Tag Archives: Lorenzo Snow

Faithfulness in Times of Trials

” All that is required of us to make us perfectly safe under all circumstances of trouble or persecution, is to do the will of God, to be honest, faithful and to keep ourselves devoted to the principles that we have received; do right one by another; trespass upon no man’s rights; live by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God and his Holy Spirit will aid and assist us under all circumstances, and we will come out of the midst of it all abundantly blessed in our houses, in our families, in our flocks, in our fields—and in every way God will bless us. He will give us knowledge upon knowledge, intelligence upon intelligence, wisdom upon wisdom.”

Lorenzo Snow
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church
“Faithfulness in Times of Trials”

Lorenzo Snow: It will be turned to your advantage

President Lorenzo Snow taught, “My young friends, there is an opportunity for you to become great—just as great as you wish to be. In starting out in life you may set your hearts upon things very difficult to attain to, but possibly within your reach. In your first efforts to gratify your desires you may fail, and your continued efforts may not prove what may be termed a success. But inasmuch as your efforts were honest efforts, and inasmuch as your desires were founded in righteousness, the experience you obtain while pursuing your hearts’ desires must necessarily be profitable to you, and even your mistakes, if mistakes you make, will be turned to your advantage.” Lorenzo Snow Teachings of the Presidents of the Church Chapter 6: Becoming Perfect before the Lord: day by day

Stand Firm and Realize the Promises

In this quote President Lorenzo Snow speaks on how understanding our gospel convenants and being true to them can overcome any disappointment or doubt and help us realize all the Father has,

“Where is there cause to mourn? Where is there cause for the Saints to wear long faces? Where is there cause for weeping or repining? There is none; but it is life or death that is set before us; principalities and powers are ours if we continue faithful; sorrow and banishment if we disregard the gospel.

“What can we wish for more than is comprehended in our religion? If we will stand firm upon the rock and will follow the Spirit that has been placed in our bosoms, we shall act right in the way of our duties, we shall act right to those who are placed over us, we shall act right whether in the light or in the dark.”

Lorenzo Snow
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church
Chapter 5: The Grand Destiny of the Faithful

Not Particular Concerning Them

President Lorenzo Snow taught,

“I had not been in this Church [very long] when it was clearly shown to me what a man could reach through a continued obedience to the Gospel of the Son of God. That knowledge has been as a star continually before me, and has caused me to be particular in trying to do that which was right and acceptable to God. … It seems, after all the education that we had in things pertaining to the celestial worlds, that there are some Latter-day Saints who are so well satisfied with simply knowing that the work is true that when you come to talk to them of our great future they seem surprised, and think it has nothing to do particularly with them.”

Lorenzo Snow
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church
Chapter 5: The Grand Destiny of the Faithful

Improvement begins with ourselves

President Lorenzo Snow taught,

If we expect to improve, to advance in the work immediately before us, and finally to obtain possession of those gifts and glories, coming up to that condition of exaltation we anticipate, we must take thought and reflect, we must exert ourselves, and that too to the utmost of our ability.

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church
Chapter 3: Lifelong Conversion: Continuing to Advance in the Principles of Truth

Stick with the Ship of Zion

Sometimes we talk about a perfect church filled with imperfect people. I liked this analogy by Lorenzo Snow,

“Stick to the ship of Zion. If boats come to the side, showing beautiful colors and making wonderful promises, do not get off the ship to go to the shore on any other boat; but keep on the ship. If you are badly used by any of those that are on the ship, who have not got the proper spirit, remember the ship itself is allright. We should not allow our minds to become soured because of anything that the people on the ship may do to us; the ship is allright, and the officers are allright, and we will be right if we stick to the ship. I can assure you it will take you right into the land of glory.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow,
Chapter 3: Lifelong Conversion: Continuing to Advance in the Principles of Truth

Improvement by Learning

President Lorenzo Snow spoke on the importance of education and learning.

“It is not only our privilege but it is necessary that we receive these things and gather these new ideas.

The whole idea of Mormonism is improvement—mentally, physically, morally and spiritually. No half-way education suffices for the Latter-day Saint.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, Chapter 1: Learning by Faith

As Man Now Is . . .

From Preston Nibley’s Presidents of the Church, we read,

While visiting at the home of Elder H.G. Sherwood, Lorenzo relates that the conversation turned to religious matters. “Elder Sherwood was endavoring to explain the parable of the Savior when speaking of the husbandman who hired servants and sent them forth at different hours of the day to labor in his vineyard.” While Lorenzo listened closely to the explanation, “the Spirit of the Lord rested mightily upon me –the eyes of my understanding were opened, and I saw as clear as the sun at noon-day, with wonder and astonishment, the pathway of God and man. I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation as it was shown to me: ‘As man is, God once was, As God now is, man may become.’ “

Later in the Improvement Era, Lorenzo Snow published the full poem:

Hast thou not been unwisely bold,
Man’s destiny to thus unfold?
To raise, promote such high desire,
Such vast ambition thus inspire?

Still ’tis no phantom that we trace
Man’s ultimatum in life’s race;
This royal path has long been trod
By righteous men, each now a God:

As Abra’m, Isaac, Jacob, too,
First babes, then men—to gods they grew.
As man now is, our God once was;
As now God is, so man may be,—
Which doth unfold man’s destiny.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The boy, like to his father grown,
Has but attained unto his own;
To grow to sire from state of son,
Is not ’gainst Nature’s course to run.

A son of God, like God to be,
Would not be robbing Deity;
And he who has this hope within,
Will purify himself from sin.

(Lorenzo Snow, “Man’s Destiny,” Improvement Era, June 1919, pp. 660–61.)

Meet Lorenzo Snow

In preparation for the new year, where we will be learning from the life and teachings of   President Lorenzo Snow in Priesthood and Relief Society. I wanted to gather some facts and aspects from his life.

  • President Snow was born April 3, 1814 and grew up in Mantua, Ohio. He was attending Oberlin College when he met David W. Patten, a missionary for the the Church and one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
  • His sister, Eliza R. Snow had joined the Church and invited him to visit Kirtland. He accepted. He came to know Joseph Smith and received a testimony of the work. He was baptized in June 1836.
  • After serving a couple of missions in Ohio, Southern Illinois and Kentucky, he returned to Nauvoo. In a discussion with Elder H.G. Sherwood who was teaching on the parable of the Savior regarding the Laborers in the Vineyard, Lorenzo received the following couplet in revelation: “As man now is, God once was, / As God now is, man may become.”
  • Lorenzo was called on a mission to England, where he served with Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Parley P. Pratt. After returning he was called on a mission to Ohio where he was when he heard the news of the Prophet’s martyrdom.
  • Lorenzo arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1848. In February of the next year, he was invited to meet with the Quorum of the Twelve and was informed he was to become an Apostle. In that October he was sent to proclaim the Gospel in Italy.
  • Upon returning home he was called to settle Box Elder area, they called the settlement Brigham City. He spent 20 years developing a robust economy there with over $40,000 of goods produced annually.
  • In 1872-73, Lorenzo Snow with other church leaders toured Europe and visited the Holy Land.
  • Elder Snow was imprisoned for 11 months for ‘unlawful cohabitation’ under anti-polygamy laws
  • He was sustained the President of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1889. After the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple to oversee the ordinance work of the temple.
  • He was sustained as President of the Church when he was 84 years old.
  • As President of the Church he travelled to St. George where he received the revelation regarding the need for the saints to recommit to the law of tithing.
  • President Snow passed away shortly after the the October conference in 1901. He was 88 years old.