Show synopsis of president Brig brigham hain youngs address to the brethren selected to go on a mission sion delivered in the tabernacle sunday evening oct 0 t ath 1853 and reported by bro W woodruff from memory men zory I 1 have a few remarks to make to the missionaries I 1 consider all the elders of this church missionaries and I 1 will hero here say that every man who is clothed w with ith the priesthood can call magnify it while cultivating the earth or following any other useful occupation as well as in preaching tile the gospel to the nations nation for w while tile an ail elder is diligent and by his labor produces w wheat heat corn and other articles for the sustenance of I 1 in man an and beast le ie is administering ring life and salvation an elder who magnifies his calling has a right to bless his land liis bis fields his crops his flocks and herds liis his wives and children lie he h ins his is a right to heal tile the sick and cast evil spiris spins out ont of man or beast if any of his family or animals are sick he has a right to aty hands upon them and heal them and to do all things which are right and lawful hut but a man without 0 lit the priesthood has not bot the legal right to do these things now how is it with you ye elders of israel do you magnify your calling in all these things or do you take the name of god in ili vain anil and culm curas 1 li I and s steal teata a little and when the devil gets into your animals auls anis do you partake of tile the same spirit and go to fighting them or do you cast the devil out of them I 1 leave you yon to judge when you first received the gospel and the light of eternal truth beamed upon your understandings andings would you then have cursed swore more stolen lied or done any evil no these acts would havo have caused you to shudder but when your light begins to fade arid and you yen walk a long lime in tile the twilight you begin to stumble a letle and after a time yon III can call commit much evil and steep sleep cabill over it it t is is time limo for such to cry unto god to have mercy upon them were you yon going on oil a to por lions of tho globe and about to leave all with no one to lean upon but god you seek unto him all the lime and when your year missions are arc given to you arar home if you yon cease to trust in god and to call upon his name with the same diligence as you would in a foreign mission you will do but little if any good and your missions will be in vain and I 1 warn you that if you do not fulfill this mission with tin an eye single to the glory of god and with a view to save israel and the souls of men that ani I 1 if your our min minds d a are I 1 upon your farms houses lands and families ciuni aies you will find your garments soiled they will not be spotless if you do not stcl disposed to devo davo e your lime and attention to your missions you had better say brethren please excuse me for you had better stoy stay at hoina unless your whole soul is in ia the work I 1 wish to say a few words concerning the gathering of israel for my mind reaches forward fordal when I 1 co coni nhe template the promises of god unto them and t nations na ionson of the earth N will ill accomplish the will of the I 1 lord without observing his hand in their operations I 1 will ask who in nauvoo would have left that city provided they could have staid there no one but we were ware driven to this placedo fulfill the will of god josoph joseph tried to get access to tho the remnants rom nants of jacob I 1 and the people greatly feared lest we should preach the gospel to thorn them could we have preached to the if we had staid in nauvoo 7 no we could not but the people have driven us its to a place where we can do much more good than we could have accomplished by remaining in nauvoo they have driven us ino hilo the midst of the Lama where we can preach tile the gospel unto them it lias has been remarked that I 1 have said there would be a rail road built from the flie states to this territory by tile the year 1861 now all the union are in favor ofa of a pacific rail road and when it is built our brett bretl rn r n from abroad can come here without walking as many are now compelled to do I 1 wish the elders to be faithful upon this mission and much good will ho be accomplished and if any eldor is not faithful in tile mission assigned to him let him be cha chastener chastened chast stoned ened and if lie he does not repent let him be cut off from this church tile the elders have esteemed it a great privilege to be sent to foreign nations to preach the gospel and have in a measure seemed to forget the poor ignorant la canites who surround us and are in our midst a at t our on r own doors they are a remnant of the house of israel they are of the seed of abraham and the book of mormon and all the prophecies concerning that people declare that the gospel shall be preached un unto to them and we have it to do and it is time lime for us to begin this work is upon you you yon are arc sint unto the L Lama and to accorn accomplish this m mission as i 1011 you cannot live in your fine llo houses uses as you n now ow do but you must in list live with them teach them and comi counsel Is at them in all things and be on hand to do them all tile the good that lios lies in your power if you cannot bring your feelings to a willingness to do this and cheerfully le leave v all 11 for the purpose of saving this branch of the house of israel you had better say let me be excused and stay at home your first business will be to civilize them teach t alim I 1 agin to work and improve their condition by your utmost faith and diligence every elder who is now ailed unto this work should immediately commence learn earn the I 1 languages go to bro D B and take i lessons and I 1 hope soon to see a 4 hundred indred bl goad bood 1 nie re where wo now hava but one when fo go among the Lina deal with them tham honestly and righteously in all things lings ti any men man who cheats a Larn anite should be dealt with more boi bei 1 verely than for cheating a white man an indian indiana thinks it no sin to steal or to kill his enemy because lie has been taught from froin his childhood that there is no harm barm in it but on the contrary that it is a brave act not so with the white man he lias has been taw taught glit from his infancy y that it is viewed eil either tier to steal or kill except in ili self defence walker will not k 11 a white man norgo nor go on oil a sl sealing ealing expedition to california un tit til he offers sacrifices to liis his god then be thinks lie is doing right and tile the reason lie lias has not done more in his war on oil the southern settlements is because be could get no answer from his god had I 1 it not been for this and the fath of tins this people lie would have destroyed those settlements before this ti time no I 1 arn am sorry that some of our br brethren Ahren have leave been killed by the indians indian but am far more sorry that hat some of the indians have been slain by the brethren I 1 have often said and I 1 say again if any person is to be killed for stealing let that one he be a white while man mail slid and not an Indi jn for while men know better while indians do not and you must lay aside your angry feelings towards them and cease wishing visiting to kill them now go to work you elders of israel fulfill your you r callings magnify your office get the spirit of the lord and of your mission begin to save tile the lama nite sand and not destroy them for they are arc of the House of israel and the blessings of god will rest upon you and I 1 bless you in tile tho name of jesus christ Cl irist amen |