Show DISCOURSE by president B young in the tabernacle december ath 1853 after reading the ath chapter chapt er of matt matthew h ew myself and my brethren frequently arise to address the congregation in this place not knowing precisely what may mayji p rove the most beneficial benefic jai and instructing the same weakness is in ia me that is common to the most of my brethren who address you yon from this stands stand that is a degree of timidity which arises from a sense of the importance of the work in which we are engaged but my resolution overbalances over balances this weakness can anything be taught that will edify this congregation gre gation like the principles of the gospel it may be said the we life and existence of man with the varied avocations of his life from birth to death is an interesting sub subject j act as much so as the gos 1 pel bu this is connected with the gospel of salvation is well as everything else that is associated socia ted with wih his being the whole mortal ex istance of man is neither more nor less than a preparatory state given to finite beings a space wherein they may improve themselves for a higher state of being the labor of man in this ex istance seems to be wholly directed to procure a mortal subsistence this is is more particularly the case with those who have not learned the order of heaven and that it is necessary to direct our energies during our time here in a channel to secure salvation in the kingdom of god mankind in general do not stop to reflect they are pressing headlong to grasp tile the whole world if possible each individual for himself liim self and are ignorant of the design the almighty had in their creation and existence in this life to obtain a knowledge of this design is a duty obligatory obliga tary upon all the sons and daughters of adam I 1 the latter day saints realize that there is no period of mans existence not incorporated with ther plan of salvation and directly pointing to a future existence consequently when we stand here to speak to the people let every man speak what is in his heart if one of our elders is capable of giving us a lecture upon any science let it be delivered in tile the spirit of meekness in the spirit of the holy gospel if on the sabbath when we are assembled here to worship the lord one ot of the elders should be prompted to give us a lecture on any branch of education with which hiis he is acquainted is it outside the pale of our religion I 1 think not if any of the elders are disposed to give a lecture to parents and children on letters on the rudiments of the english language it is in my religion it is a part of my faith or if an elder shall give us a lecture upon astronomy chemistry or geology our religion embraces it all it matters not what the subject be if it tends to improve the mind exalt the feelings and enlarge the capacity the truth that is in m av all the arts and sciences forms a part of our religion faith is no more a part of it than any true principle of philosophy were I 1 to give you a lecture today to day upon farming would I 1 be speaking upon a matter that transcends the bounds of our religion agriculture is a part of it as well as any other truth were I 1 to lecture on business principles of any kind our religion embraces it and what it does not circumscribe it would be well for us to dispense with at once and forever this language may come in contact with the prejudices of many peoples people and I 1 will add of all people unless they have been schooled in mormonism it comes in contact with the traditions prejudices and feelings of former years when the alpha and omega of our religion consisted in singing preaching exhorting and shouting glory hallelujah halla lujah praise the lord and when monday morning came we would go to our farms to our merchandise merchandize dize to our mechanism and to what we called our dull business of life which we considered did not belong to our religion these are the traditions of the world but it is not so with us we have learned the gospel better I 1 am aware how easy it is for the mind of man to become au entangled tangled with the deceitfulness of riches for I 1 am somewhat experienced in the spirit spi of the world how easy it is for the love of the world to take possession of the hearts of the human family how easy it is for their minds to become darkened by the god of this world and become like the eyes of the fool which are in the ends of the earth seeking for gold and silver and for the riches grand ure popularity and ald titles of this world if the religion we possess does not control and reign predominant over every other principle and feeling we have not been schooled in it so as to team learn our lessons correctly we are not masters of this heavenly science if the latter day saints have not been schooled enough to realize malize that all things which pertain to this world riches honors worldly granduke gran dure and worldly titles are not wholly subservient to their religion they are not fully skilled in their profession are you aware of this do the latter day saints sainta individually realize the circumstances in which they are placed the position they occupy in human society in the midst of the church of jesus christ how many are there here today to day who realize as they ought their standi standing n with ith god and man and who understand precisely their air position in life their relationship lation ship with angels and the destinies of providence here are many who have been in this church for years are they masters or are they yet only scholars are they fathers or yet only babes have they need to be taught what are the rudiments of the doe doctrine trine of christ or are they capable of teaching them to the human family pointing out the way of life and salvation many are capable if we have learned our lessons well while we teach the way of life and salvation to others we shall exemplify it in our own lives fives how many of my hearers possess the mastery over themselves can keep the angry spirit of wrath under the empire of reason and cannot be prejudiced against their brethren select the man or woman who is capable of judging budgin g a righteous ou s judgment who oan can weigh exactly the life and conduct of their neighbors in the balance of justice mercy and truth are there mere any I 1 hope there are many how many of the latter day saints who have been in the church from 15 to 20 years have learned the gospel sufficiently to be masters of their passions how many have learned the nature of things as well as benr men the use of gold and silver and the elements that are around us so as to enjoy the life of the world and understand the nature of it well enough to devote all a the treasures of f the east did thoy they possess them to the building up of the kingdom of godana Go god dand and to have no will but the will of the lord who to fa proof against the influence of a good name and I 1 I 1 I 1 worldly worldly y renown how many have learned the lesson so perfectly as to defy the depths of poverty f I 1 if a j distress and misery to move them or in the least shatter their integrity the congregation can 4 S I 1 answer these questions at their leisure each one for himself I 1 can assure you yon we have to learn such lessons if we have not already I 1 the mysterious and invisible hand baud so called of providence is manifested in all the works of god who of this congregation can realize for I 1 one moment that tile the lord would notice so trifling an affair as the hairs you have combed from your heads this morning yet it is so not one hair hai has fallen to the ground without the notice of our father in heaven to convince the ancient apostles of his care over them he selected the most trifling things in estimation to illus aerate to their minds that the least thing esca peth not his notice saith he fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell are net two sparrow sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall to the ground without the knowledge of your father but the very hairs of your head are numbered nu 11 can we realize hew his providence governs and controls the nations of the earth and marks out the destinies of individual men if we have not learned these lessons they are before us as and wo we have them yet to learn if we have not yet learned that poverty sickness pain want 11 ment losses crosses or even death should not move us one hairs breadth from the service of god or separate us from the principles of eternal life it is a lesson we have to learn if we have not learned how to handle the things of this woj id in the light of salvation we have it yet to learn though we had mountains of gold and silver and stores of precious things heaped up and could control the elements and command the cattle on a thousand hills if we have not learned that every iota of it should be devoted to the building up of 1 the kingdom ot of god on earth it is a lesson we have yet to learn our religion embraces every truth pertaining to mortal life there is nothing outside the pals pale of it it it is no matter what persons do if they keep within the bounds of truth and righteous righteousness of the gospel of the son of god can they ate step beyond these bounds they can I 1 will tet tell you yon how bow aas easily i I 1 y when saints start to cross the plains to this place no matter where they start from they ar are full of faith and religion they are fun full of prayer and humility and 0 how they desire to get to zion they cross the atlantic travel on the waters of the mississippi and missouri and commence their journey over the plains but be I 1 fore they have traveled over half the distance they enter into temptation some of them so far as to say when aget 1 get to the valley I 1 shall go to california some will stop step out of ef lne ine way for far enough to curse and swear at their cattle and others will wili cruelly treat them in arage a rage of madness those thosa who do these things know they are beyond the tha bounds of what they have been taught is right light even by the traditions of the fathers we have been taught from our childhood that passion anger strife and malice are wrong our former traditions in a great many instances have been as an true arid as much in accordance with the gospel i as they could be given we have been tradition abed not to swear and the spirit within us forbids i it if we maltreat our animals or each other the spirit within us our traditions and the bible all agree in ia declaring it is wrong when the saints arrive in salt lake valley how easy it is for them to wander from the right way I 1 could point out scores of cases had I 1 time on oil the other hand I 1 can point out men who have been with us for years iu the depths of ij poverty verty and some from the begin beginning Ding and they never saw the time when they could feed their families with sufficient food nor clothe then them and yet they are full of faith and humility should this thia people partake of the blessings of the lord as freely as he is willing to bestow them it would destroy them they do not realize they are to be tried IQ ia all things they would say ai 1 I acknowledge I 1 am blessed but I 1 have blessed myself ana forget it Is the lord who has blessed the them and given them their gold and silver their houses and lands their horses and carriages and all ail things they possess if the latter day saints have not learned to handle the good things of this world acknowledging the handoc hand of god in putting it into tile their ir possession oz I 1 they have this lesson lessen yet to learn wh when an I 1 those who can bear poverty are blessed with pios pi oa 19 they are apt to rise up in their own strength I 1 1 and wisdom and forget the god who has ble blessed ped I 1 them and make a shipwreck of their faith again there are those who have been prospered in their life when they are brought to poverty and want turn away from the truth like the young man in nauvoo who sat down to breakfast from a johnny cake alone says he 11 do not dot ask a blessing upon this if god does not give me better fool food than this I 1 shall never ask him to bless it its I 1 said you will make shipwreck of faith the spirit ho he manifested was an apo apostate stute spirit he had forgotten there was a providence in thet the very circumstance cum stance he spurned and went to destruction mysterious as it may appear to the children of men god is in and around all things to do right can be reduced to perfect simplicity in a few words viz from this time henceforth let no person work or transact any kind of business whatever that they cannot do in the name naine of the lord Lorda and iid let them sink oink wholly into his will whether it opposes opposes their prejudices oi 01 not or is decidedly objectionable to their feelings tile the lord will ultimately load lead such persons into the fullness of his joy by a way that may sometimes appear dark to them but there are thousands who will say lord we believe in your name in your name we have been baptized and prophesied and have cast out devils in your name nama do you not remember we laid hands on a person in yonder city or in that house and cast a devil out of him such persons that have healed the sick or cast out a devil sooner or later take strength to themselves if they are not careful and believe they haye have power of themselves to do what they please boast not of these matters you yon hear many say 1 I am a latter day saint and I 1 never will apostatize 11 1 I am a latter latte day saint andaas be to the day of my death I 1 never make such declarations and never shall I 1 think I 1 have learned that of myself I 1 have no power but my system is organized to increase in wisdom knowledge and power getting eting a little here and a little there B but Q t when f I 1 am left to myself I 1 have no power and my wisdom is foolishness then I 1 cling close to the lord and I 1 have power in his name I 1 think I 1 have learned the gospel so as to know that in and of myself I 1 am nothing in the organization of my system however is a foundation laid if I 1 rightly improve upon it that will secure to me the independence of tile the gods in eternity this is obtained by strictly adhe to t the principles of the gospel in this life which will lead us on from faith to faith and from grace to grace frace this is the way I 1 think I 1 have haie learned the lord shall we ever see the time we shall be gerfe perfectly C aly independent of every other being in all the eternities no we shall never see that time many have fallen on as simple ground as this and were I 1 ilo I 1 0 use a western term I 1 f would say they were troubled with the big head such persons person think they have power to do this that and th the other but they a are re left to themselves es and the lord loves to show theo they have no power we hear bear some saying 1 I will get t out t of this thia community as soon as I 1 can bilyou why beau because I 1 bought a wagon of one of m my brethren and he wants me to pay for it or 41 1 I rode a brothers horse to death and he thinks I 1 should make it good it isa damnable community and I 1 will not stay in it I 1 I 1 do not hear these things myself but I 1 can hear bear of them I 1 know it is so whitt what ails such people they have taken strength to them selves and for forgotten gotton the lord their god they do not call upon his name and trust in him to direct them in all their ways they forget they are doing as they used to do viz serve the lord on the seventh day and take six to themselves they will traffic trade labor quil and hea heap p up riches six days and go to meeting on aday to serve the lord one day about kuchare such a religion I 1 am ignorant only I 1 know it is is i go good od f for or nothing my 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