Brigham Young

“ Men who from their youth have been taught the strictest economy are incapable of sustaining themselves and a small family, aside from ability to govern and control a people, a nation, or a kingdom. Hundreds of thousands—yes, millions of men, do not exhibit the mental ability that one might suppose women should possess and exhibit. In our own community there are plenty of ladies who, give them the entire control of their own domestic affairs, will make a better living, live in better style, and rear their families better than at present. ”

“ Those only have the promise of salvation who endure to the end; and all I ask is that we may have faith to endure. Many have lifted the sword to cut down "Mormonism" in the bud, and for more than thirty years past they have striven to overthrow it, and have not accomplished their purpose; but it has grown and increased, and will continue to grow and increase, until it reigns triumphantly on the earth, and it will deal justice to all. ”

“ In regard to ourselves, there is not a man or woman in this kingdom, if they possessed the true principle of knowledge and wisdom, but what would know at once that they are not yet capable of magnifying any higher station than they now occupy. There is not a man or woman here but occupies a position in which they have full liberty, freedom, and opportunity to dispense their skill and knowlege to benefit themselves and the community: they are not coerced to lose one particle of time and ability. ”

“ Even the rights of devils will be respected,—also the rights of all men occupying every grade and of every capacity. And those who have striven during so many years, and so faithfully, to kill this people, they will be judged according to the deeds done in their bodies: If they never had the Holy Ghost, they can never be angels to the Devil to suffer the wrath of God to all eternity. ”

“ I can teach you how to become wealthy in gold and silver, in silks and satins, and in all worldly possessions,—also in the riches of eternal life. All I ask of you is to believe that I tell you the truth, and then carry it out. ”

“ I can say to the sisters, if you have superior talents, arise and let your light shine. Prove to your neighbours and the community that you are capable of teaching those sisters whom you deem to be ignorant or neglectful. I have placed a low estimate upon the standing and capacity of men; and now let me take the privilege to say a few words to you—to the ladies who have reached the age of thirty years. ”

“ Does he cut down the children of men because they do not look at things and believe, as I do? No. Will the Priesthood, when it bears rule upon the earth, ever interrupt an individual or community for not embracing the religion of that Priesthood? ”

“ Yes; for that is the time to prove whether one is a friend of God, that the confidence of the Almighty may increase in his son. We should so live that our confidence and faith may increase in Him. We must even go further than that. Let us so live that the faith and confidence of our heavenly Father may increase towards us, until he shall know that we will be true to him under any and all circumstances and at all times. When in our darkness and temptation we are found faithful to our duty, that increases the confidence of our God in us. He sees that we will be his servants. ”

“ In comparison, there is but a hair's breadth between the depths of infidelity and the heights of the faith of the Saints; and the organization of man is perfectly independent in its sphere. Life and death, truth and falsehood, light and darkness, good and evil, the power of the Devil and the influence of God, the things of God and the things of the Devil, all these inducements and powers are interspersed among the children of men ”

“ If they tell nothing but the truth, all is right, and they will discover the kingdom of God still to prosper—still to increase and grow, until Jesus, whose right it is to reign, will rule King of nations, as he now reigns King of Saints. ”

“ It is as much as we can do to keep the Christians of the nineteenth century from cutting our throats because we differ from them in our religious belief. That is, in fact, all the difficulty. Not that the Latter-day Saints ever endeavoured to interrupt any person in their faith and worship; and on this point I will call to witness all men who have been acquainted with us. True some Elders in this Church have been foolish; but brother Clements has just told you that he never crammed "Mormonism" down any man's throat, nor strove to do so, neither has any Elder while faithful to his calling. ”

“ All I ask is for the grace of God to enable us to endure to the end and be saved, and others are at liberty to make their choice. No matter whether a person is killed or not, be faithful to your lives' end, and obtain a glorious resurrection. ”

“ As you have been often told, the providences of God are with them, though they know it not. He sets up a kingdom here, and casts down another there, and overrules the acts of the people to produce the results he desires. ”

“ Look through Utah and over the world, and how many who have beards are men in their capacities in the common avocations of life, to say nothing about kings, rulers, statesmen, presidents, and governors? How many men are there capable of sustaining themselves, a wife, and two or three children? ”

“ I do not mean from the beginning of this earth alone; and although we have no immediate concern in inquiring into the organization of other earths that do not come within reach of our investigation, yet I will say that water has been the means of purification in every world that has been organized out of the immensity of matter. ”

“ But man has a capacity given him to have the vision of his mind open to discern heavenly things, and to treasure up wisdom and knowledge by that means, until he is prepared to receive the kingdom of heaven. ”

“ True, at times men are perplexed and full of care and trouble, their ploughs and other implements are out of order, their animals have strayed, and a thousand things perplex them; yet our judgment teaches us that it is our duty to pray, whether we are particularly in the spirit of praying or not. ”

“ When we are lied about—when every kind of falsehood is uttered and printed against us that can be invented by the millions of devils that prompt the children of men to lie, it is sometimes difficult for me to repress the spirit of retaliation. ”

“ And though we may not know the origin of the necessity of being baptized for the remission of sins, it answers that portion of the law we are now under to teach the people in their ignorance that water is designed for purification, and to instruct them to be baptized therein for the remission of their sins. If the people could fully understand this matter, they would perceive that it is perfectly reasonable and has been the law to all worlds. ”

“ You have a passion, a will, a temper to overcome. You are subject to temptation as other men; and when you are tempted, let the judgment which God has placed within you and the intelligence he has given you by the light of the Spirit be the. ”

“ In his remarks, brother Clements reasoned, touching persons forsaking the faith, and urged the necessity of man studying himself. If we could comprehend ourselves—could fully comprehend what our organization is, and understand the power, wisdom, and magnitude of intelligence it is capable of attaining, we should entertain many ideas very different from what we now do. ”

“ Search among the various nations, and you can find men of very respectable talent—men learned upon various subjects, skilled in mechanism, philosophers of various grades, and historians; but can you find a man that is capable of rightly dictating a nation? ”

“ Who the lady is I know not, and I have seen a great many like her, and I think there would be much more sound judgment and true, sound philosophy exhibited, if persons would inquire why about three-fourths or seven-eighths of the men are not women. ”

“ And this world, so benighted at present, and so lightly esteemed by infidels, as observed by brother Clements, when it becomes celestialized, it will be like the sun, and be prepared for the habitation of the Saints, and be brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son. ”

“ I should judge, from what I have seen, that there are many who do not know the swill-pail from the milk-pail. Others do not know how to make butter and cheese, nor how to keep their children clean. Others, again, do not know how to teach their children as they should be taught. ”

“ To enter into the presence of God, we must be qualified. What confidence could we have that he is the Father, only through our qualifications? As brother Clements has said, were he to appear to an unqualified person, he would have to appear as a man, and that person would want the evidence and testimony of a third person to convince him that he was not labouring under a grand deception ”

“ And those of them who have lived according to the best light they had, (and this will apply to all sects and parties of professing Christians, and to pagans and barbarians in all kingdoms, nations, and countries,) will enjoy a glory hereafter that will be commensurate to their lives and the way in which they have improved upon their advantages; and by-and-by they will be freed entirely from the power of the Devil. They will be shut out from the presence of the Lord, which the ancients compared to hell ”

“ One of the Quorum of the Twelve—a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel, and conversed with him as he would with one of his friends ”

“ Let them eat; you can attend to them when you have finished praying. Let the will of the man be brought into subjection to the law of Christ—to all the ordinances of the house of God. What, in his darkness and depression? ”