[Brigham Young Sermon] Through the mercy of the Lord we are permitted to assemble this morning - and occupy a short time as it has been the custom of saints to meet to remember their calling and viewing their progress in the world - and show how they live day by day for a better day that's coming in the morning of the resurrection - every day should be spent in remembering the morning of the resurrection - passing through a perfect warfare from our birth to the grave - of all people now living we have the greatest reason to worship God and bring forth salvation to all the seed of Father Adam - this ought to be the object of every man, woman and child to build up the kingdom of God on the earth - that those who remain may determine to serve the Lord. We have reason to be thankful, our ears have been saluted by the principles of the everlasting gospel - millions if they heard it would have embraced it as honest as we - we are but a speck in proportion to those who have not heard a gospel sermon - how many hearts now present have prayed to learn the plan of salvation - and discern truth from error - scores and 100s right here - their desires are to know the truth - when the truth come - Paul saw he was full of error and wickedness - 1000 know that sin was implanted in them and they had to destroy the sin and it has actually taken 1000s from the earth - how many are there here that say show me my duty and I will live to it if it cost me my natural feelings and even life into it? how many are there here? - there are many desire to know the truth - but when they are called to pass through trials - the evil seed that is sown in them - their former practices when the line is drawn between the devil and the Lord - the flesh and the devil prevail, men slide over - self preservation the world - gentile customs arise in their hearts - and they say we used to take such things and it was right then - but when the saints are brought to the test it tries them pretty hard - they made a covenant to do it and God tries them sometimes - as it was in the days of Job - I want to tell the people something concerning their present salvation - I want to take a course that when I am taken from the world I should be just as well prepared as in a year or 1000 years to come - if I step out of the way since I have been in the pales of the church - I give [-] year a 1000 errors for one truth and keep my conscience void of offense - I want my conscience governed and controlled by a celestial law - and then I am ready to go into the eternal world the sun and the Spirit of Truth warms me - and when this severe hard weather is gone and a thaw comes - I feel the saints will thaw out and behold we live - I hope the spirit of the Lord may breath upon these dead bodies - that it may warm them up that they may live and not die - the Lord wants us to do just right, and every man will know right from wrong if he is faithful - the kingdom of God as the same order of earth as in heavenly things - our Father controls and governs and dictates by his will and word - that produces joy and peace and all eternity moves according to his pleasure - it should be so on earth - they ought to be as willing to hearken to council - every man and woman should live that the Holy Spirit of the Lord broods over them by day and day - they are with me - in all my movements let it be dictated by the council of the Almighty and every person says amen - if the Lord has not dictated me to lead this people - tell me who he is that may teach me but if I am the man let me teach you and every heart say Amen and be willing to obey it then the destroyer will have no power over us - I only want to dictate you to the grave and in things that pertain to your salvation both in time and in eternity and in all things pertaining to eternity - if an angel from heaven was here he would say all the knowledge and understanding I could put in my pocket - it is but a dust to the worlds - I don't want a man that is a saint - I don't want him to go out of this valley unless I dictate him - all ye Elders of Israel - next spring I want to see the fields fenced in and to raise a great quantity of bread stuff - not to count noses and weigh bread stuff - I know what is good for this people - temporal and spiritual - I have got judgment to do it - I know what would be good for a farmer - blacksmith, wheelwright or tannery - I do and in regard to merchandizing I know better than all other men unless they thing as I do - I want to see you in health and prosperity clothed and in comfort and I know how to plan for the good of the people - I dream about it and understand it by vision and by all the principles - When it is needful for laws I am about it - I prophesy in the name of Israel's God, those who go out of this valley without council they will have sorrowful hearts and many a wet cheek - and many of them will be ultimately damned - and if they don't go according to council they will be damned - I say it in the name of Israel's God. I am bound by the law of God and so are others, if I warn them and forewarn them don't you see my skirts will be clean of their blood - I want to see the poor of this people have plenty are if I don't mature? - and before we have been here two summers there will not be a family that will say I am hungry - but they will all be in comfort - and when the poor who can invite the rich - then I delight to go - a man living in the field will be as much blessed an any elder preaching and they will increase in peace and knowledge - in doing the things beneficial to this people - the Lord would not say thank you for a 1000 prayers if I did not try to benefit this people - I am going to apprise this people - Joseph organized a council for the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth - the kingdom of God on the earth with all its laws and ordinances will protect the LDS and every person on the earth in their rights but not to bind men to believe as we do - it is a mean narrow sectarian devilish prison - I rejoice in the sun moon and stars, for they are the works of the Almighty - if the people are disposed to worship them, let them be - Adam was most like God - and spoke on Methodists - the kingdom is calculated to protect every person - this company was organized by Joseph - and that quorum is the kingdom; to dictate, holds the prerogative to dictate all others [-] on the earth - and they issue laws to protect all men in their rights - that council is here - the High Council are called to settle differences in the church and the bishop acts as the common judge there is a council that will dictate - when have you seen the time when there has been funds to carry it on - we never could build a bridge - all were afraid to oppress the people - my doctrine is we are rich and can do anything we have a mind to - we are going to have the tax collected - and if I don't pay as much as any man I will donate as much to make me equal - we are going to put money in the hands of the supervisor to build bridges and men who have got wagons oxen [-] - is that right (yes all right) - if I am worth 100, I can pay 1 - if 1000 - 10 - we calculate to work roads - and build public school houses - if the gentiles do good thing will you neglect that - we mean to build an academy - I feel rich - and all the States could not hire me to go back - is it right for us to take this course - if it is signify it by the right hand (all up) - now if we think we can do nothing - the God of heaven will let us drop down to nothing it is as easy for us to build a temple worth 200,000 as 2,000 - we never were in more favorable circumstances in this world than now - just as the people say - we can do if we had not one ounce of gold in the vault and we put out paper money - it ought to be as good - if this people are disposed to work unitedly to send for machinery and merchandizing - let this community say we will bless such a man to go - and if the people now want to go to the States to get fitted out, they will be fitted out of the kingdom of God - if a man is blessed in labor or in gold dust - he ought to put it on the alter - there are some
men the most foolish I ever saw - you may take the wickedest man right out of Missouri and you would see a more liberal hand - and if some men who are here were amongst them they would cut their throats, men to ask 4 or 5.00 a bushel of corn, and I just prophesy such men will go to hell and the sooner they get out of this valley the better - they will be so much lower in all hell that they would never see a gentile even in hell - there are a few here who worship their money and their belly is their god - let them go - if I had all the bread stuff in this valley I could weigh a pound a day you who feed corn to your horses and cows, stop it, if it will take but a little to paint your character that when you are judged by the quick and dead - you would give 1000s to get rid of it - for it is recorded - give good weight - but if you extort from your fellow being you will hereafter be sorry - I am willing to ration as low as any - you who have an over plus deal it out to those who need - and you women - some waste more than they actually eat - I know of families who had more bread stuff than I have - they are now out - I don't ask more than to peak into a house to tell what kind of a house keeper there is - women don't know what they are come into this world for - to raise up children - or anything - there are certain principles that deprive many of the comforts of life, and mean, if every man and woman would be industrious and cleanly - and try to help themselves, we? will help such - I am willing to divide with my brethren - will you unitedly sustain each other - divide with each other - and not let a man or woman starve - signify it - (clear vote) -- 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, 35-39; 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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