-- Jan 18, 1857
[Sermon] Lorenzo Snow: Man Must Use His Energies and Cultivate the Gifts of God - Necessity of Following Counsel - Reformation Must Be Intrinsic and not a Matter of Excitement (1)
-- Feb 2, 1857
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 2d I spent the day in the office writing letters. I attended the seventies meeting & had a good time. The spirit of the Lord was with us. The meeting was addressed by Elders Rockwood & Hancook a short time then followed by Elder Lorenzo Snow & W. Woodruff. Elder Snows mind run in a vary interesting Channel. The spiritual atmosphere seemed to be heavy when he arose but the spirit of God came upon him & he spoke in a vary edefying & interesting manner. The following remarks [we?] Elder Snow was written from memery:
Brethren I rise to occupy a short time. I realize that there is a feeling with nearly all of this people that there is sumthing of great importance awateing this people. Some think that we will be beset by a great mob from the states others that we would have an insurrection in our mids & others sumthing Els. None of the people really knew that we would be met by a mob & that our lives depended upon our being well armed. You would see this people sell their coat or shirt to buy revolvers & weapons so as to defend their wives children & their own lives but I am satisfyed that there are scenes awaiting this people that will require all the grace & wisdom which we can muster to pass through in safety.
Now for instance this people are makeing a great rush to Presidents Youngs office to get wives sealed to them. On sunday night Presidet Young sealed men & women till it was time for the prayer circle to meet. Then He had to turn a room full out of Doors to wait another time. This spirit is increasing throughout this Teritory. Now do those who are taking so many wives realize that it will want a great Deal more power with God the Holy Ghost & wisdom to preside over that Houshold than it does to go to the nations & preach the gospel, build up Churches & organize them & preside over & controll them? If they do not realize it it is true.
Now here is this great body of seventies & every other Quorum of this church should labour hard to arm yourselves with all the power of God you can get in order to save your families. If you do not you will soon find a stamped with your wives. You Cannot hold them. They will break from you. You need the wisdom of the Gods to rest upon you to save your families for if you do not have great wisdom you will meet with trouble. You have many wives & Children. This woman wants a gown that one a Bonnet the next one Shoes & their Children clothing & one thinks she Has to do more than her part & this one will not do what she should &c & the man has got to stand in the midst of his family like a God in order to calm the troubled waters & safe them. A man may Go to a ward meeting & preach & the power of God is upon him. He comes home. He finds one woman scolding & freting another one in tears, another one complaining & the children fighting & by the time he gets well in the midst of it hith [his] faith courage & patience almost fails him, & he has to rise up in the majesty of a God as it were & have Great wisdom faith & patience & exercise much Generalship & show himself a master spirit & a savior & a Fathers care & kindness in order to save his wives & Children. Here is a mission for you ye Elders of Israel.
Look for instance at the example of president Young. Go into his house & take lessons. See him with his great family of wives & Children & see the God like Character & example of that man & the order which he manifests in his family. I tell you if it was not so you would see a stampede suddenly in that House but He is a great master spirit & manifests great wisdom in the perfect order of Government with his numerous family of wives & Children. They all respect him & obey his law for the wisdom of God is with him.
Now brethren strive to bring yourselvs to the same standard. Become a patriarch over your own Household & seek to save them connected with order. You have to become a financere & you have to support your wives & Children & you want to live so that you can call upon God to increase your flock heards & Crops. This brethren is the greater work which you have to prepare your minds for. Almost any fool can go & preach the gospel but it requires a vary wise man to be a patriarch & save his own household. Many other interesting remarks were made which I have not room here to record.
W Woodruff followed & said I have been much instructed with the word of Elder Snow. His words are true as the gospel & I bear testimony of its truth. I am watching the spirits of men. We come & meet with the seventies and with all other Quorums of the Church from the 12 down & watch the spirits & give instruction as the spirit dictats. This is not ownly our right but duty.
Here is before me a vast body of seventies. The minds of this body of men must be fed. Your presidents should be filled with the spirit & power of God so that they can attend all the meetings & feed them & give unto them the mind & will of God. If they do not do this they will die & cannot stand for the minds of these seventies must be fed. But many of them who have been ordained into these Quorms have not prized the priesthood which they have had sealed upon them. Many times they have been so anxious to go & attend to some trifling thing that they Could not stop long enough to be ordained. At least as soon as the hands were off they would run & not stop to give their genealogy. Many of the Elders of this Church have trifled with the priesthood.
There is now a call made to gather up all the Elders priests Teachers & Deacons that are not esspecially ingaged as teachers with the bishops to come forward & be ordained into the seventies. Now it does appear to me that the Lesser priesthood is necessary in the Church otherwise the Lord would not have esstablished it. The Hand Cannot say to the feet we have no need of you no more than the feet Can say to the hand we have no need of you. Almost all the Lesser priesthood are striveing to become ordained into the seventies. Now it does appear to me that the Lesser priesthood is necessary in the Church otherwise the Lord would not have esstablished it. The Hand Cannot say to the feet we have no need of you no more than the feet Can say to the hand we have no need of you. Almost all the Lesser priesthood are striveing to become ordained into the seventies while the bishops wish them to officiate in the Lesser priesthood. + See the star on the other page.
+ (From the back page.) The Bishops feel to complain & say the seventies take all of the Lesser priesthood which we have & ordain them seventies so by the time we get some teachers organized they are ordained to the office of seventies. The seventies also complain that the Bishops come & take away their presiding officers & the seventies & make bishops & Councellors of them & Ordain them High priest. So their appears to be a difference of feeling in the several Quorums.
In order to avoid this I would recommend that the Teachers Priest & Deacons all that the Bishops wish to make use of as teachers in the several Quorum remain as they are untill they have magnifyed their calling & not evry man as soon as he is ordained a teacher go & get ordained a seventy & hide himself in that mighty forest of men so that He Cannot be found. For the Seventies are like a forest trees of all kinds from the tallest down to the shrubery & men get lost in such a forest.
Men should not despise the lesser preisthood for it is honorable & if they fully magnify that office they will have great power & many blessings. For the Aaronic priesthood hold the keys of administering of Angels & their have been but few men even High Priest or Apostles that have enjoyed all the blessings that belongs to the Lesser priesthood.
Then Let not the seventies seek to get all the Lesser priesthoods ordained into ther quorums. If they do I do not wish them to Complain if seventies are taken out to Make Bishops councillors & teachers of them as long as near'd all the timber is in that body. Let a man have what portion of the priesthood He may [if] He wants to keep it in lively exercise in order to save himself & family. +) (2)
Endnotes:
1 - Journal of Discourses, http://jod.mrm.org
2 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
LDS History Chronology: Lorenzo Snow
Mormon History Timeline: the life of Lorenzo Snow
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
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