Journal of Discourses
Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses
All 388 of his sermons, 1854 to 1878 — what he returned to, and where each one is printed.
Second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who led the migration west and directed the colonisation of the Great Basin from 1847 until his death in 1877.
388 sermons by Brigham Young appear in the Journal of Discourses — 27.2% of the whole series — printed across 19 volumes, 1854 to 1878. That makes him the 1st most-printed speaker in the Journal.
In his own words
The tables below say what Brigham Young preached about. This is what it sounded like.
I have flattered myself, if I am as faithful as I know how to be to my God, and my brethren, and to all my covenants, and faithful in the discharge of my duty, when I have lived to be as old as was Moses when the Lord appeared to him, that perhaps I then may hold communion with the Lord, as did Moses. I am not now in that position, though I know much more than I did twenty, ten, or five years ago. But have I yet lived to the state of perfection that I can commune in person with the Father and the Son at my will and pleasure? No—though I hold myself in readiness that he can wield me at his will and pleasure. If I am faithful until I am eighty years of age, perhaps the Lord will appear to me and personally dictate me in the management of his Church and people. A little over twenty years, and if I am faithful, perhaps I will obtain that favor with my Father and God.
Brigham Young, Providences of God—Privileges and Duties of the Saints—Spiritual Operations and Manifestations—The Spirit World, &c, Journal of Discourses, Volume 7
What he returned to
Every speaker in the Journal preaches on faith, repentance and the gathering. These are the subjects Brigham Young raised more often than the Journal does as a whole — the ones that distinguish his preaching from the rest of the series.
| Subject | Sermons | Share of his sermons | vs. Journal average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good and Evil | 10 | 3% | 3.3× |
| Kingdoms of Glory | 9 | 2% | 3.3× |
| Self-Control | 12 | 3% | 3.2× |
| Gold | 13 | 3% | 3.0× |
| Silver | 8 | 2% | 2.9× |
| Lawyers | 8 | 2% | 2.9× |
| Silk Production | 16 | 4% | 2.8× |
| Dancing | 9 | 2% | 2.8× |
Subject tags are generated by a language model reading each sermon. The comparison is against the rate for all 1,426 sermons in the Journal, so a figure of 3× means the subject appears three times as often in his sermons as in the series overall.
Every sermon, in order
The complete list as the Journal prints them. Titles are the printed titles, which routinely name four or five unrelated subjects in one line — each one links to the discourse itself at journalofdiscourses.com.
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