In his discourse in the temple to the Nephites, Jacob observed that many of them had begun "to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and your seed, doth abound most plentifully." He warned them against the evils that can result from a pursuit of wealth, including pride and persecution of those who are less well off. (See Jacob 2:12-13.)
Speaking in April 1991 general conference, Elder Dean L. Larsen, then of the Presidency of the Seventy, compared Jacob's concerns with those of Brigham Young ."Not long after the early Latter-day Saints had entered the Salt Lake Valley," he said, "and as they struggled in their poverty to establish homes and to survive in a land that had been a wilderness, reports came of the discovery of gold in northern California. The news spread to all parts of the country, and fortune hunters passing through the Salt Lake area en route to the gold fields spoke of their hopes for striking it rich in the newly discovered bonanza. It was a great temptation to some of the Saints who were so destitute in their own circumstances.
"Brigham Young, sensing feelings that circulated among some of the people, said, 'I hope that the gold mines will be no nearer than 800 miles. . . . Prosperity and riches blunt the feelings of man.' (Journal History of the Church, July 8, 1849.)
"And then, in his customary candor, he added at a later time, 'The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecutions, and be true. But my greater fear . . . is that they cannot stand wealth.' (James S. Brown, Life of a Pioneer, Salt Lake City: Geo. Q. Cannon and Sons Co., 1900, pp. 122-23.)
". . . His counsel to the early Saints reflects the sentiments expressed by Jacob in the Book of Mormon. These men felt there was nothing inherently wrong in acquiring wealth. The danger lay in its obscuring the need for acknowledging the Lord's hand in these blessings, and in failing to use the abundance to bless others and to accomplish the Lord's purposes. Jacob said: 'Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
" 'But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
" 'And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good -- to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.' (Jacob 2:17-19.)"