and never until then. When you hear men and women talk about living a celestial law, you may know that they are ignorant of the fact that no finite being is living in its fulness, or can. As it is written, we have line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, and it is something that accords with the capacity of finite beings, and you improve upon this, and the Lord will open your minds to receive more, and let you see the order of the eternal Priesthood; but if you do not live your religion, you cannot receive more.
JD 7:143, Brigham Young, May 22, 1859
Are the Latter-day Saints ready to receive Zion from above? Have they wisdom and knowledge to receive and conduct themselves properly in the society of angels? I think not. While I was in Far West, and the mob began to gather there, determined to kill Joseph, he preached to the people and said, "If you had faith and would live your religion, you would prove the revelation to be true where the Lord says, 'I will fight your battles, and, if necessary, send down angels to save you from the wicked grasp of your enemies.'" There was an armed mob of some 3,500 arrayed against some 300 of us. They sent in a deputation, saying they wanted about three persons out of the town, for they were calculating to destroy the people and the place. Some of those self-glorious stars of "Mormonism" - stars that fell in that crisis, looked round for the angels. They did not see them, and straightway turned their backs upon their God and their religion, and joined the enemy.
JD 7:143, Brigham Young, May 22, 1859
I was glad that they went. I felt then as I feel now. I felt and still feel that I would rather have ten righteous men with whom to contend with the wicked of the whole earth, than to have at my command the corrupt of all creation. When I am brought to the test to fight for my religion, which I trust I never will be, I will call men who are full of the power of God for such an emergency.