Recreation And The Proper Use Of It.
delivered at a legislative festival at the Territorial House, Salt Lake, March 4, 1852 pg 28-34
"...with all the talent bestowed upon me, I feel to serve, praise, adore, and acknowledge the Lord our God." pg 28-29
"If there is a heart here this evening that does not chime with every sentiment of righteousness, that heart has no power in this assembly." pg 29
"Now we are met in the capacity of a social community - for what? That our minds may rest, and our bodies receive that recreation which is proper and necessary to keep up an equilibrium, to promote healthy action to the whole system." pg 29
"...as well as the correctness of these principles, all men and women must be their own judge." pg 29
"I am in the best place I ever was during my life, and with the best society. I never saw a community that enjoyed the tranquility and peace that are enjoyed by this people in theses vallies of the mountains." pg 29
-it's good to relax and have fun, if we keep at the grind day after day, it wouldn't take us long to forget the Lord.
"When we have had sufficient recreation for our good, let that suffice. It is all right; then let our minds labor instead of our bodies; and in all our exercised of body and mind, it is good to remember the Lord." pg 30
"From this time, never let us permit ourselves to go one step beyond that which the Lord will own and bless." pg 30
"...and this is the reason why I am fond of these pastimes - they give me a privilege to throw everything off, and shake myself, that my body may exercise and my mind rest. What for? To get strength and be renewed and quickened, and enlivened, and animated, so that my mind may not wear out." pg 30-31
"But when men are brought to labor entirely in the field of intelligence, there are few minds to be found possessing strength enough to bear all things; the mind becomes overcharged, and when this is the case, it begins to wear upon the body, which will sink for the want of proper exercises." pg 31
"What is the use of it, when mercy and kindness are lavished upon the people of God, and to see them falter in their faith, see them grow cold towards the Lord their God, see them slacken their pace?" pg 31
"For heaven's sake, for your own sake, and for the sake of Him who died for us, never let us falter in our duty. While we live, it is our duty to love the Lord with our might, and with all our strength, and with all our souls. This is our duty first and foremost...: pg 32
"And what is the next duty? Love your neighbor as yourself, do unto others as you would that others should do unto you, cease your contention and bad feelings, your evil speaking and doing." pg 32
-we shouldn't worry about petty arguments, we should live in such a way that after we are dead, we won't be mortified to look back at our actions in this life
"Do you not know that spirits beget spirits, and likeness begets likeness." pg 33
"When you see all the powers of the evil one combine against a community, you may know that is Christ's kingdom. Everything has proved that this is God's kingdom, and I need not say anything more about these two powers." pg 33
"I would be satisfied to live with the saints and angels from this time henceforth." pg 34
Friday, November 6, 2009
I've decided to try my hand at reading the Journal of Discourses, at least in part. It was suggested to me by one of my teachers that a good way to learn more about the church as an institution and as my religion would be to read through the Journal of Discourses one president of the church at a time. The starting place for this is Brigham Young, the journal didn't start until after the saints moved to Utah and by that time Joseph Smith was dead. I started this task earlier in the summer, but got put off it for a while and so before I'd gotten very far the idea came to me that I should be taking notes as I did this so that I could go back and have something to refrence afterwards.
I decided to post my notes from my first attempt, I found I got a lot more out of it than I had the last time I read this particular discourse. I found some really cool stuff and I wanted to share it.
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, Brigham Young
Salvation pg 1-6 delivered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, January 16, 1853
-just about everyone in their own way is seeking what they believe to be salvation
"The object of a true salvation correctly and minutely understood, changes the course of mankind." pg 2
"How difficult it is to teach the natural man, who comprehends nothing more than that which he sees with the natural eye! How hard it is for him to believe!" pg 2
"If the Lord does not speak from heaven, and touch the eyes of their understanding by His Spirit, who can instruct or guide them to good? who can give them the words of eternal life? It is not in the power of man to do it; but when the Lord gives us His Spirit to a person... they can hear, believe, and be instructed." pg 2-3
Whenever we are disposed to give ourselves perfectly to righteousness, to yield all the powers and faculties of the soul (which is the spirit and the body, and it is there where righteousness dwells); when we are swallowed up in the will of Him who has called us; when we enjoy the peace and the smiles of our Father in Heaven, the things of His Spirit, and all the blessings we are capacitated to receive and improve upon, then are we in Zion, that is Zion." pg 3
"We are the temples of God," pg 3
-we have the opportunity to be Zion, to be temples of the Lord if we could truly love and follow what is set before us, what's holding us back We should be jumping at the opportunity.
"If Elders [or sisters] of Israel use language which is not proper for the lips of a Saint, such Elders [or sisters] are under condemnation, and the wrath of God abides upon them," pg 4
"...but if every heart were set upon doing right, we should have Zion here." pg 4
"...it proves that we can add to our knowledge, wisdom, and strength, and that we can add power to every attribute that God has given us." pg 5
"Let us fill up our days with usefulness, do good to each other and cease from all evil." pg 5
"I wish to impress upon your minds the reality that when the body which is organized for intelligence to dwell in, dies, and returns to it's mother earth, all the feelings, sensibilities, faculties, and powers of the spirit are still alive, they never die, but in the absence of the body are more acute. They are organized for an eternal existence." pg 5
"...we acknowldege the hand of God in all things, all is right, Zion is here, in our own possession." pg 5
-remember to have compassion on others
"I find that I have enough to do to watch myself. It is as much as I can do to get right, deal right and act right." pg 6
"Light cleaves to light, and truth to truth." pg 6
I hope if you enjoy this that you'll try it for yourself, these are the things that really seemed important to me, if you were to read it I'm sure that there would be other things that would jump out at you.
I decided to post my notes from my first attempt, I found I got a lot more out of it than I had the last time I read this particular discourse. I found some really cool stuff and I wanted to share it.
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, Brigham Young
Salvation pg 1-6 delivered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, January 16, 1853
-just about everyone in their own way is seeking what they believe to be salvation
"The object of a true salvation correctly and minutely understood, changes the course of mankind." pg 2
"How difficult it is to teach the natural man, who comprehends nothing more than that which he sees with the natural eye! How hard it is for him to believe!" pg 2
"If the Lord does not speak from heaven, and touch the eyes of their understanding by His Spirit, who can instruct or guide them to good? who can give them the words of eternal life? It is not in the power of man to do it; but when the Lord gives us His Spirit to a person... they can hear, believe, and be instructed." pg 2-3
Whenever we are disposed to give ourselves perfectly to righteousness, to yield all the powers and faculties of the soul (which is the spirit and the body, and it is there where righteousness dwells); when we are swallowed up in the will of Him who has called us; when we enjoy the peace and the smiles of our Father in Heaven, the things of His Spirit, and all the blessings we are capacitated to receive and improve upon, then are we in Zion, that is Zion." pg 3
"We are the temples of God," pg 3
-we have the opportunity to be Zion, to be temples of the Lord if we could truly love and follow what is set before us, what's holding us back We should be jumping at the opportunity.
"If Elders [or sisters] of Israel use language which is not proper for the lips of a Saint, such Elders [or sisters] are under condemnation, and the wrath of God abides upon them," pg 4
"...but if every heart were set upon doing right, we should have Zion here." pg 4
"...it proves that we can add to our knowledge, wisdom, and strength, and that we can add power to every attribute that God has given us." pg 5
"Let us fill up our days with usefulness, do good to each other and cease from all evil." pg 5
"I wish to impress upon your minds the reality that when the body which is organized for intelligence to dwell in, dies, and returns to it's mother earth, all the feelings, sensibilities, faculties, and powers of the spirit are still alive, they never die, but in the absence of the body are more acute. They are organized for an eternal existence." pg 5
"...we acknowldege the hand of God in all things, all is right, Zion is here, in our own possession." pg 5
-remember to have compassion on others
"I find that I have enough to do to watch myself. It is as much as I can do to get right, deal right and act right." pg 6
"Light cleaves to light, and truth to truth." pg 6
I hope if you enjoy this that you'll try it for yourself, these are the things that really seemed important to me, if you were to read it I'm sure that there would be other things that would jump out at you.
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