INTELLIGENCE COMES FROM GOD—SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
—GREAT CHANGES TO TAKE PLACE ON THE EARTH—ISRAEL OF
THE LAST DAYS—WHY THE JEWS CANNOT BE CONVERTED.
A Discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake
City, .
I feel it a privilege to bear testi-
mony before the Saints to the exhor-
tations we have heard this morning
from brothers Richards and Wells.
We have had good teachings, good
counsel, and good doctrine taught us.
And I presume I feel in a measure
like the rest of my brethren when I
rise to speak to this people in the
Tabernacle, where such large congre-
gations of Saints assemble; I have a
desire that what I say may do the
people good, may edify them. My bre-
thren also have the same desire.
We realize that the minds of this
people need feeding continually, and
we all have to depend upon the Holy
Spirit and the Lord to feed our minds
from that inexhaustible fountain of
intelligence which comes from God,
for we cannot obtain food from any
other source to feed the immortal
mind of man. Here are a large as-
sembly of minds who are reaching
forth to receive light and truth before
the Lord.
I realize that we have a great many
lessons to learn in the school we are
in, and myself as a teacher in con-
nexion with my brethren have also
a great deal to learn. I feel that I
am yet in my alphabet, and feel some-
times that I am incapable of teaching
this people, when I realize they are in
the road which leads to celestial glory
—to eternal life and eternal exalta-
tion. I know I am dependent as I
know my brethren are upon God,
upon the Holy Ghost for all the light,
truth, and intelligence which we have
to impart unto you.
The words which brother Wells quo-
ted, and which brother Samuel Rich-
ards referred to, furnish as strong a
proof as can be furnished as to the
true principle of prosperity, touching
things temporal and things spiritual.
I refer to the words of Jesus Christ
which he spoke to his followers:
"Seek first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all other things
shall be added unto you." [##Matthew 6:33#] I will tell
you, brethren and sisters, we may try
it all the days of our lives, we may
try every path and every principle in
this world, and we as Saints cannot
prosper upon any other mode of pro-
ceeding than by first seeking the
kingdom of heaven and its righteous-
ness; when we do this there is no
blessing, there is no good, no exalta-
tion, gift, grace, desire, or anything
that a good man can wish that is pro-
fitable, and good for time and for eter-
nity, but will be given unto us.
A great many people have tried to
seek for happiness independent of first
seeking the kingdom of heaven, &c.,
but they have always found it an up-
hill business, and so shall we if we
try it.
We as a people should have learned
by this time, after having the experi-
ence we have gained, to make up our
minds to take hold and build up the
kingdom of God, and it should be
INTELLIGENCE COMES FROM GOD, ETC. 227
INTELLIGENCE COMES FROM GOD--SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
--GREAT CHANGES TO TAKE PLACE ON THE EARTH--ISRAEL OF
THE LAST DAYS--WHY THE JEWS CANNOT BE CONVERTED.
A discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake
City, .
I feel it a privilege to bear testimony before the Saints to the exhortations we have heard this morning
from brothers Richards and Wells.
We have had good teachings, good
counsel, and good doctrine taught us.
And I presume I feel in a measure
like the rest of my brethren when I
rise to speak to this people in the
Tabernacle, where such large congregations of Saints assemble; I have a
desire that what I say may do the
people good, may edify them. My brethren also have the same desire.
We realize that the minds of this
people need feeding continually, and
we all have to depend upon the Holy
Spirit and the Lord to feed our minds
from that inexhaustible fountain of
intelligence which comes from God,
for we cannot obtain food from any
other source to feed the immortal
mind of man. Here are a large assembly of minds who are reaching
forth to receive light and truth before
the Lord.
I realize that we have a great many
lessons to learn in the school we are
in, and myself as a teacher in connexion with my brethren have also
a great deal to learn. I feel that I
am yet in my alphabet, and feel sometimes that I am incapable of teaching
this people, when I realize they are in
the road which leads to celestial glory --
to eternal life and eternal exaltation. I know I am dependent as I
know my brethren are upon God,
upon the Holy Ghost for all the light,
truth, and intelligence which we have
to impart unto you.
The words which brother Wells quoted, and which brother Samuel Richards referred to, furnish as strong a
proof as can be furnished as to the
true principle of prosperity, touching
things temporal and things spiritual.
I refer to the words of Jesus Christ
which he spoke to his followers:
"Seek first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all other things
shall be added unto you." I will tell
you, brethren and sisters, we may try
it all the days of our lives, we may
try every path and every principle in
this world, and we as Saints cannot
prosper upon any other mode of proceeding than by first seeking the
kingdom of heaven and its righteousness; when we do this there is no
blessing, there is no good, no exaltation, gift, grace, desire, or anything
that a good man can wish that is profitable, and good for time and for eternity, but will be given unto us.
A great many people have tried to
seek for happiness independent of first
seeking the kingdom of heaven, &c.,
but they have always found it an uphill business, and so shall we if we
try it.
We as a people should have learned
by this time, after having the experience we have gained, to make up our
minds to take hold and build up the
kingdom of God, and it should be
