Show REMARKS CT ny president ident YOUNG nowery bowery a mj m september 16 1860 REPORT REPORTED yr bl 0 IN D WATT I 1 can say amen to what br bf pratt has just said I 1 think I 1 can with propriety say to him and a great many of the elders of israel israely that they may dismiss those little doubts that br pratt has spoken of in regard to proving faithful you who are in the church and an ch have been a long iong time faithful the lord will never suffer to so fall away that you cannot be saved I 1 hardly know of a man who has been in the church fifteen twenty or twenty five years and longer but what had better be thankful that that time is past and not wish to live it over again for fear they would not do as well true some of the brethren have taken miss steps have dealt amiss in some somie instances and have nave not done so well as they could had they lived so as to have known more but I 1 am satisfied with them if they will continue to learn and improve upon their gifts and become perfect otherwise I 1 shall not be satisfied neither with myself nor with my ray brethren the elders of israel the knowledge we now have in our possession is sufficient to guide and direct us its step by step day by day until we are made perfect before the lord our father if we do not take a course to sanctify the lord god in our hearts and attain to perfection I 1 do not intend to be satisfied either with myself or any one who comes short of this when I 1 came into the meeting br pratt was speaking upon the principle of covetousness nessi which is idolatry this is a matter that ought to be understood though it is as impossible to make those understand who who are not seeking to know as it ia is to make blind people understand the difference between colors it is a hard matter to so bring some to their understanding that they will comprehend compre hendy recollect and practice correct principles preaching the word to saint or sinner ia is of but little moment unless there is a place in the hearts of the hearers to receive it otherwise it is to them like sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal to enjoy the light and power of the holy ghost day by day is prayed for by br pratt but the preacher does not need it any more than the hearers the preacher needs the power of the holy ghost to deal out to each bearta word in due season and the hearers need the holy ghost to bring ring I 1 forth the fruits of the preached word of god to his bis glory we need not refer to the traditions of the fathers with regard to the manifestation of the covetousness covetous ness nesa we see so much of observe the customs and habits its not of the fathers but of the children our brethren and sisters here we see men from twenty yearb yeara up to old age who are entirely overcome by their desire to obtain gold it is asserted that there are people at pikes peak what business hav ethey there simply to worship the god of this world he was said to be there and they flocked there to worship him A little gold dust was found near pikes peak the golden lod god the god of this world was hoisted and what ia is the result priests and people the old and young rich and poor wise and foolish noble and ignoble are all running after this god are all who profess to be latter day saints entirely free from this mammon worship no you have heard oppression sounded from maine to texas from texas to california hen then to washington territory in the british provinces in america in england and all over the world great oppression in stahl lecause we exhort the people not to be such fools tools as to run after the golden image and sometimes we tell them that we will cut them off from front the church it they do this ha has caused this great outcry some who have hav come here this season expressly to enjoy the F privilege lege of thir religion are not satisfied lut ut want to go where there is more money money mon ey is is their god go go after it and wor hip it ai much ag as you please and trouble us nt not go your way rejoicing as much as you ca can cah but bod will have nave sorrow horrow in that course instead of bAt bettering tring ering yoni condition you will make it a great deal dial worse your spirits will to darkness and wretchedness and you will gayour way mourning instead oe of rejoicing jo icing A it is reputed that thousands thoa sands of persons will soon toon be on t strawberry creek a little east of the th e south pais pass what are they after some so me one ohe found sand with a little gold dust in it there is their god again and hosts hoats are running after it the world is after riches riches is the god they worship hip bip it is A marvel maivel that they do not discover the emptiness of Zt earthly riches when hundreds are going but out like a candle burnt down in the socket ve we know that we are here and how boon soon we shall go hence we know not perhaps some 0 of us may be called from this life before tomorrow to morrow morning and some perhaps before sunset will pass into the spirit world but that does not lessen the appetite for gold I 1 do not know that a misers appetite for gold would be lessened in the least degree agree if he knew that he would be required to leave it tomorrow to morrow such riches can ave no real enjoyment there is no happiness in gold not the least it is is very convenient i as an article of exchange in purchasing what we need and instead of finding comfort and happiness in gold you exchange it to obtain happiness or that which roay conduce to it there is no real wealth in gold people talk about being wealthy a about bout being rich but place the richest banking company in in the world upon a barren rock with their gold piled around them with no possible chance of exchanging if it and destitute of t the be creature comforts and they would be poor in indeed where then is theirly thein their joy their comfort their great wealth they have ave none what constitutes health wealth joy and peace in the first place good pure air is the greatest sustainer of animal life other elements of life we can d dispense p ense with for a time but this seems seema to be essential every i moment hence the necessity of well ventilated dwelling houses bouses especially the rooms occupied pie d for sleeping you can live without water and food longer than you can without air and water is of more importance than meat and bread in what then consists your riches in being comfortably clad comfortably sheltered ered and suitably provided with food gold where those comforts could not I 1 be obtained would avail nothing but the greatest of all comforts are the wms words of eternal life they also comprise the greatest of all riches the greatest riches that can be bestowed upon man is eternal life the power to sustain ourselves and preserve our identity before our god though this is not esteemed riches by the world you may assemble such men as dick turpin of england joa joaquin cited n of 0 california and joseph C hare of the united states and leathern let iet thern them hoist th the e golden goiden flag and you will see priest and people running after them and they will call them fine gentlemen give them of their substance and their daughters to wives we have the real wealth here we have not much gold and silver here but we have the d fine flour good wheat horses cattle fo food eo eer r pork vegetables fruit sheep and wool and good wives to manufacture the wool into clothing this is real wealth this people is a nich rich xich people we are tb the tha e wealthiest people in what constitutes true wealth and in proportion to our number there is in any other part of our country we have the comforts of life I 1 will now inform the latter day saints in this territory that I 1 wish them to fit out our missionaries who are going into the world to reach with means to go to their fields of laor tor eor E and then sustain their families while they are gone that Is the text I 1 wish to lay a before the people if I 1 do not preach upon it this his morning I 1 may this thia afternoon I 1 was with noth the bishops last thursday evening and I 1 requested them to notify the brethren to come here prepared to donate their half eagles eagles fifty dollar pieces horses mules wagons wheat by the twenty and hundred bushels and other available means that we may send these brethren away rejoicing and then we berwill will give them a promise that we we will provide for their families after th they are arc gone so far as they are unable to provine provide for themselves you may inquire what has happened Is there anything new under the sun are the church and kingdom of god becoming different from what they were all can be explained to you only give us time I 1 think that the bre brethren diren were reo required mired wired ired to go and preach without purse add ard scrip and that is what lam iam I 1 am now trying to get them to do to go without purse and s scrip cn p and not beg the poor saints to death let us the elders eidels instead of making the poor do do it we are able to send these men out to preach the gospel and they may go without purse or scrip it may be asked what do you say to the following words t tf f paul yea ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that were with me I 1 have showed you all things how that BO so laboring ye ought to support the weak and BO so reme remember rAer the words of the lord jesus how bow he be said it is more blessed to give than to receive when the elders are on missions I 1 want them to let speculation alone I 1 call trading begging 0 and borrowing and laying plans to come home wealthy speculation the elders of israel have not magnified their callings as they should have done had they known things as they tiley really are and seen them as they are in the bosom of eternity they would rather have their right hands to be cut off or their heads to be severed from their bodies than do as some have done the earth is the lords and the fullness thereof all the gold and silver are in the hands of the lord when he ile is so disposed dispose dp gold cannot be found and when be he ia Is disposed the surface of the earth is full of it there may be gold here but to find it the persons will have to ride over my faith no doubt many of the elders are hunting to find gold I 1 was going to say that I 1 would rather they would find hell for they would if they found gold every man that prays to find it here virtually prays that the devil may have power over the kingdom of god to destroy it from the earth perhaps some of these very men will give a sixpence shilling or a dollar to the elders who are going out to preach such men know no more than those elders who go out on missions to gather gold to administer to their nonsensical goes from them and they know not where it goes every saint should shoud understand that the lord will bring forth to us the gold when we need it we now want shoes boots hats bonnets dresses coats coals food and comfortable houses to enable us to live long iong on the earth with wisdom to know how to use all creature comforts the means winch vatch you donate for sup supporting ort our missions shall be entered in the took dook book of the law of the lord that the record thereof may go down dawn to your posterity it will no not be put into our pockets nor used for other purposes at least not with my knowledge or consent I 1 shall throw this business into the hands oe of the bishops the good bishop will get a liberal doria dorla donation tion while the others will not get much As is the priest so are the people and as is 13 the bishop so is his hla ward let the bishops commence at the n ter mission to receive donations and continue go so to do until a week from to tonight night with these means we expect to send the elders expect directly to their fields e s of labor it ism is my b business to control the disbursements of the tithing taing paid by the saints and not the business of 0 every elder in the kingdom who thinks the tithing belongs to him mi in the english mission where comparatively but little I 1 was done fifty four thousand dollars of the tithing money has been expended by the elders during the last two years this has been kept from my knowledg knowledge e until recently but I 1 have now got hold of Z the rope and I 1 will search out every secret act pertaining to this matter the money that has been spent on those elders ought to have been used to gath gather er the poor and pay the debts previously contracted in their emigration elders liders have expended hundreds of thousands of dollars of church funds and have left me hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay the motto of many seems to have been not one cent will we let the trustee in trust have it if we ave can keep it out of his hands bands I 1 am going to search into this course until it is stopped it is the business of the elders to preach the gopel gospel and gather the poor if they do not do this they will come home thorn of their strength you may wonder why I 1 have not sooner spoken of this I 1 could not get it in a shape to botlo to so until now 1 and have had bad to groan under it my counse counselors lors and immediate associates know how I 1 have llave felt ever since I 1 have been in this valley with regard to the way in which the work is carried on abroad the lord takes one man whom he knows khoii s to be just and righteous and places in his path an abundance of possessions houses and la iane lane cattle and every good thin that can be bestowed upon an individual while many of his brethren and neighbors around him imagine that he has obtained his possessions by deceiving by oppressing the poor and keeping back the wages of the hireling lr eling and they undertake to get rich by dishonesty this is the case with many of the elders of israel and herein they make a great mistake the the race is not to the gwilt nor the battle to the strong nor riches to men of wisdom but to those whom god favors you may way ask me roe for proof of this it is ready were it wise to produce it may the lord bless you amen |