[Brigham Young Sermon] Its not wisdom to keep the people longer - still if its the wish of the people to continue, I think I can stay - or we will have the seats removed. There is some business to bring before the people - some about the cultivation of the land - some have anticipated going beyond the Jordan but now calculate to cultivate the land of this side - and when this is subdued then go over the other side - my council is if the brethren are faithful they can cultivate a large piece of land - if all the brethren were here and would cultivate about eight miles south, it is more than they can do - there are many without land to sow their wheat - there are about 200 lots that cant be cultivated now, but it may next season - many have been thrown out of lots - the company on the other side have been thrown out of land - when the canal is thrown out there be a deal of land that can be cultivated. The people concluded to ballot for their five and ten acres, many [-] to their improvements - I proposed if I drew land broke up, to break up for the person as much as they had done for me - Brother Lott as now got the church field put out into lots - my council is to mechanics give up your five and ten acre lots and make them like the Garden of Eden - it is absolutely necessary for us not to grasp more land than we can cultivate to perfection until the city is subdued and the land now surveyed - I would say be satisfied and don't throw out your arms too far - but you will find scores of lots that will not be cultivated - my plan is fence up every ten acre block in the city - and some men looked to lots back in the states of in California, or go to their farm - I propose to fence up and cultivate this city like the Garden of Eden - go and sow the whole of the church farm to wheat - I told Brother Whitney to hold on - if you will sow the wheat I will risk it I can buy it - men cant take care of the grain raised here - men believe that if the grain that has been destroyed by the cattle would supply one fourth of the people - my project now is - if the mechanics will give their five acre lots let the farmers take them - and if the crickets come on us, we will call out our stationary army in the forts to assist the army in the field, where men go on their farms they must pay for fencing their city lots - Amasa's company has gone beyond the cottonwood - we shall join fences to them - now go there and get Brother Lyman to survey the land - don't go any further - we may run our fence clear to Jordan and that will be enough. I say to the brethren, they may stay north on condition that they fence up their fields and make it secure if this people will do right they will be blessed - there is not a man in this community but may know what is right, let every person deal with his neighbor - husband with wives and wives with husbands just as they would want the others to do if they were in their situation then how many cases would be before the High Council - pay your debts - and they would go down on their knees and lie before the Great Jehovah - let me be hon- est with my God - and pay my vows to my God - then if the Lord willing - it shall come to pass in the last days that man will have to speak in the name of his God and he will then give us power to deal with men - this people will catch it, if they wont do right - if you will lie to your God - when you said you will serve your God and obey him - that man will not lie - and this is the power of God unto salvation - and if you are dishonest with God - he will put you to shame and send you to hell at last - this people know what the law of God is - and they understand it - the spirit is always with them for our God is a pleasant God in the very time of need - Are your lawyers good men - and the Lord says I will make your officers peace - O ye Elders of Israel is this peace - if you must needs whip each other box each others ears and don't hold a long private hatred - O ye Elders of Israel is the officers of this people peace - no contention in the camp of Israel about those days you may look out for gold - for then will he make the place of his feet glorious - and the law will be written and stamped in the inmost recesses of your heart - don't the people know that we must have confidence in our God, that we may come to our Father in the name of his brother, they can have confidence to ask to what they want and this people are a righteous people and the righteousness of this people is so great that we are brought out of the midst of the gentiles into the midst of the Lamanites and this is a greater miracle than was in the days of Moses - put your hands on the men here who have done wrong - I defy any man to do it there are lots of men who are like them - my heart is full of blessings all the time - and I thank my Father all the time I know it. I would feel ashamed to let anger or bickering rest in this bosom - to allow an angel to see it - Jesus subjected himself on purpose that he might shew his brethren that he could overcome temptation - and when you see an angel be as [-] and to see them as any man on the earth - it is as much as I can do to refrain from asking my Father to let me sleep that I may go home - I want to see those who are gone home - would you be astonished to see Joseph and Hyrum if they come and sat on this stand - and then if Jesus should come I would - I have done the best I could - make your confidence there and then you will make confidence in one another - all I ask is that my Father may give me wisdom to use myself that when Jesus comes I may know all is right and may the Lord bless you all. Amen. -- SLC Bowery [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, 15-17; General Church Minutes. Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 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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