_GRATITUDE, HUMILITY, DEVOTION, LIBERALITY, HONESTY_
_Gratitude_--I do not know of any, excepting the unpardonable sin,
that is greater than the sin of ingratitude. 14:277.
We rejoice because the Lord is ours, because we are sown in weakness
for the express purpose of attaining to greater power and perfection.
In everything the Saints may rejoice--in persecution, because it
is necessary to purge them, and prepare the wicked for their doom;
in sickness and in pain, though they are hard to bear, because we
are thereby made acquainted with pain, with sorrow, and with every
affliction that mortals can endure, for by contrast all things are
demonstrated to our senses. We have reason to rejoice exceedingly that
faith is in the world, that the Lord reigns, and does his pleasure
among the inhabitants of the earth. Do you ask if I rejoice because
the Devil has the advantage over the inhabitants of the earth, and
has afflicted mankind? I most assuredly answer in the affirmative; I
rejoice in this as much as in anything else. I rejoice because I am
afflicted. I rejoice because lam poor. I rejoice because I am cast
down. Why? Because I shall be lifted up again. I rejoice that I am poor
because I shall be made rich; that I am afflicted, because I shall be
comforted, and prepared to enjoy the felicity of perfect happiness, for
it is impossible to properly appreciate happiness except by enduring
the opposite. 1:359.
_Humility_--I delight extremely in plain simplicity. 4:341. {353}
The humble will live, their spirits will be buoyant, and they will live
to a great age. 8:181.
We have to humble ourselves and become like little children in our
feelings--to become humble and childlike in spirit, in order to receive
the first illuminations of the spirit of the Gospel, then we have the
privilege of growing, of increasing in knowledge, in wisdom, and in
understanding. 3:192.
The hearts of the meek and humble are full of joy and comfort
continually. 4:22.
When a person sees things as they are, flattery and reproach are all
the same to him, he sees no difference. If he finds that he is pleasing
God and his brethren, he is exceedingly rejoiced, and feels an increase
of humility and resignation. When a man is proud and arrogant, flattery
fills him with vanity and injures him; but it is not so when he is
increasing in the faith of God. 12:50.
I exhort the brethren not to boast over our enemies' downfall. Boast
not, brethren. God has come out of his hiding-place, and has commenced
to vex the nations that have rejected us, and he will vex them with a
sore vexation. 8:324.
_Devotion to the Gospel_--To the Latter-day Saints I say, live
your religion, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, live by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God, and we shall be prospered. 13:318.
A man, or a woman, desiring to know the will of God, and having an
opportunity to know it, will apply their hearts to this wisdom until
it becomes easy and familiar to them, and they will love to do good
instead of evil. 3:363.
To enjoy the protection of the Almighty, we have got {354} to live our
religion--to live so that we have the mind of Christ within us. 4:358.
All I ask of you is to apply your hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and be Saints. I will not ask anything else on this earth of you, only
to live so as to know the mind and will of God when you receive it,
and then abide in it. If you will do that, you will be prepared to do
a great many things, and you will find that there is much good to be
done. 3:375.
When you know how to be a Saint today, you are in a fair way to know
how to be a Saint tomorrow. And if you can continue to be a Saint
today, you can through the week, and through the year, and you can fill
up your whole life in performing the duty and labor of a Saint. 2:53.
If I am organized and capacitated to receive this glory and this
exaltation, I must be the friend of him who has brought me forth and
instituted this exaltation for me; I must not be his enemy at any time.
4:198.
I have sought to teach you how to get rich, but I never taught you to
neglect your duty; I never instructed you nor taught you to forsake
the Lord; and today I would rather not own one farthing, and take my
valise in my hand, as I did at the rise of the Church, and travel
among the nations of the earth, and beg my bread from door to door,
than to neglect my duty and lose the Spirit of Almighty God. If I have
wealth and cannot use it to the glory of God and the building up of his
Kingdom, I ask the Lord to take it from me. 13:280.
There is not a wicked man on the face of the earth but what reveres a
pure servant of God. They may not acknowledge it with their organs of
speech, but in their hearts, sentiments and feelings they revere such
a character. {355} When they see a pure and holy man or woman, say
they, "I wish I was as good as you are." Then let us take a pride in
acknowledging our religion and living it, by being virtuous, true and
good in everything, and then take pride in educating your minds until
you can conquer and control yourselves in everything. Educate your
children in all the knowledge the world can give them. God has given it
to the world, it is all his. Every true principle, every true science,
every art, and all the knowledge that men possess, or that they ever
did or ever will possess, is from God. We should take pains and pride
to instill this knowledge into the minds of our neighbors, and our
brethren, and rear our children so that the learning and education of
the world may be theirs, and that virtue, truth and holiness may crown
their lives that they may be saved in the Kingdom of God. 12:326.
I say to this community, Be humble, be faithful to your God, true to
his Church, benevolent to the strangers that may pass through our
Territory, and kind to all people, serving the Lord with all your
might, trusting in him; but never fear the frowns of an enemy, nor
be moved by the flatteries of friends or of enemies from the path of
right. Serve your God; believe in him, and never be ashamed of him, and
sustain your character before him.
I say to the aged, to the middle-aged, and to the young--All be true to
your God, true to your brethren, and kind to all, serving God with all
your heart. And may he bless you for Jesus' sake. Amen. 1:146.
While speaking the other day to the people, I observed that "the race
was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong," neither riches
to men of wisdom. I happened to cast my eyes upon Ira Ames, who was
sitting in the congregation. {356} I knew he had been in the Church a
considerable length of time, I have been personally acquainted with him
for twenty years. My eye also caught many more of the first Saints at
the same time. These men know that "Mormonism" is true, they have moved
steadily forward, and have not sought to become noted characters as
many have; but, unseen as it were, they have maintained their footing
steadily in the right path. I could place my hand upon many in this
congregation, who will win the race, though they are not very swift,
to outward appearance, and they make no great pretensions; they are
found continually attending to their own business. They do not appear
to be great warriors, or as if they were likely to win the battle. But
what is their true character? They have faith today, they are filled
with faith, their words are few, but they are full of integrity. You
will find them tomorrow as they were yesterday, or are today. Visit
them when you will, or under what circumstances, and you find them
unalterably the same; and finally when you have spent your life with
them, you will find that their lives throughout have been well spent,
full of faith, hope, charity, and good works, as far as they have had
the ability. These are the ones who will win the race, conquer in the
battle, and obtain the peace and righteousness of eternity. 1:89.
You may examine from the beginning to this day, and continue to watch
in the future, and where you find a man who wishes to steady the ark
of God, without being called to do so, you will find a dark spot in
him. The man full of light and intelligence discerns that God steadies
his own ark, dictates his own affairs, guides his people, controls
his kingdom, governs nations, and holds the hearts of all living in
his hands, and turns them hither and thither at his {357} pleasure,
not infringing upon their agency. There is not the least danger of
disagreeing with persons enjoying the Holy Spirit. 8:66.
To be great is to be good before the Heavens and before all good men.
10:111.
_Give Freely_--Let us not love the things of this world above the
things of God, but strip for the race and harness for the battle of the
Gospel plan of salvation. 10:328.
How contracted in mind and short-sighted we must be to permit the
perishable things of this world to swerve us in the least degree from
our fidelity to the truth. It shows that we lack knowledge which we
should possess. 11:283.
Suppose that you are required to do ten pieces of work, but of the ten
only one is necessary for the promotion of the Kingdom of God; which
had you better do--perform the ten pieces of labor, to be sure of doing
the right piece, or neglect the whole ten because you do not know which
the right one is? Had you not better do the whole ten pieces, that you
may be sure of performing that which the Lord really requires at your
hands? 8:12-13.
I wish you to understand, however, that a man giving his means to build
up the Kingdom of God is no proof to me that he is true in heart. I
have long since learned, that a person may give a gift with an impure
design. 10:268.
Man may think, and some of them do, that we have a right to work for
ourselves; but I say we have no time to do that in the narrow, selfish
sense generally entertained when speaking about working for self. We
have no time allotted to us here on the earth to work for ourselves
in that sense; and yet when laboring in the most disinterested and
fervent manner for the cause and Kingdom of God, it is all for
ourselves. Though our time be entirely occupied {358} in laboring for
the advancement of the Kingdom of God on the earth we are in reality
laboring most effectually for self, for all our interest and welfare,
both in time and eternity, are circumscribed and bound up in that
Kingdom. 14:101.
_Be Honest_--Woe to those who profess to be Saints and are not
honest. Only be honest with yourselves, and you will be honest to the
brethren. 2:53.
Men must be honest, they must live faithfully before their God,
and honor their calling and being on the earth. You ask if that is
possible? Yes; the doctrine which we have embraced takes away the stony
hearts. 3:118-119.
We need to learn, practice, study, know and understand how angels live
with each other. When this community comes to the point to be perfectly
honest and upright, you will never find a poor person; none will lack,
all will have sufficient. Every man, woman, and child will have all
they need just as soon as they all become honest. When the majority of
the community are dishonest, it maketh the honest portion poor, for the
dishonest serve and enrich themselves at their expense. 6:76.
It is much better to be honest; to live here uprightly, and forsake and
shun evil, than it is to be dishonest. It is the easiest path in the
world to be honest,--to be upright before God; and when people learn
this, they will practice it. 5:295.
Honest hearts produce honest actions--holy desires produce
corresponding outward works.
Fulfil your contracts and sacredly keep your word. 10:97.
I have no fellowship for a man that will make a promise and not fulfil
it. 13:301. {359}
Simple truth, simplicity, honesty, uprightness, justice, mercy, love,
kindness, do good to all and evil to none, how easy it is to live by
such principles! A thousand times easier than to practice deception!
14:76.
_Honesty in Labor_--I have tried to suppress dishonesty in
individuals, and have tried thereby to make them honest. If I hire a
carpenter and pay him three dollars a day, and he is three days in
making a six-panel door that a good workman can make in one, or even a
door and a half, I do not want to pay him three dollars a day for that
labor. 6:73.
We want the Saints to increase in goodness, until our mechanics, for
instance, are so honest and reliable that this Railroad Company will
say, "Give us a 'Mormon' Elder for an engineer, then none need have
the least fear to ride, for if he knows there is danger he will take
every measure necessary to preserve the lives of those entrusted to
his care." I want to see our Elders so full of integrity that they
will be preferred by this Company for their engine builders, watchmen,
engineers, clerks, and business managers. If we live our religion and
are worthy the name of Latter-day Saints, we are just the men that all
such business can be entrusted to with perfect safety; if it can not it
will prove that we do not live our religion. 12:300.
If you see honest persons, you see those who are ready to take hold and
labor with their might, even though they have but one potato in a day;
they will suffer rather than impoverish the Church. 3:340.
One liar is like a bad king. A corrupt and wicked king can corrupt a
whole nation. One liar can deceive thousands. 16:30.
A very simple person can tell the truth, but it takes a {360} very
smart person to tell a lie and make it appear like the truth. 11:304.
_Consistency and Sincerity_--O, consistency, thou art one of the
fairest jewels in the life of a Saint. 11:136.
If we teach righteousness, let us also practice righteousness in every
sense of the word; if we teach morality, let us be moral; let us see to
it that we preserve ourselves within the bounds of all the good which
we teach to others. I am sure this course will be good to live by and
good to die by, and when we get through the journey of life, here, what
a consolation it will be to us to know that we have done as we have
wished others to do by us in all respects. 11:130.
There is not one man in this city, nor in the Territory, who hates the
truth and the Latter-day Saints, whose influence I dread, no, not even
the hundredth part, as I do a smooth, slick hypocrite who professes to
be a Latter-day Saint. The former cannot sow the seeds of infidelity
and unbelief in the hearts of the people; but the latter can. 18:359.
A person who is a thief, a liar, and a murderer in his heart, but
professes to be a Saint, is more odious in the sight of God, angels and
good men, than a person who comes out and openly declares that he is
our enemy. I know how to take such a man, but a devil with a Saint's
cloak on is one of the meanest characters you can imagine. I say,
blessings on the head of a wicked Gentile who is my avowed enemy, far
sooner than upon an enemy cloaked with a Saint's profession. 3:120.
But I hope and trust in the Lord my God that I shall never be left to
praise this people, to speak well of them, for the purpose of cheering
and comforting them by the art {361} of flattery; to lead them on by
smooth speeches day after day, week after week, month after month, and
year after year, and let them roll sin as a sweet morsel under their
tongues, and be guilty of transgressing the law of God. I hope I shall
never be left to flatter this people, or any people, on the earth, in
their iniquity, but far rather chasten them for their wickedness and
praise them for their goodness. 4:22.
The religion that we have embraced must last a man from Monday morning
until Monday morning, and from Saturday night until Saturday night,
and from one new year until another; it must be in all our thoughts
and words, in all our ways and dealings. We come here to tell the
people how to be saved; we know how, consequently we can tell others.
Suppose our calling tomorrow is to conduct a railroad, to go into
some philosophical business, or no matter what, our minds, our faith
or religion, our God and his Spirit are with us; and if we should
happen to be found in a room dedicated for purposes of amusement and
an accident should occur, and an Elder engaged in the dance is called
upon to go and lay hands on the sick, if he is not prepared to exercise
his calling and his faith in God as much there as at any other time
and in any other place, he never should be found there, for none have
a legal right to the amusements which the Lord has ordained for his
children except those who acknowledge his hand in all things and keep
his commandments. 14:117. {362}