Show A DISCOURSE by president brigham young at a meeting or of elders and high priests in the april ath 1852 1952 at six nix pm being the second day of the spring conference it may be considered that we area are a mixed congregation consisting of bishops bishop seventies high priests elders the twelve and first presidency but I 1 consider we are strictly speaking a aeeti meeting ng of the elders of israel for if we were to be ins instructed in the duties dutie sf of any one of these quor quorums qu tims that instruction would be equally good for all this vast concourse of persons are all elders in israel with but a very lew few exceptions for there are some priests teachers and deacons present but not a great many the greater portion of the male members of this community are elders in the church and as elders we are to be instructed so sa as to obtain an of all things pertaining to our duty we have heard and felt sufficient to know that the wisdom which is to be obtained in in this kingdom is more satisfactory to us than t the he boasted wisdom of the world this is appreciated precia ted by ahe majority of this assembly ly if not by all the knowledge possessed by this people is of more value than all the knowledge of the world put together and infinitely greater in this kingdom you will find the root of all I 1 science and that too in men who have not been taught the sciences after the manner of the world they understand the origin of science and can trace it through the life of man much to their satisfaction let any man who i possesses the holy ghost though never taught the sciences but a very little hear a learned man exhibit the principles of any he understands the origin anil and proper bearings of the subject treated upon by the speaker through he increased rays of that light which ligh teth every man that cometh into the world this is to us a a matter of no little satisfaction I 1 have many cogitations with regard to this work of the last days and the he prosperity of this kingdom yet I 1 have learned years ago that the lord stands at the helm that guides zion s ship he is its dictator and unless we work exactly to the line that is marked out by him our works will be in vain this has been my experience from the beginning in every branch and avenue of our lives we must learn to work to te line of truth it is for us to know what ought to be done and then do it though should there be no eart earthly lily prospect of accomplishing it we can certainly try and if we try with all our inist ini lit that act will prove at least a resolute and determined mind adorned with patience and perseverance and if with all our resolute te en deavours we are still unable to accomplish our purpose the lord will ill be very licely to sareth forth his hand and give the victory perhaps before we get through with this conference we shall ask such a favor of the bishops as aa we asked of them last conference which was as granted to the letter and that most rigorously the brethren are rigorous wilh themselves for they have paid their tithing wil bingly and I 1 do not know that the bishops have had to urge them any to the fulfilment fulfillment of this duty however some on the first reflection thought it seemed impossible for them to comply with wilh it and some thought that our request was inconsistent but with a little mole moie mature reflection with a little faith and prayer they brou brought lit themselves directly to obedience I 1 think this has haq been almost universal universally the case V I 1 we should now call upon the bishops for a favor it would be to grant us its a little assistance with rega d to our purr hasing basing and laying in in lumber nails glass gla iss and other merchandise to supply our future wants I 1 wish each ward to bear their heir share in this matter I 1 mention it that the bishops nay be alert in in their feelings now arf thren thien can we fight against and subdue ourselves that is is the greatest difficulty we ever encountered and the most arduous warfare we ever engaged in in this will apply most perfectly aly to the brethren who have gathered with wilh the saints when we are out in in the world we preach faith and repentance so that the saints bring the knowledge of first principles with ith them to the gathering place your next step is is to enter into the study of this A man MRY may learn letters and study all the various various branches of scholastic holistic sc education to the day of his death but if he be does not attain to strict self di ci pline his learning will not amount to much the catalogue of man s discipline he be must comp pile ie himself he cannot be guided by any rule that others ma may y lay down but is is placed under the necessity of tr tracing aring it himself through every avenue of his lire life he is is obliged to catechize and tin tam t am himself for he knows his own disposition the best its fortified and unfortified carls he i r therefore the most fit to school himself until every particle of the man is is brought into subjection to the law of christ when you had bad obeyed the first ordinances of the gospel then you discovered that the lord had set his hand to gather israel that zion might be built up tip and isrnel israel gathered from the four winds these doctrines h ve been taught taught t and re r taught arain again and again I 1 think thin k chere th ere is not a man here who did not fully understand ah them while in his native country there may be a few exceptions among those who have by chance fallen into the society of the saints at the gathering place where their first acquaintance an e ws was formed and u w have not had the same opportunity of hearing the first principles as others have had in the world now we enter this school to be planed squared and polished suppose we admit of milice anger ard ad wrath in our hearts steep ourselves in wickedness by taking the name of god in vain by entering into every kind of outbreak and transgression gres sion by defiance to every wholesome law by neglecting our families physically mentally and morn lly and by neglecting our brethren and ourselves our former repentance and baptism for the remission of our sins will not profit us through indulging in sin afterwards but all our former sins will again be upon us and we m mut u t atone for the whole then let us cleave un unto t 0 righteousness learn to do well and continue to do so all the ibe days of our lives that our former sins may not stand against us this is our duty if every person in the community would correct I 1 their own errors each day they live the errors of the whole would continually be effectually corrected for where is there a roan man who by preaching on a text from the bible or book bok of mormon can correct the faults of the people that may be done until they go into their graves and little or no good result from it I 1 mean to t correct my own faults and it is for you to do the same it is an individual business over which each man must preside until every fault in our whole lives is corrected and we are sanctified bea before ore the lord if your neighbor suffers buffers his cattle or V wo ahil I 1 r C C I 1 0 I 1 drea to lr epa upon yow your property never retaliate or speak an angry reply for this will enger I 1 der a spirit of anger ang r in him consider well before i you suiter your mi minds tide to be irritated in the least I 1 suffer them not to be agitated until your blood is I 1 boiling with rage before you are ae aware but stop I 1 and reflect coolly coily consider and quietly reason with the person or persons who have trespassed upon you and shew hew them the nature of their transgression you if he continues vonti in the same course of conduct reason the stronger with him without quarrelling thus bring yur y ur passions down into suki subjection petion to will and cultivate an ven even unruffled temper until you nan can perfectly control yourselves at all times in all places and under all circumstances circum then our affections and feelings would become congenial with those of the angels oi of god and we should continue to increase in that holy spirit which would prepare us for the society of holy beings this is our school and a profitable one it t is to the elders of israel why I 1 mention these things is that you may understand as quirk as you have believed and have been baptized for the remission of your sins ains yon have then further duties to perform to be continually repenting is not required of us if the elders of israel could do all that is required of them they would not need to repent but they would seek continually to walk in the paths of truth virtue and holdnes ho lines it is is not tn in keeping arth their calling to be fighting and quarrelling with their brethren or treading upon the sacred rights of others but it is their duty to walk in the paths of righteousness all the day tong long and they will be chastened chasteney chast ened agair and again until they do it I 1 this is my teaching to the people continually we do not care about hearing an overgrown gospel ser sermon ort preached here for the p people ople understand it perfectly already but do they understand der stand the principle of self control and of properly ordering their lives and course before the lord do the elders of israel understand all that the lord requires of them they do nut not this belongs to other branches of the same baine celestial science this perfect science requires men and women to be in the school all the days of their lives and they will not see a single day in which they will not learn some truth with which they were not before acquainted they can learn from rom themselves from the world from the government of heaven from the management government vern ment control doctrines and lawa law of eternity which will yet b exhibited before us rhe fhe lord hia has established the world with wih its varied productions for the education of his children that they may improve upon little things first and so BG continue to increase grow and sirens thren until they become perfect men in christ jesus these are the duties and this the situation of the elders at home we have not had much privilege hitherto of meeting afe together in the vaclev four years ago when the brethren came into this valley bro george A smith delivered his first lecture upon the cannon noon for there were no houses wherein the people could assemble since then they have been greatly blessed yet they have had little opportunity of df holding meeting the first large place we had to meet in wah the bowery we felt comfortable in it and I 1 felt as thankful for it as I 1 ever did fur for anything in my life but as quick as f the he falling weather came it dove the saints away and rendered it feces mary ary to discontinue the meetings im in that place and to hold them in the diff different erent wards wo 0 o that it became decarne impossible to get all the people toge ther now we have a convenient room the best beat hall I 1 ever saw in my afif life e wherein the people could be conven convened edon on one floor I 1 trust we shall ball rne anew r ne W our astren strength 9 th meet here to pray isad aad to praise the lord and partake of the sacr ment until our feelings are perfectly pure for we are where we can sit and enjoy the society of each other as long as we please and there is none to make us afraid let us be industrious ts this great school nor ever slacken our pace there are a great many branches of education some ome go to college collage coll rge to learn languages some to 0 tudy law some to study physic and some to study astronomy and various other br inches of science we want every branch of science taught in this place that is taught in the world but our favorite study is in that branch which particularly ticul arly belongs to the elders of israel namely theology every elder should become a profound theologian should understand this branch better than all the world there is no elder who has the power of god upon him but onder understands der stands more of the principles of theology than all the world put together this reminds me of a little circumstance that transpired trans Fired here a year ago last summer you no doubt well recollect elder day a baptist minister on his way to california who used to preach to us so nicely I 1 preached one da day y when he was present in the course of my remarks I 1 brought up the subject of the deity at the point nir the character of our father in heaven upon which he desired the most to be instructed I 1 dropped the subject and turned to something else he went to dinner with me and while we sat eat at the dinner table he said bro young I 1 was waiting with all my anxious heart with mouth eyes and nd ears open to receive something great and glorious 41 whit about bro broday day 46 why as you were describing the deity and just came to the point I 1 was the most anxious to have expounded behold you waived it and turned to something else I 1 nailed and said after I 1 had taught them how I 1 wanted the people to add the rest of the sermon themselves 1 he said 1 I declare bro young I 1 would have given anything I 1 possess in the world if you had continued your remarks until I 1 had obtained the knowledge I 1 desired I 1 enolia enquired ired the nature of it to know the character of god I 1 smiled and said 11 1 l are you a pre preacher achec of the gospel yes yea how long have you yon been a preacher twenty seven aven years I 1 I 1 have been a preacher of the gospel espel I 1 of christ and you have been bean a minister so long arid and have never learned anything about the character of the being about whom you von have been preaching I 1 am asto dished now you want to find out the character of gd GA I 1 can make you answer the question yourself in a few minutes well I 1 do not know bro young it is a very mysterious subject abject to mortal man many now let me ask you voir 11 single question will you tell me what god our ur father in heaven appears like he sat a considerable time while tho the color on his cheeks ebbed and rowed flowed alternately till at last he be replied bibro bro young I 1 will not presume to describe the character of the deity I 1 smiled and he thought I 1 was treating the subject lightly 1 I am not makine makiala light subject bit I 1 am smiling at your folly that you a teacher in israel a man who should stand between the living and the dead and yet know nothing abut ab hit your father and god were I 1 in your place I 1 would never preach another sermon while I 1 lived until I 1 learned more about god do you believe the bible 1 I do what resemblance did our oat father adam bear to his god when he placed him in the garden of eden before he had time to reply I 1 asked hint him 61 what resemblance jesus bore to man in his incarnation and do you believe moser who said the lord made adam in his own image and after afler his own likeness this may appear to you a curiosity but do you not see bona fide that the lord made adam like him self elf and the savior we read of was made to look so like him that he was the express image of his bis person he laughed at his hii folly himself I 1 why said he bro young I 1 never once thought of it before in all my life and I 1 have been a preacher twenty seven years he never hail had known anything aay thing about the character of the god he worshipped wor shipped but like the athenians had raised an altar with the inscription to the unknown god there is not one of the faithful elders ot the church of jesus christ of latter day smuts saints but is more or less acquainted with the physical end and moral character oi of the god he serves which is more than all the world knows or can know independent of the inspiration of the holy ghost the greatest the he best the most educated anoil and the he most profound theologians on the earth who have obtained their learning by reading and |