| Show DISCOURSE ay brigham loung young delivered in the tab t er nacle great Grea talf taif tAlt salt la lake e olty oily FA 10 1867 REPORTED BY DAVID W EVANS when I 1 look at the faces of peo people le I 1 look at itt the image of our creator when hen I 1 b behold behold one of the images or likenesses of our creator I 1 behold more or less of his character by the manifestations and the influences of the spirit that is in man there is a spirit in kanand man and the inspiration of the almighty g leth beth it understanding J there is none without ith a spirit this spirit is from heaven and when we look at each other we behold more or less the power that is in him who created and brought us forth and who sustains nil all things in hearing doctrines and exhortations do we recollect those portions that will actually benefit and purify and enable us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth we as a people are commanded to leave leave our places of abode in the countries t where we received the gospel and are required to gather together this makes us conspicuous it places Us in a position where we are looked at a if we nave have any influence it is felt if we do exist if we have a being here as a congregated gre gated people as I 1 think we have of course we are so conspicuous that we are noticed by the world whether this makes us as its saints any better is for our experience and and those who have wisdom to decide but we are here I 1 do believe I 1 do not want anybody to pinch me to know whether I 1 am in existence or not I 1 am pretty well convinced that I 1 live move and have a being many of the Latte latter day saints are fearful that trouble wil wll will come to us I 1 do dd not know that our condition is any more isaore cri eri critical or dangerous than that of other people it is true it appear appears that we are in a very peculiar and dangerous i condition we have had our enemies after itaster us to my certain knowledge for the last thirty five years and today to day I 1 am as free from the influences of the wicked as I 1 ever was any day in my life I 1 never enjoyed more liberty and freedom nor had chad greater J access to that lich which is good than I 1 have hava today to day this is what we allbe alibe all ali be aleve fl leve and alid what our experience proves my beloved brother joseph who has been speaking to you testifies that he realizes that the condition of this people though they may be a target for forthe the whole world word is safer than that of any other people no matter who they are f nor where they live suppose br joseph the prophet het bet were with us today to day do you not t think ink that he would feel safer than he over did be 1 fore on any day of his public life ilfe he would I 1 recollect a little of his history that I 1 will relate I 1 think it has been told to the congregation or a portion of them b by br george A smith when he had almost finished translating the book of mormon mornion nearly forty years ago and some time before the il church hurch was organized he was vas hunted harrass ed tormented afflicted and perplexed taken before this magistrate aud and that magistrate and sometimes they would keep him a whole night trying try ing to prove something or other against him 0 he was a guilty man his crimes were enormous no man was ever so guilty as he hl 71 the priests comm cubed this outcry against him dal you not hear this man gayso say so isaid theato they to their deacons an and d the members of their church well no we do not know that we did hear him has he not said or done 1 something ethina ething or other transgressed some law of the land spoken against the government vern ment or something some thing by which he can be prove agu lilyy nd s so 04 he was waa as hunted and hunted abdat one time I 1 recollect that lir mr sir beed reed the tather father of the present secretary of our territory then something of a lawyer defended him from court to court night after night they kept joseph I 1 do not many days and nights and finally they could find nothing against him I 1 arthey knew in the first place that he was guilty of oan nothing but from that time to his last persecution when they served a writ on him in carthage and he delivered himself up to the governor and was examined and committed to prison by the magistrate their cry was has not mr smith said sak something or other that we can make treason out of it well dr bennet says so or jackson and the laws say so bo 11 will you not come forward and testify some something thin g or other so that we can condemn this man no they could not get parties to swear this that or the other but they wasted to prove him kilty guilty of treason by trying to prove that he e had more than one wife very singular treason that but so it was now as bad as myself and my brethren are and as far as we are from the mark and from the privileges we should enjoy if joseph smith jun the prophet could have seen the people in his day as willing to obey his voice as they are today to day to obey the voice of their thein president he would have been a happy happ y man he lived labored toiled tolled and worked his courage was w as like ilke ilke the courage of an angel and his will was like the will of the almighty mighty Xi and he labored till they killed him we had to leave and we have coma here into these mountains and do you think we are going to be swallowed up by our enemies why they have al af ready done their uttermost could they not send a hull huli hundred dred thousand men hereto here to destroy the I 1 mormons cormons Mor mons yes is they could try in the winter of 1857 58 when the army was at bridger col kane came here to see eee what he could do for the benefit of the people and to caution and advise me he was all the time fearful that I 1 would not take the right step and that I 1 would do something or other that would brine bring upon us the ire of why said he at one word there would be a hundred thousand men ready to come here I 1 replied that 1 I would like to see them trying it afterwards a calculation cu lation was made that for men to conie conic come como liere here tarry through the winter and get back the next summer it ift would require q ure four and a half oxen to carry the food f clothing and ammunition necessary for each man this was more stock than they could take eare care of to say nothing about fighting I 1 was resolved that they would find nothing here to eat nor houses to live in for we were determined that we would not leave a green thin thing and if I 1 had bad time n not ot one a adebie shah should id be left lef t sta standing dini on another I 1 was satisfied that I 1 if col co kane could see what I 1 lawhe saw he crould ouid know that the weight of such an army would be so ponderous that it ift would crush itself and it could never get here it is just so now too james buchanan did all he could do and when lie he found he could do nothing nathin he sent a pardon here what did lie ile leepar pardon do n us for he was the man ddn that had transgressed the laws and had trampled the constitution of the united states states under his feet we had neither trans gressed grossed against the one nor non violated the other but we did receive his pardon you know and when they find out they can do nothing they will be sending on their pardons again I 1 do not know how it will be out west in nevada which is a part of the state of deseret in inthe the first place they obtained from the government the right of a territorial government ern ment and finally the right to become a state was granted but they cannot maintain themselves they have nothing to eat cat and a great many of them cannot get anything to weal wear unless they steal it now they have hae sent trent their petition to washington to have utah annexed to them so that they thoy can get geta a a little bread now you see seo we are gone in and no mistake I 1 say if nevada should really obtain the rest of utah we are gone in they have not thought of it it has never entered their minds at all but they have opened the door and we have gone in and taken possession of the house this does not frighten me not at all one gentleman from the west sent a telegram to br kimball for money to enable bim to stop this petition I 1 told br kimball to give no attention to it and not to pay a 91 dime az e finally the nae rAe memorial morial went ivr oarth tso tse e I 1 rece reee received PV ed ashert 11 account delegate PC telegraphed baek back to him saying baying I 1 4 chango change the name from nevada to D deseret gl ab 0 ahead ahad and we have our state government 11 they do not have more than one quarter orone third the people there that we have in utah and I 1 rather think the majority would rule in this case there is not much idonger danger however from that quarter au but t are they not sending troops on here yes and they will have plenty for them to do eleven thousand were ordered here by james buchanan seven thousand arrived and about ten thousand arid hangers on gamblers thieves and so forth it made a pretty good army dill dili they accomplish com they used one another up I 1 recollect in the days of camp eloyd floyd it was thought nothing of to hear every morning of two or three men being killed but now if one is killed billed about once in six months all hell is on the move if the whisky drinkers and gamblers who are here to winter were to go to work and L kill 1111 lil lii onn oft a few of themselves every night it would stop all excitement about killing what would bo be said if the united states mail mall were robbed in this neighborhood as its it is east west and north of this city every few weeks it would be thought that we were becoming civilized but in the absence of frequent deeds of this character whenever a scoundrel meets with his his just deserts here there is a great outcry raised i anto tell teli the truth there are but few in comparison with the numbers that now live who are rabid against and seek to dest destroy roythe the kingdom of god A great portion of the human family are honorable men and women and they would just as soon that mormonism I 1 should live as any other ism the few who seek to destroy the kingdom of god are priests politicians politics and oance seekers and they would care nothing about it only they are arc afraid we will take away gway their place and nation let them tell the truth and they say say that we have the tho best government over ovet to be found anywhere adf and that no other people are so easily as the people ip in this territory lb I 1 believe elleve that governor cummins gumming came to tho conclusion that he was GoVern governor gr of the territory as domain but that brigham young was governor of the people they nave have to acknowledge this no 40 matter whom they may send here and where is 18 there another people that is controlled as easily as this people it is true that we have not come to understanding as much as we re expect to we have bave i ave yet to be trained and schooled andrec and elye our lessons with regard to thi fe wet we can tan go to any part of the world and preach this gospel and the people will believe and enter the church and they receive all the blessings and ordinances necessary till they gather together but here they have to be instructed with regard to their everyday every day oay life we may talk about the great things of the kingdom and how glorious the millennium will be that there will wili willbe be no sin hin nor pain nor death i and we ve will pray without ceasing inga and n I 1 in everything overs overy thing give thanks a and have it like ilke a camp meeting but what Is the use nse of all this to us you and I 1 are gathered here e expressly x res I 1 y to 0 prepare for that day we 60 could 1 tl not at enjoy it now but our our duty is io to prepare ourselves to enjoy the glory that the lord hasan has in store for the faithful we are going to try and save bave ourselves and when we come to understanding we will then be counted worthy TO to possess zion even the centre stake of zion it is true this is zion north and south america are tire zion and the land the lord tard commenced hia hla work and where rhoe he HU commenced he will finish this is the land larid of zion but we e are no noi nol yet prepared pre to go and and establish the centre centra stake of zion the lord tried this in ra he first flyss place he called the people peaple le together to the place where the new jerusalem and the great temple will be built and where he will prepare for the qty aty of or anoch enoch aud and he e gave revel nevel revelation atlo atio n after revelation but the people could not abided them and the church was scattered and peeled and the people hunted arbin place 9 to place till fatally anally they were driven into tha mountains and here we nive are now itis it is for you ou and nier to prepare to return helz back again not to our fatherland id ih many pa caes es but lb ta ehst east und jand by and b tb ap tUe the Cen of zion we aru ate not ot pre t do this naw now but we wol arphere are f W here w learer until wb are of one heart and of nahi the tho things of this tiuis life do all th the e latter day saints ar arrivas 1 jahi jo 0 they have formed former exper experience rence has proved roved of fhe thip the great many who have rave eave been baptized into this church but few nave wave been able to abide the tui word of the lord they have fallen out ott on the right and on the left and hati havi foundered by the way and a few have havi havi gathered together will these be pre pres pared to enter the celestial kingdom some of them will baand be and will become kings and priests but bu t not all of these thesel only a portion of them they do not know what to do with the revelations commandments and blessings of god talking for instance about everyday every day things how many do we see here that know what to do with money and pr perty when they get it are their eyes single to the building up of the kingdom of god no they are single to th building up of themselves with al a the knowledge that elders eiders have obtain ed who have traveled in the church five ten fifteen twenty twenty five 01 0 thirty years there are few who under stand the principles of the kingdom an whose eyes are single to the building 0 ol 01 it up in all respects but their eyes art like the fools eye looking to the ea eni end of the earth they want vant this and that and they do not know what to do the lack wisdom by and by theil their wealth will depart from them as at when left poor and penniless they W wit humble themselves before the lord th they may be saved this is the situation of the latter latten da d saints yet they are increasing it astonishing to look back and see tt ignorance that was manifested by tl th i people in n their first gathering together their experience then was far fan fae less thi fbi t their experience and doings now st we are far short of being what i should and must be when the people assemble toge they should be instructed with regg rega to their temporal lives it is good assemble together and pray and preal and exhort so that we may obtain ij power of god to that degress that we cj heal the sick cast out devils speak wl tongues prophecy and enjoy all tl ti bles bies blessings sinet and gifts of the holy boly gospo but that does not raise our bread 4 perfect the saints in wisdom I 1 refer here last sunday to merl meri men out of I 1 j church who possess great gifts anup are not in the the charef church men ohp kv kni nothing of the priesthood receive ret rel re lation and prophecy and yet these gi g belong to the church and those mi are faithful in the kingdom of god herit them and are entitled to them all ought to live so as to e enjoy ajoy J the S sti of these gifts and callings continual do we know and understand tb tha is our business to build up zion to a seen the way this |
