Brigham Young

“ But recollect that brother Taylor, in his remarks, brought the spiritual and the temporal together. They always have been and always will be together, and by our labor we show to the heavens that we are willing and obedient servants and handmaids. This gives us a claim to the blessings which our Father in heaven delights to bestow upon the faithful. By our works our faith is made manifest, and by them shall we be judged, and justified or condemned. Then let our works be such as will justify us and tend to the building up of the kingdom of heaven upon the earth. ”

“ Improvement belongs to the spirit and plan of the heavens. To improve in our minds, to increase in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, to gather every item of knowledge that we can in mechanism and in science of every description, respecting the earth, the object of the organization of the earth, the heavens, the heavenly bodies—all this is of Heaven, it is from God; but when a person or a people begin to dwindle, to lessen and to take the downward course, they are going from heaven and heavenly things. You have seen this illustrated in those who leave this Church. ”

“ If we were to go into details wish regard to labor I think we could show very clearly that the time that is given to us here is not altogether well spent. We might make a great many improvements to benefit ourselves, and be none the poorer, but it would increase our wealth. I think this is apparent to every reflecting mind. Every improvement that we make not only adds to our comfort but to our wealth. ”

“ He has said, "My son, devote one-tenth of yourself to the good and wholesome work of taking care of your fellow-beings, preaching the Gospel, bringing people into the kingdom; lay your plans to take care of those who can not take care of themselves; direct the labors of those who are able to labor; and one-tenth part is all-sufficient if it is devoted properly, carefully and judiciously for the advancement of my kingdom on the earth."
What little wealth I have got, I have obtained since I have been in this Church. ”

“ Let the Latter-day Saints neglect their labor, and they will soon find that they are declining in their feelings, tastes and judgment for improving the elements of the earth; hence we say, improve, be industrious, prudent, faithful, make good farms, gardens and orchards, good public and private buildings, have the best schools, &c. The world give us the credit of being the most industrious people on the face of the earth; they say that the Latter-day Saints in Utah have done more than any other people ever were known to do in the same time. ”

“ The least thought or act of an individual who is or can be called a Saint, that militates against a oneness of feeling and action amongst the Saints is opposed to everything that is heavenly and good. We do not wish to co-operate in mercantile affairs only, but we wish to bring the minds of the people to consider the benefit of uniting and laboring together, to make this long and strong pull all together, of which brother Taylor spoke. This is an expression that Brother Joseph Smith frequently used concerning the oneness of the people. ”

“ You have known men who, while in the Church, were active, quick and full of intelligence; but after they have left the Church, they have become contracted in their understandings, they have become darkened in their minds, and everything has become a mystery to them, and in regard to the things of God, they have become like the rest of the world, who think, hope and pray that such and such things may be so, but they do not know the least about it. ”

“ They are blessed in everything they put their hand to. The climate of these valleys has been modified and mollified for their sakes. When we first came here, neither an apple nor an ear of wheat could have been raised in this valley. But is there a finer valley than this now in these mountains? No. Is there a finer place for people to live in on this continent? No. There is not.
If the people take a course to bring the blessings of heaven upon them, they will increase in everything. If they refuse obedience to the holy Priesthood, they will dwindle and go into unbelief and apostacy ”

“ We must have the same faith and feelings for the building up of the kingdom of God, and for the salvation of ourselves and others, jointly, together, or we shall fail in our attempts to accomplish the work which the Lord has given us to do. ”

“ Now, brethren and sisters, if we wish the blessings of heaven upon us, let us be faithful to our covenants and callings, faithful in paying Tithing, in keeping the word of wisdom and in building Temples. The Tithing is for the building of Temples. Suppose we build this meeting house here with Tithing. If the people will give us one-tenth part of that which is due on their Tithing, we shall have all we need to build their meetinghouses, schoolhouses, and Temples. ”

“ This is precisely the position of those who leave this Church: they go into the dark, they are not able to judge, conceive or comprehend things as they are. They are like the drunken man—he thinks that everybody is the worse for liquor but himself, and he is the only sober man in the neighborhood. The apostates think that everbody is wrong but themselves. ”

“ I have helped to harvest wheat there, that yielded fifty bushels to the acre, or from twenty-five to sixty bushels. For thirty years past, they have not raised twenty bushels to the acre; for twenty years past they have not raised fifteen bushels to the acre, and now, in that country, which once was not surpassed by any portion of the globe for raising fruit and wheat, not an apple is raised without a worm in the centre. They have been so for twenty or thirty years. Their apples are good for nothing. ”

“ We have a bowery here, which is very comfortable to meet in this warm weather, but when it is windy, stormy, cold or wet, the people should certainly have a house to meet in, instead of being out of doors. This, of course, will require labor. ”

“ It is purely for the love of holy principles, that will exalt the people, that we may receive and gain more and more, and keep receiving for ever and ever, that I serve the Lord, and try to build up his kingdom. ”

“ This sister would tell it to another, and it would go all through the neighborhood that such a man, who only a few days before had been considered by them as good a brother as they had in their church had become a chicken thief. But you cannot mention any crime that this people called Latter-day Saints have not been accused of committing by their so-called Christian neighbors; and these stories would generally commence by the priests whispering to some sister—"Did you hear of such and such a thing?" ”

“ Search the world over, and you will find but few Jewish agriculturists, although there are millions of Jews scattered through the earth, and many of them occupying important positions in the learned world; but they are not producers, they are all consumers. ”

“ But take the other course, and they become like our savages—they soon forget what they have learned, have no taste for acquiring knowledge, and lose all their ambition and desire for improvement. For instance, look at the Jewish nation. ”

“ Send them to England as they did forty or fifty years ago, and they are not marketable; they will bear no price in comparison to good fruit. Five to ten bushels of wheat to an acre now. Their peaches have gone, their apples have gone, their plums and their pears have gone, and that land eventually, unless this government and the people of the government take a different course towards the Gospel, that the Lord has revealed in the latter days, will become desolate, forlorn and forsaken. ”

“ But it is not particularly profitable to me or to anybody else to relate it. Sometimes it is very well to relate circumstances that have transpired, to show to the rising generation what we have passed through and what we have had to contend with. ”

“ We shall still go on, doing all the good we can, administering and officiating for all whom we are permitted to administer and officiate for, and then go on to the next, and to the next, until the Lord shall crown all who have been faithful on this earth, and the work pertaining to the earth is finished, and the Savior, whom we have been helping, has completed his task, and the earth, with all things pertaining to it, is presented to the Father. ”