Doctrine and Covenants 121
Historical Context
In 1838 tensions between the Saints and their neighbors in northern Missouri escalated into a terrible sequence of violent events. Hostilities commenced on August 6, 1838, when a group of Latter-day Saint men attempted to vote at Gallatin, Missouri, and were barred from the polls. A bloody fight broke out, though fortunately no one was killed. From August through September, vigilantes raided Latter-day Saint settlements with increasing frequency and severity. Some Latter-day Saints organized their own vigilante forces, informally known as “Danites.” On October 1–10 three hundred mob members surrounded the Latter-day Saint community of DeWitt, effectively holding them siege. When Lilburn L. Boggs, the governor of Missouri, was asked to intervene, he replied that “the quarrel was between the Mormons and the mob” and that they “must fight it out.”
Expecting to find little resistance, mob forces began making plans to expel Latter-day Saints from all of northern Missouri. In response to these plans, Latter-day Saints moved to halt additional incursions into their territory, switching from passive to active resistance. On October 18, three Latter-day Saint companies from Adam-ondi-Ahman launched offensives at Millport, Gallatin, and the area known as Grindstone Fork. The situation continued to escalate after the battle of Crooked River, in which Apostle David. W. Patten was killed, along with two others in a Latter-day Saint rescue party, while one of the opposing force was also killed.
When Governor Boggs received word of the battle at Crooked River, he responded by issuing the infamous “extermination order” on October 27. The order read in part, “the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description.” On October 30 a contingent of Missouri militia attacked a group of Latter-day Saints staying at Hawn’s Mill, killing seventeen Latter-day Saints and leaving several others wounded. Meanwhile, following the orders of the governor, Missouri militia began massing outside of Church headquarters at Far West.
Less than three days after the extermination order was given, around 2,500 state troops assembled south of Far West, preparing for an all-out assault on the Saints in the city. When word reached the city of the massacre at Hawn’s Mill, Church leaders sought to find a way to end the conflict without further bloodshed. George Hinkle, the commander of the Far West militia, was chosen to negotiate with the state militia outside the city. Hinkle arrived back in the city and asked for Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and other Church leaders to accompany him to the enemy camp for further negotiations. When Joseph and the others arrived in the militia camp, Hinkle betrayed them and offered them up as prisoners to the militia.
The commanding general on the scene, Samuel D. Lucas, held a hasty court-martial and sentenced the captured Church leaders to be executed the following morning in the town square of Far West. Alexander Doniphan, the militia commander who was ordered to carry out the executions, refused the order. Instead, Doniphan sent a letter to General Lucas, stating, “It is cold-blooded murder. I will not obey your order. My brigade shall march for Liberty tomorrow morning, at 8 o’clock; and if you execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God.” Intimidated by Doniphan’s bold stand, Lucas ordered his soldiers to take Joseph and his companions to a jail in Independence, Missouri. For the next few weeks, they were shuffled between jails in Independence and Richmond before finally arriving at Liberty, Missouri on December 1. Five Latter-day Saint prisoners—Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McRae, and Lyman Wight—were incarcerated in the jail there from December 1, 1838, to April 6, 1839. Sidney Rigdon was also kept in Liberty Jail, though he was released in February 1839 because of concerns over his health. The men in Liberty Jail were kept as judicial hostages, held to ensure that the Latter-day Saints left the state.
Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123 are all excerpts from a letter written in two parts by Joseph and his companions in the jail. The letter was addressed “to the church of Latter-day saints at Quincy Illinois and scattered abroad and to Bishop [Edward] Partridge in particular.” The first part is eighteen pages long and was sent on March 20, 1839, near the end of the prisoners’ time in Liberty Jail. Joseph sent the letter to his wife Emma because he wanted her, along with his mother and father, “to have the first reading of it.” Emma then shared the epistle with the Church. The second part of the letter, sent just a few days later, is ten pages long. In both parts Joseph Smith wrote to the Saints directly, but the writings also include revelatory language in which the Lord spoke to Joseph, offering counsel and solace. In many ways the letter mirrors the epistles written by Paul in the New Testament. For the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, Orson Pratt, acting under the direction of Brigham Young, chose multiple excerpts from the letter to be placed in three sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. We have no knowledge about how or why Elder Pratt chose the selections that he chose. These epistles, written in the extremity of the Prophet’s suffering in Liberty Jail, contain some of the most sublime language of any revelation given to Joseph Smith.
See “Historical Introduction,” Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 March 1839, JSP.
See “Historical Introduction,” Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, circa 22 March 1839, JSP.
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
D&C 121:1–6
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?
4 O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol—stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.
5 Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs.
6 Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever.
Being confined in Liberty Jail was among the most severe trials faced by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Constructed in 1833, Liberty Jail served as the Clay County jail until 1856. The jail was constructed of rough-hewn limestone exterior walls that were two feet thick, with thick interior walls made of oak. In between the stone and wooden walls, there was a one-foot void filled with loose rocks to discourage escape attempts.
During their time in Liberty Jail, the prisoners received several visits from their families. Hyrum Smith first met his infant son, Joseph F. Smith, when his wife, Mary, brought the newborn to the jail. Emma Smith visited the jail three times, on one occasion bringing along Joseph Smith III, Joseph and Emma’s oldest son. Seeing Joseph and the other prisoners confined in the prison was deeply distressing for Emma. She wrote to Joseph, “No one but God, knows the reflections of my mind and the feelings of my heart when I left our house and home, and almost all of everything that we possessed excepting our little children, and took my journey out of the State of Missouri, leaving you shut up in that lonesome prison.” Emma continued, “The recollection is more than human nature ought to bear, and if God does not record our sufferings and avenge our wrongs on them that are guilty, I shall be sadly mistaken.”
Joseph’s pleas in verses 1–6 should not be interpreted as stemming from a lack of faith in God. Earlier in the letter he wrote, “Our circumstances are calculated to awaken our spirits to a sacred remembrance of everything, and we think that yours are also and that nothing therefore can separate us from the love of God.” Thus, in verses 1–3 Joseph is not questioning the power or goodness of God. Instead, his question is not if God would help the Saints, but when. A pavilion (D&C 121:1, 4) is a large movable tent, similar to the tabernacle used by the Israelites during their sojourn in the wilderness. In the Old Testament, King David uses similar imagery in his pleas to God (Psalm 18:11; 27:5). God’s “hiding place” (D&C 121:1, 4) may refer to the fact that the Prophet and the Saints did not yet know the purpose of their suffering. God was there, but they had yet to pierce the veil and know His greater plan.
D&C 121:7–10
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.
10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–33 is an excerpt from the first part of Joseph’s letter. Joseph introduced it as a revelation, writing, “When the heart is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers, ‘My son, peace be unto thy soul’” (D&C 121:7). In the original letter, the Lord’s answer did not directly follow Joseph’s earlier pleas. However, Orson Pratt arranged the two excerpts in section 121 so that they would be next to each other.
The Lord teaches two important principles in his initial answer to the Prophet (D&C 121:7–10). First, our sufferings on earth are only a small moment in the scale of eternity. Even a months-long stay in the terrible circumstances of Liberty Jail was but a short period in the Lord’s view of time. We may be asked to endure months- or even years-long struggles, but this suffering is only a small part of our existence. All suffering eventually comes to an end. In the full measure of our existence, the suffering we endure in this life is only a blip in the story of our real eternal life. The intent of this teaching is not to belittle or diminish the sufferings we endure; it is meant to provide us with hope that suffering is not endless. There is peace waiting for us at the end of our suffering.
Second, the Lord teaches Joseph that if he endures suffering “well, God shall exalt thee on high” (D&C 121:8). Suffering is part of our mortal existence here on earth. We cannot choose to completely avoid suffering in our earth life, but we can choose whether we endure it well or not. The time the Prophet spent in Liberty Jail was a sanctifying experience for him. In a letter to Presendia Huntington Buell, Joseph spoke of how his experiences in Liberty Jail ultimately affected him, “No tongue can tell what inexpressible Joy it gives a man to see the face of one who has been a friend after having been enclosed in the walls of a prison for five months[;] it seems to me that my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before.” Near the end of the letter, Joseph added, “for my part I think I never could have felt as I now do if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered[;] all things shall work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).
D&C 121:11–16
11 And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun;
12 And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness;
13 Also because their hearts are corrupted, and the things which they are willing to bring upon others, and love to have others suffer, may come upon themselves to the very uttermost;
14 That they may be disappointed also, and their hopes may be cut off;
15 And not many years hence, that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall.
16 Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them.
In Doctrine and Covenants 121:11–16, the Lord directly addresses the fate of the Saints’ persecutors. For example, the Lord compares their prospects to “hoar frost” (verse 11). Hoar is an Old English word that simply means “white,” and the term hoar frost refers to the morning frost that is quickly swept away by the sun’s light and warmth. The Lord places many curses upon the Saints’ persecutors in verses 11–16. These curses are direct, but appropriate for the crimes these persecutors committed against the Saints in Missouri. Even though the Lord discourages contention (3 Nephi 11:27), some actions, such as the robbery, sexual assault, and outright murder some Saints suffered in Missouri, call for a stern rebuke.
Before the Prophet and his cohort were taken to Liberty Jail, they spent some time in the Richmond jail. Parley P. Pratt, who was present at the jail, recorded this exchange between Joseph Smith and their guards in Richmond:
In one of those tedious night we had lain as if in sleep, till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies, and filthy language of our guards, Col. Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the “Mormons,” while at Far West, and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force, wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women, and children.
I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice, that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:
SILENCE—Ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute, and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS MINUTE.
He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon, —calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.
As a coda to this striking exchange, Parley reflected on what true majesty was in the face of persecution: “I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended upon a breath, in the courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones, and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms, but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon, in an obscure village of Missouri.”
D&C 121:17–25
17 But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.
18 And those who swear falsely against my servants, that they might bring them into bondage and death—
19 Wo unto them; because they have offended my little ones they shall be severed from the ordinances of mine house.
20 Their basket shall not be full, their houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them.
21 They shall not have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation.
22 It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea.
23 Wo unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive, and murder, and testify against them, saith the Lord of Hosts; a generation of vipers shall not escape the damnation of hell.
24 Behold, mine eyes see and know all their works, and I have in reserve a swift judgment in the season thereof, for them all;
25 For there is a time appointed for every man, according as his works shall be.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:17–25 appears to be addressed to “those who swear falsely against my servants” (D&C 121:18), or apostates who turned against Joseph Smith and the Saints during the persecutions in Missouri. Those who could be included in this group are Apostles Thomas B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, and William McLellin, as well as close associates like William W. Phelps. Thomas B. Marsh actually swore out an affidavit claiming that “the plan of said Smith, the Prophet, is to take this State; and he professes to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world . . . that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.” Orson Hyde swore out a similar affidavit against the Prophet. In response to this group’s apostasy, the Lord declares they are cut off from the “ordinances of mine house” (D&C 121:19) and lose their right and that of their posterity to the power of the priesthood (D&C 121:21).
In an 1834 letter sent to the Church, Joseph Smith and other leaders reflected on the persecutions inflicted on the faithful by former members of the faith:
From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions: Judas was rebuked, and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of his enemies, because Satan entered into him. There is a supreme intelligence bestowed upon such as obey the gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God, and they are in truth, nigh unto cursing, and their end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them, they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened. And then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors!
We must remember that many of those who apostatized in Missouri, such as Orson Hyde, William W. Phelps, and Thomas B. Marsh, later repented and returned to the faith. Sadly, others, such as William McLellin, Sampson Avard, and George Hinkle, never returned.
D&C 121:26–33
26 God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now;
27 Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;
28 A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest.
29 All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
30 And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars—
31 All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times—
32 According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.
33 How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
While enduring tribulation, we may not always know the reasons behind our suffering, but we can hope to receive greater light and knowledge from God. From the confines of Liberty Jail, Joseph longed to be with the Saints again, not only to enjoy their fellowship but to share what was revealed to him. In another letter from the jail, he wrote, “I want the blessing once more to lift my voice in the midst of the Saints[,] I would pour out my soul to God for their instruction[;] it has been the plan of the Devil to hamper me and distress me from the beginning to keep me from explaining myself to them and I never have had opportunity to give them the plan that God has revealed to me.”
After he escaped from Liberty Jail, Joseph was able to fulfill his desire to teach the Saints about God and His plan. During his time with Saints in Nauvoo, Joseph shared his experiences and knowledge more freely with the Saints than ever before. For instance, Joseph points toward the pre-earth life when he writes about “the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was” (D&C 121:32). The concept of “gods” in the plural sense was a common thread of the Restoration, starting with the First Vision and leading to the last day of Joseph’s mortal life. His understanding of this teaching was undoubtedly linked to the Book of Abraham, but it also extended to his knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
In a discourse given only a few days before his martyrdom, Joseph Smith declared:
I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always, and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders fifteen years. I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage, and a Spirit, and these three constitute three distinct personages, and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold, we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural; and who can contradict it. Our text says, ‘And hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father.’ The Apostles have discovered that there were Gods above; for Paul says God was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. My object was to preach the Scriptures, and preach the doctrine they contain, there being a God above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am bold to declare I have taught all the strong doctrines publicly, and always teach stronger doctrines in public than in private.
The suggestion of other gods does not imply a lesser status for our Father in Heaven. Instead, it teaches that just as God has instructed His children to work in councils, He does so Himself. In the King Follett discourse, Joseph Smith explained, “In the beginning the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods, and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people [in] it. When we begin to learn in this way, we begin to learn the only true God, and what kind of a being we have got to worship.”
D&C 121:34–40
34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:33–40 explains the origins of the true power of the priesthood. Priesthood offices and priesthood authority are bestowed on Church members through the laying on of hands by one with the proper authorization. But the power to use that authority comes from personal righteousness. Using the priesthood to cover our sins, to gratify our pride, or to exercise unrighteous dominion all diminish the power of the priesthood holder to do good and carry out God’s work. When Joseph Smith declares that these teachings about the priesthood came though “sad experience” (D&C 121:39), he is drawing on the events of the previous few months. Joseph and his companions were in Liberty Jail precisely because their enemies inside and outside the Church were guilty of these same sins.
The warning against seeking to gratify our own pride (D&C 121:37) is particularly important. President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: ‘Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. . . . It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.’ In the pre-earthly council, Lucifer placed his proposal in competition with the Father’s plan as advocated by Jesus Christ. (See Moses 4:1–3.)”
When we seek the authority of God for our own personal gratification or for the purpose of dominating someone else, we lose the power to use that authority in any way. The priesthood essentially comes with its own safety protocols: the moment a person attempts to use it for the wrong purpose, it ceases to function for them. Anyone who seeks to use the priesthood for the wrong reasons is essentially “kicking against the pricks” (D&C 121:38). This phrase, spoken by the Savior to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–5), is taken from the image of an animal kicking against a sharp stick meant to goad it in the right direction. It suggests that those who misuse the priesthood in the ways described here will spiritually die of self-inflicted wounds.
D&C 121:41–46
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.
The world often views powerful leadership as springing from those with domineering and overbearing personalities who seek to bend people around them to their will. In contrast to this, the leadership model explained in verses 41–46 follows the way of the gospel: serving others in meekness and humility. Instead of dominating others, the Savior taught that “whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the servant of all” (Mark 10:43–44). Leaders who act in the Lord’s way are like mighty rivers that multiple smaller streams flow into. The river places itself in a lower position than its tributaries, which flow into the river and increase its power and flow. The Savior never placed himself above His disciples; instead, he loved and served them. In one of His final acts, Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles and then taught, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).
When we serve as leaders, it may be necessary to reprove others “betimes with sharpness” (D&C 121:43). Betimes means “at the right time” or “before it is too late,” suggesting the time of the reproof must be carefully considered. Leaders must reprove in the spirit of love and follow up with an increase of love afterward toward the person they have reproved. In an uncanonized part of the letter from which the text of Doctrine and Covenants 121 was taken, Joseph Smith taught, “A frank and open rebuke provoketh a good man to Emulation[,] and in the hour of trouble he will be your best friend, but on the other-hand it will draw out all the corruption of a corrupt heart.”
In an 1861 discourse, Brigham Young shared a similar principle, advising:
Never try to destroy a man. It is our mission to save the people, not to destroy them. The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth, in our capacity, is worth worlds . . . If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up. I might call some of you to witness that I chasten you, but there is not a soul that I chasten but what I feel as though I could take them and put them in my bosom and carry them with me day by day.
Footnotes
