Stones for the Stonemason

"What manner of men ought ye to be?" God needs stones to erect a building, as it were, even Zion. Each stone must bear weight and take its unique place in the arch or wall the Lord desires to build. If we are cracked or narcissistic or unstable, then the Stonemason must reject that stone and choose another more flawless one, suited to bear the weight to be placed upon it. If we are self aggrandizing and selfish, then "he that seeketh his life shall lose it, but he that loseth his life for my sake shall gain it." The Priesthood authoritatively handles and places each stone in its proper place in the building, whether in the foundation, bearing the most weight or in a suitable place to support and form other structures comprising the building. If we will not submit to the authority of the Priesthood in manipulating and placing us by revelation, then we cannot fit, are useless and are cast off. If Joseph had a right to dictate me in relation to salvation, in relation to a hereafter, he had a right to dictate me in relation to all my earthly affairs, in relation to the treasures of the earth, and in relation to the earth itself. He had a right to dictate in relation to the cities of the earth, to the natives of the earth, and in relation to everything on land and on sea. That is what he had a right to do, if he had any right at all. If he did not have that right, he did not have the Priesthood of God, he did not have the endless Priesthood that emanates from an eternal being. A Priesthood that is clipped, and lacks length, is not the Priesthood of God; if it lacks depth, it is not the Priesthood of God; for the Priesthood in ancient times extended over the wide world, and coped with the universe, and had a right to govern and control the inhabitants thereof, to regulate them, give them laws, and execute those laws. Journal of Discourses, Vol.2, Pg.13 - Pg.14,Jedediah M. Grant, February 19, 1854