Gems of Wisdom

GEMS OF WISDOM By President Brigham Young Selected by Preston Nibley On coming to Salt Lake Valley. "I do not wish men to understand I had anything to do with our people being moved here, that was the providence of the Almighty; it was the power of God that wrought out salvation for this people. I never could have devised such a plan." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 41. What he desired to live for. "All I design to live for is to see the inhabitants of the earth acknowledge God, bow down to him and confess his supremacy. * * * As for me and all I have, it is the Lord's and shall be dedicated to him all my days." — Deseret News, Vol. 4, number 6. The value of a testimony. "The world, with all its wisdom and power, with all the glory and gilded show of its kings and potentates, sinks into perfect insignificance, compared with the simple, unadorned testimony of a servant of God." — Deseret News, Vol. 4, number 6. Preferred farming to "gold hunting." "I pray you in Christ's stead to let gold hunting alone. * * * Instead of hunting gold, let every man go to work at raising wheat, oats, barley, corn and vegetables and fruit in abundance that there may be plenty in the land." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 12, page 202. What real wealth is. "We want to understand and do better than we have done, and be governed by the dictates of good, solid, sound sense in the use of the wealth, privileges and talents that are given to us in our present life. Let me ask, what is real wealth? Do you know? I say that Time is all the wealth we have."-— Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, page 72. On giving to those who can earn. "My experience has taught me and it has become a principle with me, that itj is never any benefit to give, out and out, to man or woman, money, food, clothing or anything else, if they are able bodied, and can work and earn what they need, when there is anything on earth for them to do." — Journal of Discources, Vol. 11, page 297. Oratory not needed. "The kingdom of our God that is set up on the earth does not require men of many words and flaming oratorical talents to establish truth and righteousness. * * * When I first commenced preaching, I made up my mind to declare the things that I understood, fearless of friends and threats, and regardless of caresses." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 20.

GEMS OF WISDOM 147 Take care of your property. "My implicit confidence in God causes me to husband every iota of property he gives me; I will take the best care of my farm, I will prepare the ground as well as I can, and put in the best seed I have got, and trust in God for the result, for it is the Lord that gives the increase." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 26. On healing the sick. "It appears consistent with me to apply every remedy within the range of my knowledge, and to ask my Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, to sanctify that application to the healing of the body." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 24. On reading books. "I might read books until Doomsday, and unless I apply the knowledge thus obtained I should know but little. Without the appli- cation of knowledge acquired by reading, it makes mere machines of us. We can tell what others have done but we know nothing ourselves."' — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, page 39. Treasure up wisdom. "Since I have been in this Church and kingdom I have endeavored to learn and treasure up wisdom and good understanding, and then not to forget them. I have endeavored to gather to myself every principle that would promote righteousness in me and those who would hearken to my counsel." — Deseret News, Vol. 7, page 38. What to pray for. "Let every Saint, when he prays, ask God for the things he needs to enable him to promote righteousness on the earth. If you do not know what to ask for, let me tell you how to pray. When you pray in secret, or with your families, if you do not know anything to ask for, submit yourselves to your Father in heaven and beseech him to guide you by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and to guide this people and dictate the affairs of his kingdom on the earth." — Sermon, Nov. 15, 1857. On giving to the poor. "I recollect once, when preaching in England, that I passed through Smithfield market, in Manchester, and I saw some very fine grapes just arrived from France. I spent a penny for some of them, but I had not taken half a dozen steps from the stand where I purchased them, before I saw an old lady passing along, who, I could tell by her appearance, was starving to death. Said I, 'I have done wrong in spending that penny. I should have given it to that old lady.' " — Sermon on May 6, 1870. The Kingdom will abide forever. "The Kingdom of God will roll on, and no power can stop the work that the Almighty has commenced. Kings, rulers, governors, presidents, peoples, and all the armies of hell joined with them, will never be able to impede the steady, onward, accelerated progress of this glorious latter-day work. If we should deny the faith of the holy gospel and go out of the Church, still it will roll on the same. This Kingdom will stand forever. This religion will abide the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus, and will prepare us to meet him in peace."' — Sermon, March 4, 1860.

148 IMPROVEMENT ERA The plan of salvation. "For me the plan of salvation must be a system that is pure and holy in all its points; it must circumscribe the knowledge that is upon the face of the earth; it must reveal things that no other church or kingdom can reveal, or it is not from God. Such a plan incorporates every system of true doctrine that is upon the earth, whether it be ecclesiastical, moral, philosophical, or civil; it incorporates all good laws that have been made from the days of Adam until now; it swallows up the laws of nations, for it exceeds them all in knowledge and purity; it circumscribes the doctrines of the day, and takes from the right and the left, and brings all truth together in one system, and leaves the chaff to be scattered hither and thither." — Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, page 148. Making Friends and Losing Enemies By Russell L. Hess Often one person has said of another: "He lost a friend and ir.ade an enemy." Nearly all classes of people are prone to accept this saying as very true in life. It might easily be modified, however, and turned about at times; for many are there in the world who, at first, have made enemies, and, then, through a friendly word, a kindly act, a generous deed, have made of them life-long friends. How easily friend are made and lost! A transaction in business may cause a man to make a friend or incur another's antagonism. Jealousy in love, in school association, and in everyday life, has frequently been the spark setting ablaze the wood of hatred. Jesus, the Great Master, taught us, saying: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." How well do we remember his teaching, but how few of us ever carry it out! All of us, at times, say things that are as a sting to others. What we say frequently causes others to think ill of us; and, had we spoken differently to them, they might have become to us new friends. The thoughtless utterance of one word can make enemies or friends who may remain in either role for life. When, either through lack of thought or of knowledge, someone has made of another an adversary, how much better would it be if, instead of letting pass whatever was the cause that incurred the enmity, that one had set about to right the wrong, and obtain a reconciliation with that new antagonist. Not everyday does one make friendships or enmities; yet, like "the course of true love" that "never runs smoothly," are one's friendships and companionships that do not always run harmoniously. Among the jewels that are to be sought after because of their true worth in making for harmony and unity of spirit, that of losing enemies and making of them f?pt friends is one of the best. Logan, Utah.