and by and by we shall bring him here - if we were to cut him off he would die in a moment like a dead limb - there are evil spirits not only here but in Winter Quarters, and want Judge Phelps to tell the story while I rest. -- Salt Lake City [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..; Leonard J. Arrington Papers, Special Collections, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University, Logan.. (A reference reading LJA 12-55-5, 10, means LJA Series 12, Box 55, Folder 5, page 10.) 9-13-3, 2-4; General Church Minutes. Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S
aints DVD 1 (2002)]
[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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