Brigham recounts his difficulty with accepting Joseph's revelation about the degrees of glory; he did not judge the revelation but instead "handed it over to the Lord."

Date
1877
Type
Speech / Court Transcript
Source
Brigham Young
LDS
Hearsay
Scribed Verbatim
Direct
Reference

Brigham Young, "Secret of Happiness—Self Examination—Joseph Smith a Man of Obedience to God—Baptism for the Dead—Temporal and Spiritual One—a Dream—Order of Enoch, the Order of God—a Good Word for the Women," June 23, 1874, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. (Liverpool: Joseph F. Smith, 1877), 18:247

Scribe/Publisher
David E. Evans
People
Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Jr.
Audience
Reading Public, Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PDF
Transcription

We want to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. I do not know but I am spending more time than I should, but I must say some things more. This Third Ward is not organized. I do not know when it will be. We asked your Bishop, and he did not feel exactly prepared to enter into the Order. We know the reason why. Will he be prepared? Yes. I want to prophesy that he and his Ward will be prepared by and by, and I hope my prophecy will be fulfilled. He does not see things as quickly as I do. I will tell you what my position has always been. Before I embraced the Gospel, I understood pretty will what the different sects preached, but I was called an infidel because I could not embrace their dogmas. I could not believe all of Methodism; I could not believe all of the Baptists' doctrines; there were some things they preached I could believe, and some I could not. I could not fully agree with the Presbyterians in their doctrines, nor with the Quakers, nor the Catholics, although they all have some truth. As far as their teachings were in accordance with the Bible, I could believe them, and no further. I was acquainted with the creeds of nearly all the various sects of dissenters in America, for I had made it my business to inquire into the principles in which they believed. I was religiously inclined in my youth, but I could not believe in their dogmas, for they did not commend themselves to my understanding, though a child I had attended their camp meetings, and had seen what they called the power of God. I had seen then and women fall, and be as speechless and breathless as that stove before me. I had seen scientists hold the lightest feather they could procure at the nostrils and mouths of females to see if a particle of air passed to or from the lungs, and not a particle was discernable. When a child I saw all this, but I could not believe in their dogmas. I could not say the people were not sincere in their faith and acts, but it was all a mystery to me. I was not old enough, and did not understand enough to decide. In the days of Joseph, when the revelation came to him and Sidney Rigdon, while translating that portion of the New Testament contained in the 29th verse of the third chapter of John, in reference to the different degrees of glory, I was not prepared to say that I believed it, and I had to wait. What did I do? I handed this over to the Lord in my feelings, and said I, "I will wait until the Spirit of God manifests to me, for or against." I did not judge the matter, I did not argue against it, not in the least. I never argued the least against anything Joseph proposed, but, if I could not see or understand it, I handed it over to the Lord. This is my counsel to you, my brethren and sisters, and it I were sure my prophecy would be fulfilled, I certainly would prophesy that all here, who profess to be Latter-day Saints, will come into the holy Order and rejoice in it. And if you do not feel to come into the Order, assist those who do, and do not say anything against them.

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