| Show DISCOURSE bf vy president ident BRIGHAM YOUNG tabernacle april 20 1850 REPORTED BY GEO D I 1 WATT sometimes I 1 think it quite strange that the children of men are so constituted a to neel need to be t taught one lesson all the time and again it is rot riot so marvelous marve marse loiis to me when I 1 reflect upon and understand their organization and lle ile lie the designed effect thereupon of this tins state of probation men are organized to be he ir dependent independent in their sphere are organized for an independent being yet tile tiie litey tiley have as soldiers term it to run the gauntlet a all ali I 1 tile the time they are organized to be lu just st as ind independent as any being in eternity but bui that independency in order for them to occupy a position in the sphere of an inde independent eident being having control over all thin things 9 must t be e proved and tried while in this state of existence must be operated upon by the good and the tile evil it is is not so strange io to me that the people should continually need talking to that they should continually need instructing whelo I 1 take this v view i ew of the matter mothers when bringing up children if they will observe and reflect can and understand tinder stand the feelings of the whole human family the mother says to the child dolt dont that you must not handle those things thing sly sll but bill the little chim child thinks itself just as capable of handling a tea cup or a tumbler as are f father at herand mother tile little ghi takes up a broom to the hearth but if mother is i biot lot ot batchin watching her noy let the broom take f fire ire lre and set it bathe by the bed and thereby the bed and then the building beset be set in a blaze in the actions of their childre children n can detect the course of all from the I 1 king ling his throne humblest pe peasant asani they are pei pel forming performing their pat pact on the theater of earth people ma may be advanced far in il life ilfe ife and yet be surrounded by y weaknesses comparatively like those of children the man roan or woman of eighty sixty forty twenty or the child of two or five years of age have something ahead of them to attain to and which tile tiie they y are striving to accomplish there is is a principle in the feelings of people which is implanted in their organization expressly for them to become independent to become gods and it is continually urging them to reach forward and to wish to do and perform that which theodo not understand these weakness weaknesses ses are in the organization irrespective of ae we true persons can do many things at twenty hive five years of age which they could co uld not do when but five years old and men inay may know much more at fifty than at twenty yet yet yel the same common weakness heakne ss is apparent which you can see exhibited in the little child there is one rule to ado adopt one course to pursue one lesson to be learned and it is i s applicable alike to all ages ageg from tile the child of one or two years old to he be gray haired veteran and which if the they would learn would woula prove highly beneficial and that is is i to do those things which thes they know the they can cai do and when required by a superior to do a ang ing thing the they y never have done lo 10 take I 1 the lie lle advice of those who w ho have successfully sf uly performed the same ac and then with the best skill they can command do as they are told and thus thiu further their education in I 1 life ilfe i fe and be sath satisfied fied if f the child could understand and be satisfied that the mother knows better than it does when it is told to let the dishes alone the broom or the eln ein E in cushion or not to swing on the table lest it e guined over and break the dishes or not to do this or that and that such and aad such things it might do it would be a great aid to it to take the course laid down by a judicious parent and would ave fave it much trouble while passing through its mortal career I 1 ask myself lays rays eli cli why it is that people do not learn to be satisfied and contente contented with what they do know until they ther are ae and I 1 learn more and practice this principle ipie in their lives we are ore taught here herr all tie the e ti time me to be passive and contented to dothe do the things we know ils els how ow to do 00 still I 1 L have no question but what if I 1 could unobserved and known unknown ut to them listen to tho remarks of many of the elders or of brethren and sisters I 1 should hear bear doctrines taught and suggestions made which god never designed to have his servants teach at the same time remarks such as these might be dropped 1 I am impressed and the spirit leads me thus and sc so true I 1 believe ail all that spirit is s written and tat tax taught ight but I 1 tell you that br brigham does not tell us all of it he says he does not but that lie he tells us ils as fast as we can understand and practice what he doe q teach now that Is true trued but all do not stop and reflect neither do they fully understand the nini Kini principles pio plo of f the gospel the principles of the holy priesthood Pries leotho thod d a and nd from this cause many imbibe the ilea flea that th they e y are capable of leading out ont in teaching principles that never have been taught they are not aware that the moment they give way to this hallucination the devil has power over them to lead them on or to to unholy ground though this is a lesson which they ought to have learned long ago yet it is u one that was learned by but few in the days of joseph I 1 was speaking about this matter last night about the feelings of the people towards the prophet jos joseph h the mass of the ibe people never realized to thet the day a y of his death but what joseph josep h was made by b y them they actually believed that he was wat amenable to the people that lie he did d d not know it all and that other men knew things which he did not know concerning the kingdom kingA kingl ora orn of god on the earth here let mi ma give you one lesson that may be profitable to many if the lord almighty should reveal to a high pi lest iest or to any other than the head things that are or that have been and ard and will be and show shiow to him the destiny of this people twenty five years fr fram from now or a new doctrine that will in five tenor ten or twenty years hence become the doctrine of this church and kingdom but which has not yet been revealed to this people and reveal it to him by the he same spirit the same some messenger the same voice and the same power that gave pave revelations to joseph yoseph when he was living it would be a blessing to that high priest or individual but he must rarely divulge it to a second person on the face of the earth until god reveals it through the proper source to become he property lestarge lea iea at large targe therefore when you tear kear hear elders hegt hig his priest priests seventies or tile the twelve tho the you cannot catch any of the twelve there but you may the high priests seventies antl anil nl elders say that god does not reveal tIl through ruIl tile the president of the church that which they know and tell word wonderful erful th bilings ti lings ingup you may generally set it down as a gods truth that he revelation they have had is from the devil and not from god it the hey y had received from the proper source the same power that revealed to them hem would have shown them that bey hey they must keep the things revealed in their own bos bosoms oine cine and they seldom would have a desire to di disclose close cloge them to the second person that is a general ruley ruiey ruie rule but will it apply ay in every case and to the he people called the hing king kingdom BE 0 in of godat all times no the strictest sense blit the spirit sp nit dit rit which reveals will impart the proper discretion all he the people haye have not learned this lesson they should have learned it long iong ago As I 1 have already observed comparatively few learned in the he days of joseph that he lie was placed between the people and god that they had no more right to dictate him than they had to dictate the angel gaberiel that they had bad no mote moie busin ss to interfere with him or call him to all an account cou con lit than we have to call to an account the ani angel oni gabriel this we all ought to understand and also how bow and when to 0 o teach and practice what we xe x e do know and when we have done that much then stop until we learn more I 1 know and anti so do many others by experience by what we have seen and passed through by what has passed before us and by what we have se see ep in oi other liers that when wilen the he devil cannot overcome an individual through temptation to commit I 1 when sees spes a per peron person on is ter mined to walk to the line and travel straight forward into the celestial kindom he will adopt a cour course se of flattery will strive scriv e to exercise a p plea lea iea sir sins in influence floence and move along boothly with him and when he be sees fees an opportunity he will try to tu turn rn him out of the way if it is 13 only to the extent of an hairs baits breadth and if lie he cannot keep a person this side the gospel line lie he will walk with that individual on the line and strive to push him over that is so invariably the tile case that people need eves ta to see and understanding to know how 1101 to discriminate between the things of god and the ahm bilings 3 that are not of him will this people learn I 1 am happy ani ant and joyful I 1 am thankful and can say of a truth brethren and sisters thai that the manifestations of goodness from this people are n ot to be compared in my opinion with those fro from any other people upon the fice face of theT the whole hole bole earth since tile the days of enoch eroch OA OM isriel leriel in all their travels wanderings exercises powers and keys of the priesthood never came nigh enough to the path this aliis people have walked in to see them in their obedience that was and ard is required by the gospel yet here there are thou thon thousands S ands of weaknesses arid and overt ant act acts in in some of this people which render as us more or less obnoxious to each other still you mar may search all the history extant of the he children of israel or that of any leonle deorle that ever lived on tile the face of the earth since the days of enoch and I 1 very much doubt taking that people with their traditions and comparing them with this mixed multitude from the fhe he different nations now in the world with oter our traditions whether you would find a people from the days of enoch until now that could favorably com compare p ar wilh with this people in their willin willingness griess 1 top to tor obey th the 11 gospel and to go all len ien lengths to build up the kingdom 11 of god I 1 have said a great many time times and repeat if it now and whether I 1 am mistaken or not I 1 wilp leave for the he future to determine and though as I 1 do doseph joseph when living reproved the people that 1 I be believe belleve love iove with all my heart that the people who gathered around enoch and lived with him and built tip up his city when they hey had traveled the same leneth le of time in their experience as this people have were not as ns far advanced in the things of the kingdom of god make your youn own comparisons between the two people think of the traditions ct of the ike two ive how many nations were there in the days lays of enoch the very men who were associated with him had lad been wilh with adam they knew him and his children and had the privilege of talking with god just think of it though we have it in history that our father adam was made of the dust of this earth and that lie he knew nothing about his god previous to being made herey herer here yet it is not so M ana when we learn the truth we shall see and understand thal ihal he be helped to make this world and was the chief manager in that operation ire he was the person who brought the animals and the seeds from other planets to this world and brought 11 a wife with him and stayed here y you ou may read and believe what you please as to what js found written in thie tiia bible adam was made from the dust of an earth but not from the dust of this earth he was made as you and I 1 are made and no person was ev ermade upon any c ther other principle j do you not suppose ose oge that lie was acquainted with ills his associates who came and helped to make this earth yes they were just juit as familiar with each other as we are with our children and po parents rents suppose a number of our sons were goerg 0 to o carson valley vailey to build houses open farms and arec mills arl ari and workshops and that we should say to them that we wish them to stay there five years and that ihen then we wi will 11 come and visit them when I 1 go here there will they be afraid of me no they would receive me as their father just jurt as adam received liis his fa father ther the tile very man who walked and talked with and knew the god of heaven and knew and arid understood all about making this earth had bad associates socia tes who were associated with enoch and yet twenty five years of the travel travet and experience of linotti with his people had not advanced them so tar far in my roy opinion as this people have a advanced inthe in the same time taking into acco account tint fhe difference of traditions eni ani benl enl other advantages they had hai not a divers ty of languages but all amke one language they were not trained bil id ill the hie various traditions in which we have been for they received only one from adael adan thy they th y were as intimate intimately tl ely associated as we would be i in n civill living I 1 in this city two undred hundred If years with the gates shut dorn all alf egress egras and ingress and under such circumstances do you not think that our cur tradition traditions 3 would be all alike i yet let enoch enoth had to talk with wini and teach his hig h ls people during dunn a period of 0 mee wee hundred and sixty years before he could get pet them prepared to enter into their rest and hen then he lie obtained power to translate himself and arid his demple with the region they inhabited their houses bardens ear dens fields cattle and all their possessions he ile had learned enough from adam and his bis associates to know how bow to handle the elements and those who would not listen to his teachings were so wicked that they were fit to be destroyed and lie he obtained power to take his por portion tion of tile the earth and move out a little while where he lie remains to I 1 this day you know that I 1 sometimes reprove you yon because jou aou ou deserve it yet vet there is a constant and rapid increase of willingness to build up tins this kim kin kindom kingdom dom where is is there a woman that bould say fay bu husband shand or to be hen her son 1 I do opt wish you ou to go on the mission you have been callet called to perform that houlday would woul day say I 1 is true you yoli were called but I 1 do to pot like to have you go cannot you ou get excused and stay at home I 1 do not alieve you could find hive five such women in this territory there may be a few who bo are going to cali call fornia that would say yes you may go on your mission but I 1 vill will go with you all they desire i is is it to 0 get away can you find five su such w women omen I 1 care not if hey they should be old ladies of seventy five years yeara ot of age and had not the first thin thing to subsist upon and though their whole dependence was upon their sons or husbands hus they would say go john my son or go husband if you do not we shall suffel but it if you go and do your our duty god will provide for us in your absence 1 fr r are not these the tho feelings of every |
