Eliza Roxcy Snow

“ It might not be deemed policy to enter into covenants by deed, in our property matters, at present, though it may be hereafter. So long as the emotions of our souls prompt us to exclaim, in the language of Joshua, that " I and my household will serve the Lord " so long as this willingness dwells in our hearts, to give ourselves up entirely to the service of God, we are in the proper condition to ask the Father to hasten the day when His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. ”

“ I desire, however, to confine myself more par- ticularly to the subject relating to our financial union unit- ing ourselves together as brethren who have entered into the everlasting covenant of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, expecting to dwell together in the presence of God in the celestial world.
We have been told, through the revelations of God, to which our attention has often been called, that unless we become one in temporal as well as spiritual things, it were use- less to anticipate the fulness of celestial glory or a state of oneness in the spiritual things of God. ”

“ We learned an important and significant fact, that we were the offspring of God, inheriting, though only in infantile form, the same attributes He possessed, and that through pro- bationary experience, by passing the ordeals of earth, rejecting the evil and accepting the good, these attributes could be developed until eventually we might receive a fulness of the Godhead and dwell in the presence of the Father. ”

“ This is highly improper; it is wrong and displeasing in the sight of God; and of this sin we are called to repent by putting it away from us, and beginning to live the lives of Latter-day Saints, according the sacred covenants we have entered into.
When you find a man who takes the same interest in those over whom he presides as he does in himself and family you will naturally begin to have confidence in that individual . ”

“ In many of our business relations one with another, there does not exist that spirit of union and brotherly interest which should be maintained. We need to take a course that will enable us to acquire it, and this spirit should prevail throughout all our settlements. ”

“ As knowledge and efficiency are obtained gradually, we may expect that the experience we are getting now, in learn- ing how to build up cities in our present condition conform- ing as near as possible to the holy order of God, is designed to prepare us to return to Missouri, from whence we were driven, and there build up cities and temples to the name of the Most High, upon which His glory will descend. A condition of willingness to conform our will to the Divine will is what we need. ”

“ Because of reverses or failures in our attempts to successfully operate in our temporal affairs, we should not allow such disappointment to detract from the principle itself, but rather let us attribute our misfortunes to human weakness, regarding the principle as divine, revealed for our special benefit and blessing, and in every instance of apparent failure, let us be resolved to "try again."
The principles of plural marriage were revealed for the benefit and exaltation of the children of men ”

“ But just so far as this will- ingness exists in our hearts to appropriate our means which we have accumulated, for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God upon the earth, and that too without grudging, even as the former day Saints laid theirs down at the feet of the Apostles, so far are we approved and accepted of God. ”

“ He might say to one, " Here, Brother B., you are better adapted to fill this or that position than I am;" and to another, "You are the man best fitted to this department;" and so on until he gets the talents of all brought out, and instead of diminish- ing the public confidence in himself such a course would add to it. Further, he would be doing for his brethren that which the United Order designs to do for all, namely, to afford oppor- tunity to develop the gifts with which nature has endowed us. ”

“ At the present time it is too often the case that the men who are called to act in such positions, instead of thus acting according to their holy calling, use their influence, their Priest- hood, the sacred powers conferred upon them, for their own benefit and that of their children and personal friends. ”

“ The people will soon learn to confide in such a man, as he can establish unmistakable proof before God and before his brethren that he obeys these commandments in which are included all that the Prophets ever lived for. ”

“ Every one would be on hand, like Israel when in the desert, and journeying to the land of Canaan, they were required to build a movable tabernacle for certain sacred purposes, and the people brought their offerings, etc., even more than were sufficient, and Moses had to cry out to the people to stop. ”

“ It might be said of him, as it should be said of all men, that he loves his brethren, or in other words, "his neighbor as himself." Now let the man who acts as the presiding Elder of his ward manifest by word and action these fatherly feelings towards those he presides over, and how soon we would begin to perceive perfect con- fidence restored.
Possibly such a man might not possess financiering abili- ties, and possibly the people might not have confidence in his abilities to manage or direct temporal affairs. ”

“ We must look out for ourselves." But where a man works for the community, he becomes truly a father to that people, working for them with the same feeling, desire and interest as he* would for himself. ”

“ With a people of one heart and mind, possessed of the same feelings and aspirations as we were when we first embraced the Gospel, in connection with our present knowl- edge and experience in the practical workings of building up the kingdom, how easy it would be to establish our home industries or mercantile institutions, and carry them on successfully. ”

“ It is impos- sible to progress in the principles of truth to increase in heavenly knowledge, except we exercise our reasoning facul- ties and exert ourselves in a proper manner. We have an instance recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants of a misun- derstanding on the part of Oliver Cowdery, touching this principle. The Lord promised him the gift to translate ancient records. Like many of us to-day, he had misconcep- tions in regard to the exercise of the gift. ”