Brigham Young

“ I say, let the dead bury the dead, let the corn and the wheat, and all other things, take care of themselves, but let us dedicate ourselves, our families, our substance, our time, our talents, and everything we have upon the face of this world, with all that will hereafter be entrusted to us, to the Lord our God; let the whole be devoted to the building up of His kingdom upon the earth, and whether you are called here or there, it makes no matter ”

“ Let us now seek with greater diligence to build up the kingdom of heaven, and establish righteousness; seek to magnify the Lord God, and sanctify our own hearts; establish peace on earth, destroy every root of bitterness from among the people, and cease from this moment to find fault with any brother or sister, even though they do wrong, for the Lord will apply the chastening rod to them if they need it. We serve our children so; if we consider they need chastening, we chastise them, but we do not thereby hate them. ”

“ It teaches us absolutely that we need never undertake to guide the ship of Zion, or dictate, by our own wisdom, to the kingdom of God on the earth. It teaches us definitely and emphatically that the Lord Almighty can do His own work, and no power of man can stay the potency of His wonder-working hand. Men may presume to dictate to the Lord; they come to naught, but His work moves steadily forward. Many who have left this Church have tried the experiment of building up the kingdom of God by their learning, saying, "When we have established our Church it will then be the kingdom of the Lord." ”

“ When the Lord works, no man can hinder, while those who feel willing to hearken to His words work with Him; and when He says, "Be still," they are subject; when He dictates, they cease to direct; when He directs, they are willing to do His commandments, He bestows blessings on their labors, His work prospers in their hands, His kingdom moves onward with a steady and unwavering progress, the honest in heart are blessed, and the whole is in a state of continual and rapid increase. ”

“ Let every man and every woman do this, and then be willing to make every sacrifice the Lord may require; and when they have bound up their affections, time, and talents, with all they have, to the interest of the kingdom, then have they gained the victory, and their work is complete, so far as they understand.
If this people would take that course, what hinders their being in the Millennium? If I were to ask what the Millennium—the Latter-day glory so often spoken of, is, I should find numerous opinions among this people, and many in and out of this congregation. ”

“ I said, "If the Lord blesses me with life and health, I shall put forth my hand to rear an edifice, in which the people can comfortably assemble, as large as we can build at present, and dedicate it to the Lord, that the people may say in their heart, Let us go up to the house of the Lord to worship." ”

“ While on the other hand, others who have only got half a dozen chickens can willingly pay their tithing. You may say, "It is easier for them to pay tithing than for those who possess so much, for they are so very poor, it does not infringe upon other matters." Now if I had but one cow, and felt thus, I would give her away forthwith. If you have only six horses and ten yoke of cattle, or only one cow, and you are too poor to pay your tithing, give the whole into the public works. I speak thus to those who are inclined to love the substance of this world better than the Lord. ”

“ If the people will not serve the devil another moment whilst they live, if this congregation is possessed of that spirit and resolution, here in this house is the Millennium. Let the inhabitants of this city be possessed of that spirit, let the people of the territory be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium. Let the whole people of the United States be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium, and so will it spread over all the world. ”

“ You may say, "If we live, we must eat, drink, and wear clothing;" and, "He that provideth not for his own household, has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel;" numberless arguments of this kind will present themselves to the minds of the people, to call them away from the line of their duty, when they know it is their privilege to dedicate themselves, their families, and all they possess to the Lord. How quick is the enemy, how ready to present something of an opposite nature to what is right before them! ”

“ The kingdom will continue to increase, to grow, to spread and prosper more and more. Every time its enemies undertake to overthrow it, it will become more extensive and powerful; instead of its decreasing, it will continue to increase, it will spread the more, become more wonderful and conspicuous to the nations, until it fills the whole earth. ”

“ Can we make this covenant with ourselves this morning. Not only to say we dedicate this house and ourselves, our flocks, herds, families, and possessions, to the Lord, but actually perform the work, dedicating our affections to His service. If our affections are won and wholly dedicated to His cause, we have then obtained the victory. ”

“ We can now calmly reflect upon the experience of our past lives, and those minds that are opened to receive light and truth, that can behold the manifestations of the Lord, can at once see that He has done that which we could not have accomplished by our own power, and that directly behind (to all human appearance) a frowning Providence oftentimes are concealed the greatest blessings that mankind can desire. ”

“ No person who fears God, who serves the King, the Lord of Hosts; and none who are willing to love our Father in heaven supremely—above all things else upon the face of this earth, or in eternity, will be found persecuting even an idolater, to say nothing of the Saints of the Most High. ”

“ The Lord must be first and foremost in our affections, the building up of His kingdom demands our first consideration.
The Lord God Almighty has set up a kingdom that will sway the sceptre of power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world, and will never be destroyed, it is the kingdom that Daniel saw and wrote of. It may be considered treason to say that the kingdom which that Prophet foretold is actually set up; that we cannot help, but we know it is so, and call upon the nations to believe our testimony. ”

“ If your affections are placed upon anything so as to hinder you in the least from dedicating them to the Lord, make a dedication of that thing in the first place, that the dedication of the whole may be complete. ”

“ If any man is in darkness through the deceitfulness of riches, it is good policy for him to bind up his wealth in this Church, so that he cannot command it again, and he will be apt to cleave to the kingdom. If a man has the purse in his pocket, and he apostatizes, he takes it with him; but if his worldly interest is firmly united to the Kingdom of God, when he arises to go away, he finds the calf is bound, and, like the cow, he is unwilling to forsake it. ”

“ I have learned long ago that the thoughts and expressions of men are very diversified; if, indeed, their thoughts or ideas are similar, I know their words differ widely; so should I find a great many different opinions among this people, with regard to the real essence and effect of the Millennium. ”

“ You know the mental and physical weakness of man, so common to mortality, and which the enemy is so ready to turn against you, to his own advantage. You think that your business needs your continual and undivided attention, that you must attend to this, or to that, before you can dedicate yourselves and families to the Lord. ”

“ I shall say to the brethren, Come, let us build a house that we may enter within its walls, and there offer our prayers and thanksgivings before the Lord, and worship Him as long as we please, without the fear of being driven home with storms of wind, rain, and snow. ”

“ The Millennium consists in this—every heart in the Church and Kingdom of God being united in one; the Kingdom increasing to the overcoming of everything opposed to the economy of heaven, and Satan. being bound, and having a seal set upon him. All things else will be as they are now, we shall eat, drink, and wear clothing. Let the people be holy, and the earth under their feet will be holy. Let the people be holy, and filled with the Spirit of God, and every animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace ”

“ If his calf is bound up here, he will be inclined to stay; all his interest is here, and very likely the Lord will open his eyes, so that he will properly understand his true situation, and his heart will chime in with the will of his God in a very short time. Were we to dedicate our moral and intellectual influence, and our earthly wealth to the Lord, our hearts would be very likely to applaud our acts. ”

“ There are a many who delight in the good things of this earth—in gold and silver, in carriages and horses, in houses and splendid furniture, in costly clothing, in orchards and gardens, in vineyards and fields, and extended possessions. ”

“ There are many who in these words complain, and say they are so poor they cannot pay their tithing; say they, "I have only got three horses and two yoke of cattle and about fifty sheep; I want one horse to ride, and the others to haul wood, I therefore do not know how I can possibly pay my tithing." ”

“ Let it all go by the board, brethren, and who cares? I do not. Your oxen and horses will not live for ever, they will die occasionally; and sometimes we are deprived by death of our children, and other members of our families. ”