April 1913
Eighty-Third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1913). Report of Discourses. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News.
EIGHTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
Responsibilities and duties of Church officers and members defined and enumerated
PRESIDENT ANTHON H. LUND
Magnitude of Latter-day work foreseen and provided for at inception
AFTERNOON SESSION
ELDER CHARLES A. CALLIS
(President of Southern States Mission.)
ELDER MELVIN J. BALLARD
(President Northwestern States Mission.)
ELDER JOSEPH E. ROBINSON
(President of California Mission.)
ELDER BEN E. RICH
(President of Eastern States Mission.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
SECOND DAY
ELDER GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
Saints should manifest appreciation of the Gospel by living according to its principles
ELDER SAMUEL O. BENNION
(President of Central States Mission.)
ELDER GERMAN E. ELLSWORTH
(President of Northern States Mission.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER MOSES W. TAYLOR
(President of Summit Stake.)
ELDER JOSEPH R. MURDOCK
(President of Wasatch Stake.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER ALONZO A. HINCKLEY
(President of Deseret Stake.)
AFTERNOON SESSION
ELDER MILTON H. WELLING
(President of Bear River Stake.)
ELDER WILLIAM A. HYDE
(President of Pocatello Stake.)
ELDER FRANK Y. TAYLOR
(President of Granite Stake.)
ELDER LOUIS W. SHURTLIFF
(President of Weber Stake.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER HEBER C. AUSTIN
(President of Bingham Stake.)
ELDER OLEEN N. STOHL
(President of Box Elder Stake.)
AUDITOR’S REPORT
THIRD DAY
PREST. CHARLES W. PENROSE
False and Delusive Spirits
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
PRESIDENT FRANCIS M. LYMAN
Unity of understanding prevailing among Church leaders
OVERFLOW MEETING
ELDER LEVI EDGAR YOUNG
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER CHARLES H. HART
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER ANDREW JENSON
(Assistant Church Historian.)
ELDER GEORGE F. RICHARDS
Obedience a heavenly and eternal principle
SECOND OVERFLOW MEETING
ELDER J. GOLDEN KIMBALL
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER RULON S. WELLS
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER JOSEPH W. M'MURRIN
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER JOHN L. HERRICK
(President of Western States Mission.)
ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR.
Saints should diligently obey God's laws
BARRATT HALL MEETING
ELDER JOSEPH ECKERSLEY
(President of Wayne Stake.)
ELDER DAVID H. CANNON
(President of St. George Temple.)
PRESIDENT SEYMOUR B. YOUNG
(President First Council of Seventy.)
CLOSING SESSION
ELDER HEBER J. GRANT
Inspiration in the hymns of Zion
ELDER HYRUM M. SMITH
Marriage advocated as a moral safeguard
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
PATRIARCH HYRUM G. SMITH
Declaration that the Lord is pleased with His people
ELDER BRIGHAM H. ROBERTS
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY
What "Mormonism" Stands For
AUTHORITIES SUSTAINED
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
CLOSING REMARKS
EIGHTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
Responsibilities and duties of Church officers and members defined and enumerated
PRESIDENT ANTHON H. LUND
Magnitude of Latter-day work foreseen and provided for at inception
AFTERNOON SESSION
ELDER CHARLES A. CALLIS
(President of Southern States Mission.)
ELDER MELVIN J. BALLARD
(President Northwestern States Mission.)
ELDER JOSEPH E. ROBINSON
(President of California Mission.)
ELDER BEN E. RICH
(President of Eastern States Mission.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
SECOND DAY
ELDER GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
Saints should manifest appreciation of the Gospel by living according to its principles
ELDER SAMUEL O. BENNION
(President of Central States Mission.)
ELDER GERMAN E. ELLSWORTH
(President of Northern States Mission.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER MOSES W. TAYLOR
(President of Summit Stake.)
ELDER JOSEPH R. MURDOCK
(President of Wasatch Stake.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER ALONZO A. HINCKLEY
(President of Deseret Stake.)
AFTERNOON SESSION
ELDER MILTON H. WELLING
(President of Bear River Stake.)
ELDER WILLIAM A. HYDE
(President of Pocatello Stake.)
ELDER FRANK Y. TAYLOR
(President of Granite Stake.)
ELDER LOUIS W. SHURTLIFF
(President of Weber Stake.)
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
ELDER HEBER C. AUSTIN
(President of Bingham Stake.)
ELDER OLEEN N. STOHL
(President of Box Elder Stake.)
AUDITOR’S REPORT
THIRD DAY
PREST. CHARLES W. PENROSE
False and Delusive Spirits
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
PRESIDENT FRANCIS M. LYMAN
Unity of understanding prevailing among Church leaders
OVERFLOW MEETING
ELDER LEVI EDGAR YOUNG
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER CHARLES H. HART
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER ANDREW JENSON
(Assistant Church Historian.)
ELDER GEORGE F. RICHARDS
Obedience a heavenly and eternal principle
SECOND OVERFLOW MEETING
ELDER J. GOLDEN KIMBALL
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER RULON S. WELLS
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER JOSEPH W. M'MURRIN
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER JOHN L. HERRICK
(President of Western States Mission.)
ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR.
Saints should diligently obey God's laws
BARRATT HALL MEETING
ELDER JOSEPH ECKERSLEY
(President of Wayne Stake.)
ELDER DAVID H. CANNON
(President of St. George Temple.)
PRESIDENT SEYMOUR B. YOUNG
(President First Council of Seventy.)
CLOSING SESSION
ELDER HEBER J. GRANT
Inspiration in the hymns of Zion
ELDER HYRUM M. SMITH
Marriage advocated as a moral safeguard
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
PATRIARCH HYRUM G. SMITH
Declaration that the Lord is pleased with His people
ELDER BRIGHAM H. ROBERTS
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY
What "Mormonism" Stands For
AUTHORITIES SUSTAINED
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
CLOSING REMARKS
EIGHTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
FIRST DAY
The Eighty-third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convened in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a. m., Friday, April 4, 1913, President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
AUTHORITIES PRESENT.
There were present of the First Presidency, Joseph F. Smith, Anthem H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose;
of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, George Albert Smith, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and James E. Talmage, (Anthony W. Ivins was in attendance at later sessions);
of the First Council of Seventy, Seymour B. Young, Brigham H. Roberts. J. Golden Kimball, Rulon S. Wells, Joseph W. McMurrin, and Charles H. Hart, (Levi Edgar Young was in attendance at later sessions);
of the presiding Bishopric, Charles W. Nibley, Orrin P. Miller, and David A. Smith.
There were also a large number of Presidents of Stakes with their Counselors, Presidents of missions, Bishops of Wards, Patriarchs, and numerous other prominent men and women representing various quorums and organizations of the Church.
President Joseph F. Smith called the assembly to order, and the conference services were commenced by the congregation singing the hymn:
Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way:
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
'Tis better far for us to strive.
Our useless cares from us to drive,
Do this and joy your hearts will swell --
All is well! all is well!
The opening prayer was offered by Elder Edward J. Wood.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Redeemer of Israel, our only delight.
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day, and our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliv'rer, our all!
FIRST DAY
The Eighty-third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convened in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a. m., Friday, April 4, 1913, President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
AUTHORITIES PRESENT.
There were present of the First Presidency, Joseph F. Smith, Anthem H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose;
of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, George Albert Smith, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and James E. Talmage, (Anthony W. Ivins was in attendance at later sessions);
of the First Council of Seventy, Seymour B. Young, Brigham H. Roberts. J. Golden Kimball, Rulon S. Wells, Joseph W. McMurrin, and Charles H. Hart, (Levi Edgar Young was in attendance at later sessions);
of the presiding Bishopric, Charles W. Nibley, Orrin P. Miller, and David A. Smith.
There were also a large number of Presidents of Stakes with their Counselors, Presidents of missions, Bishops of Wards, Patriarchs, and numerous other prominent men and women representing various quorums and organizations of the Church.
President Joseph F. Smith called the assembly to order, and the conference services were commenced by the congregation singing the hymn:
Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way:
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
'Tis better far for us to strive.
Our useless cares from us to drive,
Do this and joy your hearts will swell --
All is well! all is well!
The opening prayer was offered by Elder Edward J. Wood.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Redeemer of Israel, our only delight.
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day, and our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliv'rer, our all!
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
OPENING ADDRESS.
Presence, and vigor, of so many faithful Church workers a cause for thankfulness.— Responsibilities and duties of Church officers and members defined and enumerated.—Church rule is that transgressors be tried by local authorities.— Brotherly kindness to be manifest in dealing with wrong-doers.—Church organization perfect, because divinely established. — Auxiliary organizations subject to the Priesthood.—Discountenance witching for evil, encourage the good
It is with a degree of weakness, of timidity and a sense of dependence upon the Lord that I stand be tore you this morning: at the opening of the Eighty-third anniversary of the April Conference of the Church. I feel entirely dependent, and without forethought, upon the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord for what I may be led to say to you. I cannot pass without expressing my gratitude to the Lord for the preservation of our lives and for the many temporal as well as spiritual blessings that we all enjoy this morning on assembling here, in this tabernacle, on this very int renting and important occasion. I feel very grateful, myself, for the blessings that I enjoy personally, for the measure of health and strength I possess, and for the spiritual life that I feel in the work in which we are engaged. I feel grateful, too. that our beloved brother Anthon H. Lund, who has been unwell for a season, is so far recovered as to be able to attend with us here this morning enjoying an increased measure of health. Tt is also a source of great pleasure and gratitude to me that we have with us, in the vigor of youth, our beloved brother Charles W. Penrose, now past his eighty-first year, and yet looking very much younger than many of us younger men. that is, younger in years, not younger mentally nor physically, but merely in years. It is also a source of congratulation and of thankfulness that we have with us the brethren of the twelve, with the exception of Elder Smoot. (who is engaged in a good cause and in doing much in the way of the moral uplift of mankind as well as in the service of the people of his state, for his influence, his personal habits, his manner of life, his spirit are sermons for good among all his associates, and his example is always praiseworthy; and Rudger Clawson, who is presiding over the European Mission, and is in the discharge of his duty as faithfully as it is possible for any man to be, and is doing a good work in his mission field. The brethren of the Seventies are with us, all of them I believe, in possession of vigor and health and the spirit of their calling, and mission; and we have also with us the Presiding Bishopric, enjoying the same blessings, together with the Presiding Patriarch a youth who is developing commendably in the performance of his duties, and bids fair of being a light that shall shine in his pathway, to those who are seeking after the truth. Then it is a source of gratitude to me that I can look upon so many of the presidents of the stakes of Zion as are assembled here this morning at this opening session of our Conference. We have now, organized, sixty-four stakes of Zion, and a very large proportion of the presidencies of those stakes are present with us this morning, many of whom are becoming, like some of the rest of us. aged in the service in which they have been engaged for many years, and it is gratifying to me to have the privilege of meeting with them and of offering a greeting of welcome into this house of the Lord this morning; and I sincerely invoke the blessings of our heavenly Father upon these men, upon whom rests so great responsibility in exercising the rights of presidency over the stakes over which they preside. Then I look out over this great congregation and see a large number of the bishops of the Church, assembled here to represent the people of their wards, many of whom, of course, have not the privilege of attending this conference on account of the distance from their homes. I congratulate you presidents of stakes and your counselors, members of the high councils of the various stakes of Zion, on your presence here, and I trust that in your participations in the conference you may be filled with joy and satisfaction, and that it may be a time of refreshing to you as well as to all the saints. In connection with these also we have with us the various organizations in the priesthood from the high priests down to the elders in the Church representing the high priests and the seventies and the elders and the patriarchs, many of whom I suppose are here today to add to the number of those who have come to attend the conference and to take part in the duties thereof, together with the bishoprics and the lesser priesthood, many of whom are here. The strength of Israel I apprehend is here today, representing the whole Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not only in the organized stakes of Zion, but in many of the missions in the world.
I need not say to my brethren engaged in the ministry that it is expected of them that one and all will attend to the labors and be true to the responsibilities that rest upon them in the discharge of their duties as officers in the Church. We expect that the presidencies of the stakes of Zion will be exemplars to the people. We expect them of a truth to be fathers unto those over whom they preside, men of wisdom, of sound judgment, impartial and just, men who will indeed qualify themselves, or who are indeed qualified by their natural endowments and by the inspiration from God which it is their privilege to enjoy, to preside in righteousness and to sit in righteous judgment over all matters brought to their attention or that may legitimately belong to their office and calling. We anticipate the same fidelity, the same faithfulness, the same intelligent administration of their duties from the bishops and their counselors, and indeed upon these rests perhaps the greatest possible responsibility, for the reason that they are expected by their presidencies to attend to the various interests and needs of their people. It is expected of a bishop to know all the people that reside in his ward, not only those that are faithful members of the Church, diligent in the performance of their duties and prominent by their good acts, but to know those who are cold and indifferent, those who are lukewarm, those who are inclined to err and to make mistakes, and not only these, but it is expected that the bishops through their aides in their wards, will become acquainted, not only with their members, male and female, but that they will know also the stranger that is within their gates and be prepared to minister solace, comfort, good counsel, wisdom and every other aid possible to be rendered to those that are in need, whether they are of the household of faith or are strangers to the truth. So that there is a great deal expected of the bishops and their counselors and the elders and lesser priesthood in their wards whom they call to their aid in administering to the people both spiritually and temporally, and I want to remark in this connection that it is the duty of these bishops and of the presidencies of the stakes of Zion, together with their high councils, to administer justice and right judgment to every member of their wards and of their stakes. Included in this are the high priests and the seventies and the elders and the apostles and the patriarchs and the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No man who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or who has a standing in the Church as a member, is exempt from his responsibilities as a member and his allegiance to the bishop of the ward in which he dwells. I am as much bound to acknowledge my bishop as a member of the ward in which I dwell, as the humblest and latest member of the Church. No man who claims to be a member of the Church in good standing, can ride above or become independent of the authority that the Lord Almighty has established in His Church. This watch-care of the people, of their right living, of their fidelity to their covenants and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, belongs to the presidents of stakes and their counselors and the high councils, or members of the high council, to the bishop and his counselors and the teachers of his ward. Then we have the organizations of the holy priesthood. We have the council of the first presidency consisting of three presiding high priests who are called of God and appointed to preside over the Church and over the priesthood of God, and I want to say here that it does not follow and never has followed that the members of the first presidency of the Church are necessarily to be ordained apostles. They hold by virtue of their rights as presidents of the Church all the keys and all the authority that pertains to the Melchisedek priesthood, which comprehends and comprises all of the appendages to that priesthood, the lesser priesthood and all the offices in the priesthood from first to last and from least to greatest; and I would to the Lord that some of our would-be wise men would learn this truth and establish the same in their minds that they might not everlastingly be at sea in regard to it and always asking questions of the most nonsensical kind with reference to the rights of the priesthood. All you have to do is to read the revelations through the Prophet Joseph Smith, giving to the Church the authorities of the priesthood that God has restored in the latter day. It is as perfect, as plain as the A. B. C's of our language and only needs to be read with the spirit of understanding to be perfectly comprehended.
The duty of the twelve apostles of the Church is to preach the gospel to the world, to send it to the inhabitants of the earth and to bear testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as living witnesses of His divine mission. That is their special calling and they are always under the direction of the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that presidency is intact, and there is never at the same time two equal heads in the Church—never. The Lord never ordained any such thing, nor designed it. There is always a head in the Church, and if the presidency of the Church are removed by death or other cause, then the next head of the Church is the twelve apostles until a presidency is again organized of three presiding high priests who have the right to hold the office of first presidency over the Church; and, according" to the doctrine laid down by President Wilford Woodruff, who saw the necessity for it, and that of President Lorenzo Snow, if the president should die, his counselors are then released from that presidency, and it is the duty of the twelve apostles to proceed at once, in the manner that has been pointed out, to see that the First presidency is reorganized, so that there may be no deficiency in the working and order of the priesthood in the Church. Now again, the bishoprics, and the presidents of stakes, have exclusive jurisdiction over the membership or the standing of men and women in their wards and in their stakes. I want to state that pretty plain—that is to say, it is not my duty, it is not the duty of the seven presidents of seventies, nor of the council of the twelve apostles, to go into a stake of Zion and try for membership or for standing in the Church, any member of a stake or ward. We have no business to do it; it belongs to the local authorities and they have ample authority to deal with the membership in their wards and in their stakes. The bishops may try an elder for misconduct, for un- Christian like conduct, for apostasy, or for wickedness of any kind that would disqualify him for membership in the Church, and they may pass upon him their judgment that he is unworthy of fellowship in the Church, and they may withdraw from him their fellowship. Then they may refer his case to the Presidency and High Council, and it will be the duty of the Presidency and High Council of the stake to deal with him, even to the extent of excommunication from the Church; and there is no remedy for this, only the right of appeal to the Presidency of the Church. If there may be perchance any injustice, and partiality, lack of information or understanding on the part of the bishopric, which may not be corrected and therefore might be perpetuated by the decision of the High Council, and the party aggrieved does not feel that he has had justice dealt out to him, he then has a right, under the laws of the Church, to appeal to the Presidency of the Church, but not otherwise. We want it distinctly understood that we cannot hear the complaints of members of the Church against their bishops, nor against their presidents, nor against their fellow members in the Church. If we were to yield to a thing of this kind we would usurp and do away with the authority of the Bishops and with the Presidencies of the stakes, and we would have the responsibility of trying any or all the members of the Church, who might have troubles to adjust, and that would be a practical impossibility; we could not do it; and then, it would not be right to do it, because God has designed it the other way. The Lord has given us a more perfect organization than that. Therefore, we want the cranks and the crazy folks, the insane, if there are any, who wish to step over their Bishops and their Presidents to the Presidency of the Church, or to the Twelve, to distinctly understand that if they do so, we will refer their case to their local authorities to be dealt with on the ground, where the evidence can be had pro and con and where justice can be meted out to them. We have enough to do, goodness knows, without listening to the complaints and cries, mournings and bickerings of individuals everywhere, however few, comparatively. The limits of the Church are now spread out and extended to the islands of the sea and to distant continents and countries, for the gospel is being preached to the nations of the world, and we cannot hear all the complaints of individuals. The Lord has organized these councils in the Church, such as the bishops' councils and the high councils, with the presidencies in the Church, to take care of the people to see that no injustice is done by one to another in the Church, to see that no unrighteousness exists that can be averted or that can be corrected and to see that justice and judgment and righteousness shall reign in the organizations of the Church and no wickedness or vileness be permitted to linger and corrode the body of the Church by neglect of being dealt with in the proper way. Not that we should injure, or hurt, or oppress—the furtherest thought in the world from my heart is oppression. No man should be oppressed. No authority of the Priesthood can be administered or exerted in any degree of unrighteousness, without offending God. Therefore, when we deal with men we should not deal with them in anger. We should not deal with them with prejudice in our minds against them. We should dismiss prejudice, dispel anger from our hearts, and when we try our brethren for membership or fellowship in the Church we should do it dispassionately, charitably, lovingly, kindly, with a view to save and not to destroy. That is our business; our business is to save the world, to save mankind, to bring them into harmony with the laws of God and with principles of righteousness and of justice and truth, that they may be saved in the kingdom of our God and become, eventually, through obedience to the ordinances of the gospel, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. That is our mission. Now then we have our high priests' quorums or councils, and we have our Seventies' Councils and our elders, and then we have the councils of the priests, teachers and deacons in the Lesser Priesthood. These councils each and all in their organized capacity have jurisdiction over the fellowship of the members of these councils—if the member is an elder, or if a man has a standing in the Seventies' quorum, or is a member of the High Council, or the High Priests' quorum, and he is misbehaving himself, shows a lack of faith, a lack of reverence for the position he holds in his Council, or quorum, his fellowship in that quorum to which he belongs, or his standing should be looked after or enquired into, for he is amenable to his quorum for his good standing and fellowship in it. So that we have the check that the Lord has placed upon members of the Church, and when I say members of the Church I mean me, I mean the apostles, I mean the high priests, and the seventies, and elders. I mean everybody that is a member of the Church; and I say that when these members of the Church are in error or doing wrong we have the check on them in the first place in the wards, bishops look after them, then their quorums to which they belong have jurisdiction and they are required to look after them too, and then after the quorums look after them the Presidencies of the stakes look after .them and see that they are helped, that they are strengthened, that they are admonished, that they are warned and that they are applauded when they do their duties and keep the commandments of the Lord. So the Lord has placed a great many checks upon the members of the Church with a view to teaching them right principles, to help them to do right, to live right and to be pure, and clean from the sins of the world, that the body of the Church may be perfected, that it may be free from disease, from all contagious evils, just as the body of the man Christ Jesus is free from all taint, evil, and sin. So God has placed these safeguards in the Church from the deacons to the apostles, and to the Presidency of the Church, with a view of persuading men and women to keep themselves pure and unspotted from the world and to help them to be faithful to their covenants entered into with one another and with their God.
What a wonderful organization it is! Whoever has thought of it except he whom the Lord revealed it to? When did it ever exist in its perfection before as it exists today? And to whom are we indebted for the intelligence, wisdom and knowledge that has perfected this organization and established it for the government and the upbuilding of Zion and for purification of mankind— to whom are we indebted? To the Lord, God Almighty, to the Son of God who spoke to Joseph, the prophet, by his own voice and by the voice of messengers sent to him, by whom Joseph was instructed and enlightened and empowered to effect an organization such as the world never knew before, unless it was in the days of Enoch. Even the principles that were taught to Enoch have been revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith; but the people are not prepared for them and so they are postponed, delayed, or shelved for the time being, and we are trying to work ourselves up to the standard before God. or to the point in which we will be worthy to engage in the order of Enoch, in which we may become more perfect than we can possibly be under the present system that we are governed by.
Now, much more might be said. I have in mind our auxiliary organizations, what are they? Helps to the standard organizations of the Church. They are not independent. I want to say to the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, and to the Relief Society, and to the Primaries, and to the Sunday Schools, and Religion Classes, and all the rest of the organizations in the Church, that not one of them is independent of the Priesthood of the Son of God, not one of them can exist a moment in the acceptance of the Lord when they withdraw from the voice and from the counsel of those who hold the Priesthood and preside over them. They are subject to th e powers and authority of the Church, and they are not independent of them; nor can they exercise any rights in their organizations independently of the Priesthood and of' the Church; and I want you to take it home to you now—every one of you. You may hear something stronger than that from me if you don't. I have had a good deal of patience about some things, but there is a point at which patience ceases to be a virtue, and then it will become necessary to act, or advise at least.
Now let every man do his duty; let every president of a stake, and every counselor to him. and every bishop and his counselors and every member of the high council; let every presidency of the high priests and seventies, and elders and all the general authorities of the Church do their duty, be faithful, humble and diligent in the performance of the labor that is required of them, be watchmen indeed upon the towers of Zion, watching for virtues, watching for uprightness, watching for justice, watching for truth. Change the focus of your view, and of your eyes, from watching for evil to watching for that which is good, that which is pure, and leading and prompting those who err into that path which has no error in it, and that will not admit of mistakes. Look for good in men, and where they fail to possess it try to build it up in them; try to increase the good in them; look for the good; build up the good; sustain the good: and speak as little about the evil as you possibly can. It does not do any good to magnify evil, to publish evil or to promulgate it by tongue or pen. There is no good to be obtained by it. It is better to bury the evil and magnify the good, and prompt all men to forsake evil and learn to do good; and let our mission be to save mankind and to teach in and guide to the paths of righteousness, and not to sit as judges and pass judgment upon evil doers, but rather be saviors of men.
I did not expect to talk long to you this morning, when I got up. I only expected to say a few words and sit down: but I feel it in my heart; my soul is in it, and I know the truth, and I want to live it. If there are any of my friends who can show me where I fail, oh come to me like a brother, not fault-finding, but come to me as a savior upon Mount Zion and show me my error and give me a chance by the aid of your counsel and advice to me to overcome the evil you see in me, whether you see it literally or whether you simply imagine it. Let me learn to do right by your help. Don't crush me down. Don't discard me. Don't throw me over into -the scrap pile because you think I am not as perfect as I ought to be. Rather be patient with my imperfections, and try to help me to overcome them and to live nearer unto the Lord than ever before. That is the part of a savior upon Mount Zion. I am talking to the priesthood and to the Latter-day Saints, and to those that preside in the Church, and to those that exercise authority in the midst of the people. Go and do the will of the Father, that you may know the truth and that the truth may make you free, and also that you may walk in the light as Christ is in the light, that you may have fellowship with each other and that you may also have fellowship with God and Christ, and that the blood of the Son of God may cleanse you from all sin. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"Consider, and hear me," a baritone solo, was rendered by Elder Charles Kent.
OPENING ADDRESS.
Presence, and vigor, of so many faithful Church workers a cause for thankfulness.— Responsibilities and duties of Church officers and members defined and enumerated.—Church rule is that transgressors be tried by local authorities.— Brotherly kindness to be manifest in dealing with wrong-doers.—Church organization perfect, because divinely established. — Auxiliary organizations subject to the Priesthood.—Discountenance witching for evil, encourage the good
It is with a degree of weakness, of timidity and a sense of dependence upon the Lord that I stand be tore you this morning: at the opening of the Eighty-third anniversary of the April Conference of the Church. I feel entirely dependent, and without forethought, upon the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord for what I may be led to say to you. I cannot pass without expressing my gratitude to the Lord for the preservation of our lives and for the many temporal as well as spiritual blessings that we all enjoy this morning on assembling here, in this tabernacle, on this very int renting and important occasion. I feel very grateful, myself, for the blessings that I enjoy personally, for the measure of health and strength I possess, and for the spiritual life that I feel in the work in which we are engaged. I feel grateful, too. that our beloved brother Anthon H. Lund, who has been unwell for a season, is so far recovered as to be able to attend with us here this morning enjoying an increased measure of health. Tt is also a source of great pleasure and gratitude to me that we have with us, in the vigor of youth, our beloved brother Charles W. Penrose, now past his eighty-first year, and yet looking very much younger than many of us younger men. that is, younger in years, not younger mentally nor physically, but merely in years. It is also a source of congratulation and of thankfulness that we have with us the brethren of the twelve, with the exception of Elder Smoot. (who is engaged in a good cause and in doing much in the way of the moral uplift of mankind as well as in the service of the people of his state, for his influence, his personal habits, his manner of life, his spirit are sermons for good among all his associates, and his example is always praiseworthy; and Rudger Clawson, who is presiding over the European Mission, and is in the discharge of his duty as faithfully as it is possible for any man to be, and is doing a good work in his mission field. The brethren of the Seventies are with us, all of them I believe, in possession of vigor and health and the spirit of their calling, and mission; and we have also with us the Presiding Bishopric, enjoying the same blessings, together with the Presiding Patriarch a youth who is developing commendably in the performance of his duties, and bids fair of being a light that shall shine in his pathway, to those who are seeking after the truth. Then it is a source of gratitude to me that I can look upon so many of the presidents of the stakes of Zion as are assembled here this morning at this opening session of our Conference. We have now, organized, sixty-four stakes of Zion, and a very large proportion of the presidencies of those stakes are present with us this morning, many of whom are becoming, like some of the rest of us. aged in the service in which they have been engaged for many years, and it is gratifying to me to have the privilege of meeting with them and of offering a greeting of welcome into this house of the Lord this morning; and I sincerely invoke the blessings of our heavenly Father upon these men, upon whom rests so great responsibility in exercising the rights of presidency over the stakes over which they preside. Then I look out over this great congregation and see a large number of the bishops of the Church, assembled here to represent the people of their wards, many of whom, of course, have not the privilege of attending this conference on account of the distance from their homes. I congratulate you presidents of stakes and your counselors, members of the high councils of the various stakes of Zion, on your presence here, and I trust that in your participations in the conference you may be filled with joy and satisfaction, and that it may be a time of refreshing to you as well as to all the saints. In connection with these also we have with us the various organizations in the priesthood from the high priests down to the elders in the Church representing the high priests and the seventies and the elders and the patriarchs, many of whom I suppose are here today to add to the number of those who have come to attend the conference and to take part in the duties thereof, together with the bishoprics and the lesser priesthood, many of whom are here. The strength of Israel I apprehend is here today, representing the whole Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not only in the organized stakes of Zion, but in many of the missions in the world.
I need not say to my brethren engaged in the ministry that it is expected of them that one and all will attend to the labors and be true to the responsibilities that rest upon them in the discharge of their duties as officers in the Church. We expect that the presidencies of the stakes of Zion will be exemplars to the people. We expect them of a truth to be fathers unto those over whom they preside, men of wisdom, of sound judgment, impartial and just, men who will indeed qualify themselves, or who are indeed qualified by their natural endowments and by the inspiration from God which it is their privilege to enjoy, to preside in righteousness and to sit in righteous judgment over all matters brought to their attention or that may legitimately belong to their office and calling. We anticipate the same fidelity, the same faithfulness, the same intelligent administration of their duties from the bishops and their counselors, and indeed upon these rests perhaps the greatest possible responsibility, for the reason that they are expected by their presidencies to attend to the various interests and needs of their people. It is expected of a bishop to know all the people that reside in his ward, not only those that are faithful members of the Church, diligent in the performance of their duties and prominent by their good acts, but to know those who are cold and indifferent, those who are lukewarm, those who are inclined to err and to make mistakes, and not only these, but it is expected that the bishops through their aides in their wards, will become acquainted, not only with their members, male and female, but that they will know also the stranger that is within their gates and be prepared to minister solace, comfort, good counsel, wisdom and every other aid possible to be rendered to those that are in need, whether they are of the household of faith or are strangers to the truth. So that there is a great deal expected of the bishops and their counselors and the elders and lesser priesthood in their wards whom they call to their aid in administering to the people both spiritually and temporally, and I want to remark in this connection that it is the duty of these bishops and of the presidencies of the stakes of Zion, together with their high councils, to administer justice and right judgment to every member of their wards and of their stakes. Included in this are the high priests and the seventies and the elders and the apostles and the patriarchs and the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No man who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or who has a standing in the Church as a member, is exempt from his responsibilities as a member and his allegiance to the bishop of the ward in which he dwells. I am as much bound to acknowledge my bishop as a member of the ward in which I dwell, as the humblest and latest member of the Church. No man who claims to be a member of the Church in good standing, can ride above or become independent of the authority that the Lord Almighty has established in His Church. This watch-care of the people, of their right living, of their fidelity to their covenants and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, belongs to the presidents of stakes and their counselors and the high councils, or members of the high council, to the bishop and his counselors and the teachers of his ward. Then we have the organizations of the holy priesthood. We have the council of the first presidency consisting of three presiding high priests who are called of God and appointed to preside over the Church and over the priesthood of God, and I want to say here that it does not follow and never has followed that the members of the first presidency of the Church are necessarily to be ordained apostles. They hold by virtue of their rights as presidents of the Church all the keys and all the authority that pertains to the Melchisedek priesthood, which comprehends and comprises all of the appendages to that priesthood, the lesser priesthood and all the offices in the priesthood from first to last and from least to greatest; and I would to the Lord that some of our would-be wise men would learn this truth and establish the same in their minds that they might not everlastingly be at sea in regard to it and always asking questions of the most nonsensical kind with reference to the rights of the priesthood. All you have to do is to read the revelations through the Prophet Joseph Smith, giving to the Church the authorities of the priesthood that God has restored in the latter day. It is as perfect, as plain as the A. B. C's of our language and only needs to be read with the spirit of understanding to be perfectly comprehended.
The duty of the twelve apostles of the Church is to preach the gospel to the world, to send it to the inhabitants of the earth and to bear testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as living witnesses of His divine mission. That is their special calling and they are always under the direction of the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that presidency is intact, and there is never at the same time two equal heads in the Church—never. The Lord never ordained any such thing, nor designed it. There is always a head in the Church, and if the presidency of the Church are removed by death or other cause, then the next head of the Church is the twelve apostles until a presidency is again organized of three presiding high priests who have the right to hold the office of first presidency over the Church; and, according" to the doctrine laid down by President Wilford Woodruff, who saw the necessity for it, and that of President Lorenzo Snow, if the president should die, his counselors are then released from that presidency, and it is the duty of the twelve apostles to proceed at once, in the manner that has been pointed out, to see that the First presidency is reorganized, so that there may be no deficiency in the working and order of the priesthood in the Church. Now again, the bishoprics, and the presidents of stakes, have exclusive jurisdiction over the membership or the standing of men and women in their wards and in their stakes. I want to state that pretty plain—that is to say, it is not my duty, it is not the duty of the seven presidents of seventies, nor of the council of the twelve apostles, to go into a stake of Zion and try for membership or for standing in the Church, any member of a stake or ward. We have no business to do it; it belongs to the local authorities and they have ample authority to deal with the membership in their wards and in their stakes. The bishops may try an elder for misconduct, for un- Christian like conduct, for apostasy, or for wickedness of any kind that would disqualify him for membership in the Church, and they may pass upon him their judgment that he is unworthy of fellowship in the Church, and they may withdraw from him their fellowship. Then they may refer his case to the Presidency and High Council, and it will be the duty of the Presidency and High Council of the stake to deal with him, even to the extent of excommunication from the Church; and there is no remedy for this, only the right of appeal to the Presidency of the Church. If there may be perchance any injustice, and partiality, lack of information or understanding on the part of the bishopric, which may not be corrected and therefore might be perpetuated by the decision of the High Council, and the party aggrieved does not feel that he has had justice dealt out to him, he then has a right, under the laws of the Church, to appeal to the Presidency of the Church, but not otherwise. We want it distinctly understood that we cannot hear the complaints of members of the Church against their bishops, nor against their presidents, nor against their fellow members in the Church. If we were to yield to a thing of this kind we would usurp and do away with the authority of the Bishops and with the Presidencies of the stakes, and we would have the responsibility of trying any or all the members of the Church, who might have troubles to adjust, and that would be a practical impossibility; we could not do it; and then, it would not be right to do it, because God has designed it the other way. The Lord has given us a more perfect organization than that. Therefore, we want the cranks and the crazy folks, the insane, if there are any, who wish to step over their Bishops and their Presidents to the Presidency of the Church, or to the Twelve, to distinctly understand that if they do so, we will refer their case to their local authorities to be dealt with on the ground, where the evidence can be had pro and con and where justice can be meted out to them. We have enough to do, goodness knows, without listening to the complaints and cries, mournings and bickerings of individuals everywhere, however few, comparatively. The limits of the Church are now spread out and extended to the islands of the sea and to distant continents and countries, for the gospel is being preached to the nations of the world, and we cannot hear all the complaints of individuals. The Lord has organized these councils in the Church, such as the bishops' councils and the high councils, with the presidencies in the Church, to take care of the people to see that no injustice is done by one to another in the Church, to see that no unrighteousness exists that can be averted or that can be corrected and to see that justice and judgment and righteousness shall reign in the organizations of the Church and no wickedness or vileness be permitted to linger and corrode the body of the Church by neglect of being dealt with in the proper way. Not that we should injure, or hurt, or oppress—the furtherest thought in the world from my heart is oppression. No man should be oppressed. No authority of the Priesthood can be administered or exerted in any degree of unrighteousness, without offending God. Therefore, when we deal with men we should not deal with them in anger. We should not deal with them with prejudice in our minds against them. We should dismiss prejudice, dispel anger from our hearts, and when we try our brethren for membership or fellowship in the Church we should do it dispassionately, charitably, lovingly, kindly, with a view to save and not to destroy. That is our business; our business is to save the world, to save mankind, to bring them into harmony with the laws of God and with principles of righteousness and of justice and truth, that they may be saved in the kingdom of our God and become, eventually, through obedience to the ordinances of the gospel, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. That is our mission. Now then we have our high priests' quorums or councils, and we have our Seventies' Councils and our elders, and then we have the councils of the priests, teachers and deacons in the Lesser Priesthood. These councils each and all in their organized capacity have jurisdiction over the fellowship of the members of these councils—if the member is an elder, or if a man has a standing in the Seventies' quorum, or is a member of the High Council, or the High Priests' quorum, and he is misbehaving himself, shows a lack of faith, a lack of reverence for the position he holds in his Council, or quorum, his fellowship in that quorum to which he belongs, or his standing should be looked after or enquired into, for he is amenable to his quorum for his good standing and fellowship in it. So that we have the check that the Lord has placed upon members of the Church, and when I say members of the Church I mean me, I mean the apostles, I mean the high priests, and the seventies, and elders. I mean everybody that is a member of the Church; and I say that when these members of the Church are in error or doing wrong we have the check on them in the first place in the wards, bishops look after them, then their quorums to which they belong have jurisdiction and they are required to look after them too, and then after the quorums look after them the Presidencies of the stakes look after .them and see that they are helped, that they are strengthened, that they are admonished, that they are warned and that they are applauded when they do their duties and keep the commandments of the Lord. So the Lord has placed a great many checks upon the members of the Church with a view to teaching them right principles, to help them to do right, to live right and to be pure, and clean from the sins of the world, that the body of the Church may be perfected, that it may be free from disease, from all contagious evils, just as the body of the man Christ Jesus is free from all taint, evil, and sin. So God has placed these safeguards in the Church from the deacons to the apostles, and to the Presidency of the Church, with a view of persuading men and women to keep themselves pure and unspotted from the world and to help them to be faithful to their covenants entered into with one another and with their God.
What a wonderful organization it is! Whoever has thought of it except he whom the Lord revealed it to? When did it ever exist in its perfection before as it exists today? And to whom are we indebted for the intelligence, wisdom and knowledge that has perfected this organization and established it for the government and the upbuilding of Zion and for purification of mankind— to whom are we indebted? To the Lord, God Almighty, to the Son of God who spoke to Joseph, the prophet, by his own voice and by the voice of messengers sent to him, by whom Joseph was instructed and enlightened and empowered to effect an organization such as the world never knew before, unless it was in the days of Enoch. Even the principles that were taught to Enoch have been revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith; but the people are not prepared for them and so they are postponed, delayed, or shelved for the time being, and we are trying to work ourselves up to the standard before God. or to the point in which we will be worthy to engage in the order of Enoch, in which we may become more perfect than we can possibly be under the present system that we are governed by.
Now, much more might be said. I have in mind our auxiliary organizations, what are they? Helps to the standard organizations of the Church. They are not independent. I want to say to the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, and to the Relief Society, and to the Primaries, and to the Sunday Schools, and Religion Classes, and all the rest of the organizations in the Church, that not one of them is independent of the Priesthood of the Son of God, not one of them can exist a moment in the acceptance of the Lord when they withdraw from the voice and from the counsel of those who hold the Priesthood and preside over them. They are subject to th e powers and authority of the Church, and they are not independent of them; nor can they exercise any rights in their organizations independently of the Priesthood and of' the Church; and I want you to take it home to you now—every one of you. You may hear something stronger than that from me if you don't. I have had a good deal of patience about some things, but there is a point at which patience ceases to be a virtue, and then it will become necessary to act, or advise at least.
Now let every man do his duty; let every president of a stake, and every counselor to him. and every bishop and his counselors and every member of the high council; let every presidency of the high priests and seventies, and elders and all the general authorities of the Church do their duty, be faithful, humble and diligent in the performance of the labor that is required of them, be watchmen indeed upon the towers of Zion, watching for virtues, watching for uprightness, watching for justice, watching for truth. Change the focus of your view, and of your eyes, from watching for evil to watching for that which is good, that which is pure, and leading and prompting those who err into that path which has no error in it, and that will not admit of mistakes. Look for good in men, and where they fail to possess it try to build it up in them; try to increase the good in them; look for the good; build up the good; sustain the good: and speak as little about the evil as you possibly can. It does not do any good to magnify evil, to publish evil or to promulgate it by tongue or pen. There is no good to be obtained by it. It is better to bury the evil and magnify the good, and prompt all men to forsake evil and learn to do good; and let our mission be to save mankind and to teach in and guide to the paths of righteousness, and not to sit as judges and pass judgment upon evil doers, but rather be saviors of men.
I did not expect to talk long to you this morning, when I got up. I only expected to say a few words and sit down: but I feel it in my heart; my soul is in it, and I know the truth, and I want to live it. If there are any of my friends who can show me where I fail, oh come to me like a brother, not fault-finding, but come to me as a savior upon Mount Zion and show me my error and give me a chance by the aid of your counsel and advice to me to overcome the evil you see in me, whether you see it literally or whether you simply imagine it. Let me learn to do right by your help. Don't crush me down. Don't discard me. Don't throw me over into -the scrap pile because you think I am not as perfect as I ought to be. Rather be patient with my imperfections, and try to help me to overcome them and to live nearer unto the Lord than ever before. That is the part of a savior upon Mount Zion. I am talking to the priesthood and to the Latter-day Saints, and to those that preside in the Church, and to those that exercise authority in the midst of the people. Go and do the will of the Father, that you may know the truth and that the truth may make you free, and also that you may walk in the light as Christ is in the light, that you may have fellowship with each other and that you may also have fellowship with God and Christ, and that the blood of the Son of God may cleanse you from all sin. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"Consider, and hear me," a baritone solo, was rendered by Elder Charles Kent.
PRESIDENT ANTHON H. LUND.
Details of Church organization and government, given in the beginning, still unchanged.—Officers established and appointments made as need for them developed.—Magnitude of Latter-day work foreseen and provided for at inception. —Importance of keeping historical records.—need for implanting in the children, faith in the Gospel.
I have been much pleased and edified this morning in listening to the President's remarks to us, and I feel happy to have the privilege of meeting with the Latter-day Saints in their general conference. For some time I have not been well enough to attend to my duties in the office of the First Presidency, but I feel thankful that I am so far recovered as to be able to go on and attend to my duties.
When the President was explaining to us where the authority lies in dealing with matters in the Church, I thought how perfect is the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how perfect it came to us in the very beginning. On Sunday, next, it will be eighty-three years since a few met in the house of Mr. Whitmer in Fayette, New York, and organized the Church. The^ Lord had commanded them to do this, and the Church was organized in such a way that it has not been necessary to change the organization since then. When we read the revelation on government, which was given about that time, we feel that it is just as suitable today as it was then, and that the authority given to the different quorums, and the duties imposed upon the various members of the priesthood are the same today and they will ever remain the same. We will not at any time feel to discard the Church government given in the twentieth section of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. As they were then instructed in regard to their duties so the members of the different quorums are instructed today. The deacons, the teachers and the priests have the same duties laid on them and the same power and authority rests upon the elders, the seventies, the high priests now as then. Though the higher quorums were not yet organized, the Lord had revealed before the organization of the Church that there should be Apostles in the Church, and had even appointed those who should call them, so that if they were not introduced at the very start the revelations were given as to how the Church should be organized. Joseph had informed the little flock that gathered there of what the Lord had commanded, and it was proposed to them that Joseph Smith be the first elder of the Church, and Oliver Cowdery the second. Then Joseph ordained Oliver and Oliver ordained Joseph to the office of an elder. This was not bestowing the Melchisedek Priesthood on either of them. They held that before. It had been conferred upon them by Peter, James and John. It was not given to them by the authority of those present. The Lord had revealed to them, through His servant, and had conferred upon them the Melchisedek Priesthood, but there was no Church organized as yet, and hence there were no officers needed in the Church, but when the Church was organized on April the 6th, 1830, then it was necessary that men should fill official positions in the Church, and do this by the consent of those over whom they were to exercise authority. As yet, the office of a high priest had not been given, but elders had been voted for, and had been ordained, and they took charge of the meeting. What a glorious time they had together that day! They partook of the sacrament for the first time in this dispensation; the emblems of the body and blood of the Savior were administered, and those few who were together rejoiced in having this privilege, and in hearing: the testimonies that were borne and the prophecies that were made. Several who were present went away believing, and were afterwards baptized. On that day when the Church was organized, a revelation was given in which the Lord told Joseph further about the responsible positions he was to fill and the glorious destiny of the church. He says:
Section 21.
1. Behold there shall be a record kept among you, and in it thou shalt be called a Seer, a Translator, a Prophet, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, an Elder of the Church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith.
3. Which church was organized and established in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month, which is called April.
4. Wherefore, meaning the Church, thou shall give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
5. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith;
6. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and His name's glory.
7. For thus saith the Lord God. Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard.
8. Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen, and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer, for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins, and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works."
There are a few more verses belonging' to the revelation which I will not take the time to read. This comforting revelation was given on the 6th of April 1830. The Lord was referring to the Prophet. We can understand Joseph's feelings. He knew that a great and marvelous work was going to be ushered in. He felt how weak he was— a young man, little more than twenty four years old—to have placed upon him the responsibility of introducing this last dispensation and establishing again the Church of Christ upon the earth. No doubt he felt much anxiety, for the Lord said that he had seen his weeping" for Zion, but promised that he should be comforted. Joseph did see the work begun, the Church organized, the members sustaining him as their leader, and the offices being filled in the Church. lie knew it was the Lord's work, and he rejoiced to see its beginning-. The lord had opened unto him in visions the future of His kingdom, and hence in his talk about the fiord's purposes and the destiny of the Church he spoke the convictions of his soul in which there was not a shade of doubt. It must have seemed wonderful to the people to hear about Zion going to be established, about the gathering, about this being the little stone that should roll down from the mountain and fill the whole earth but with the eye of prophecy he saw it; he knew it would be fulfilled. The Lord in comforting the Saints told them that if they would listen to his counsel, the gates of 'hell should not have power over them, and this promise is the same to you and to me in as much as we listen to the counsels of inspired men. As I understand that expression "the gates of hell," it means those things which lead to hell in fact are the entrances to it. How many things there are that lead to those gates. How many things we have to be warned against and which we have to watch out for, because if we yield to them, they will lead us to the gates of hell! Let us each and every one examine ourselves and know well the path in which we are walking and avoid everything that we know is wrong and forbidden by the Lord, well knowing that if we yield to such we have not the promise that the gates of hell shall not have power over us; on the other hand if we perform our duty, live according to the testimony which God has given us, we need not fear, for He will lead us in the paths of righteousness that lead to eternal life.
At the beginning of this revelation we were told that there should be a recorder in the Church, that records should be kept among the people. This important work in the Church, of keeping records, was commanded: and if we read farther on we will find that John Whitmer was appointed to be Church Recorder, to write the events of the Church. I mention this to show you how important this part of our Church government is, to keep history, to keep a record of what takes place. I am pleased to say that our activity in this direction has produced good fruits. We have in the Historian's office a great mass of useful data. Many precious things are there, and I am pleased to tell you that before long we hope to erect a new historian's office — one that shall be fire-proof and where we can feel safe in regard to the thing's that have been treasured up for so many years.
I want to call attention here to a series of articles published in the "American" magazine, from the pen of Brother B. H. Roberts, which gives the Church history, and I believe it would be a splendid thing for the Latter-day Saints to take that magazine, read it and post themselves on Church history. It would especially be a good thing if they had it from the beginning, but I suppose it will some time come out in a history by itself. Even if you have not taken it before, I would advise you to subscribe for it now as Church history can be taken up in any part of it, and still you will find it interesting and well worth reading. I honor those men who have been brave enough to publish these articles, and I am pleased to hear that they are read with interest in the world, but they ought to be read by the Saints at home.
I desire to say to the recorders in the different stakes and in the different wards that your calling is a very important one. In years to come what you write will be looked for and treasured up. We are trying to connect events of Church history in the early days, and when we find in a private day book or record something that connects missing links, why we feel like we have found a treasure. Now, if you children of our pioneers and of the early members of the Church have some of their records or day books, we would like that you would give us an opportunity to read them, and to copy from them such things as may help to corroborate data which we already have, or perhaps give us data that we are not in possession of. We do not ask you to give them to us, but to let us have the use of them till we can make copies of such parts that might be useful to us. Be sure that you keep? record of what takes place in the wards, and in the stakes; the changes in priesthood, and such events that are closely connected with the Church in order that they he not forgotten; and where papers are printed in any of the towns in Zion, we would like you to send a copy of them to the Historian's Office. We will keep them on file. By our having" them we may be able to see what is taking place out in the different stakes and wards, that may not reach our larger papers published here. We are seeking to make Church history as perfect as possible, so that when it is referred to reliance can be placed upon what is recorded.
There is another matter I would like to lay before the conference, and that is the necessity of teaching our young. We have splendid Sunday Schools and they are doing a good work We have auxiliary organizations that take up the improvement of the young, and we have religion classes in which we want our children taught faith in the religion of their fathers. In some of the stakes they are doing a splendid work. In others it seems like our brethren who have charge think it an extra burden upon them and do not care to have these classes organized. Let me beg of you, plead with you, to have them established for the good of the children. Let them be taught as the Lord commands us to teach them to walk uprightly before Him. Let us try to give them all the chance in the world to be built up in the faith that is so dear to our hearts. You parents, how much have you not done for the gospel's sake, left everything dear to you and suffered the mockings and scorn of the world? You knew it was God's revealed truth to you, you received it, and you bore these things without murmur and you have gathered with the Saints. Can it be possible that after you have done so much for your God-given faith that you are willing" that your children shall be neglected and grow up without having the advantages that you can give them? As you know religion cannot be taught in the state schools we do not want to interfere with the children of our friends of other denominations, but we do want to do all we can for our children and give them an opportunity to learn how precious is the truth which the Lord has given unto us. Encourage the Religion Classes, encourage the children to attend them, encourage the teachers that are willing to go and teach your children, and let us see this auxiliary organization prosper as well as all the others.
Well, I don't think it would be wise for me to continue talking. I am so happy to be with you. I pray the Lord to bless the Latter-day Saints, to bless them with the testimony of the truth, and I bear my testimony to you that this is the work of the Lord, and that it will triumph in the earth. God bless you all. Amen.
A notice was read by President Smith concerning the correspondence school conducted by the Church, after which he remarked: We would admonish and advise our young men who have not an opportunity to attend the missionary classes at our Church schools, on account of their distance from them and the cost, that if they will correspond with Brother Edwin S. Sheets at the Bishops' Building here, at No. 40 North Main Street and get into communication with him, they will have much benefit, I think, from it, and it will aid them in preparing themselves for missionary work abroad.
President Smith then read a statement concerning" the concert to be given by Professor Stephens, Professor McClellan and the choir, and commented as follows:
I hope our good people will show their respect and loyalty to the choir —one of the best of our many most excellent choirs. We must not forget those who sing for us, like the Tabernacle Choir here, of course most of them are employed in their daily avocations and are unable to be present during week days, but they give much of their time for practice and they are always willing and are if possible present on the Sabbath to render their portion of service to the Lord, and we ought always to be loyal to our choirs. We have many of them, this one and the one at Ogden and at other places, they are worthy of all commendation and of all praise by the Latter-day Saints, and we hope you will not forget them.
The congregation sang the hymn:
We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet
To guide us in these latter days;
We thank Thee for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Andrew Kimball.
Conference adjourned until 2 p.m.
Details of Church organization and government, given in the beginning, still unchanged.—Officers established and appointments made as need for them developed.—Magnitude of Latter-day work foreseen and provided for at inception. —Importance of keeping historical records.—need for implanting in the children, faith in the Gospel.
I have been much pleased and edified this morning in listening to the President's remarks to us, and I feel happy to have the privilege of meeting with the Latter-day Saints in their general conference. For some time I have not been well enough to attend to my duties in the office of the First Presidency, but I feel thankful that I am so far recovered as to be able to go on and attend to my duties.
When the President was explaining to us where the authority lies in dealing with matters in the Church, I thought how perfect is the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how perfect it came to us in the very beginning. On Sunday, next, it will be eighty-three years since a few met in the house of Mr. Whitmer in Fayette, New York, and organized the Church. The^ Lord had commanded them to do this, and the Church was organized in such a way that it has not been necessary to change the organization since then. When we read the revelation on government, which was given about that time, we feel that it is just as suitable today as it was then, and that the authority given to the different quorums, and the duties imposed upon the various members of the priesthood are the same today and they will ever remain the same. We will not at any time feel to discard the Church government given in the twentieth section of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. As they were then instructed in regard to their duties so the members of the different quorums are instructed today. The deacons, the teachers and the priests have the same duties laid on them and the same power and authority rests upon the elders, the seventies, the high priests now as then. Though the higher quorums were not yet organized, the Lord had revealed before the organization of the Church that there should be Apostles in the Church, and had even appointed those who should call them, so that if they were not introduced at the very start the revelations were given as to how the Church should be organized. Joseph had informed the little flock that gathered there of what the Lord had commanded, and it was proposed to them that Joseph Smith be the first elder of the Church, and Oliver Cowdery the second. Then Joseph ordained Oliver and Oliver ordained Joseph to the office of an elder. This was not bestowing the Melchisedek Priesthood on either of them. They held that before. It had been conferred upon them by Peter, James and John. It was not given to them by the authority of those present. The Lord had revealed to them, through His servant, and had conferred upon them the Melchisedek Priesthood, but there was no Church organized as yet, and hence there were no officers needed in the Church, but when the Church was organized on April the 6th, 1830, then it was necessary that men should fill official positions in the Church, and do this by the consent of those over whom they were to exercise authority. As yet, the office of a high priest had not been given, but elders had been voted for, and had been ordained, and they took charge of the meeting. What a glorious time they had together that day! They partook of the sacrament for the first time in this dispensation; the emblems of the body and blood of the Savior were administered, and those few who were together rejoiced in having this privilege, and in hearing: the testimonies that were borne and the prophecies that were made. Several who were present went away believing, and were afterwards baptized. On that day when the Church was organized, a revelation was given in which the Lord told Joseph further about the responsible positions he was to fill and the glorious destiny of the church. He says:
Section 21.
1. Behold there shall be a record kept among you, and in it thou shalt be called a Seer, a Translator, a Prophet, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, an Elder of the Church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith.
3. Which church was organized and established in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month, which is called April.
4. Wherefore, meaning the Church, thou shall give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
5. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith;
6. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and His name's glory.
7. For thus saith the Lord God. Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard.
8. Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen, and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer, for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins, and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works."
There are a few more verses belonging' to the revelation which I will not take the time to read. This comforting revelation was given on the 6th of April 1830. The Lord was referring to the Prophet. We can understand Joseph's feelings. He knew that a great and marvelous work was going to be ushered in. He felt how weak he was— a young man, little more than twenty four years old—to have placed upon him the responsibility of introducing this last dispensation and establishing again the Church of Christ upon the earth. No doubt he felt much anxiety, for the Lord said that he had seen his weeping" for Zion, but promised that he should be comforted. Joseph did see the work begun, the Church organized, the members sustaining him as their leader, and the offices being filled in the Church. lie knew it was the Lord's work, and he rejoiced to see its beginning-. The lord had opened unto him in visions the future of His kingdom, and hence in his talk about the fiord's purposes and the destiny of the Church he spoke the convictions of his soul in which there was not a shade of doubt. It must have seemed wonderful to the people to hear about Zion going to be established, about the gathering, about this being the little stone that should roll down from the mountain and fill the whole earth but with the eye of prophecy he saw it; he knew it would be fulfilled. The Lord in comforting the Saints told them that if they would listen to his counsel, the gates of 'hell should not have power over them, and this promise is the same to you and to me in as much as we listen to the counsels of inspired men. As I understand that expression "the gates of hell," it means those things which lead to hell in fact are the entrances to it. How many things there are that lead to those gates. How many things we have to be warned against and which we have to watch out for, because if we yield to them, they will lead us to the gates of hell! Let us each and every one examine ourselves and know well the path in which we are walking and avoid everything that we know is wrong and forbidden by the Lord, well knowing that if we yield to such we have not the promise that the gates of hell shall not have power over us; on the other hand if we perform our duty, live according to the testimony which God has given us, we need not fear, for He will lead us in the paths of righteousness that lead to eternal life.
At the beginning of this revelation we were told that there should be a recorder in the Church, that records should be kept among the people. This important work in the Church, of keeping records, was commanded: and if we read farther on we will find that John Whitmer was appointed to be Church Recorder, to write the events of the Church. I mention this to show you how important this part of our Church government is, to keep history, to keep a record of what takes place. I am pleased to say that our activity in this direction has produced good fruits. We have in the Historian's office a great mass of useful data. Many precious things are there, and I am pleased to tell you that before long we hope to erect a new historian's office — one that shall be fire-proof and where we can feel safe in regard to the thing's that have been treasured up for so many years.
I want to call attention here to a series of articles published in the "American" magazine, from the pen of Brother B. H. Roberts, which gives the Church history, and I believe it would be a splendid thing for the Latter-day Saints to take that magazine, read it and post themselves on Church history. It would especially be a good thing if they had it from the beginning, but I suppose it will some time come out in a history by itself. Even if you have not taken it before, I would advise you to subscribe for it now as Church history can be taken up in any part of it, and still you will find it interesting and well worth reading. I honor those men who have been brave enough to publish these articles, and I am pleased to hear that they are read with interest in the world, but they ought to be read by the Saints at home.
I desire to say to the recorders in the different stakes and in the different wards that your calling is a very important one. In years to come what you write will be looked for and treasured up. We are trying to connect events of Church history in the early days, and when we find in a private day book or record something that connects missing links, why we feel like we have found a treasure. Now, if you children of our pioneers and of the early members of the Church have some of their records or day books, we would like that you would give us an opportunity to read them, and to copy from them such things as may help to corroborate data which we already have, or perhaps give us data that we are not in possession of. We do not ask you to give them to us, but to let us have the use of them till we can make copies of such parts that might be useful to us. Be sure that you keep? record of what takes place in the wards, and in the stakes; the changes in priesthood, and such events that are closely connected with the Church in order that they he not forgotten; and where papers are printed in any of the towns in Zion, we would like you to send a copy of them to the Historian's Office. We will keep them on file. By our having" them we may be able to see what is taking place out in the different stakes and wards, that may not reach our larger papers published here. We are seeking to make Church history as perfect as possible, so that when it is referred to reliance can be placed upon what is recorded.
There is another matter I would like to lay before the conference, and that is the necessity of teaching our young. We have splendid Sunday Schools and they are doing a good work We have auxiliary organizations that take up the improvement of the young, and we have religion classes in which we want our children taught faith in the religion of their fathers. In some of the stakes they are doing a splendid work. In others it seems like our brethren who have charge think it an extra burden upon them and do not care to have these classes organized. Let me beg of you, plead with you, to have them established for the good of the children. Let them be taught as the Lord commands us to teach them to walk uprightly before Him. Let us try to give them all the chance in the world to be built up in the faith that is so dear to our hearts. You parents, how much have you not done for the gospel's sake, left everything dear to you and suffered the mockings and scorn of the world? You knew it was God's revealed truth to you, you received it, and you bore these things without murmur and you have gathered with the Saints. Can it be possible that after you have done so much for your God-given faith that you are willing" that your children shall be neglected and grow up without having the advantages that you can give them? As you know religion cannot be taught in the state schools we do not want to interfere with the children of our friends of other denominations, but we do want to do all we can for our children and give them an opportunity to learn how precious is the truth which the Lord has given unto us. Encourage the Religion Classes, encourage the children to attend them, encourage the teachers that are willing to go and teach your children, and let us see this auxiliary organization prosper as well as all the others.
Well, I don't think it would be wise for me to continue talking. I am so happy to be with you. I pray the Lord to bless the Latter-day Saints, to bless them with the testimony of the truth, and I bear my testimony to you that this is the work of the Lord, and that it will triumph in the earth. God bless you all. Amen.
A notice was read by President Smith concerning the correspondence school conducted by the Church, after which he remarked: We would admonish and advise our young men who have not an opportunity to attend the missionary classes at our Church schools, on account of their distance from them and the cost, that if they will correspond with Brother Edwin S. Sheets at the Bishops' Building here, at No. 40 North Main Street and get into communication with him, they will have much benefit, I think, from it, and it will aid them in preparing themselves for missionary work abroad.
President Smith then read a statement concerning" the concert to be given by Professor Stephens, Professor McClellan and the choir, and commented as follows:
I hope our good people will show their respect and loyalty to the choir —one of the best of our many most excellent choirs. We must not forget those who sing for us, like the Tabernacle Choir here, of course most of them are employed in their daily avocations and are unable to be present during week days, but they give much of their time for practice and they are always willing and are if possible present on the Sabbath to render their portion of service to the Lord, and we ought always to be loyal to our choirs. We have many of them, this one and the one at Ogden and at other places, they are worthy of all commendation and of all praise by the Latter-day Saints, and we hope you will not forget them.
The congregation sang the hymn:
We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet
To guide us in these latter days;
We thank Thee for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Andrew Kimball.
Conference adjourned until 2 p.m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Conference was resumed at 2 p. m. President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer --
Blessed to open the last dispensation;
Kings shall extol him and nations
Prayer was offered by Elder Joseph R. Shepherd.
The congregation sang the hymn:
O, say what is truth? 'Tis the fairest gem
That the riches of worlds can produce;
And priceless the value of truth will be when
The proud monarch's costliest diadem
Is counted but dross and refuse.
Conference was resumed at 2 p. m. President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer --
Blessed to open the last dispensation;
Kings shall extol him and nations
Prayer was offered by Elder Joseph R. Shepherd.
The congregation sang the hymn:
O, say what is truth? 'Tis the fairest gem
That the riches of worlds can produce;
And priceless the value of truth will be when
The proud monarch's costliest diadem
Is counted but dross and refuse.
ELDER CHARLES A. CALLIS.
(President of Southern States Mission.)
My brethren and sisters, my soul was rejoiced and instructed this morning by the remarks of President Joseph F. Smith and President Anthon H. Lund. They indicated to us our bearings, as it were, and called us back to first principles. I believe, my brethren and sisters, that it is well to return to first principles, and to learn our duty so that we may be more effective as preachers of the Word.
The Lord said unto His servants, in the Doctrine and Covenants, "And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples whom I have chosen in these last days, and they shall go forth," the Lord said, "and none shall stay them." There has been no power that has been able to resist or even impede the onward march of truth. The Prophet Isaiah says, in the 55th chapter and 11th verse of his book, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." It is a remarkable fact that however humble the elder is, when he speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, his words go to the hearts of the children of men, and it is a mighty encouragement to the young elder to know that God is behind him, and that there is a power behind his words which the power oilman cannot resist.
The Savior declared that before His coming there should be fearful sights in the earth, that there should be wars and rumors of wars, that there should be earthquakes and commotion, and that men's hearts should fail them for fear, and in this day the Lord has said, "For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes. * * * And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and all things shall be in commotion." and surely men's hearts shall fail them. We are living, my brethren and sisters, in this day when these prophecies are being fulfilled. The voice of the tempest, the voice of the earthquake, the voice of the thunderings and the lightnings is following the testimony of the elders of Israel. We do not sit in judgment upon our fellow citizens. We do not boast of great judgments, for the Lord has commanded us not to do that, but we do know that the Lord declared that these things should precede His glorious second coming. We do know that He has said that it is our duty to warn the people, to preach the Gospel, to cry repentance unto this generation, and to say with the prophets of old, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
It is well to remember, mv brethren and sisters, that it is by the preaching of the Gospel that men are saved, and that men are warned. We believe that the souls of men are precious in the sight of God. I believe that the words of the President of the Church this morning, when he exhorted the Priesthood of God to assume the full responsibility of their office, are timely, they are inspired, they apply to us. Think of the sad case of Absalom. He sat at the gate of the city, and when people went up to judgment to the king this false counselor said, "If I were the king I would do this, or I would do the other." He knew in his heart that he could not have done those things in righteousness, and I wonder sometimes of we, instead of bearing responsibility as we should do, do not encourage people to ask foolish questions by referring them to somebody, just to relieve ourselves of the burden of bearing that responsibility which God expects us to bear humbly and honestly in His sight. When the tragic end came, when Absalom's disobedience ended in rebellion and he was slain, King David sat at the gate, waiting for the news from the battle field, and from afar, as the runner came. King David said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" His thoughts were not with the result of the battle upon which the future of his kingdom rested, but his thoughts were with the young man, and when the melancholy news was broken to him that Absalom had perished, David's great heart almost broke, and he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee." What did David's kingdom weigh in the balance of the loss of his son ? His son was dearer to him than all the kingdoms of the world, and so are our children dearer to us than all the wealth of the world. Their souls are precious, and let us, my brethren and sisters, stand up like men and women in Israel and assume the responsibilities of our callings, let us
"Dare to be a Daniel,
And dare to stand alone.
Let us dare to have a purpose firm.
And let us dare to make it known,"
and when people want counsel, if we are able to give it, let us give it in the spirit of humility and of righteousness.
The scenes now in Ohio and in the south are harrowing in the extreme. In Tennessee a terrible tornado or cyclone went over part of that state and eighty lives were lost as a result of the destructiveness of the storm. In Ohio, in Louisville, in Memphis, the floods are spreading and many lives are being lost and millions of property are being destroyed. I say unto you, my brethren and sisters, in the face of these warnings, in the face of these terrible things, how can we sit in idleness? A man that fears God is afraid to be idle. The man that loves God will seek to save his fellow creatures. Now, when the world oppose us, in what manner shall we retaliate? Not in the kind of opposition they level against us, but when they oppose us we will preach the gospel of love, for our souls go out to the children of men. We will preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus unto them. We will preach faith, repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Ah, it is well to remember that when Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him what he should do to be saved, it was not man that said, "Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Savior of the world, the Author of eternal salvation unto all those that obey Him. This was the being who gave that command; this is the Being that gives His commandments to His disciples in this the dispensation of the fulness of times, and when men elect to disobey that command they incur a responsibility for which they will have to answer unto the Lord our God. We are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost. Do you know what that means? I think you do. God be praised, this Spirit has given me a testimony of the Gospel. It has revealed to me and to you that, as the Prophet Joseph said, in order to gain an eternal exaltation in the kingdom of God we must obey the fulness of the Gospel; not one principle, not two principles, but the fulness of the everlasting Gospel; for Jesus said: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God." The gift of the Holy Ghost teaches me that not only is baptism and repentance and faith essential to salvation—and true—but it teaches me that the pre-existence of spirits, the resurrection from the dead, the doctrines of eternal judgment and the other glorious principles, including the doctrine of eternal progression, are true. They are of God and essential to the upbuilding and exaltation of the saints of God. Now this is our duty. I know the Latter-day Saints will prove true. I believe, my brethren and sisters, that our mission and our destiny is as high or higher perhaps than that of any other people that has ever existed on the face of the earth.
In the south of Georgia a short time ago at a Presbyterian convention one minister declared that the church that controls America will be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the world. Well, if he means by that that America will be controlled by the church having the fulness of the Gospel, I then will agree with him that that church will be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the earth. It is good to behold that men in other churches are beginning to realize that America has a destiny and that from this land was to go the fulness of the Gospel, and that from this land was to be fought the battle which would end in a complete victory for Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, as it ever has done, is teaching the fulness of the Gospel. In Chattanooga a few weeks ago the great Baptist church of the south met in convention, and before they adjourned they passed a resolution that the doctrine of tithing was of God, that it was a proper means of raising revenue, instead of the manner of collecting that now obtains, and each and every delegate pledged himself when he returned home to pay an honest tithing. That great church in the south, instead of depending upon its paid ministers to preach the gospel, is enlisting the aid of its laymen—the masons, the brick-layers, the carpenters, the miners, the clerks, the lawyers, the doctors—all these laymen are being pressed into the ministry, and vet a few years ago they laughed at the ministry of the "Mormon" Church, and declared that its ministry was an uneducated one and therefore would not be of much force in the promulgation of the Gospel. Thus is the world beginning to see that the doctrines of the "Mormon" Church are true. It bears testimony to this mighty fact, that Joseph Smith preached the Gospel, gave utterance to the thoughts that the souls of men were longing to speak. So if this then is to be the rule as to which church controls America, not by force, but along principles of righteousness, it follows then that this Church, preaching the fulness of the Gospel, is to be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the world, and I am proud to be a member of that Church to which that high and holy calling has been committed. Brethren and sisters, let us stand erect in our faith, let us be firm and constant and steadfast, let us determine to do our duty, and then with that spirit, with the help of the Lord, we will struggle on through danger, through storm and through sunshine, until danger's troubled night is o'er. We will preach the Gospel until the nations have been warned. We will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ until He comes in glory and in power to reign on the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Even so, blessed Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.
(President of Southern States Mission.)
My brethren and sisters, my soul was rejoiced and instructed this morning by the remarks of President Joseph F. Smith and President Anthon H. Lund. They indicated to us our bearings, as it were, and called us back to first principles. I believe, my brethren and sisters, that it is well to return to first principles, and to learn our duty so that we may be more effective as preachers of the Word.
The Lord said unto His servants, in the Doctrine and Covenants, "And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples whom I have chosen in these last days, and they shall go forth," the Lord said, "and none shall stay them." There has been no power that has been able to resist or even impede the onward march of truth. The Prophet Isaiah says, in the 55th chapter and 11th verse of his book, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." It is a remarkable fact that however humble the elder is, when he speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, his words go to the hearts of the children of men, and it is a mighty encouragement to the young elder to know that God is behind him, and that there is a power behind his words which the power oilman cannot resist.
The Savior declared that before His coming there should be fearful sights in the earth, that there should be wars and rumors of wars, that there should be earthquakes and commotion, and that men's hearts should fail them for fear, and in this day the Lord has said, "For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes. * * * And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and all things shall be in commotion." and surely men's hearts shall fail them. We are living, my brethren and sisters, in this day when these prophecies are being fulfilled. The voice of the tempest, the voice of the earthquake, the voice of the thunderings and the lightnings is following the testimony of the elders of Israel. We do not sit in judgment upon our fellow citizens. We do not boast of great judgments, for the Lord has commanded us not to do that, but we do know that the Lord declared that these things should precede His glorious second coming. We do know that He has said that it is our duty to warn the people, to preach the Gospel, to cry repentance unto this generation, and to say with the prophets of old, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
It is well to remember, mv brethren and sisters, that it is by the preaching of the Gospel that men are saved, and that men are warned. We believe that the souls of men are precious in the sight of God. I believe that the words of the President of the Church this morning, when he exhorted the Priesthood of God to assume the full responsibility of their office, are timely, they are inspired, they apply to us. Think of the sad case of Absalom. He sat at the gate of the city, and when people went up to judgment to the king this false counselor said, "If I were the king I would do this, or I would do the other." He knew in his heart that he could not have done those things in righteousness, and I wonder sometimes of we, instead of bearing responsibility as we should do, do not encourage people to ask foolish questions by referring them to somebody, just to relieve ourselves of the burden of bearing that responsibility which God expects us to bear humbly and honestly in His sight. When the tragic end came, when Absalom's disobedience ended in rebellion and he was slain, King David sat at the gate, waiting for the news from the battle field, and from afar, as the runner came. King David said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" His thoughts were not with the result of the battle upon which the future of his kingdom rested, but his thoughts were with the young man, and when the melancholy news was broken to him that Absalom had perished, David's great heart almost broke, and he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee." What did David's kingdom weigh in the balance of the loss of his son ? His son was dearer to him than all the kingdoms of the world, and so are our children dearer to us than all the wealth of the world. Their souls are precious, and let us, my brethren and sisters, stand up like men and women in Israel and assume the responsibilities of our callings, let us
"Dare to be a Daniel,
And dare to stand alone.
Let us dare to have a purpose firm.
And let us dare to make it known,"
and when people want counsel, if we are able to give it, let us give it in the spirit of humility and of righteousness.
The scenes now in Ohio and in the south are harrowing in the extreme. In Tennessee a terrible tornado or cyclone went over part of that state and eighty lives were lost as a result of the destructiveness of the storm. In Ohio, in Louisville, in Memphis, the floods are spreading and many lives are being lost and millions of property are being destroyed. I say unto you, my brethren and sisters, in the face of these warnings, in the face of these terrible things, how can we sit in idleness? A man that fears God is afraid to be idle. The man that loves God will seek to save his fellow creatures. Now, when the world oppose us, in what manner shall we retaliate? Not in the kind of opposition they level against us, but when they oppose us we will preach the gospel of love, for our souls go out to the children of men. We will preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus unto them. We will preach faith, repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Ah, it is well to remember that when Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him what he should do to be saved, it was not man that said, "Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Savior of the world, the Author of eternal salvation unto all those that obey Him. This was the being who gave that command; this is the Being that gives His commandments to His disciples in this the dispensation of the fulness of times, and when men elect to disobey that command they incur a responsibility for which they will have to answer unto the Lord our God. We are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost. Do you know what that means? I think you do. God be praised, this Spirit has given me a testimony of the Gospel. It has revealed to me and to you that, as the Prophet Joseph said, in order to gain an eternal exaltation in the kingdom of God we must obey the fulness of the Gospel; not one principle, not two principles, but the fulness of the everlasting Gospel; for Jesus said: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God." The gift of the Holy Ghost teaches me that not only is baptism and repentance and faith essential to salvation—and true—but it teaches me that the pre-existence of spirits, the resurrection from the dead, the doctrines of eternal judgment and the other glorious principles, including the doctrine of eternal progression, are true. They are of God and essential to the upbuilding and exaltation of the saints of God. Now this is our duty. I know the Latter-day Saints will prove true. I believe, my brethren and sisters, that our mission and our destiny is as high or higher perhaps than that of any other people that has ever existed on the face of the earth.
In the south of Georgia a short time ago at a Presbyterian convention one minister declared that the church that controls America will be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the world. Well, if he means by that that America will be controlled by the church having the fulness of the Gospel, I then will agree with him that that church will be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the earth. It is good to behold that men in other churches are beginning to realize that America has a destiny and that from this land was to go the fulness of the Gospel, and that from this land was to be fought the battle which would end in a complete victory for Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, as it ever has done, is teaching the fulness of the Gospel. In Chattanooga a few weeks ago the great Baptist church of the south met in convention, and before they adjourned they passed a resolution that the doctrine of tithing was of God, that it was a proper means of raising revenue, instead of the manner of collecting that now obtains, and each and every delegate pledged himself when he returned home to pay an honest tithing. That great church in the south, instead of depending upon its paid ministers to preach the gospel, is enlisting the aid of its laymen—the masons, the brick-layers, the carpenters, the miners, the clerks, the lawyers, the doctors—all these laymen are being pressed into the ministry, and vet a few years ago they laughed at the ministry of the "Mormon" Church, and declared that its ministry was an uneducated one and therefore would not be of much force in the promulgation of the Gospel. Thus is the world beginning to see that the doctrines of the "Mormon" Church are true. It bears testimony to this mighty fact, that Joseph Smith preached the Gospel, gave utterance to the thoughts that the souls of men were longing to speak. So if this then is to be the rule as to which church controls America, not by force, but along principles of righteousness, it follows then that this Church, preaching the fulness of the Gospel, is to be the dominating factor in the evangelization of the world, and I am proud to be a member of that Church to which that high and holy calling has been committed. Brethren and sisters, let us stand erect in our faith, let us be firm and constant and steadfast, let us determine to do our duty, and then with that spirit, with the help of the Lord, we will struggle on through danger, through storm and through sunshine, until danger's troubled night is o'er. We will preach the Gospel until the nations have been warned. We will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ until He comes in glory and in power to reign on the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Even so, blessed Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.
ELDER MELVIN J. BALLARD.
(President Northwestern States Mission.)
Perhaps the most important event that is before the Latter-day Saints and the world is the coming of the Son of God to live among men in the flesh. The signs He said should precede His coming are appearing upon the right hand and the left. Those who have eyes to see, and hearts to understand, can easily discern the preparation that is going on in the world, and we can also discern that the Lord is working in the midst of the Latter-day Saints for the fulfillment of that glorious event. I desire to call attention of my brethren and sisters to that particular phase of the work which is devolving upon us. The Lord is working among the nations according to His good pleasure, but He has given special commission and labor to the Latter-day Saints to prepare a people, a place and a condition for His coming. I am asking myself am I preparing, and I ask, are the Latter-day Saints with whom I am associated preparing themselves to meet the emergency, or shall we disappoint the Lord and ourselves when He comes?
It is a most pretentious claim the Latter-day Saints make. They say they are fulfilling the vision of the prophet who foresaw the stone cut out of the mountain without hands rolling forth and filling the whole earth. The Latter-day Saints claim that they are now fulfilling that prediction of the past, that while this is but the work in embryo, vet it is rolling forth to the accomplishment of that mighty purpose. It is growing at a pace, perhaps, that we should be entirely satisfied with, since this work is increasing in numbers, in influence and power in the world. I believe that last year showed the largest increase in history of the church. I do not know how it has been in other sections, but in our district we had the largest number of baptisms in any year in the history of that mission, although we had fewer elders than heretofore. Generally I believe that the Church is increasing in number of baptisms from year to year, and that is a gratifying thing. We have obtained such growth that,, grouping all large churches, such as the Methodist, Presbyterian and so forth, we are rated as the eighth in number of members, in the United States. That is some distinction, and yet, when I look at it from another point of view, I wonder why this Church does not grow faster than it does when I know within my soul that it is the true Church of Jesus Christ, that it stands the test of reason, of argument, of scripture, or any other kind of test that can be applied to it.
I marvel why, just as our fathers and grandfathers did when they were converted, why the world does not receive it gladly, and why hundreds of thousands do not join with us, instead of thousands only. I have wondered why the Lord does not cause it to grow faster, but in my contemplation of this question I have found a good deal of comfort from my observation of the facts of history and science. I discover that the physical organism which is calculated to live through a lengthy period of days, or years, seldom comes to maturity quickly, it grows slowly; and that form of life, whether it be vegetable or animal, which is calculated to last but a short period, as a rule, comes to its majority quickly, and soon passes away. The oak does not reach its height in the first year while the sunflower, for example, may lift its head above the oak in the first season, but, when the test of winter frosts is applied to it, it falls, while the oak twig remains, and each succeeding season becomes stronger and greater, and remains through ages to become the monarch of the forest. Those governments that have been destined to endure through long periods of time were, as a rule, very slow in their growth: Those that grew rapidly ordinarily passed away quickly. And so, I believe that God's hand is manifest in preventing a too rapid growth of His Church. That may seem a strange way to look at it, and yet I believe it is evident that the Lord is staying the too rapid growth of this work.
There have been many difficulties in the way of men and women receiving the gospel; one being the gathering to Zion. If the members of the Church had remained in England, Scotland, Ireland and other places where they received the message of the gospel in early days, and would have built churches there, it is probable that there would have been hundreds join the church that never did come into it, because of the prestige that a local strong membership would have exerted. The fact that men had to gather from their native land to America, and go through the hardships of a long pilgrimage, an ocean voyage in the olden style sailing vessel, and then a long journey across the plains, was such a discouragement that it is likely there would have been thousands more join this Church if that sacrifice had not been required of them.
It is doubtless true that if the Latter-day Saints could have remained in Missouri or Illinois, without molestation, there would have been a great many more belonging to the Church than there are today. Many of those who undertook the ocean voyage, stood that hardship but could go no further. Others faltered in the wilderness, "put their hands to the plow then turned back," and remained in various sections of the United States, they and their descendants, hundreds who could not muster courage enough to go all the wav. These were difficulties in the way of the growth of this work. It is doubtless true also, that if it had not been, and if today it were not required of those who receive the gospel, that they should observe the Word of Wisdom, and abstain from the use of tea and coffee, tobacco and liquor, hundreds who are not now united with us would have been. I know some who are outside of the Church because they cannot make the sacrifice to give up the coffee, tea, or tobacco that they have been used to for years. Indeed, if this test were applied, this one simple thing in the requirements the Lord has made, were required of any other religious denomination outside of the Latter-day Saints, if men had to accede to that one law among us known as the Word of Wisdom, it is doubtful whether they would maintain one-half of their membership. It is probable there are thousands who would have joined the Church had it not been for the requirement of the Lord in the law of tithing, they are standing aloof because they have not courage enough to join us since the Lord has asked us to donate a tenth of our income for the interests of this Church. It is true that there would be many come in if it were not for the fact that they are afraid they would have to go upon a mission.
I could enumerate other things connected with the growth of membership in this Church which seem to be a hinderance, and yet when I look at this whole question from another point of view—and I would like to see it from the Lord's point of view, for He is able to remove all these difficulties if necessary. — when I look at it from what I think is His point of view, I confess that the Lord has done it just right, and I would not want to change or alter it at all. Of what value and worth, after all, would a large membership of the Church be, if the men and women would or could not meet its requirements? The Lord is building the most splendid institution the world has ever seen, in this work of the Church preparatory for the coming of the Son of God. The kingdom that is to be built up and established from this work is to be the grandest thing the world has ever seen, and the Lord cannot make it out of material that is not full weight, full measure, full capacity; and so these tests are applied to eliminate that material which is unworthy to be used in the building of this structure. The man or woman who cannot leave father and mother, house and land, for Christ's sake and the gospel, is not worthy of His favor: and so the gathering from the nations of the earth is a test and those who stand the test, they and their children, can be used in the accomplishment of this work. Those were rejected who faltered by the wayside, who could not endure the tests of Missouri and Illinois, tests essential in God's program for the building of the Church in this country. I believe that the troubles, sorrows, and difficulties experienced by the Saints in Missouri and Illinois were necessary, and that the men and the women who came to this country would perhaps, not have remained true if they hadn't passed through those troublesome days. There were even greater troubles after they left that land, and the Lord was only preparing them for these. That was only as a schoolmaster to prepare them for greater sacrifices that they were destined to make.
The Lord intends to make this people not only a people intellectual, but a people the physical superiors of any men who have lived upon the earth. In making the sacrifices that our parents did, they were laying the foundation for physical health of manhood and womanhood that shall ultimately produce a perfect race. In my heart I thank God that three generations ago my grandparents left off using tobacco, liquor, and tea, left those objectionable things in the old world, and haven't transmitted the taint or desire of them into my blood. I want to preserve that blessing, and pass it on to my generations after me, that this may produce a perfect race of men and women. Woe to me if I lose two generations of struggle and effort, and we turn back to the use of the harmful things that my parents and grandparents left.
We have not finished the work, my young brethren and sisters. God laid the foundation through the labor of our fathers and mothers, and the superstructure is just beginning to rise. If we shall be counted worthy to be used as material in the building of that which God intends and contemplates, we shall have to maintain all that our fathers maintained, of faith, and virtue, and all the qualities of honesty and integrity that were so abundant in them, and we must add unto it or we cannot be accepted of the Lord. Israel Zangwill, the Jew, spoke of glorious America as the melting pot in which he saw the various nations of the earth absorbed, through the genius and spirit of American institutions; and he contended that, after a man has become an American citizen, he should no longer be called a Jew, or an Irishman, but an American. The great question is, can America absorb the hordes that come to her shores and transmit to them the ideals of the fathers who founded this government? Zangwill is hopeful this shall be the ease; I trust it may. It is wonderful what America has accomplished through mixing the blood of various nations, she has produced a new type of men and women, a physical type of manhood that excels in most international athletic events, a type of physical beauty that excels the rest of the world. Oh, in that I can see another of God's purposes in gathering men and women from the nations of the earth.
In our gathering places we have not been receiving hordes promiscuously, like the country at large has. hut we have been selecting the stock, "one of a city and two of a family." They have not been from the ranks of the lowest society, nor the highest, but they have been, as a rule, from the choicest of the nations of the earth, the blood that is purest and best. These have been selected and brought here to a "melting pot" where men and women are being purified as gold seven times tried, the most perfect race of men and women the world has ever seen. That "melting pot" is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherein the best blood of the various nations can mingle and produce not only the best race physically, but a race that shall continue to uphold standards of purity and qualities of life that shall ultimately make the cleanest and best people in all the world. Now I can see the wisdom of the Lord in bringing these people from Scandinavia, and Germany, and other nations, who have a like faith and belief, that their children may intermarry with each other and thereby maintain the advantage of such union, add unto it and carry it into future generations.
The Latter-day Saint boys and girls who do not intermarry with those of their own faith and belief, counteract to a large extent, the benefit of the sacrifices made by their progenitors and nullify, to some degree, the purposes and object for which God has gathered us here. Latter-day Saint boys should marry Latter-day Saint girls, and Latter-day Saint girls, ought to marry Latter-day Saint boys. I regret to say I have met scores of' heartbroken, disappointed "Mormon" girls scattered over the northwest, who fully agree with me that they have made a failure, and a serious mistake in undertaking to live their ideals associated with men without these ideals, and without faith at all.
God is building here an institution that is going to be, as I have observed, the most excellent of all the world, and we are not going to be discouraged if, after two generations, we have not accomplished it. If it shall take three, four, five, or six generations we won't be discouraged. We shall seize the advantages that our fathers have given unto us, we will hold it up before the eyes of our children as an unfinished work that God has called us to do, that may take ten or twenty, generations, but it will be completed through God's help, if we only do our part. Our eyes may not see the consummation, but we are expected to do our duty and leave the result with our posterity who, may the Lord grant, shall follow our example as we should follow the example of those who have preceded us. That the Son of God may come soon, and live among men in the earth, is my prayer and desire in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"My friend, Divine," a soprano solo, was rendered by Miss Tena Rasband.
(President Northwestern States Mission.)
Perhaps the most important event that is before the Latter-day Saints and the world is the coming of the Son of God to live among men in the flesh. The signs He said should precede His coming are appearing upon the right hand and the left. Those who have eyes to see, and hearts to understand, can easily discern the preparation that is going on in the world, and we can also discern that the Lord is working in the midst of the Latter-day Saints for the fulfillment of that glorious event. I desire to call attention of my brethren and sisters to that particular phase of the work which is devolving upon us. The Lord is working among the nations according to His good pleasure, but He has given special commission and labor to the Latter-day Saints to prepare a people, a place and a condition for His coming. I am asking myself am I preparing, and I ask, are the Latter-day Saints with whom I am associated preparing themselves to meet the emergency, or shall we disappoint the Lord and ourselves when He comes?
It is a most pretentious claim the Latter-day Saints make. They say they are fulfilling the vision of the prophet who foresaw the stone cut out of the mountain without hands rolling forth and filling the whole earth. The Latter-day Saints claim that they are now fulfilling that prediction of the past, that while this is but the work in embryo, vet it is rolling forth to the accomplishment of that mighty purpose. It is growing at a pace, perhaps, that we should be entirely satisfied with, since this work is increasing in numbers, in influence and power in the world. I believe that last year showed the largest increase in history of the church. I do not know how it has been in other sections, but in our district we had the largest number of baptisms in any year in the history of that mission, although we had fewer elders than heretofore. Generally I believe that the Church is increasing in number of baptisms from year to year, and that is a gratifying thing. We have obtained such growth that,, grouping all large churches, such as the Methodist, Presbyterian and so forth, we are rated as the eighth in number of members, in the United States. That is some distinction, and yet, when I look at it from another point of view, I wonder why this Church does not grow faster than it does when I know within my soul that it is the true Church of Jesus Christ, that it stands the test of reason, of argument, of scripture, or any other kind of test that can be applied to it.
I marvel why, just as our fathers and grandfathers did when they were converted, why the world does not receive it gladly, and why hundreds of thousands do not join with us, instead of thousands only. I have wondered why the Lord does not cause it to grow faster, but in my contemplation of this question I have found a good deal of comfort from my observation of the facts of history and science. I discover that the physical organism which is calculated to live through a lengthy period of days, or years, seldom comes to maturity quickly, it grows slowly; and that form of life, whether it be vegetable or animal, which is calculated to last but a short period, as a rule, comes to its majority quickly, and soon passes away. The oak does not reach its height in the first year while the sunflower, for example, may lift its head above the oak in the first season, but, when the test of winter frosts is applied to it, it falls, while the oak twig remains, and each succeeding season becomes stronger and greater, and remains through ages to become the monarch of the forest. Those governments that have been destined to endure through long periods of time were, as a rule, very slow in their growth: Those that grew rapidly ordinarily passed away quickly. And so, I believe that God's hand is manifest in preventing a too rapid growth of His Church. That may seem a strange way to look at it, and yet I believe it is evident that the Lord is staying the too rapid growth of this work.
There have been many difficulties in the way of men and women receiving the gospel; one being the gathering to Zion. If the members of the Church had remained in England, Scotland, Ireland and other places where they received the message of the gospel in early days, and would have built churches there, it is probable that there would have been hundreds join the church that never did come into it, because of the prestige that a local strong membership would have exerted. The fact that men had to gather from their native land to America, and go through the hardships of a long pilgrimage, an ocean voyage in the olden style sailing vessel, and then a long journey across the plains, was such a discouragement that it is likely there would have been thousands more join this Church if that sacrifice had not been required of them.
It is doubtless true that if the Latter-day Saints could have remained in Missouri or Illinois, without molestation, there would have been a great many more belonging to the Church than there are today. Many of those who undertook the ocean voyage, stood that hardship but could go no further. Others faltered in the wilderness, "put their hands to the plow then turned back," and remained in various sections of the United States, they and their descendants, hundreds who could not muster courage enough to go all the wav. These were difficulties in the way of the growth of this work. It is doubtless true also, that if it had not been, and if today it were not required of those who receive the gospel, that they should observe the Word of Wisdom, and abstain from the use of tea and coffee, tobacco and liquor, hundreds who are not now united with us would have been. I know some who are outside of the Church because they cannot make the sacrifice to give up the coffee, tea, or tobacco that they have been used to for years. Indeed, if this test were applied, this one simple thing in the requirements the Lord has made, were required of any other religious denomination outside of the Latter-day Saints, if men had to accede to that one law among us known as the Word of Wisdom, it is doubtful whether they would maintain one-half of their membership. It is probable there are thousands who would have joined the Church had it not been for the requirement of the Lord in the law of tithing, they are standing aloof because they have not courage enough to join us since the Lord has asked us to donate a tenth of our income for the interests of this Church. It is true that there would be many come in if it were not for the fact that they are afraid they would have to go upon a mission.
I could enumerate other things connected with the growth of membership in this Church which seem to be a hinderance, and yet when I look at this whole question from another point of view—and I would like to see it from the Lord's point of view, for He is able to remove all these difficulties if necessary. — when I look at it from what I think is His point of view, I confess that the Lord has done it just right, and I would not want to change or alter it at all. Of what value and worth, after all, would a large membership of the Church be, if the men and women would or could not meet its requirements? The Lord is building the most splendid institution the world has ever seen, in this work of the Church preparatory for the coming of the Son of God. The kingdom that is to be built up and established from this work is to be the grandest thing the world has ever seen, and the Lord cannot make it out of material that is not full weight, full measure, full capacity; and so these tests are applied to eliminate that material which is unworthy to be used in the building of this structure. The man or woman who cannot leave father and mother, house and land, for Christ's sake and the gospel, is not worthy of His favor: and so the gathering from the nations of the earth is a test and those who stand the test, they and their children, can be used in the accomplishment of this work. Those were rejected who faltered by the wayside, who could not endure the tests of Missouri and Illinois, tests essential in God's program for the building of the Church in this country. I believe that the troubles, sorrows, and difficulties experienced by the Saints in Missouri and Illinois were necessary, and that the men and the women who came to this country would perhaps, not have remained true if they hadn't passed through those troublesome days. There were even greater troubles after they left that land, and the Lord was only preparing them for these. That was only as a schoolmaster to prepare them for greater sacrifices that they were destined to make.
The Lord intends to make this people not only a people intellectual, but a people the physical superiors of any men who have lived upon the earth. In making the sacrifices that our parents did, they were laying the foundation for physical health of manhood and womanhood that shall ultimately produce a perfect race. In my heart I thank God that three generations ago my grandparents left off using tobacco, liquor, and tea, left those objectionable things in the old world, and haven't transmitted the taint or desire of them into my blood. I want to preserve that blessing, and pass it on to my generations after me, that this may produce a perfect race of men and women. Woe to me if I lose two generations of struggle and effort, and we turn back to the use of the harmful things that my parents and grandparents left.
We have not finished the work, my young brethren and sisters. God laid the foundation through the labor of our fathers and mothers, and the superstructure is just beginning to rise. If we shall be counted worthy to be used as material in the building of that which God intends and contemplates, we shall have to maintain all that our fathers maintained, of faith, and virtue, and all the qualities of honesty and integrity that were so abundant in them, and we must add unto it or we cannot be accepted of the Lord. Israel Zangwill, the Jew, spoke of glorious America as the melting pot in which he saw the various nations of the earth absorbed, through the genius and spirit of American institutions; and he contended that, after a man has become an American citizen, he should no longer be called a Jew, or an Irishman, but an American. The great question is, can America absorb the hordes that come to her shores and transmit to them the ideals of the fathers who founded this government? Zangwill is hopeful this shall be the ease; I trust it may. It is wonderful what America has accomplished through mixing the blood of various nations, she has produced a new type of men and women, a physical type of manhood that excels in most international athletic events, a type of physical beauty that excels the rest of the world. Oh, in that I can see another of God's purposes in gathering men and women from the nations of the earth.
In our gathering places we have not been receiving hordes promiscuously, like the country at large has. hut we have been selecting the stock, "one of a city and two of a family." They have not been from the ranks of the lowest society, nor the highest, but they have been, as a rule, from the choicest of the nations of the earth, the blood that is purest and best. These have been selected and brought here to a "melting pot" where men and women are being purified as gold seven times tried, the most perfect race of men and women the world has ever seen. That "melting pot" is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherein the best blood of the various nations can mingle and produce not only the best race physically, but a race that shall continue to uphold standards of purity and qualities of life that shall ultimately make the cleanest and best people in all the world. Now I can see the wisdom of the Lord in bringing these people from Scandinavia, and Germany, and other nations, who have a like faith and belief, that their children may intermarry with each other and thereby maintain the advantage of such union, add unto it and carry it into future generations.
The Latter-day Saint boys and girls who do not intermarry with those of their own faith and belief, counteract to a large extent, the benefit of the sacrifices made by their progenitors and nullify, to some degree, the purposes and object for which God has gathered us here. Latter-day Saint boys should marry Latter-day Saint girls, and Latter-day Saint girls, ought to marry Latter-day Saint boys. I regret to say I have met scores of' heartbroken, disappointed "Mormon" girls scattered over the northwest, who fully agree with me that they have made a failure, and a serious mistake in undertaking to live their ideals associated with men without these ideals, and without faith at all.
God is building here an institution that is going to be, as I have observed, the most excellent of all the world, and we are not going to be discouraged if, after two generations, we have not accomplished it. If it shall take three, four, five, or six generations we won't be discouraged. We shall seize the advantages that our fathers have given unto us, we will hold it up before the eyes of our children as an unfinished work that God has called us to do, that may take ten or twenty, generations, but it will be completed through God's help, if we only do our part. Our eyes may not see the consummation, but we are expected to do our duty and leave the result with our posterity who, may the Lord grant, shall follow our example as we should follow the example of those who have preceded us. That the Son of God may come soon, and live among men in the earth, is my prayer and desire in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"My friend, Divine," a soprano solo, was rendered by Miss Tena Rasband.
ELDER JOSEPH E. ROBINSON.
(President of California Mission.)
While I stand before you, my brethren and sisters, I sincerely desire the inspiration of the spirit of truth to direct my utterance. With me, I know your souls have been fed with the bread of life this day, and in the testimony of my brethren of the mission fields you have felt it like a call to battle for the right. If there has been dubiety in the minds of any as to the. right of authority to preside over the things pertaining to righteousness, and the kingdom of our God in the earth, your minds were disabused of that in this morning's service, when President Smith made known unto us the mind and will of the Lord relative to the order of the Priesthood, and the order of the Church, and to the necessity of the Priesthood setting their houses and themselves in order.
With Elder Ballard, I sincerely rejoice in the fact that I, too, have been born of "believing blood." Sometimes, in the mission field, I have been confronted with the thought, and with the statement that, "this alone accounts for your position as a member of the 'Mormon' faith, or Church, the fact that you were born a 'Mormon.' " At first blush, to some it may appear that there is no particular virtue in one's birth, yet through all time I have learned to have respect to that “believing blood" spoken of in the scriptures, and recognized by the Master Himself when He said, "My sheep know my voice and the stranger they will not follow." I have learned too, from observing not only men of different nationalities, and their predisposition to do certain things because of prenatal influences and training, and different traits of thoughts and living, that in the animal world about us, those who were born to a certain end achieved it more readily than any can be trained to do so; that the bloodhound will follow with unerring scent the trail that is lost to the pampered and petted pet of some lady of high degree. And so I rejoice in the fact that I, too, have been born of believing parents, of the third generation, and it has been my prayer that there shall be no untoward act performed by me that shall turn back the tide of progress set by my ancestors toward the goal of truth and righteousness.
I rejoice in the privileges of the gospel. I rejoice in the fact that all the principles thereof appeal both to the emotions and the reason of men; that there is no good thing, that there is nothing legitimate, praiseworthy or of good report to be found outside of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed anew to us in these last days. Men say and have said unto me that "You don't know it all," and individually I am perfectly willing to confess that. They have said, "You don't have all within your church that is true." This I have not accepted, and I am not prepared to accept, on the contrary, I do know that there is in the genius of this gospel, which we live and keep, that which is for the salvation of the souls of men now. The gospel does not deal alone with what we may call an uncertain future, which however is certain to those who will keep the faith; it does not deal alone with the past, but is alive, is virile, and enters into every avenue of art, science and trade, into the social fabric, in everything that is praiseworthy and for the uplift of men. If in the writings of Israel Zangwill, in some of the statements he has made in his play. "The Melting Pot," he has felt the pulse of the future, and can see in this blessed land of America a nation not of many nations but one, with intent and purpose to render that which is just and true unto God and unto their fellows, it will be because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus and not because of the theories and ideals of men. Those dreamers who dream of a Utopian time when inequality shall cease, when the hireling shall be no longer oppressed in his wage, when men shall meet a brother and a friend in every land and clime, when righteousness shall obtain in the courts of justice, and men shall have been weaned away from selfishness and hate, should understand that it shall be realized only through the fruits of the gospel of the Lord Jesus, for that alone will strip man of innate selfishness, which is the bane of humanity today. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will cause men to prefer their neighbors to themselves, and wean them of selfishness and jealousy, and their hunger after pomp and power, fame and government. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will grant unto the hireling that which is his just due, and care for the widow and the fatherless. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will make of the proud man a humble man, will abase him and bring him on to the same level and footing with his brother who seeks after truth and after equality in all things.
Upon our western seaboard we find a great many of those so-called dreamers. It seems a rich land for every creed, every idea and theory to fructify in. Frequently we have new faiths arise, and new churches are established; new methods of belief and unbelief put forth, with their various followers; more or less of the spirit of the Orient as well as of the Occident. It is surprising that so many fads and fancies find following among so-called stable minded men, and the liberally educated people of America. Recently, in Los Angeles, there was one set up and named the Church of the Living God, the tabernacle of David again in the wilderness." Some of their elders came to our headquarters to instruct us in the fact that there had been a falling away of the faith; that there has been innovations made in the gospel ordinances of the church founded by the Master: that men drew near to God with their mouths and with their lips did honor Him, but their hearts were far removed from Him, and they taught for fear the doctrines of men, and for hire made themselves specious teachers to tickle the ears of those who would not stand reproach or chatisement. I told them there would be no difficult)- in teaching us the gospel which they had in mind, the "everlasting gospel" as they called it, if they could but prove to us the line of their authority and the right to teach. They entered into a dissertation of how one Joshua Sykes had been called of the Master, angels had visited him, and possibly he himself was one of the evangels of olden time, come again to the earth for the last dispensation. Then I asked them for a proof of it in the fact that God had said, as they had quoted, "that every word should be established in the mouth of two or more witnesses." Then they were confounded, for they had only the witness of one man in every step in the building up of their church. I cited them not only to the witness of men, so far as the building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was concerned, but that God, the Father Himself, was a witness, and had come with the Son, and introduced Himself to the boy prophet to open up this last dispensation. Also, John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ anciently, of whom the Christ said "He is the Esaias who is to come" who, if we may accept some of the writings of the early fathers, Nicodemus said went into hell itself and introduced himself in hades, to the spirits who were kept in prison from Adam unto that day, as John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ on the earth, who now had come down to the very depths of hell to make known unto them the fact of their emancipation; that the Christ should visit them there and come with healing in His wings and set the captives free, to open the prison doors; and lead the prisoners out of darkness into light. I stated that John came to men in the flesh, to Oliver and Joseph, and bestowed upon them the keys of his ministry; that Peter, James and John came to Joseph and Oliver and gave them the keys of the Melchisedek Priesthood; that the Lord Jesus, and Moses, and Elias and Elijah and many great and wonderous angels, Gabriel and Raphael, as well as these prophets of the Lord Jesus, came each in his turn with the keys of his ministry and dispensation, and in the presence of two or more witnesses bestowed them upon the prophet and his immediate associates. That line of authority has never been broken and given to another people, but has continued with the church, with all the characteristic gifts, signs, offices and ordinances that were ear-marks of Christ's church in the day when He lived and prayed for the time when God should set up His kingdom in the earth, nevermore to be thrown down or given to another people.
If it does not make a man righteously proud to know that he belongs to this church and kingdom, that he participates in these gifts and blessings, I know not what can come unto the soul of man to make him so. Therefore today, with you, my brethren and sisters, I rejoice in the fact that we live, that we have being, through the grace of our Father; that we are redeemed from death and hell through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the atonement which He wrought out, and that with Him and our Father, in the world which is to come, we shall have opportunity and time to realize all that our fond souls have yearned for and builded for in this life; that we shall be followed by objects of corresponding greatness to our ideals. There we shall come into our own, and shall be recognized throughout all eternity as the very children of our Father, into whose hands He committed the ministry of the last days for the setting up of His kingdom, and for the reclamation of the souls of men.
Let us glorify Him and do our full part to bring men to a knowledge of the truth, that every man shall hear the gospel, that every soul shall know God for himself and have no need to ask his neighbor; this my prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
(President of California Mission.)
While I stand before you, my brethren and sisters, I sincerely desire the inspiration of the spirit of truth to direct my utterance. With me, I know your souls have been fed with the bread of life this day, and in the testimony of my brethren of the mission fields you have felt it like a call to battle for the right. If there has been dubiety in the minds of any as to the. right of authority to preside over the things pertaining to righteousness, and the kingdom of our God in the earth, your minds were disabused of that in this morning's service, when President Smith made known unto us the mind and will of the Lord relative to the order of the Priesthood, and the order of the Church, and to the necessity of the Priesthood setting their houses and themselves in order.
With Elder Ballard, I sincerely rejoice in the fact that I, too, have been born of "believing blood." Sometimes, in the mission field, I have been confronted with the thought, and with the statement that, "this alone accounts for your position as a member of the 'Mormon' faith, or Church, the fact that you were born a 'Mormon.' " At first blush, to some it may appear that there is no particular virtue in one's birth, yet through all time I have learned to have respect to that “believing blood" spoken of in the scriptures, and recognized by the Master Himself when He said, "My sheep know my voice and the stranger they will not follow." I have learned too, from observing not only men of different nationalities, and their predisposition to do certain things because of prenatal influences and training, and different traits of thoughts and living, that in the animal world about us, those who were born to a certain end achieved it more readily than any can be trained to do so; that the bloodhound will follow with unerring scent the trail that is lost to the pampered and petted pet of some lady of high degree. And so I rejoice in the fact that I, too, have been born of believing parents, of the third generation, and it has been my prayer that there shall be no untoward act performed by me that shall turn back the tide of progress set by my ancestors toward the goal of truth and righteousness.
I rejoice in the privileges of the gospel. I rejoice in the fact that all the principles thereof appeal both to the emotions and the reason of men; that there is no good thing, that there is nothing legitimate, praiseworthy or of good report to be found outside of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed anew to us in these last days. Men say and have said unto me that "You don't know it all," and individually I am perfectly willing to confess that. They have said, "You don't have all within your church that is true." This I have not accepted, and I am not prepared to accept, on the contrary, I do know that there is in the genius of this gospel, which we live and keep, that which is for the salvation of the souls of men now. The gospel does not deal alone with what we may call an uncertain future, which however is certain to those who will keep the faith; it does not deal alone with the past, but is alive, is virile, and enters into every avenue of art, science and trade, into the social fabric, in everything that is praiseworthy and for the uplift of men. If in the writings of Israel Zangwill, in some of the statements he has made in his play. "The Melting Pot," he has felt the pulse of the future, and can see in this blessed land of America a nation not of many nations but one, with intent and purpose to render that which is just and true unto God and unto their fellows, it will be because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus and not because of the theories and ideals of men. Those dreamers who dream of a Utopian time when inequality shall cease, when the hireling shall be no longer oppressed in his wage, when men shall meet a brother and a friend in every land and clime, when righteousness shall obtain in the courts of justice, and men shall have been weaned away from selfishness and hate, should understand that it shall be realized only through the fruits of the gospel of the Lord Jesus, for that alone will strip man of innate selfishness, which is the bane of humanity today. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will cause men to prefer their neighbors to themselves, and wean them of selfishness and jealousy, and their hunger after pomp and power, fame and government. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will grant unto the hireling that which is his just due, and care for the widow and the fatherless. The gospel of the Lord Jesus alone will make of the proud man a humble man, will abase him and bring him on to the same level and footing with his brother who seeks after truth and after equality in all things.
Upon our western seaboard we find a great many of those so-called dreamers. It seems a rich land for every creed, every idea and theory to fructify in. Frequently we have new faiths arise, and new churches are established; new methods of belief and unbelief put forth, with their various followers; more or less of the spirit of the Orient as well as of the Occident. It is surprising that so many fads and fancies find following among so-called stable minded men, and the liberally educated people of America. Recently, in Los Angeles, there was one set up and named the Church of the Living God, the tabernacle of David again in the wilderness." Some of their elders came to our headquarters to instruct us in the fact that there had been a falling away of the faith; that there has been innovations made in the gospel ordinances of the church founded by the Master: that men drew near to God with their mouths and with their lips did honor Him, but their hearts were far removed from Him, and they taught for fear the doctrines of men, and for hire made themselves specious teachers to tickle the ears of those who would not stand reproach or chatisement. I told them there would be no difficult)- in teaching us the gospel which they had in mind, the "everlasting gospel" as they called it, if they could but prove to us the line of their authority and the right to teach. They entered into a dissertation of how one Joshua Sykes had been called of the Master, angels had visited him, and possibly he himself was one of the evangels of olden time, come again to the earth for the last dispensation. Then I asked them for a proof of it in the fact that God had said, as they had quoted, "that every word should be established in the mouth of two or more witnesses." Then they were confounded, for they had only the witness of one man in every step in the building up of their church. I cited them not only to the witness of men, so far as the building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was concerned, but that God, the Father Himself, was a witness, and had come with the Son, and introduced Himself to the boy prophet to open up this last dispensation. Also, John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ anciently, of whom the Christ said "He is the Esaias who is to come" who, if we may accept some of the writings of the early fathers, Nicodemus said went into hell itself and introduced himself in hades, to the spirits who were kept in prison from Adam unto that day, as John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ on the earth, who now had come down to the very depths of hell to make known unto them the fact of their emancipation; that the Christ should visit them there and come with healing in His wings and set the captives free, to open the prison doors; and lead the prisoners out of darkness into light. I stated that John came to men in the flesh, to Oliver and Joseph, and bestowed upon them the keys of his ministry; that Peter, James and John came to Joseph and Oliver and gave them the keys of the Melchisedek Priesthood; that the Lord Jesus, and Moses, and Elias and Elijah and many great and wonderous angels, Gabriel and Raphael, as well as these prophets of the Lord Jesus, came each in his turn with the keys of his ministry and dispensation, and in the presence of two or more witnesses bestowed them upon the prophet and his immediate associates. That line of authority has never been broken and given to another people, but has continued with the church, with all the characteristic gifts, signs, offices and ordinances that were ear-marks of Christ's church in the day when He lived and prayed for the time when God should set up His kingdom in the earth, nevermore to be thrown down or given to another people.
If it does not make a man righteously proud to know that he belongs to this church and kingdom, that he participates in these gifts and blessings, I know not what can come unto the soul of man to make him so. Therefore today, with you, my brethren and sisters, I rejoice in the fact that we live, that we have being, through the grace of our Father; that we are redeemed from death and hell through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the atonement which He wrought out, and that with Him and our Father, in the world which is to come, we shall have opportunity and time to realize all that our fond souls have yearned for and builded for in this life; that we shall be followed by objects of corresponding greatness to our ideals. There we shall come into our own, and shall be recognized throughout all eternity as the very children of our Father, into whose hands He committed the ministry of the last days for the setting up of His kingdom, and for the reclamation of the souls of men.
Let us glorify Him and do our full part to bring men to a knowledge of the truth, that every man shall hear the gospel, that every soul shall know God for himself and have no need to ask his neighbor; this my prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
ELDER BEN E. RICH.
(President of Eastern States Mission.)
Several years ago one of the greatest thinkers of the world, the great Russian scholar, Tolstoi, saw a speck in the far distance which he recognized as "Mormonism,” and he wrote to one of the leading educators of America and asked the question whether "Mormonism" was to become a world power. The leader of a great institution in America, to whom the question was propounded, answered, "We will have to wait until we see the third and fourth generation of what is now known as 'Mormonism,' before we can answer." This flashed through my mind a short time ago when one of the apostles was visiting the Eastern States Mission, at a time when we had the conference presidents of all the conferences of that mission in council together; I thought to myself, I will take a vote and see how many among the leaders of this mission—the thirteen different young men who had been chosen for their worthiness to preside over conferences—belonged to the second, third or fourth generation of "Mormonism ;" and in taking the vote I discovered that every one of them belonged to the third and fourth generations. I could have wished that that leader of the university had been present and could have remembered the question propounded to him by that great scholar of Europe, and could also have remembered that only eighty-one or two years ago the Church had been organized with six members, and that at the present time there was probably not a civilized nation upon the earth where Joseph Smith's name was not remembered as being one of the greatest prophets that had ever lived upon the face of this earth — in fact, the greatest save it be Jesus Christ. If the work continues to grow in the next eighty years as it has in the past eighty, it will certainly be the power of the earth.
I rejoice this afternoon that I have a standing within the Church that I was born of goodly parents; that I can point, with a great deal of pride, to the fact that my father was a trusted associate of the Prophet Joseph, and all the other leaders of the Church up to the time of his death, also that Lorenzo Snow, at my mother's funeral, pointed to the corpse and said, "There lies the body of a woman who has never been antagonistic to any law that God has revealed for the redemption of mankind." I sincerely trust that when my time comes to lay this body down that it can be said of me that I have been true to the men whom God has placed from time to time at the head of the Church. I remember each one of the presidents from President Young to President Joseph F. Smith. I have looked upon all of them as men of God, as the mouthpieces of God, and I am satisfied beyond the question of a doubt that they are and have been such, giving to the people wise and safe counsel, and I have never seen a person prosper or be happy in refusing to take the counsel that has come from the lips of the authorities of the Church.
Jesus considered it a wise judgment to judge a tree from its fruits. The world claim that they believe in Jesus Christ's judgment and in His counsel, and all we ask is for the world to judge "Mormonism" from what "Mormons" have accomplished. We are looked upon as being the black spot upon the ecclesiastical part of the world, and yet I doubt very much if any other church that has ever existed upon the face of the earth could have done so much to bless the earth, so far as they have had an opportunity, as this Church has done. In looking over the faces before me I doubt very much if there is a member of the Church in the enjoyment of a happy home who does not owe it directly or indirectly to the work and the influence of this Church, if not individually to themselves, to their parents' before them in bringing them together and giving them an existence upon the earth, in leading their parents here to the Rocky Mountains, planting their feet here in the safest part of the world, and giving them opportunities that they never would have had had it not been for the work of some "Mormon" missionary. To my mind in this connection alone is revealed some of the greatest miracles; greater, far greater than is recorded in the Bible. If we had read them in the Bible we would have classed them among the greatest of miracles to be found within the lids of that sacred book. I want to relate one especially that seems to have drifted away from our minds. There are those here before me who remember when President Joseph F. Smith, President Francis M. Lyman, President Heber J. Grant, and President Lund were all who are now living, 'of the general authorities of the Church, at the time when our brethren were off on what we were pleased to term the "underground," when pretty near all the presidents of the stakes were away from their flocks, when almost every ward had lost its father, the bishop, and when some of the darkest clouds that ever hovered around our people completely covered them up, when we did not have the privilege at our general conference to see the general authorities of the Church upon the stand; when only occasionally we received a written message from the presidency of the Church, when trouble surrounded us upon all sides, when the government seemed bitterly against us, and when even the authorities of the Church could see no light ahead, it was then they issued an address to the Saints pointing out all of these conditions, and making a request upon them to observe a special fast day named by the authorities for the people to come together, fasting, with prayerful hearts, to lift up their prayers to God the eternal Father, and ask Him to lift the clouds. At that time there was not a soul able to find a solution to the problem, or would even attempt to suggest one. The Latter-day Saints obeyed the counsel of the authorities of the Church. They came to the various meeting places with prayerful hearts; they came fasting; they lifted up their voices to God the eternal Father, and offered up their prayers to Him, begging Him to permit their prayers to ascend unto His throne, even as did the prayers of Cornelius of old. Do you remember in what a short period of time some four hundred of our brethren who were cast into prison cells came home; how the presidents of stakes came back to their posts of duty; how the members of the wards greeted the fathers of the wards, and how God listened to their prayers? If a simple relation of a matter of that kind, which the older brethren, the middle-aged brethren remember distinctly, if we could read of such a thing in the Bible we would look upon it as one of the greatest miracles recorded in that book. But we lived in that day and it came about gradually. We could see the hand of God in it. We could see that God works upon natural principles, that He uses men to bring about His purposes; that He so arranged it that the cause of His people was soon shifted from the hands of bigots and from the hands of men whose minds were filled with hatred, that they were placed in the hands of diplomats and statesmen, and in His own natural way He freed His people. I say, to my mind, it is one of the great miracles in this Church, and demonstrated to me beyond a question of a doubt that God will hear our prayers when we place ourselves in a condition to be heard. When a man places himself in a position to receive a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, he is in a position to demand recognition from our Father in heaven, and our Father in heaven will listen to him.
The testimony that God has given to me of the work of the great latter-day prophet is the key that opened to me the door, giving to me light upon the testimony of Jesus Christ, and sometimes I wonder, I shudder at what my Condition in the religious world would have been had it not been for the testimony I received concerning the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he was a prophet of God. and a study of his life gave me an undying testimony that Jesus was the Christ, and yet those who judge us wrongfully say that a Bible is not to be found in a "Mormon" pulpit, that the little children of "Mormon" people hear nothing about Jesus, and it is a common thing in the east for our enemies to use it as an argument whereby churches raise money for the purpose of buying little Christmas presents for "Mormon" children (which they never get), to teach them something about Jesus.
We know that the testimony God has given to us concerning the mission of Joseph Smith gives us an undying testimony that Jesus is the Christ, a stronger testimony than is possessed by any other religious body in the world, a testimony that He died for the sins of the world; that He was resurrected—not a mythical resurrection, but a tangible, literal resurrection from the grave, and that we are almost the only people who do believe in the actual resurrection, the literal resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The rest of them have made Him a being that is not a being, something without form, saying that God is a spirit and that a spirit has not flesh and bones, that you see Him in the leaves of the trees, and in the flowers that grow, you feel Him in the atmosphere; or, in other words that He is merely nature, and then they will send to hell, and brand as an infidel, the person who says the only God is Nature, while they only call it by another name. Our Savior appeared to His apostles, and to the doubting Thomas He said, "Here, Thomas, see the marks of the nails in my hands; 1 here is the mark of the spear in my side; reach hither thy hand and thrust it in and see that it is I; a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see me have." They do not love to dwell upon that doctrine, but they cover it up with the words of John, supposed words of John, that God is a Spirit. I do not believe that John ever said or ever wrote those words. Those who know anything about the scripture know that when it was translated by that great and grand congregation that was brought together under the influence of King James of England, that they did their work honestly. The manuscripts they had access to were blurred, unreadable in places, and where they found that condition they decided for themselves what words to put in to make it readable, and when they came to this manuscript that they have translated "God is a spirit," the word "God" was there, the word "Spirit" was there, but the word "IS" was not there, and they ordained that every word of their own creation placed within the lids of that Bible should be so marked—because they were honest men—should be so marked that future generations should have the privilege of knowing what they did themselves. The words they supplied, and those words have come down to us marked now in italics, to know that they were the words of men, that it was a guess, and in most instances a good guess. Then, when we read John, and there we see the little word "is" in italics, making it read "God is a. spirit, we know it to be man-made. The reason John did not, in my estimation, put it that way is because he was there when Christ appeared before him, when he heard the Savior say, "See, it is I; see the marks in my hands, and see the mark of the Roman spear in my side; it is I, with flesh and bones; a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have." God bless you. Amen.
(President of Eastern States Mission.)
Several years ago one of the greatest thinkers of the world, the great Russian scholar, Tolstoi, saw a speck in the far distance which he recognized as "Mormonism,” and he wrote to one of the leading educators of America and asked the question whether "Mormonism" was to become a world power. The leader of a great institution in America, to whom the question was propounded, answered, "We will have to wait until we see the third and fourth generation of what is now known as 'Mormonism,' before we can answer." This flashed through my mind a short time ago when one of the apostles was visiting the Eastern States Mission, at a time when we had the conference presidents of all the conferences of that mission in council together; I thought to myself, I will take a vote and see how many among the leaders of this mission—the thirteen different young men who had been chosen for their worthiness to preside over conferences—belonged to the second, third or fourth generation of "Mormonism ;" and in taking the vote I discovered that every one of them belonged to the third and fourth generations. I could have wished that that leader of the university had been present and could have remembered the question propounded to him by that great scholar of Europe, and could also have remembered that only eighty-one or two years ago the Church had been organized with six members, and that at the present time there was probably not a civilized nation upon the earth where Joseph Smith's name was not remembered as being one of the greatest prophets that had ever lived upon the face of this earth — in fact, the greatest save it be Jesus Christ. If the work continues to grow in the next eighty years as it has in the past eighty, it will certainly be the power of the earth.
I rejoice this afternoon that I have a standing within the Church that I was born of goodly parents; that I can point, with a great deal of pride, to the fact that my father was a trusted associate of the Prophet Joseph, and all the other leaders of the Church up to the time of his death, also that Lorenzo Snow, at my mother's funeral, pointed to the corpse and said, "There lies the body of a woman who has never been antagonistic to any law that God has revealed for the redemption of mankind." I sincerely trust that when my time comes to lay this body down that it can be said of me that I have been true to the men whom God has placed from time to time at the head of the Church. I remember each one of the presidents from President Young to President Joseph F. Smith. I have looked upon all of them as men of God, as the mouthpieces of God, and I am satisfied beyond the question of a doubt that they are and have been such, giving to the people wise and safe counsel, and I have never seen a person prosper or be happy in refusing to take the counsel that has come from the lips of the authorities of the Church.
Jesus considered it a wise judgment to judge a tree from its fruits. The world claim that they believe in Jesus Christ's judgment and in His counsel, and all we ask is for the world to judge "Mormonism" from what "Mormons" have accomplished. We are looked upon as being the black spot upon the ecclesiastical part of the world, and yet I doubt very much if any other church that has ever existed upon the face of the earth could have done so much to bless the earth, so far as they have had an opportunity, as this Church has done. In looking over the faces before me I doubt very much if there is a member of the Church in the enjoyment of a happy home who does not owe it directly or indirectly to the work and the influence of this Church, if not individually to themselves, to their parents' before them in bringing them together and giving them an existence upon the earth, in leading their parents here to the Rocky Mountains, planting their feet here in the safest part of the world, and giving them opportunities that they never would have had had it not been for the work of some "Mormon" missionary. To my mind in this connection alone is revealed some of the greatest miracles; greater, far greater than is recorded in the Bible. If we had read them in the Bible we would have classed them among the greatest of miracles to be found within the lids of that sacred book. I want to relate one especially that seems to have drifted away from our minds. There are those here before me who remember when President Joseph F. Smith, President Francis M. Lyman, President Heber J. Grant, and President Lund were all who are now living, 'of the general authorities of the Church, at the time when our brethren were off on what we were pleased to term the "underground," when pretty near all the presidents of the stakes were away from their flocks, when almost every ward had lost its father, the bishop, and when some of the darkest clouds that ever hovered around our people completely covered them up, when we did not have the privilege at our general conference to see the general authorities of the Church upon the stand; when only occasionally we received a written message from the presidency of the Church, when trouble surrounded us upon all sides, when the government seemed bitterly against us, and when even the authorities of the Church could see no light ahead, it was then they issued an address to the Saints pointing out all of these conditions, and making a request upon them to observe a special fast day named by the authorities for the people to come together, fasting, with prayerful hearts, to lift up their prayers to God the eternal Father, and ask Him to lift the clouds. At that time there was not a soul able to find a solution to the problem, or would even attempt to suggest one. The Latter-day Saints obeyed the counsel of the authorities of the Church. They came to the various meeting places with prayerful hearts; they came fasting; they lifted up their voices to God the eternal Father, and offered up their prayers to Him, begging Him to permit their prayers to ascend unto His throne, even as did the prayers of Cornelius of old. Do you remember in what a short period of time some four hundred of our brethren who were cast into prison cells came home; how the presidents of stakes came back to their posts of duty; how the members of the wards greeted the fathers of the wards, and how God listened to their prayers? If a simple relation of a matter of that kind, which the older brethren, the middle-aged brethren remember distinctly, if we could read of such a thing in the Bible we would look upon it as one of the greatest miracles recorded in that book. But we lived in that day and it came about gradually. We could see the hand of God in it. We could see that God works upon natural principles, that He uses men to bring about His purposes; that He so arranged it that the cause of His people was soon shifted from the hands of bigots and from the hands of men whose minds were filled with hatred, that they were placed in the hands of diplomats and statesmen, and in His own natural way He freed His people. I say, to my mind, it is one of the great miracles in this Church, and demonstrated to me beyond a question of a doubt that God will hear our prayers when we place ourselves in a condition to be heard. When a man places himself in a position to receive a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, he is in a position to demand recognition from our Father in heaven, and our Father in heaven will listen to him.
The testimony that God has given to me of the work of the great latter-day prophet is the key that opened to me the door, giving to me light upon the testimony of Jesus Christ, and sometimes I wonder, I shudder at what my Condition in the religious world would have been had it not been for the testimony I received concerning the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he was a prophet of God. and a study of his life gave me an undying testimony that Jesus was the Christ, and yet those who judge us wrongfully say that a Bible is not to be found in a "Mormon" pulpit, that the little children of "Mormon" people hear nothing about Jesus, and it is a common thing in the east for our enemies to use it as an argument whereby churches raise money for the purpose of buying little Christmas presents for "Mormon" children (which they never get), to teach them something about Jesus.
We know that the testimony God has given to us concerning the mission of Joseph Smith gives us an undying testimony that Jesus is the Christ, a stronger testimony than is possessed by any other religious body in the world, a testimony that He died for the sins of the world; that He was resurrected—not a mythical resurrection, but a tangible, literal resurrection from the grave, and that we are almost the only people who do believe in the actual resurrection, the literal resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The rest of them have made Him a being that is not a being, something without form, saying that God is a spirit and that a spirit has not flesh and bones, that you see Him in the leaves of the trees, and in the flowers that grow, you feel Him in the atmosphere; or, in other words that He is merely nature, and then they will send to hell, and brand as an infidel, the person who says the only God is Nature, while they only call it by another name. Our Savior appeared to His apostles, and to the doubting Thomas He said, "Here, Thomas, see the marks of the nails in my hands; 1 here is the mark of the spear in my side; reach hither thy hand and thrust it in and see that it is I; a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see me have." They do not love to dwell upon that doctrine, but they cover it up with the words of John, supposed words of John, that God is a Spirit. I do not believe that John ever said or ever wrote those words. Those who know anything about the scripture know that when it was translated by that great and grand congregation that was brought together under the influence of King James of England, that they did their work honestly. The manuscripts they had access to were blurred, unreadable in places, and where they found that condition they decided for themselves what words to put in to make it readable, and when they came to this manuscript that they have translated "God is a spirit," the word "God" was there, the word "Spirit" was there, but the word "IS" was not there, and they ordained that every word of their own creation placed within the lids of that Bible should be so marked—because they were honest men—should be so marked that future generations should have the privilege of knowing what they did themselves. The words they supplied, and those words have come down to us marked now in italics, to know that they were the words of men, that it was a guess, and in most instances a good guess. Then, when we read John, and there we see the little word "is" in italics, making it read "God is a. spirit, we know it to be man-made. The reason John did not, in my estimation, put it that way is because he was there when Christ appeared before him, when he heard the Savior say, "See, it is I; see the marks in my hands, and see the mark of the Roman spear in my side; it is I, with flesh and bones; a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have." God bless you. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
I do not think that President Rich will take any exception to a remark that I would like to make in connection with John's reference to the Lord, or to God being a spirit. I think the fact is that even a man and, a very ordinary man, is a spirit; and if you want any evidence of it, just remove his spirit and look at what remains.
The congregation sang the hymn:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Daniel G. Miller.
Conference adjourned until 10 a. m., Saturday, April 5th, 1913.
I do not think that President Rich will take any exception to a remark that I would like to make in connection with John's reference to the Lord, or to God being a spirit. I think the fact is that even a man and, a very ordinary man, is a spirit; and if you want any evidence of it, just remove his spirit and look at what remains.
The congregation sang the hymn:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Daniel G. Miller.
Conference adjourned until 10 a. m., Saturday, April 5th, 1913.
SECOND DAY.
In the Tabernacle, Saturday, April 5th, 10 a. m.
Conference was called to order by President Joseph F. Smith.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come let us anew our journey pursue,
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear.
His adorable will let us gladly fulfil,
And our talents improve,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love.
Prayer was offered by Elder John W. Hart.
The congregation sang the hymn:
O ye mountains high, where the clear blue sky
Arches over the vales of the free,
Where the pure breezes blow and the clear streamlets flow,
How I’ve longed to your bosom to flee.
In the Tabernacle, Saturday, April 5th, 10 a. m.
Conference was called to order by President Joseph F. Smith.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come let us anew our journey pursue,
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear.
His adorable will let us gladly fulfil,
And our talents improve,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love.
Prayer was offered by Elder John W. Hart.
The congregation sang the hymn:
O ye mountains high, where the clear blue sky
Arches over the vales of the free,
Where the pure breezes blow and the clear streamlets flow,
How I’ve longed to your bosom to flee.
ELDER GEORGE ALBERT SMITH.
Satisfying comparison of "Mormonism" with all other religious bodies.—Saints should manifest appreciation of the Gospel by living according to its principles.— The righteous will veritably inherit the earth.—Profitable lessons may be derived from calamities.
I esteem it a privilege, my brethren and sisters, to be here on this occasion when much of the strength of Israel is assembled in general conference. For several days I have been looking forward to this gathering. I have thought of the class of people who would be present upon this occasion, and have compared the lives of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints with those of our friends who are not of our faith, many of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in the last few months, and the comparison is favorable to us from almost every viewpoint. The conclusion is irresistible that "Mormonism" has done much for us in four generations. The gospel, with the blessings of the Priesthood, is priceless, and for it we ought to be a grateful people. The teachings that come with authority, which plant in our hearts faith in God that cause us to feel that we know of a surety that He lives, are beyond price.
We meet very many good men and women in the world, who have high ideals and are striving from their viewpoint to do good, and occasionally we find them with an understanding of religion similar to what we have; but there are few who have a satisfactory assurance that this life is a part of our Heavenly Father's plan for the development of His children, and that the truths we acquire here will remain with us in eternity. Surely we ought to appreciate the knowledge that the gospel brings, and we should evidence our gratitude by living up to the light of truth and teaching it to others. "Mormonism," so-called, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, consequently it is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe and obey its teachings. It is not those who say "Lord, Lord," who enjoy the companionship of His spirit but those who do His will. If we are not more perfect in our lives, if we are not more righteous than those who are not of our faith we will be behind them in receiving the blessings of our Heavenly Father; but if we obey His commandments, if we keep ourselves clean, pure and unspotted from the sins of the world, His power will rest upon us, and the virtues of the third and fourth generations of the Church will be builded upon by following generations, and the purity of their lives will establish a race that will people the earth.
It is this that impresses me. We should not feel anxious about our political power; nor should we feel concerned about our worldly possessions, but remember this admonition, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added." It is to this point that I direct your attention today. If the Latter-day Saints will keep the commandments of God, they will be happy, if they will keep themselves pure and unspotted from the sins of the world, "Mormonism," so-called, will redeem the earth by right of its superiority, and by reason of the perfection of its manhood and womanhood. While those who are selfishly devoting themselves to the amassing of wealth and the seeking of high positions, ignoring or violating the natural laws of God in their pursuit of pleasure, sowing the seeds of dissolution by allowing their baser passions to rule them, will not only be unhappy but will wither and pass away, and a race more worthy will inhabit God's footstool.
My brethren and sisters, it is not a matter of concern to me what will be the outcome of this work, but it is this: keep yourselves clean and pure and you shall inherit the earth, for your Heavenly Father has ordained that it will be so. Let your light so shine that the purity of your lives will evidence your faith in the gospel of our Lord. Let us bear witness in our daily acts, as well as in our conversation, that we believe this is the Father's work and joy inexpressible will come to us, and the children that grow up in our homes will increase in faith and humility. They will be added upon, and be given power to turn aside the shafts of the adversary that are directed towards them, and in place of the distress that has afflicted the children of men, because of sinfulness, there will be comfort, peace and happiness, and a race of men and women will inhabit this earth who will have strength of character to put aside the evils of life, by reason of their birthright.
God grant that we may be worthy of our birthright; grant that we may be worthy of the blessings that He places within our reach; grant that day by day we may say within our souls, "Father, show me Thy will, and I will perform the labor." If this be our desire, if this is what we live for, then will our children be lifted up to higher ground upon which they may build, and from generation to generation there will develop a stronger race of people — a people who can draw ever nearer to our Father in Heaven. These things appeal to me, my brethren and sisters; it is a natural condition and I am grateful for the hope that they inspire in my bosom. I am grateful for the purity of the lives of the men and women who belong to the Church of our Lord, and I am thankful that throughout the world there are those who, seeing the effect of a sinful life, are striving in earnestness to avoid its terrors, and who encourage others to do likewise. They are indeed preparing for Eternal life.
Now may the Lord bless you, my brethren and sisters; may His peace be in your hearts and may His light illumine your pathway, that day by day you may know the way He would have you go. May each of us, in our prayers and in our lives, sustain the men whom God has chosen to preside over and direct us, thereby serving Him who was the Redeemer of the world. May His Spirit and blessings be upon all Israel and may the prayers of the Latter-day Saints ascend on high that the hearts of men may turn from the evils of this life; that they may desire to turn unto God and keep His commandments. May the lessons that we learn by reason of the havoc that is wrought by the elements in commotion in this world, from time to time, be lessons that shall turn our hearts heavenward, and that will make us kinder and more charitable toward our fellow men.
I pray that the man who stands at our head may have his strength continued unto him; that he may live in the future, as he has in the past, in the favor of our Father in Heaven. I pray that he and his counselors may be inspired of the Lord, and physical strength and power given to them to perform their great and arduous labors, and discharge their duties in the cause of the children of men. God bless them forever is the prayer of my heart; and God bless all Israel, and all men and women everywhere who strive to do right and do good to their fellows, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Satisfying comparison of "Mormonism" with all other religious bodies.—Saints should manifest appreciation of the Gospel by living according to its principles.— The righteous will veritably inherit the earth.—Profitable lessons may be derived from calamities.
I esteem it a privilege, my brethren and sisters, to be here on this occasion when much of the strength of Israel is assembled in general conference. For several days I have been looking forward to this gathering. I have thought of the class of people who would be present upon this occasion, and have compared the lives of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints with those of our friends who are not of our faith, many of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in the last few months, and the comparison is favorable to us from almost every viewpoint. The conclusion is irresistible that "Mormonism" has done much for us in four generations. The gospel, with the blessings of the Priesthood, is priceless, and for it we ought to be a grateful people. The teachings that come with authority, which plant in our hearts faith in God that cause us to feel that we know of a surety that He lives, are beyond price.
We meet very many good men and women in the world, who have high ideals and are striving from their viewpoint to do good, and occasionally we find them with an understanding of religion similar to what we have; but there are few who have a satisfactory assurance that this life is a part of our Heavenly Father's plan for the development of His children, and that the truths we acquire here will remain with us in eternity. Surely we ought to appreciate the knowledge that the gospel brings, and we should evidence our gratitude by living up to the light of truth and teaching it to others. "Mormonism," so-called, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, consequently it is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe and obey its teachings. It is not those who say "Lord, Lord," who enjoy the companionship of His spirit but those who do His will. If we are not more perfect in our lives, if we are not more righteous than those who are not of our faith we will be behind them in receiving the blessings of our Heavenly Father; but if we obey His commandments, if we keep ourselves clean, pure and unspotted from the sins of the world, His power will rest upon us, and the virtues of the third and fourth generations of the Church will be builded upon by following generations, and the purity of their lives will establish a race that will people the earth.
It is this that impresses me. We should not feel anxious about our political power; nor should we feel concerned about our worldly possessions, but remember this admonition, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added." It is to this point that I direct your attention today. If the Latter-day Saints will keep the commandments of God, they will be happy, if they will keep themselves pure and unspotted from the sins of the world, "Mormonism," so-called, will redeem the earth by right of its superiority, and by reason of the perfection of its manhood and womanhood. While those who are selfishly devoting themselves to the amassing of wealth and the seeking of high positions, ignoring or violating the natural laws of God in their pursuit of pleasure, sowing the seeds of dissolution by allowing their baser passions to rule them, will not only be unhappy but will wither and pass away, and a race more worthy will inhabit God's footstool.
My brethren and sisters, it is not a matter of concern to me what will be the outcome of this work, but it is this: keep yourselves clean and pure and you shall inherit the earth, for your Heavenly Father has ordained that it will be so. Let your light so shine that the purity of your lives will evidence your faith in the gospel of our Lord. Let us bear witness in our daily acts, as well as in our conversation, that we believe this is the Father's work and joy inexpressible will come to us, and the children that grow up in our homes will increase in faith and humility. They will be added upon, and be given power to turn aside the shafts of the adversary that are directed towards them, and in place of the distress that has afflicted the children of men, because of sinfulness, there will be comfort, peace and happiness, and a race of men and women will inhabit this earth who will have strength of character to put aside the evils of life, by reason of their birthright.
God grant that we may be worthy of our birthright; grant that we may be worthy of the blessings that He places within our reach; grant that day by day we may say within our souls, "Father, show me Thy will, and I will perform the labor." If this be our desire, if this is what we live for, then will our children be lifted up to higher ground upon which they may build, and from generation to generation there will develop a stronger race of people — a people who can draw ever nearer to our Father in Heaven. These things appeal to me, my brethren and sisters; it is a natural condition and I am grateful for the hope that they inspire in my bosom. I am grateful for the purity of the lives of the men and women who belong to the Church of our Lord, and I am thankful that throughout the world there are those who, seeing the effect of a sinful life, are striving in earnestness to avoid its terrors, and who encourage others to do likewise. They are indeed preparing for Eternal life.
Now may the Lord bless you, my brethren and sisters; may His peace be in your hearts and may His light illumine your pathway, that day by day you may know the way He would have you go. May each of us, in our prayers and in our lives, sustain the men whom God has chosen to preside over and direct us, thereby serving Him who was the Redeemer of the world. May His Spirit and blessings be upon all Israel and may the prayers of the Latter-day Saints ascend on high that the hearts of men may turn from the evils of this life; that they may desire to turn unto God and keep His commandments. May the lessons that we learn by reason of the havoc that is wrought by the elements in commotion in this world, from time to time, be lessons that shall turn our hearts heavenward, and that will make us kinder and more charitable toward our fellow men.
I pray that the man who stands at our head may have his strength continued unto him; that he may live in the future, as he has in the past, in the favor of our Father in Heaven. I pray that he and his counselors may be inspired of the Lord, and physical strength and power given to them to perform their great and arduous labors, and discharge their duties in the cause of the children of men. God bless them forever is the prayer of my heart; and God bless all Israel, and all men and women everywhere who strive to do right and do good to their fellows, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
ELDER SAMUEL O. BENNION.
(President of Central States Mission.)
I have been very much pleased, my brethren and sisters, in the sessions of this conference that have been held, in listening to the remarks of my brethren. I was especially pleased with the remarks made by President Smith yesterday morning, for the reason that, to me, it was the same as any commandment or section in the book of Covenants; I regard is as the voice of the Lord unto the people. It covered a point that has been of vital importance to me, in the short period of time that I have labored in the ministry, for without that principle of loyalty and fidelity to the cause here upon the earth, there would be absolute failure.
The missionary in the field who does not put his heart into the work, and who does not sustain his missionary companions, by his faith and prayers and actions, and his conference and mission presidents, does not make a success of his work, and does not carry with him that power and spirit of stability that goes with the man who has in his heart an unyielding determination to serve God, and labor earnestly for the children of men. In my mind the principle of loyalty is one of the greatest that the Lord has implanted in the hearts of the children of men. In any capacity where men may be called to labor, the man who works with unyielding determination to succeed will surely do so and if he manifests that characteristic in the work of the Lord, as he probably will, success is sure to follow. We pray and labor for the success of this work, and we pray for our fellow men.
We pray for the leaders of nations and for men of influence, that their hearts may be softened towards this work, that they may kindly receive the elders who are sent to them, and that they may understand the reason why the Lord has sent His messengers to the earth again. I believe that the Lord' loves His children with a greater love than it is possible for any father to love his earthly children. No matter where they may be, in any land or clime in this earth, all are the children of God, and His love embraces them, even as the sun shines alike on all. As the Lord said, while in the earth, that His mission was not to the whole but to those who needed the physician: "I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." For that reason He has again visited the earth and revealed the true gospel of salvation to Joseph Smith, and placed the people of this world upon a new basis.
In times past, the mention of Joseph Smith's name has almost been, in some places at any rate, sufficient to arouse a mob, to day it is safe to stand upon any corner in any city in the United States and preach the gospel the Lord has revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith's name is now held among the children of men in greater reverence than ever before, because of the unyielding truth, spirit of loyalty that has characterized the Latter-day Saints from the very beginning. Through the men who devoted their lives to the testimony of Jesus, who labored diligently and established churches and branches throughout the country, where ever they were sent, there has been erected in this land of ours, in the valleys of the mountains, a monument of faith. Here we are in large numbers, in strength and power, having many of the gifts and blessings of heaven that the world does not realize or know of. We ought to be willing at all times to respond to any call that is made upon us to assist in the establishment of God's purposes in the earth. Take away from a Latter-day Saint the gospel, if you could, and nothing of real worth remains.
No man ever apostatized from this church and gospel, who had a knowledge of it, who could ever truthfully deny that it was the church of God. Whenever I have listened to them, I have noticed they shield that part of it all they possibly can, and they work along lines of persecution and try to destroy what the Lord builds up. Brigham Young once said—so I am informed —that you cannot hurt Mormonism it is like a rubber ball; every time you kick it the farther it goes. It is my experience, and is history, that where men persecute the church, or the principles of it, and those who preside in Israel, they often make friends for the Latter-day Saints; I tell you, honest men are looking for the truth everywhere. Men and women throughout this land will yield obedience unto the gospel of the Redeemer of the world in their day and time, and that time comes to them when they seek for light of our Father in heaven and as a result of their faithfulness. The Spirit of the Lord is in the earth among thousands of men and women who are good and true, according to the light that is within them, and when they become so well acquainted with the principles of truth that they are able to discern truth from error, they will yield obedience unto the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
People are not looking, not many of them at any rate for the gospel to come through the "Mormon" church; they think that it will come from some other source. Those people who were looking for the Christ in Mis day expected Him to come in pomp and display. They never looked for Him to come in the manner that He did. They were not prepared for Him. and so they were easily led astray by that evil power which was opposed to Him from the beginning-, and their faith and confidence was destroyed in the hearts of the children of men.
We pray for the success of this work, and unless we also work to that end, my brethren and sisters, we shall not have success. The man that comes into the mission field such as that wherein I am more closely associated at the present time with the work of the Lord, and who in his heart finally resolves to carry the gospel message into the homes of the people, receives power from God that is not enjoyed by the sons of men outside of that work. He appears among his fellows and is kindly received by the honest among them for the truths that he teaches, and which the Lord is the author of. God gives unto us all, the power and blessing that we have ever received in this life.
Here at home, in this land of ours that has been prepared by the Almighty to sustain this great people, here are men and women who are qualified to preach the gospel to those who are in darkness. Our fathers and mothers laid the foundation for this great commonwealth. They gave their lives for the testimony of Jesus, and for the permanent establishment of this community. They wished 'for 'peace and prosperity, and worked early and late for it. They had to work hard in order to secure a livelihood. but today it is a much different proposition. It may be said that the youth of Zion have never seen a day, or have never had a dream that would give unto them an idea of the sufferings of our fathers and mothers that paid the price for the pleasure we now enjoy here.
We young men and women ought to yield absolute obedience to the gospel of the Redeemer of the world. A man in his ward ought to hold up the hands of his bishop, and faithfully perform his church duties, that his bishop and stake president may know that he is reliable and true. In all my experience, I have never learned to love men like I have those who have proven themselves loyal and true, men you could rely upon to perform the work they were called to do, that would go from you alone hundreds of miles and do their duty, men who would stand for right and truth, for liberty and justice. Such men would stand for the gospel, and for those who preside over them, and when others criticise the leaders of the church they were ever ready to defend them. They would never sit down and listen to any man, defame or say things that were untrue concerning the Church of Jesus Christ, or the Latter-day Saints.
This people are greatly blessed in having men at the head of the church to-day who have been with the church practically from its inception, who know the ins and outs of the past, who can correct error, and who can say from their own experience, I know thus and so. There will come a time when men who have known the prophets Joseph and Hyrum personally shall no longer be among us. We shall only have the testimonies of men who have known those who were acquainted with those prophets, but who did not have the privilege of seeing themselves. So I feel that I am blessed in the fact that our Father in heaven has permitted me to know men and women who can speak to me in the flesh and say, "I knew Joseph Smith; I have seen him, and I give you my testimony that he lived, and that he told 'me that he received a visitation from the Father and the Son, that he received messages from angels, and that he associated with other heavenly beings." I tell you, my brethren and sisters, these facts shall be matters of history in just a few short years. When we realize and know what it means to talk face to face with a man, and then merely have the testimony from one who has seen that man, there is no comparison.
I feel to praise the Lord, and to love the Lord's work here upon the earth, and to labor, whether at home or abroad, for the purposes of the Lord, as well as I can. To a man who thinks that it is an easy thing to go in the mission field and stay for a number of years, and leave home and friends and all behind you, let him who thinks that it is an easy thing try it. Let him who believes that it is easy to take the part of one of these brethren of the general authorities, who I know labor earnestly proclaiming their testimony of the truth, for no earthly reward, but because they have been called to that labor through a servant of the Lord, let them try it. The men who have the privilege of laboring at home and of acquiring the things of this earth that give pleasure, who think they are not in a position to go into the world on account of their occupation, let them leave their affairs and go on a mission, and I tell you, they will soon cheerfully (hold up the hands of these men and women who preside in Israel, from President Smith down to the least of these authorities, they will sustain them in any position in the church, abroad or at home.
That is the principle that makes us strong. This is the word of the Lord unto me as it came from the President yesterday morning, and I rejoice in it, and I shall rejoice in reading it, for it is true doctrine, and it is worthy the consideration of all Israel as a guide unto us in this day in which we live. The Lord bless you. Amen.
(President of Central States Mission.)
I have been very much pleased, my brethren and sisters, in the sessions of this conference that have been held, in listening to the remarks of my brethren. I was especially pleased with the remarks made by President Smith yesterday morning, for the reason that, to me, it was the same as any commandment or section in the book of Covenants; I regard is as the voice of the Lord unto the people. It covered a point that has been of vital importance to me, in the short period of time that I have labored in the ministry, for without that principle of loyalty and fidelity to the cause here upon the earth, there would be absolute failure.
The missionary in the field who does not put his heart into the work, and who does not sustain his missionary companions, by his faith and prayers and actions, and his conference and mission presidents, does not make a success of his work, and does not carry with him that power and spirit of stability that goes with the man who has in his heart an unyielding determination to serve God, and labor earnestly for the children of men. In my mind the principle of loyalty is one of the greatest that the Lord has implanted in the hearts of the children of men. In any capacity where men may be called to labor, the man who works with unyielding determination to succeed will surely do so and if he manifests that characteristic in the work of the Lord, as he probably will, success is sure to follow. We pray and labor for the success of this work, and we pray for our fellow men.
We pray for the leaders of nations and for men of influence, that their hearts may be softened towards this work, that they may kindly receive the elders who are sent to them, and that they may understand the reason why the Lord has sent His messengers to the earth again. I believe that the Lord' loves His children with a greater love than it is possible for any father to love his earthly children. No matter where they may be, in any land or clime in this earth, all are the children of God, and His love embraces them, even as the sun shines alike on all. As the Lord said, while in the earth, that His mission was not to the whole but to those who needed the physician: "I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." For that reason He has again visited the earth and revealed the true gospel of salvation to Joseph Smith, and placed the people of this world upon a new basis.
In times past, the mention of Joseph Smith's name has almost been, in some places at any rate, sufficient to arouse a mob, to day it is safe to stand upon any corner in any city in the United States and preach the gospel the Lord has revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith's name is now held among the children of men in greater reverence than ever before, because of the unyielding truth, spirit of loyalty that has characterized the Latter-day Saints from the very beginning. Through the men who devoted their lives to the testimony of Jesus, who labored diligently and established churches and branches throughout the country, where ever they were sent, there has been erected in this land of ours, in the valleys of the mountains, a monument of faith. Here we are in large numbers, in strength and power, having many of the gifts and blessings of heaven that the world does not realize or know of. We ought to be willing at all times to respond to any call that is made upon us to assist in the establishment of God's purposes in the earth. Take away from a Latter-day Saint the gospel, if you could, and nothing of real worth remains.
No man ever apostatized from this church and gospel, who had a knowledge of it, who could ever truthfully deny that it was the church of God. Whenever I have listened to them, I have noticed they shield that part of it all they possibly can, and they work along lines of persecution and try to destroy what the Lord builds up. Brigham Young once said—so I am informed —that you cannot hurt Mormonism it is like a rubber ball; every time you kick it the farther it goes. It is my experience, and is history, that where men persecute the church, or the principles of it, and those who preside in Israel, they often make friends for the Latter-day Saints; I tell you, honest men are looking for the truth everywhere. Men and women throughout this land will yield obedience unto the gospel of the Redeemer of the world in their day and time, and that time comes to them when they seek for light of our Father in heaven and as a result of their faithfulness. The Spirit of the Lord is in the earth among thousands of men and women who are good and true, according to the light that is within them, and when they become so well acquainted with the principles of truth that they are able to discern truth from error, they will yield obedience unto the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
People are not looking, not many of them at any rate for the gospel to come through the "Mormon" church; they think that it will come from some other source. Those people who were looking for the Christ in Mis day expected Him to come in pomp and display. They never looked for Him to come in the manner that He did. They were not prepared for Him. and so they were easily led astray by that evil power which was opposed to Him from the beginning-, and their faith and confidence was destroyed in the hearts of the children of men.
We pray for the success of this work, and unless we also work to that end, my brethren and sisters, we shall not have success. The man that comes into the mission field such as that wherein I am more closely associated at the present time with the work of the Lord, and who in his heart finally resolves to carry the gospel message into the homes of the people, receives power from God that is not enjoyed by the sons of men outside of that work. He appears among his fellows and is kindly received by the honest among them for the truths that he teaches, and which the Lord is the author of. God gives unto us all, the power and blessing that we have ever received in this life.
Here at home, in this land of ours that has been prepared by the Almighty to sustain this great people, here are men and women who are qualified to preach the gospel to those who are in darkness. Our fathers and mothers laid the foundation for this great commonwealth. They gave their lives for the testimony of Jesus, and for the permanent establishment of this community. They wished 'for 'peace and prosperity, and worked early and late for it. They had to work hard in order to secure a livelihood. but today it is a much different proposition. It may be said that the youth of Zion have never seen a day, or have never had a dream that would give unto them an idea of the sufferings of our fathers and mothers that paid the price for the pleasure we now enjoy here.
We young men and women ought to yield absolute obedience to the gospel of the Redeemer of the world. A man in his ward ought to hold up the hands of his bishop, and faithfully perform his church duties, that his bishop and stake president may know that he is reliable and true. In all my experience, I have never learned to love men like I have those who have proven themselves loyal and true, men you could rely upon to perform the work they were called to do, that would go from you alone hundreds of miles and do their duty, men who would stand for right and truth, for liberty and justice. Such men would stand for the gospel, and for those who preside over them, and when others criticise the leaders of the church they were ever ready to defend them. They would never sit down and listen to any man, defame or say things that were untrue concerning the Church of Jesus Christ, or the Latter-day Saints.
This people are greatly blessed in having men at the head of the church to-day who have been with the church practically from its inception, who know the ins and outs of the past, who can correct error, and who can say from their own experience, I know thus and so. There will come a time when men who have known the prophets Joseph and Hyrum personally shall no longer be among us. We shall only have the testimonies of men who have known those who were acquainted with those prophets, but who did not have the privilege of seeing themselves. So I feel that I am blessed in the fact that our Father in heaven has permitted me to know men and women who can speak to me in the flesh and say, "I knew Joseph Smith; I have seen him, and I give you my testimony that he lived, and that he told 'me that he received a visitation from the Father and the Son, that he received messages from angels, and that he associated with other heavenly beings." I tell you, my brethren and sisters, these facts shall be matters of history in just a few short years. When we realize and know what it means to talk face to face with a man, and then merely have the testimony from one who has seen that man, there is no comparison.
I feel to praise the Lord, and to love the Lord's work here upon the earth, and to labor, whether at home or abroad, for the purposes of the Lord, as well as I can. To a man who thinks that it is an easy thing to go in the mission field and stay for a number of years, and leave home and friends and all behind you, let him who thinks that it is an easy thing try it. Let him who believes that it is easy to take the part of one of these brethren of the general authorities, who I know labor earnestly proclaiming their testimony of the truth, for no earthly reward, but because they have been called to that labor through a servant of the Lord, let them try it. The men who have the privilege of laboring at home and of acquiring the things of this earth that give pleasure, who think they are not in a position to go into the world on account of their occupation, let them leave their affairs and go on a mission, and I tell you, they will soon cheerfully (hold up the hands of these men and women who preside in Israel, from President Smith down to the least of these authorities, they will sustain them in any position in the church, abroad or at home.
That is the principle that makes us strong. This is the word of the Lord unto me as it came from the President yesterday morning, and I rejoice in it, and I shall rejoice in reading it, for it is true doctrine, and it is worthy the consideration of all Israel as a guide unto us in this day in which we live. The Lord bless you. Amen.
ELDER GERMAN E. ELLSWORTH.
(President of Northern States Mission.)
My brethren and sisters, you who are before me were not converted through the wisdom nor learning of men, and it would be impossible for me to foist upon you any of the vain philosophy of men; if I should attempt it, you who have been in the Church for years would easily discover that it is of man, for you have been founded upon the rock of revelation. Our Father has given you a testimony for yourselves, and you know. In standing before you I do so with fear and trembling, least I may not be an instrument in the hands of God to impart unto you the bread of life.
I rejoice in the testimony that our Father has given me concerning this great work, the work that has been established in the earth for the salvation of mankind. It is mv experience, in traveling in the world, that this work has grown in importance a thousand times more than is represented by the number that have been baptized into the Church. The principles of truth that were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, have influenced the people of the whole earth, they are "leavening the whole lump." and the members of the religious world today are beginning to inquire concerning this greater light that has been restored to the earth. Not long since. Dr. Henry Sloan Coffin, one of the prominent Presbyterians of New England, declared in one of his sermons that they did not consider any of the churches of the world as divine, or their organizations divinely appointed, he said Presbyterians were doing, as a church, more than any other Christian denomination to bring about a church union, and if that could be brought about, or if they could have the organization that they desired, it would be more efficient and do away with much of the overlapping of their work, and would bring about a greater missionary force in the earth, a missionary work that would bring all the members of the churches under the influence of the Spirit of God. He said that they were ready to serve under any organization that worked better than their own. Now. while they have not discovered that organization, it is in the earth to day. God our Father has placed it here, and they will some day discover that its influence and power have been felt even in their own organizations.
The Lord Jesus said to His disciples on one occasion, after telling them that He was the vine and they were the branches, and that they should abide in Him in order to bring forth fruit to the glory of the Father: "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you and sent you forth that you might bring forth fruit." Following that He told them to love one another as He had loved them, and as He had loved the Father. In talking to a Sectarian minister the other day, on the train, who has been in Utah a long time, I said, "My brother, the reason you have not been successful in the state of Utah, even among the wayward of the children of the Latter-day Saints, is because you have not sufficiently followed the admonition of the Lord Jesus to love the souls of men. The majority of the ministers who come here to convert the Mormon people, and lead them to acknowledge the God that they worship, have never had love for us in their hearts. They have sought for thorns and briers, and information to be taken back into the world and used for the collecting of money to Christianize the 'Mormons.' ' He replied, "I tell you, Mr. Ellsworth, that is too true, some ministers have not had sufficient love in their hearts for the souls of the people who dwell in these valleys."
It is the experience of the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who have gone to the world, that they must have a love for the souls of men in their hearts before they can do real missionary work; they must forget in part, or rather learn that they have not left in their mountain homes all that is near and. dear to them, but that the honest in heart everywhere should also be near and dear to the soul of the true missionary. We must love them, and show that we are truly interested in them, and that we have their welfare at heart, before we can really do successful missionary work. Where this feeling exists, the spirit and the power of God rests upon the elders, and the honest soul discovers in them the divinely appointed shepherd.
This is my testimony, that Jesus gathered together His disciples and organized His Church, and that men were divinely appointed to preach the gospel and represent the Lord Jesus. That organization continued until, through the wickedness of men it was done away with. Since then only tradition has been handed clown to guide the Christian world. But, in this age, the Lord Jesus, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has again sent the Priesthood with a divine appointment, and commission to the world. A divinely appointed organization has been re-established in the earth, it is in perfect working order, and the men and women who receive the truth have a mission to proclaim Christ and Him crucified, and to show to the world, through their righteousness, and by the sweet influence they have, that they are indeed born of God, and have the light that will lead men back into the kingdom of our Father. The Latter-day Saints have received this divine authority and organization. Upon their shoulders rests the mission to preach Christ and Him crucified. The doctor, the lawyer, the farmer, the carpenter, the blacksmith, and men of every other vocation in life among the Latter-day Saints are missionaries. It is our duty to teach the people of the world that the organization that they are seeking after today is in the earth, an organization that brings in touch every one of its members with God and Christ. There is no overlapping nor crowding for place but a place for every man in the divinely appointed organization.
I am thankful that it has been my lot to be a Latter-day Saint from my birth, that my father and my grandfather were members of the Church of Jesus Christ. They were converted, not by the wisdom of men, neither "by the learning of the world, but by a revelation from God My feet have been planted upon that rock, and I know for my self that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the Church of God has been established among men. It has been established with apostles and prophets, seventies and elders, priests, teachers and deacons. They have a divinely appointed mission in the earth. Every man throughout the world who will hear their testimony, and receive it in their hearts, may have a part of that ministry, and feel God's spirit in them, from the crown of their heads to the soles of their feet, and learn to know God, and' feel His influence by working for the salvation of their fellow men. The man-made ministers preach for money, and divine for hire; there are but few of them working unselfishly for the uplift of mankind. Their organizations have not the power to bring men and women in touch with God. Jesus has not chosen them, neither ordained them. They cannot bring forth fruit because they have not followed the doctrine of Christ. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every man. from the greatest to the least, has a right to the revelations of God for his guidance. God can bless the honest in heart through the ministry of His humblest servant even though his language may be faltering, and his logic poor. If, from the time the light of God has come into the life of a man, he will magnify the priesthood, and honor the priesthood in others, the Lord will magnify him before the world, and honest hearted men and women will raise up and bless his name, and praise God that he came within their circle.
May God bless us, my brethren and sisters, and help the Latter-day Saints to honor the divinely appointed men that our Father has placed in the earth. Let us rejoice that we are associated with the divine organization that gives every man and woman a chance to receive an experience under the influence and power of God. May we honor the priesthood, and all men who bear it, and in the end be prepared, by the experience that we have received in the Church, to associate with God and Christ, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
(President of Northern States Mission.)
My brethren and sisters, you who are before me were not converted through the wisdom nor learning of men, and it would be impossible for me to foist upon you any of the vain philosophy of men; if I should attempt it, you who have been in the Church for years would easily discover that it is of man, for you have been founded upon the rock of revelation. Our Father has given you a testimony for yourselves, and you know. In standing before you I do so with fear and trembling, least I may not be an instrument in the hands of God to impart unto you the bread of life.
I rejoice in the testimony that our Father has given me concerning this great work, the work that has been established in the earth for the salvation of mankind. It is mv experience, in traveling in the world, that this work has grown in importance a thousand times more than is represented by the number that have been baptized into the Church. The principles of truth that were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, have influenced the people of the whole earth, they are "leavening the whole lump." and the members of the religious world today are beginning to inquire concerning this greater light that has been restored to the earth. Not long since. Dr. Henry Sloan Coffin, one of the prominent Presbyterians of New England, declared in one of his sermons that they did not consider any of the churches of the world as divine, or their organizations divinely appointed, he said Presbyterians were doing, as a church, more than any other Christian denomination to bring about a church union, and if that could be brought about, or if they could have the organization that they desired, it would be more efficient and do away with much of the overlapping of their work, and would bring about a greater missionary force in the earth, a missionary work that would bring all the members of the churches under the influence of the Spirit of God. He said that they were ready to serve under any organization that worked better than their own. Now. while they have not discovered that organization, it is in the earth to day. God our Father has placed it here, and they will some day discover that its influence and power have been felt even in their own organizations.
The Lord Jesus said to His disciples on one occasion, after telling them that He was the vine and they were the branches, and that they should abide in Him in order to bring forth fruit to the glory of the Father: "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you and sent you forth that you might bring forth fruit." Following that He told them to love one another as He had loved them, and as He had loved the Father. In talking to a Sectarian minister the other day, on the train, who has been in Utah a long time, I said, "My brother, the reason you have not been successful in the state of Utah, even among the wayward of the children of the Latter-day Saints, is because you have not sufficiently followed the admonition of the Lord Jesus to love the souls of men. The majority of the ministers who come here to convert the Mormon people, and lead them to acknowledge the God that they worship, have never had love for us in their hearts. They have sought for thorns and briers, and information to be taken back into the world and used for the collecting of money to Christianize the 'Mormons.' ' He replied, "I tell you, Mr. Ellsworth, that is too true, some ministers have not had sufficient love in their hearts for the souls of the people who dwell in these valleys."
It is the experience of the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who have gone to the world, that they must have a love for the souls of men in their hearts before they can do real missionary work; they must forget in part, or rather learn that they have not left in their mountain homes all that is near and. dear to them, but that the honest in heart everywhere should also be near and dear to the soul of the true missionary. We must love them, and show that we are truly interested in them, and that we have their welfare at heart, before we can really do successful missionary work. Where this feeling exists, the spirit and the power of God rests upon the elders, and the honest soul discovers in them the divinely appointed shepherd.
This is my testimony, that Jesus gathered together His disciples and organized His Church, and that men were divinely appointed to preach the gospel and represent the Lord Jesus. That organization continued until, through the wickedness of men it was done away with. Since then only tradition has been handed clown to guide the Christian world. But, in this age, the Lord Jesus, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has again sent the Priesthood with a divine appointment, and commission to the world. A divinely appointed organization has been re-established in the earth, it is in perfect working order, and the men and women who receive the truth have a mission to proclaim Christ and Him crucified, and to show to the world, through their righteousness, and by the sweet influence they have, that they are indeed born of God, and have the light that will lead men back into the kingdom of our Father. The Latter-day Saints have received this divine authority and organization. Upon their shoulders rests the mission to preach Christ and Him crucified. The doctor, the lawyer, the farmer, the carpenter, the blacksmith, and men of every other vocation in life among the Latter-day Saints are missionaries. It is our duty to teach the people of the world that the organization that they are seeking after today is in the earth, an organization that brings in touch every one of its members with God and Christ. There is no overlapping nor crowding for place but a place for every man in the divinely appointed organization.
I am thankful that it has been my lot to be a Latter-day Saint from my birth, that my father and my grandfather were members of the Church of Jesus Christ. They were converted, not by the wisdom of men, neither "by the learning of the world, but by a revelation from God My feet have been planted upon that rock, and I know for my self that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the Church of God has been established among men. It has been established with apostles and prophets, seventies and elders, priests, teachers and deacons. They have a divinely appointed mission in the earth. Every man throughout the world who will hear their testimony, and receive it in their hearts, may have a part of that ministry, and feel God's spirit in them, from the crown of their heads to the soles of their feet, and learn to know God, and' feel His influence by working for the salvation of their fellow men. The man-made ministers preach for money, and divine for hire; there are but few of them working unselfishly for the uplift of mankind. Their organizations have not the power to bring men and women in touch with God. Jesus has not chosen them, neither ordained them. They cannot bring forth fruit because they have not followed the doctrine of Christ. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every man. from the greatest to the least, has a right to the revelations of God for his guidance. God can bless the honest in heart through the ministry of His humblest servant even though his language may be faltering, and his logic poor. If, from the time the light of God has come into the life of a man, he will magnify the priesthood, and honor the priesthood in others, the Lord will magnify him before the world, and honest hearted men and women will raise up and bless his name, and praise God that he came within their circle.
May God bless us, my brethren and sisters, and help the Latter-day Saints to honor the divinely appointed men that our Father has placed in the earth. Let us rejoice that we are associated with the divine organization that gives every man and woman a chance to receive an experience under the influence and power of God. May we honor the priesthood, and all men who bear it, and in the end be prepared, by the experience that we have received in the Church, to associate with God and Christ, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
I have pleasure in saying that the brethren who addressed us yesterday afternoon and this morning so far, are the presidents of the various missions, the Eastern and Southern States, the Northwestern States, the Northern States, and the Central States missions. Brother Herrick, who is the president of the Western States Mission, is absent today attending the funeral of one of his brothers. Brother Rey Pratt, the president of the Spanish Mission, is not present.
"I will go where you want me to go," a tenor solo, was rendered by Elder Melvin T. Ballard.
I have pleasure in saying that the brethren who addressed us yesterday afternoon and this morning so far, are the presidents of the various missions, the Eastern and Southern States, the Northwestern States, the Northern States, and the Central States missions. Brother Herrick, who is the president of the Western States Mission, is absent today attending the funeral of one of his brothers. Brother Rey Pratt, the president of the Spanish Mission, is not present.
"I will go where you want me to go," a tenor solo, was rendered by Elder Melvin T. Ballard.
ELDER MOSES W. TAYLOR.
(President of Summit Stake.)
How do you do? I am glad to meet you. You all look good to me.
I am going to tell you the part of President Smith's talk yesterday that made a great impression on me. It was that we should talk about the good things, and not all the time be talking about evil things. You know some people think it is a virtue to be sick. I met President Duckworth yesterday with a big rag around his neck and told him to take it off, it was a sign he was weak, and we want people to look beautiful and strong. I believe in people looking beautiful, and fixing themselves up. I often think of my father. You know he filled many missions in the world, and met many great men and many rich men, among others he met Baron Rothschild. One time Rothschild was traveling around the world and he came to Salt Lake City. Father was just about as poor at that time as he ever was in his life, but he had an old carriage and he got the boys out and we had to polish it and fix it up just as good as we could. He bought thirty cents worth of oil to black the harness, and we blacked the harness and worked at the old carriage and harness for about a day. Finally Baron Rothschild called on him. Father had a big black cloak and a silk hat that he had got in France. He had them cleaned and fixed up, and when he and the Baron walked out of the house to the carriage father looked better to me than Baron Rothschild. (Laughter.)
Now, I believe in appreciating what you have got. I believe in seeing the good in all men. Out in the stake where I live they say that everybody looks good to me, and they do. We have got the finest lot of Saints out there you ever saw. I like such songs as "Count Your Many Blessings," and I want to relate this on myself. I went home from here one day, got up early in the morning, and thought, Now I am going to count my blessings, and began to count them, and began to think: I have about fifty chickens at home and every one of them is trying to lay an egg today; I have got some pigs, and "it seems like I can't get rid of them, they increase so fast; I have some cows and they are increasing in number, and horses, and everything that I possess the Lord is blessing, including a large family of children. Then I began to think of how I have been blessed in the Church, that I had been called upon to preside over one of the best stakes in all the Church, and live among the best people, and I began thinking of one blessing after another, and the first thing I knew I was home walking in the house, and when I entered, one of the children, (one of the blessings), had done something that displeased Sister Taylor, and she told me about it, and I started to laugh and said, "From the sublime to the ridiculous, I have been counting my blessings." Then she laughed, we both laughed, and we began to count our blessings together.
Now, I believe absolutely in sustaining the authorities of the Church. I believe in doing what the Priesthood tells me, whether I like it or not. I never set my judgment up against the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is good enough for me and by following their counsel I have never failed. I believe in saving men. Don't believe in going around from house to house speaking of the ills of my neighbor. I had an experience recently. I had to go out and visit a large ranch with a man. When he went into the band of horses that we were looking at, "Why," he said, "just look at that beautiful stallion. I never saw a finer stallion in my life." Then he went over and looked at a beautiful mare ,and then another one, all the time seeing the beautiful. The ranch owner who was selling the horses and his men were perfectly happy, and the man himself who was seeing the beautiful things was happy. I went out a few days later with another man into the same band of horses. He did not see that stallion, he did not see those beautiful animals, ' but went around and found one horse with a crooked foot, and another one with a spavin. There were one hundred fifty head of the most beautiful horses I have seen in my life, but those two were all that he had seen and all he talked about, and everybody on. the ranch was unhappy till he got off it. Everybody loved the first man, but the other man went away without anybody loving him.
The missionaries were talking about the man that speaks the good all the time. He is the successful missionary. The missionary that goes out into the world and begins to tear down the beliefs of others, trying to destroy everything, does not convert anybody. You have got to make friends before you can convert people, and it is a very great blessing, my brethren and sisters, to see the good and to count the things that you have got as blessings from the Lord. Now may the peace and blessing of heaven be with us, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(President of Summit Stake.)
How do you do? I am glad to meet you. You all look good to me.
I am going to tell you the part of President Smith's talk yesterday that made a great impression on me. It was that we should talk about the good things, and not all the time be talking about evil things. You know some people think it is a virtue to be sick. I met President Duckworth yesterday with a big rag around his neck and told him to take it off, it was a sign he was weak, and we want people to look beautiful and strong. I believe in people looking beautiful, and fixing themselves up. I often think of my father. You know he filled many missions in the world, and met many great men and many rich men, among others he met Baron Rothschild. One time Rothschild was traveling around the world and he came to Salt Lake City. Father was just about as poor at that time as he ever was in his life, but he had an old carriage and he got the boys out and we had to polish it and fix it up just as good as we could. He bought thirty cents worth of oil to black the harness, and we blacked the harness and worked at the old carriage and harness for about a day. Finally Baron Rothschild called on him. Father had a big black cloak and a silk hat that he had got in France. He had them cleaned and fixed up, and when he and the Baron walked out of the house to the carriage father looked better to me than Baron Rothschild. (Laughter.)
Now, I believe in appreciating what you have got. I believe in seeing the good in all men. Out in the stake where I live they say that everybody looks good to me, and they do. We have got the finest lot of Saints out there you ever saw. I like such songs as "Count Your Many Blessings," and I want to relate this on myself. I went home from here one day, got up early in the morning, and thought, Now I am going to count my blessings, and began to count them, and began to think: I have about fifty chickens at home and every one of them is trying to lay an egg today; I have got some pigs, and "it seems like I can't get rid of them, they increase so fast; I have some cows and they are increasing in number, and horses, and everything that I possess the Lord is blessing, including a large family of children. Then I began to think of how I have been blessed in the Church, that I had been called upon to preside over one of the best stakes in all the Church, and live among the best people, and I began thinking of one blessing after another, and the first thing I knew I was home walking in the house, and when I entered, one of the children, (one of the blessings), had done something that displeased Sister Taylor, and she told me about it, and I started to laugh and said, "From the sublime to the ridiculous, I have been counting my blessings." Then she laughed, we both laughed, and we began to count our blessings together.
Now, I believe absolutely in sustaining the authorities of the Church. I believe in doing what the Priesthood tells me, whether I like it or not. I never set my judgment up against the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is good enough for me and by following their counsel I have never failed. I believe in saving men. Don't believe in going around from house to house speaking of the ills of my neighbor. I had an experience recently. I had to go out and visit a large ranch with a man. When he went into the band of horses that we were looking at, "Why," he said, "just look at that beautiful stallion. I never saw a finer stallion in my life." Then he went over and looked at a beautiful mare ,and then another one, all the time seeing the beautiful. The ranch owner who was selling the horses and his men were perfectly happy, and the man himself who was seeing the beautiful things was happy. I went out a few days later with another man into the same band of horses. He did not see that stallion, he did not see those beautiful animals, ' but went around and found one horse with a crooked foot, and another one with a spavin. There were one hundred fifty head of the most beautiful horses I have seen in my life, but those two were all that he had seen and all he talked about, and everybody on. the ranch was unhappy till he got off it. Everybody loved the first man, but the other man went away without anybody loving him.
The missionaries were talking about the man that speaks the good all the time. He is the successful missionary. The missionary that goes out into the world and begins to tear down the beliefs of others, trying to destroy everything, does not convert anybody. You have got to make friends before you can convert people, and it is a very great blessing, my brethren and sisters, to see the good and to count the things that you have got as blessings from the Lord. Now may the peace and blessing of heaven be with us, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER JOSEPH R. MURDOCK.
(President of Wasatch Stake.)
My brethren and sisters, it is rather a surprise to me to be called to address you this morning. I think that I am probably not quite so experienced in talking- to so many of my brethren and sisters as Brother Moses Taylor. I have felt perfectly satisfied in the past in listening to the testimonies of my brethren, and my heart certainly felt in tune with the remarks that were made by them during this conference, when they referred to the fact that their parents and grandparents were members of the Church. I felt to say in my heart, thank God I can make the. same statement.
I have taken pride, many times, in referring to the fact that my mother walked across the plains to these valleys of the mountains, and I feel that' I shall never forget her faith and endurance; and that my father, when thirteen years of age, drove a wagon and some cows and horses across the plains. I am proud of that, and of the fact that their fathers and mothers, my grandparents, had received the gospel in the eastern states, and I rejoice in it. I have rejoiced in the gospel from the time that I first began to understand it, at eight years of age, and I have had testimony repeatedly, from that time till the present, that the Lord hears and answers my prayers and the prayers of the Latter- day Saints. I have had no occasion to find fault with the authorities. They always placed so much good before me and never any evil that I know of, that I have felt perfectly satisfied with their teachings. When things have come up that I did not understand I have said in my heart, I will wait till I learn all about what I have been told before I begin to take exceptions to things I have not yet learned. It has only required a little time to make me fully understand, and appreciate, that all that has been advanced by those whom the Lord has placed in charge of His great work, in this dispensation, was for the interests of Zion, and for the uplifting of the work of our Father in this dispensation.
I rejoiced in hearing the testimony of Brother Taylor about his good stake of Zion. I don't doubt it, it joins ours, therefore it could not be otherwise than good. My stake is about 5500 feet above sea level ,and his is only 400 or 500 feet lower elevation. That accounts for it, perhaps, the higher you get the better it is. (laughter.) The Latter- day Saints of the Wasatch Stake of Zion are striving to serve the Lord, and mind their own business. I want to say, for the credit of those who do not belong to the Church, who live in that stake of Zion, they are perfectly willing we should do so, and they are not nor have not been putting any obstacles in our way. nor trying to interfere with us from serving the Lord as we understand: t, and there is harmony existing between us. Those who are members of the Church and those who are not. We are attending to Religion Class work in that stake of Zion, and no one is trying to prevent us. Our Religion Classes are as well attended as our Sunday Schools, and we are accomplishing a good work. We do not think there was any mistake made when the Religion Class work was started. Some of our schools are holding- more than one session a week. I have heard class teachers testify, in meetings of the Religion Class workers, that they would not want to teach school unless they could do so in some place where they would be allowed to teach Religion Classes after school hours. Well, we are willing they should do so, and there is no one up there that is objecting to it, and we hope they won't.
We are striving to serve the Lord, and to obey the teachings of His servants, and keep in harmony with the instruction that we receive from time to time. While we are pretty well elevated as before stated, we are not trying to take advantage of the situation and dictate affairs to our brethren and sisters. We are willing to let all of the other stakes alone, and follow their own inclinations, and the counsels which they receive. It takes us all our time to attend to the work that we have, and follow out the teachings that are imparted unto us from time to time in our conferences, and in the general conferences of the Church. Zion is growing in the Wasatch Stake of Zion, and the work of the Lord is increasing, and faith in the hearts of the people, and harmony between the people and those who preside. We feel that the Lord is with us as He is with His Saints throughout the length of the earth.
My earnest prayer is that Zion will continue to prosper, for I know the gospel is true; I know that it will bring peace, happiness and contentment unto the children of men everywhere throughout the land if they will only accept it. I pray that truth may spread abroad from city to city, from state to state, and from nation to nation. I fully appreciate the fact that this nation has an important work to perform in the world. It has accomplished a great am. unit of good already, and I believe it is only the beginning of what this great nation will do. It is the greatest nation and the best country on earth, and the best men have ruled the nation. We do not want any better than those who have- occupied those positions from time to time. The Lord gives us the best as occasion requires, and He will continue to do so and will inspire the great men of the nation with the love of freedom and the rights of humanity throughout the earth, and this nation will seek to protect the rights of other nations and influence them in the lines of liberty, and open up the way that the gospel may eventually go forth throughout all the world, as it has spread in this nation, without hindrance, with no one to prevent it. This people have a great work to d5 in connection with this nation, because we have the truth. We have the gospel which God has revealed, and, though it may be crushed for a time, it will arise and Zion will shine, and thousands in the nations of the earth will understand the fact that the once despised handful of people in the Rocky Mountains have the truth, and they are teaching the truth, and they have pure minded men and women who are defending it, whose example is worthy of the imitation of any people upon earth.
I pray that Cod will bless this people, that their course and example in life may continue to be exemplary, and that their children may be well taken care of and brought up under the teachings of the gospel, and possess the spirit of our fathers and mothers who accepted the truth and went through many trials and hardships for the gospel's sake, that we may carry it on from generation to generation, spreading the gospel abroad until the people of the earth will enjoy the blessings that the Latter-day Saints enjoy. I feel in my heart that there is no other people, no other place on earth where there is more of the spirit of freedom in the hearts of the people, and contentment and satisfaction that the Lord is on their side. The Lord is with them and the Lord hears and answers their prayers and they enjoy it with thanksgiving. It is the blessing which we would like to have all people partake of. We are not selfish. We send our elders out by the thousands and invite all of those who will come to come and partake of the waters of life and receive a testimony of the gospel, that God lives, that we are the children of our Father in heaven, in very deed, that we are not a mishap or a mischance, and something that they know not what, but we are literally the offspring of God the Eternal Father and we are worth saving and worth looking after, as are all of the children of men.
We are the friends of humanity, but they do not seem to understand it. We would do them good, we would inspire them with faith in God and with the truth, and to teach the truth. We would inspire every one on earth with the principles of morality and sobriety and honesty, if they would only let us. Well, let us continue faithful, my brethren and sisters. The Lord has this matter in hand, and eventually will bring Zion off triumphant, as He will all truth, which is my earnest desire and prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(President of Wasatch Stake.)
My brethren and sisters, it is rather a surprise to me to be called to address you this morning. I think that I am probably not quite so experienced in talking- to so many of my brethren and sisters as Brother Moses Taylor. I have felt perfectly satisfied in the past in listening to the testimonies of my brethren, and my heart certainly felt in tune with the remarks that were made by them during this conference, when they referred to the fact that their parents and grandparents were members of the Church. I felt to say in my heart, thank God I can make the. same statement.
I have taken pride, many times, in referring to the fact that my mother walked across the plains to these valleys of the mountains, and I feel that' I shall never forget her faith and endurance; and that my father, when thirteen years of age, drove a wagon and some cows and horses across the plains. I am proud of that, and of the fact that their fathers and mothers, my grandparents, had received the gospel in the eastern states, and I rejoice in it. I have rejoiced in the gospel from the time that I first began to understand it, at eight years of age, and I have had testimony repeatedly, from that time till the present, that the Lord hears and answers my prayers and the prayers of the Latter- day Saints. I have had no occasion to find fault with the authorities. They always placed so much good before me and never any evil that I know of, that I have felt perfectly satisfied with their teachings. When things have come up that I did not understand I have said in my heart, I will wait till I learn all about what I have been told before I begin to take exceptions to things I have not yet learned. It has only required a little time to make me fully understand, and appreciate, that all that has been advanced by those whom the Lord has placed in charge of His great work, in this dispensation, was for the interests of Zion, and for the uplifting of the work of our Father in this dispensation.
I rejoiced in hearing the testimony of Brother Taylor about his good stake of Zion. I don't doubt it, it joins ours, therefore it could not be otherwise than good. My stake is about 5500 feet above sea level ,and his is only 400 or 500 feet lower elevation. That accounts for it, perhaps, the higher you get the better it is. (laughter.) The Latter- day Saints of the Wasatch Stake of Zion are striving to serve the Lord, and mind their own business. I want to say, for the credit of those who do not belong to the Church, who live in that stake of Zion, they are perfectly willing we should do so, and they are not nor have not been putting any obstacles in our way. nor trying to interfere with us from serving the Lord as we understand: t, and there is harmony existing between us. Those who are members of the Church and those who are not. We are attending to Religion Class work in that stake of Zion, and no one is trying to prevent us. Our Religion Classes are as well attended as our Sunday Schools, and we are accomplishing a good work. We do not think there was any mistake made when the Religion Class work was started. Some of our schools are holding- more than one session a week. I have heard class teachers testify, in meetings of the Religion Class workers, that they would not want to teach school unless they could do so in some place where they would be allowed to teach Religion Classes after school hours. Well, we are willing they should do so, and there is no one up there that is objecting to it, and we hope they won't.
We are striving to serve the Lord, and to obey the teachings of His servants, and keep in harmony with the instruction that we receive from time to time. While we are pretty well elevated as before stated, we are not trying to take advantage of the situation and dictate affairs to our brethren and sisters. We are willing to let all of the other stakes alone, and follow their own inclinations, and the counsels which they receive. It takes us all our time to attend to the work that we have, and follow out the teachings that are imparted unto us from time to time in our conferences, and in the general conferences of the Church. Zion is growing in the Wasatch Stake of Zion, and the work of the Lord is increasing, and faith in the hearts of the people, and harmony between the people and those who preside. We feel that the Lord is with us as He is with His Saints throughout the length of the earth.
My earnest prayer is that Zion will continue to prosper, for I know the gospel is true; I know that it will bring peace, happiness and contentment unto the children of men everywhere throughout the land if they will only accept it. I pray that truth may spread abroad from city to city, from state to state, and from nation to nation. I fully appreciate the fact that this nation has an important work to perform in the world. It has accomplished a great am. unit of good already, and I believe it is only the beginning of what this great nation will do. It is the greatest nation and the best country on earth, and the best men have ruled the nation. We do not want any better than those who have- occupied those positions from time to time. The Lord gives us the best as occasion requires, and He will continue to do so and will inspire the great men of the nation with the love of freedom and the rights of humanity throughout the earth, and this nation will seek to protect the rights of other nations and influence them in the lines of liberty, and open up the way that the gospel may eventually go forth throughout all the world, as it has spread in this nation, without hindrance, with no one to prevent it. This people have a great work to d5 in connection with this nation, because we have the truth. We have the gospel which God has revealed, and, though it may be crushed for a time, it will arise and Zion will shine, and thousands in the nations of the earth will understand the fact that the once despised handful of people in the Rocky Mountains have the truth, and they are teaching the truth, and they have pure minded men and women who are defending it, whose example is worthy of the imitation of any people upon earth.
I pray that Cod will bless this people, that their course and example in life may continue to be exemplary, and that their children may be well taken care of and brought up under the teachings of the gospel, and possess the spirit of our fathers and mothers who accepted the truth and went through many trials and hardships for the gospel's sake, that we may carry it on from generation to generation, spreading the gospel abroad until the people of the earth will enjoy the blessings that the Latter-day Saints enjoy. I feel in my heart that there is no other people, no other place on earth where there is more of the spirit of freedom in the hearts of the people, and contentment and satisfaction that the Lord is on their side. The Lord is with them and the Lord hears and answers their prayers and they enjoy it with thanksgiving. It is the blessing which we would like to have all people partake of. We are not selfish. We send our elders out by the thousands and invite all of those who will come to come and partake of the waters of life and receive a testimony of the gospel, that God lives, that we are the children of our Father in heaven, in very deed, that we are not a mishap or a mischance, and something that they know not what, but we are literally the offspring of God the Eternal Father and we are worth saving and worth looking after, as are all of the children of men.
We are the friends of humanity, but they do not seem to understand it. We would do them good, we would inspire them with faith in God and with the truth, and to teach the truth. We would inspire every one on earth with the principles of morality and sobriety and honesty, if they would only let us. Well, let us continue faithful, my brethren and sisters. The Lord has this matter in hand, and eventually will bring Zion off triumphant, as He will all truth, which is my earnest desire and prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
You see we even have gray headed third generation men—men of the third generation who have gone gray in the service.
You see we even have gray headed third generation men—men of the third generation who have gone gray in the service.
ELDER ALONZO A. HINCKLEY.
(President of Deseret Stake.)
I sincerely hope, my brethren and sisters, that I may be able to partially calm my fluttering heart, and be led for a few moments by the inspiration of the Lord. I have enjoyed every moment of the conference from the very beginning, and I have been able to heartily say "Amen" at the conclusion of each address in this conference. While my brethren were talking of their respective stakes, a passage of scripture came to my mind: "He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The Deseret Stake of Zion is down along the lowlands of the Sevier River, the youngest child in the family of stakes, I believe, but she is growing, and we expect, after having taken that humble position, to have them say: Come hither and occupy this honorable place.
I too am glad to be able to bear testimony of my father and of my mother, of my ancestry, of their faithfulness in the kingdom of God, and I cherish the hope that I can follow faithfully 'the example of my parents. I give them first credit for having taught me the gospel of Jesus Christ, and taught it to me so faithfully and earnestly that I have never been beset with doubts. I thank them for. the teaching they gave me in reverence, and in reverencing the authorities of the Church. It was the spirit of my father, somewhat like John the Baptist when he beheld the Savior approaching, when he said. "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." In my father's home, when the authorities of the Church visited us, we reverently looked upon them as men of God.
I thank the Lord that that spirit has remained with me unto this day; that I reverence my brethren as men of God, for I never have yet received in all my life any teaching from any of the authorities of this Church that has not been for my good. I thank the Lord for a gospel which puts restraint upon me, which demands of me that I keep myself free from the sins of the world; which demands of me that I take care of my tabernacle, that it shall not be defiled with liquor nor with tobacco, nor with tea nor with coffee; which demands of me that I shall not blaspheme, that I cannot excuse myself if I become angry and take the name of God in vain, that I shall reverence the name of the Lord, and never speak it only in devotion and in the deepest reverence. I thank the Lord that the gospel demands of me that I shall not wrap myself up in selfishness, but that I shall give, that I shall give in tithes and in donations, that I shall impart unto my fellow men, and for the work of the Lord. I thank the Lord that the gospel demands of me that I shall not be so selfish that when I have a truth I shall keep that truth to myself, but that it is my privilege and my duty to bear testimony of this to those who know not of this restored gospel.
I thank the Lord that I am associated as I am with the people who serve the Lord. I hope and believe that our people do so live that the stranger who comes among us—and strangers are multiplying in our midst—that they discover, as they associate with us, that it is no idle statement when we say that we believe in being honest, chaste, virtuous, benevolent, and in doing good unto all men. I thank the Lord that this spirit that has come down to me from my father has also made itself manifest in our children, and I hope that I will not be charged with speaking in any personal way but only as all fathers feel, I believe. When we came out of a priesthood meeting the other day, where a call had been made for missionaries, my son a young man but eighteen years of age, when I came home said, "Papa, do you think I am old enough to go abroad and proclaim the gospel ? I would like to accept that mission." My heart was melted with joy when that boy made that voluntary offer. "I will go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ." I said to his mother, "Is he old enough, Mama? Can we spare him, or will he not be more efficient in a year or two?" I don't know, right now, what I ought to do, but yet I thank the Lord for the spirit that prompted the boy to proffer to go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to feel in his youth that it is the truth. I believe that the gospel demands of you and me not that we wait till our age is advanced and then give our service, but that we give the strength of our youth, the strength of our manhood, the best that we possess, all that we have and all that we are for the Church and kingdom of God. If this gospel is anything it is everything to us, for the Spirit of God hath borne witness to our spirit until we know; we know we speak the truth when we say that God has spoken again in this day and age of the world, and revealed His everlasting gospel for the redemption of the world.
I thank the Lord that we do not have to wait entirely for our reward in the life to come, but that every honest Latter-day Saint who serves God and keeps his commandments receives his reward day by day in the inspiration of the Almighty which comes unto him, and in the satisfaction that he receives in his soul. No man serves God that does not feel the influence of the Spirit of God, the Spirit testifying unto his soul that his course in life is approved of the Lord. I bear testimony that I know that the ' gospel is true. The Lord has revealed it to me, and I hope and pray that I shall live so humbly that this. testimony shall never leave me.
I believe that I have discovered, and that I know that no man ever loses the faith so long as his life is in harmony with the requirements of the gospel. In our stake of Zion, whenever you hear a man complain, or a man who has doubts, you only have to look around and make a little inquiry and you will discover that that man has grown lax in his duty, or has done that which has bereft him of the Spirit of the Lord, and then he is affected with doubt and fault-finding. I said to one of my missionary companions, one of my associates, after a lapse of a few years, "I want to speak. to you, my brother. Where is the faith, where is the testimony that you bore when you first came home?" "Oh, Brother Hinckley." he said, "it is different with me now. I do not have that testimony, I do not feel as I did." I said, "Why not?" and he answered, "I am broader." I said, "Are you broader? 'Did you not feel good when you bore that testimony?" "Yes." "Was it not an honest testimony?" "Yes." "Then tell me, brother, answer me a few questions honestly. Are you living as you should? Do you remember your prayers? Are you observing the Word of Wisdom ? Do you pay your tithing? Do you go to the house of the Lord on the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and do you worship Him?" "No," he replied, "I do not. I do not pray. Once in a while I take a cigar. Once in a while I drink a little beer," and he added "You have got too narrow." My brethren and sisters, I am pleased to bear this testimony to you that, after saying this, perhaps three years, that same man narrowed in from this, as he called it, broad view, he repented, he ceased to smoke, ceased to partake of the glass of beer, he again sought the Lord in prayer, and today he bears the testimony which he bore when he first came home from his mission.
Our safety is in a life of service, and the danger that comes to us is in the first neglect of a small duty, which leads to greater neglect and finally to the loss of the Spirit of God. The Lord bless us, and help us to be true and faithful from now and henceforth, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Our God, we raise to Thee
Thanks for Thy blessings free
We here enjoy;
In this far western land,
A true and chosen band,
Led hither by Thy hand,
We sing for joy.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Mark Austin.
Conference adjourned until 2 p.m.
(President of Deseret Stake.)
I sincerely hope, my brethren and sisters, that I may be able to partially calm my fluttering heart, and be led for a few moments by the inspiration of the Lord. I have enjoyed every moment of the conference from the very beginning, and I have been able to heartily say "Amen" at the conclusion of each address in this conference. While my brethren were talking of their respective stakes, a passage of scripture came to my mind: "He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The Deseret Stake of Zion is down along the lowlands of the Sevier River, the youngest child in the family of stakes, I believe, but she is growing, and we expect, after having taken that humble position, to have them say: Come hither and occupy this honorable place.
I too am glad to be able to bear testimony of my father and of my mother, of my ancestry, of their faithfulness in the kingdom of God, and I cherish the hope that I can follow faithfully 'the example of my parents. I give them first credit for having taught me the gospel of Jesus Christ, and taught it to me so faithfully and earnestly that I have never been beset with doubts. I thank them for. the teaching they gave me in reverence, and in reverencing the authorities of the Church. It was the spirit of my father, somewhat like John the Baptist when he beheld the Savior approaching, when he said. "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." In my father's home, when the authorities of the Church visited us, we reverently looked upon them as men of God.
I thank the Lord that that spirit has remained with me unto this day; that I reverence my brethren as men of God, for I never have yet received in all my life any teaching from any of the authorities of this Church that has not been for my good. I thank the Lord for a gospel which puts restraint upon me, which demands of me that I keep myself free from the sins of the world; which demands of me that I take care of my tabernacle, that it shall not be defiled with liquor nor with tobacco, nor with tea nor with coffee; which demands of me that I shall not blaspheme, that I cannot excuse myself if I become angry and take the name of God in vain, that I shall reverence the name of the Lord, and never speak it only in devotion and in the deepest reverence. I thank the Lord that the gospel demands of me that I shall not wrap myself up in selfishness, but that I shall give, that I shall give in tithes and in donations, that I shall impart unto my fellow men, and for the work of the Lord. I thank the Lord that the gospel demands of me that I shall not be so selfish that when I have a truth I shall keep that truth to myself, but that it is my privilege and my duty to bear testimony of this to those who know not of this restored gospel.
I thank the Lord that I am associated as I am with the people who serve the Lord. I hope and believe that our people do so live that the stranger who comes among us—and strangers are multiplying in our midst—that they discover, as they associate with us, that it is no idle statement when we say that we believe in being honest, chaste, virtuous, benevolent, and in doing good unto all men. I thank the Lord that this spirit that has come down to me from my father has also made itself manifest in our children, and I hope that I will not be charged with speaking in any personal way but only as all fathers feel, I believe. When we came out of a priesthood meeting the other day, where a call had been made for missionaries, my son a young man but eighteen years of age, when I came home said, "Papa, do you think I am old enough to go abroad and proclaim the gospel ? I would like to accept that mission." My heart was melted with joy when that boy made that voluntary offer. "I will go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ." I said to his mother, "Is he old enough, Mama? Can we spare him, or will he not be more efficient in a year or two?" I don't know, right now, what I ought to do, but yet I thank the Lord for the spirit that prompted the boy to proffer to go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to feel in his youth that it is the truth. I believe that the gospel demands of you and me not that we wait till our age is advanced and then give our service, but that we give the strength of our youth, the strength of our manhood, the best that we possess, all that we have and all that we are for the Church and kingdom of God. If this gospel is anything it is everything to us, for the Spirit of God hath borne witness to our spirit until we know; we know we speak the truth when we say that God has spoken again in this day and age of the world, and revealed His everlasting gospel for the redemption of the world.
I thank the Lord that we do not have to wait entirely for our reward in the life to come, but that every honest Latter-day Saint who serves God and keeps his commandments receives his reward day by day in the inspiration of the Almighty which comes unto him, and in the satisfaction that he receives in his soul. No man serves God that does not feel the influence of the Spirit of God, the Spirit testifying unto his soul that his course in life is approved of the Lord. I bear testimony that I know that the ' gospel is true. The Lord has revealed it to me, and I hope and pray that I shall live so humbly that this. testimony shall never leave me.
I believe that I have discovered, and that I know that no man ever loses the faith so long as his life is in harmony with the requirements of the gospel. In our stake of Zion, whenever you hear a man complain, or a man who has doubts, you only have to look around and make a little inquiry and you will discover that that man has grown lax in his duty, or has done that which has bereft him of the Spirit of the Lord, and then he is affected with doubt and fault-finding. I said to one of my missionary companions, one of my associates, after a lapse of a few years, "I want to speak. to you, my brother. Where is the faith, where is the testimony that you bore when you first came home?" "Oh, Brother Hinckley." he said, "it is different with me now. I do not have that testimony, I do not feel as I did." I said, "Why not?" and he answered, "I am broader." I said, "Are you broader? 'Did you not feel good when you bore that testimony?" "Yes." "Was it not an honest testimony?" "Yes." "Then tell me, brother, answer me a few questions honestly. Are you living as you should? Do you remember your prayers? Are you observing the Word of Wisdom ? Do you pay your tithing? Do you go to the house of the Lord on the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and do you worship Him?" "No," he replied, "I do not. I do not pray. Once in a while I take a cigar. Once in a while I drink a little beer," and he added "You have got too narrow." My brethren and sisters, I am pleased to bear this testimony to you that, after saying this, perhaps three years, that same man narrowed in from this, as he called it, broad view, he repented, he ceased to smoke, ceased to partake of the glass of beer, he again sought the Lord in prayer, and today he bears the testimony which he bore when he first came home from his mission.
Our safety is in a life of service, and the danger that comes to us is in the first neglect of a small duty, which leads to greater neglect and finally to the loss of the Spirit of God. The Lord bless us, and help us to be true and faithful from now and henceforth, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Our God, we raise to Thee
Thanks for Thy blessings free
We here enjoy;
In this far western land,
A true and chosen band,
Led hither by Thy hand,
We sing for joy.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Mark Austin.
Conference adjourned until 2 p.m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Conference was resumed at 2 p. m.
President Joseph F. Smith called the meeting to order.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Guide us, O Thou great Jehovah,
Lead us to the promised land,
We are weak, but Thou art able--
Hold us with Thy powerful hand.
Prayer was offered by Elder Wm. T. Jack.
The congregation sang the hymn:
The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
The latter-day glory begins to come forth;
The visions and blessings of old are returning,
And angels are coming to visit the earth.
Conference was resumed at 2 p. m.
President Joseph F. Smith called the meeting to order.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Guide us, O Thou great Jehovah,
Lead us to the promised land,
We are weak, but Thou art able--
Hold us with Thy powerful hand.
Prayer was offered by Elder Wm. T. Jack.
The congregation sang the hymn:
The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
The latter-day glory begins to come forth;
The visions and blessings of old are returning,
And angels are coming to visit the earth.
ELDER MILTON H. WELLING.
(President of Bear River Stake.)
I believe, my brethren and sisters, some great men have said that one-third of an individual's character is formed before he comes into the world; that the prenatal influences which have gone into the building up of his personality have predisposed him to certain lines of thought and activity, after he has been born among the children of men. It is said, also, that one-third of one's character is due to his own self-effort; the things that he accomplishes, or strives to accomplish, go into the making of his character; and that one-third of his being is made up from the environment with which he is associated during his sojourn here upon the earth; that men with whom he associates and whom he meets from day to day, have some influence in the shaping of his character. If that doctrine is true, I ought to be at least one-third good, because I have grown up under the teachings, the testimony and the influence of men and women of God. As I have listened to the testimony and the teachings of the servants of God, during this conference, I felt that every young man in Israel ought to feel as I did, that we ought to be partly good at any rate, by reason of the testimony and teachings that come to us from the servants of the living God.
I can never remember the time in my life when there was not taught to me, at my mother's knee, and later on in all of the organizations of this Church, to reverence and revere the priesthood of the living God. I am glad that I can say to you that my parents were members of this Church; that my grandparents were associate with the organization of this Church in the very beginning; that they walked and talked and labored with the Prophet Joseph Smith, and with his associates, in the beginning of the organization of this Church. I cannot remember the day when I have ever heard one of these progenitors of mine speak a disrespectful word of one of the leaders of Israel: and so I want to say that my training predisposes me to accept the testimony and the teachings of ray brethren who teach us the word of the Lord from day to day, the general authorities of the Church who come into our stakes occasionally to give us the word of the Lord, and those who preach to us from this pulpit during the general conference of the Church.
I have heard it said many times, by men who are older than I am, that we young men of Israel today are living in an especially favored dispensation; that we have been blessed above our fathers and mothers who came here, who sought out this land and who established this empire in the Rocky Mountains. I sometimes have doubts in my own mind whether or not we are so especially favored as they would have us believe that we are. My father, my grandfather, and my grand-mother walked and talked with the Prophet Joseph Smith; they received his testimony and his teachings; and I don't believe that there, was any power in the world that could have persuaded them to turn against the truths of the gospel. It is true that we have more of book learning, and have greater opportunities to study the sciences and the arts. It is quite true that young men in Israel today are surrounded by opportunities for intellectual growth and advancement which our parents did not receive; but I want to call attention to the fact, this afternoon, that the Prophet of the Lord, seventy and eighty years ago was teaching to the Latter- day Saints, some of the greatest truths that have ever been revealed to the world, before they had ever been dreamed of by the men who are writing the books of science of the present day. I am not so certain but that those men and women who received those divine truths direct from the testimony and teachings of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, were in a much better position intellectually, as well as in all other ways, than are the boys and girls who seek to learn those same truths today from books that have been written. I know of one thing, that the testimony of the truth was just as strongly in the hearts of our parents as we can hope to have it in our hearts today. I hope and pray that the lives of Latter-day Saints today, the lives of young men in the Church today, could as nearly conform to the teachings of the servants of God as did the life and character and testimony and teaching of our fathers and mothers, who have preceded us. I find that there is a spirit, occasionally, in the hearts of young people in the Church today, to treat lightly some of the things that ought to be held very sacred by them. I find, occasionally, not frequently, because I believe I come from a section of this Church where men are living their religion quite as faithfully and quite as well as the average Latter-day Saints; but I find a disposition among some of our boys and girls to speak lightly of some of the doctrines of the Church, to speak lightly of an appointment to perform a special mission or a special duty in the Church.
I find in their hearts occasionally, as I minister among them, a disposition to treat lightly a call to perform a special service for the Church among the Latter-day Saints today. Now, as I recall the history of this Church in the past, it was not so when the Prophet of the Lord spoke. I remember an instance in the history of the Church where the Prophet declared that the quorum of the Twelve Apostles should depart for foreign lands to open up missions and to preach the gospel, and where it appeared to be a physical impossibility, on account of the sickness of those men, to accomplish that which the Prophet had declared should be accomplished; and the enemies of this people were gloating over the fact that the time had come to prove that Joseph Smith was not a prophet of the living God. But the time arrived, and when it did arrive, these men of God of a former generation had gotten up from their beds, had left their wives and families, some of them in very great distress, had assembled themselves together upon the site of the temple, had prayed to the Lord and had gone forth in the accomplishment of that which the Lord had required of them. I wonder some times if there is the same spirit of determination, the same desire to serve our Father in heaven, the same desire to go forth in the accomplishment of those things which He has for men to accomplish today, in the hearts of our boys and girls, as there was in that day. I very sincerely hope that it is true. I very sincerely believe also that when the young men of this Church are put to the test, that they will prove faithful and true.
I know that God has established this work in the hearts of the children of men. I know that it is true, and I know that that same testimony is lying, sometimes a little dormant, but always in the hearts of the men and women and young people in this Church who are striving to live their religion. I believe that this Church is a Church of service; that no men can hope to succeed, that no woman can hope to succeed, that no individual in the world will be happy or contented in the Church unless they are devoting themselves to the building up and strengthening of the Church. That is the way it is in our stake of Zion. Those individuals that are busy, those who are attending to their duties, are the individuals who are happy, who are contented, who have no fault to find with their bishop, who haven't any fault to find with the presidency of the stake, or the general authorities of the Church who come into our midst to instruct us. They have no fault to find with their ward teachers; and I am very grateful for the fact that I believe there is a revival of the feeling that there is a necessity for the work of teaching among the Latter- day Saints. We find that it is so in our stake; and those wards of our stake of Zion where one hundred per cent of the people are visited each month are the wards that have no trouble in them, where the people are united, and where the Latter-day Saints are working together unitedly, helpfully, and successfully for the accomplishment of the work of God as I believe they ever did in the history of this Church. But if I find an individual who is indifferent, an individual who is lukewarm, I soon discover that he is not attending his sacrament meetings, and not attending to the duty that the Bishop has asked him to perform in the Church. Now, I very greatly rejoice in a testimony of the truth of this gospel. It is more priceless to me than all the wealth of the world possibly could be, and I pray that it may be so in the hearts of my brethren and sisters; that we may, during the sessions of this conference, receive the testimony of these men of God who have been called here to act as prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we go to our homes in the different stakes in Zion, I trust we may take home their teachings, and let us talk about it around the firesides, as our parents used to talk about it in the generation that is past. I very well remember in my boyhood days that there was not a subject of more engrossing interest, not a subject that would bring together the family of my father any more interestedly than one in which we met together to discuss and talk over the teachings of the servants of the living God.
May God help us to be faithful and true, as young men in Israel, and to accomplish the full purpose and destiny of our mission here upon the earth, is my prayer for each one in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(President of Bear River Stake.)
I believe, my brethren and sisters, some great men have said that one-third of an individual's character is formed before he comes into the world; that the prenatal influences which have gone into the building up of his personality have predisposed him to certain lines of thought and activity, after he has been born among the children of men. It is said, also, that one-third of one's character is due to his own self-effort; the things that he accomplishes, or strives to accomplish, go into the making of his character; and that one-third of his being is made up from the environment with which he is associated during his sojourn here upon the earth; that men with whom he associates and whom he meets from day to day, have some influence in the shaping of his character. If that doctrine is true, I ought to be at least one-third good, because I have grown up under the teachings, the testimony and the influence of men and women of God. As I have listened to the testimony and the teachings of the servants of God, during this conference, I felt that every young man in Israel ought to feel as I did, that we ought to be partly good at any rate, by reason of the testimony and teachings that come to us from the servants of the living God.
I can never remember the time in my life when there was not taught to me, at my mother's knee, and later on in all of the organizations of this Church, to reverence and revere the priesthood of the living God. I am glad that I can say to you that my parents were members of this Church; that my grandparents were associate with the organization of this Church in the very beginning; that they walked and talked and labored with the Prophet Joseph Smith, and with his associates, in the beginning of the organization of this Church. I cannot remember the day when I have ever heard one of these progenitors of mine speak a disrespectful word of one of the leaders of Israel: and so I want to say that my training predisposes me to accept the testimony and the teachings of ray brethren who teach us the word of the Lord from day to day, the general authorities of the Church who come into our stakes occasionally to give us the word of the Lord, and those who preach to us from this pulpit during the general conference of the Church.
I have heard it said many times, by men who are older than I am, that we young men of Israel today are living in an especially favored dispensation; that we have been blessed above our fathers and mothers who came here, who sought out this land and who established this empire in the Rocky Mountains. I sometimes have doubts in my own mind whether or not we are so especially favored as they would have us believe that we are. My father, my grandfather, and my grand-mother walked and talked with the Prophet Joseph Smith; they received his testimony and his teachings; and I don't believe that there, was any power in the world that could have persuaded them to turn against the truths of the gospel. It is true that we have more of book learning, and have greater opportunities to study the sciences and the arts. It is quite true that young men in Israel today are surrounded by opportunities for intellectual growth and advancement which our parents did not receive; but I want to call attention to the fact, this afternoon, that the Prophet of the Lord, seventy and eighty years ago was teaching to the Latter- day Saints, some of the greatest truths that have ever been revealed to the world, before they had ever been dreamed of by the men who are writing the books of science of the present day. I am not so certain but that those men and women who received those divine truths direct from the testimony and teachings of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, were in a much better position intellectually, as well as in all other ways, than are the boys and girls who seek to learn those same truths today from books that have been written. I know of one thing, that the testimony of the truth was just as strongly in the hearts of our parents as we can hope to have it in our hearts today. I hope and pray that the lives of Latter-day Saints today, the lives of young men in the Church today, could as nearly conform to the teachings of the servants of God as did the life and character and testimony and teaching of our fathers and mothers, who have preceded us. I find that there is a spirit, occasionally, in the hearts of young people in the Church today, to treat lightly some of the things that ought to be held very sacred by them. I find, occasionally, not frequently, because I believe I come from a section of this Church where men are living their religion quite as faithfully and quite as well as the average Latter-day Saints; but I find a disposition among some of our boys and girls to speak lightly of some of the doctrines of the Church, to speak lightly of an appointment to perform a special mission or a special duty in the Church.
I find in their hearts occasionally, as I minister among them, a disposition to treat lightly a call to perform a special service for the Church among the Latter-day Saints today. Now, as I recall the history of this Church in the past, it was not so when the Prophet of the Lord spoke. I remember an instance in the history of the Church where the Prophet declared that the quorum of the Twelve Apostles should depart for foreign lands to open up missions and to preach the gospel, and where it appeared to be a physical impossibility, on account of the sickness of those men, to accomplish that which the Prophet had declared should be accomplished; and the enemies of this people were gloating over the fact that the time had come to prove that Joseph Smith was not a prophet of the living God. But the time arrived, and when it did arrive, these men of God of a former generation had gotten up from their beds, had left their wives and families, some of them in very great distress, had assembled themselves together upon the site of the temple, had prayed to the Lord and had gone forth in the accomplishment of that which the Lord had required of them. I wonder some times if there is the same spirit of determination, the same desire to serve our Father in heaven, the same desire to go forth in the accomplishment of those things which He has for men to accomplish today, in the hearts of our boys and girls, as there was in that day. I very sincerely hope that it is true. I very sincerely believe also that when the young men of this Church are put to the test, that they will prove faithful and true.
I know that God has established this work in the hearts of the children of men. I know that it is true, and I know that that same testimony is lying, sometimes a little dormant, but always in the hearts of the men and women and young people in this Church who are striving to live their religion. I believe that this Church is a Church of service; that no men can hope to succeed, that no woman can hope to succeed, that no individual in the world will be happy or contented in the Church unless they are devoting themselves to the building up and strengthening of the Church. That is the way it is in our stake of Zion. Those individuals that are busy, those who are attending to their duties, are the individuals who are happy, who are contented, who have no fault to find with their bishop, who haven't any fault to find with the presidency of the stake, or the general authorities of the Church who come into our midst to instruct us. They have no fault to find with their ward teachers; and I am very grateful for the fact that I believe there is a revival of the feeling that there is a necessity for the work of teaching among the Latter- day Saints. We find that it is so in our stake; and those wards of our stake of Zion where one hundred per cent of the people are visited each month are the wards that have no trouble in them, where the people are united, and where the Latter-day Saints are working together unitedly, helpfully, and successfully for the accomplishment of the work of God as I believe they ever did in the history of this Church. But if I find an individual who is indifferent, an individual who is lukewarm, I soon discover that he is not attending his sacrament meetings, and not attending to the duty that the Bishop has asked him to perform in the Church. Now, I very greatly rejoice in a testimony of the truth of this gospel. It is more priceless to me than all the wealth of the world possibly could be, and I pray that it may be so in the hearts of my brethren and sisters; that we may, during the sessions of this conference, receive the testimony of these men of God who have been called here to act as prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we go to our homes in the different stakes in Zion, I trust we may take home their teachings, and let us talk about it around the firesides, as our parents used to talk about it in the generation that is past. I very well remember in my boyhood days that there was not a subject of more engrossing interest, not a subject that would bring together the family of my father any more interestedly than one in which we met together to discuss and talk over the teachings of the servants of the living God.
May God help us to be faithful and true, as young men in Israel, and to accomplish the full purpose and destiny of our mission here upon the earth, is my prayer for each one in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER WILLIAM A. HYDE
(President of Pocatello Stake.)
My beloved brethren and sisters, whether or not I shall be able to rise to the height of this occasion, I feel that the people of my stake are honored in the opportunity that is offered me this afternoon of representing them. I have had great pleasure in the proceedings of the conference thus far, and feel that I have had distinct benefit personally; that in the remarks that have been made there has come to me strength and satisfaction that I have needed, and I would feel well repaid even it at this moment the conference were discontinued. I am looking now into the faces of several thousand people with intellects diversified, no two individuals perhaps thinking along the same lines upon ordinary themes, but assembled with the one purpose in heart, united in one desire to serve the Lord and to keep His commandments, and representing, as I believe, the strength, purpose, and power of latter-day Israel.
I think that if there is any one thing needed to be remembered by the Latter-day Saints it is the injunction contained in a passage that is to be found in the revelations of the Lord, that contains, I believe, more than any other statement of its length, a key to the lives of the Latter-day Saints: "Seek diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together £< >r your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another." In my opinion that contains an epitome of wise instruction to the Latter-day Saints. We know with full assurance that it is our duty to seek diligently; that the Lord does not give to him who does not seek; that to every man who seeks, the way shall be open; to him who knocks there will come a ready answer. The lives of Latter-day Saints, the philosophy that they have acquired, or have received, has made them feel that everything they receive is a result of efforts that they put forth. It is important that men should pray always, that hearts should be constantly uplifting to God for His guidance and direction, and that in all we do, we should seek for the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. But, of the three injunctions, I think this to be not the least, that we should be believing. Throughout all the generations of men. as far as my observation goes, I have noticed that one of the great stumbling blocks or faults in the way of mankind, is lack of ability to believe. I am daily in the midst of men who come in constant contact with the same truths that appeal to me, who have had laid before them the truths that have convinced me. I meet men who are honest, as far as I am able to judge, in all their dealings and acts with mankind, yet they do not always see as I see, or think as I think, or believe as I believe. Nevertheless, I know in my soul that the things I look upon as being- the ideals of life, are things that will lead me to salvation, and that if others would believe them they also would be led unto salvation; but it seems impossible for them to understand them or to esteem them as I do.
I wonder if among the Latter-day Saints there are those who, possibly, receive and accept, unthinkingly, the principles that are laid down before us, and the precepts that are given for our guidance day by day. That passive reception of these things is not evidence of full and entire belief. There should be no "doubting Thomases" among us. It is better to believe without seeing; better to believe by the evidences of the word that come to us from time to time in the pages of history. In histories that have been given of the lives of prophets and patriarchs of old there have been great events recorded that are not believed by many of the advanced minds of the present time. Robert G. Ingersoll wrote a book upon the mistakes of Moses; and the doings of Moses have been made a by-word in the mouths of scientific men. Great things that are recorded of the miracles performed during the early history of the world are looked upon as being mere figments of the imaginations of men, attempts to play upon the credulity of their fellowmen. We read of the miraculous journey of the children of Israel across the wilderness, their pathway preceded by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. We read of the striking of the rock, and the emerging therefrom of the hidden waters. We read of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still. All these things are accepted in the minds of some as true, and in the minds of others as being unbelievable. Today, in the history of the world, and of the Church, with which we are directly or indirectly associated, there have been miracles quite as great. There have been marvelous happenings in the lives of the Latter-day Saints that should elevate our minds to a knowledge of the fact that God is as near today as He has ever been in the history of the world. It is His purpose, day by day, to speak to us in one way or another, either by history or by the things that are now being fulfilled, of past prophecy or some other evidence that calls to us from the great Author of our being, with the endeavor to lead us into the way of righteousness. Those who believe, whose minds are open to receive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are the ones who are in the line of safety; while those whose minds are inclined to skepticism, who think that it is necessary to prove by actual demonstration, as one would prove the principles of geometry, are the ones who will not. receive the reward of the believer.
There are many problems confronting the Latter-day Saints at the present time. Never in the history of the Church, in modern times or in ancient days, have there been greater problems. The discoveries of the day, the inventions of mankind, the political problems, all unite to form complications so great, so difficult of understanding; that they operate upon the minds of individuals and turn them from a contemplation of the most important things in life. In the midst of all these things we become distracted, our thoughts are drawn from the ideals of our religion, not centered upon the promises of God to us. There is yet to be revealed things that will test the faith of the Latter-day Saints, and require that their belief be given readily and as cheerfully as if accompanied by tangible evidence. Therefore, in my opinion, the key that was given by the Prophet Joseph Smith is a very valuable one; the Latter-day Saints ought to study, with all due purpose of heart, the progress of the work, and endeavor to comprehend, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the ground upon which they stand. Our minds ought to be open to the influences derived from such meetings as these. When inspired men speak to us we should accept the truth or divinity of the word that we hear, not lay it aside, as being of no further use, but make it a part of our mental and spiritual possessions. In this way these conferences become of great value to us, uniting the many individuals who come together from the far borders of the Church, with their varied problems; fusing us, as it were, into a perfect body, making of us the strong and powerful organization which it is necessary for us to be in order to fulfil the purposes of God.
I bear my testimony to the truth of this work. I feel that if the spirit of my father were so he could see me now he would be proud that I have been honored with this position. I am glad to honor his name. It was said of him, by one of the Church authorities, who is present upon this stand today, that, like Nathaniel of old, he was a man without guile. His son may not reach that distinction, but I endeavor to follow in his footsteps, and heed the injunctions of those who have been the Church leaders in this day and dispensation in which God has restored His gospel to the earth. May the Lord add His blessing to us and continue with an increased portion of His Spirit during the remainder of this conference, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
(President of Pocatello Stake.)
My beloved brethren and sisters, whether or not I shall be able to rise to the height of this occasion, I feel that the people of my stake are honored in the opportunity that is offered me this afternoon of representing them. I have had great pleasure in the proceedings of the conference thus far, and feel that I have had distinct benefit personally; that in the remarks that have been made there has come to me strength and satisfaction that I have needed, and I would feel well repaid even it at this moment the conference were discontinued. I am looking now into the faces of several thousand people with intellects diversified, no two individuals perhaps thinking along the same lines upon ordinary themes, but assembled with the one purpose in heart, united in one desire to serve the Lord and to keep His commandments, and representing, as I believe, the strength, purpose, and power of latter-day Israel.
I think that if there is any one thing needed to be remembered by the Latter-day Saints it is the injunction contained in a passage that is to be found in the revelations of the Lord, that contains, I believe, more than any other statement of its length, a key to the lives of the Latter-day Saints: "Seek diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together £< >r your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another." In my opinion that contains an epitome of wise instruction to the Latter-day Saints. We know with full assurance that it is our duty to seek diligently; that the Lord does not give to him who does not seek; that to every man who seeks, the way shall be open; to him who knocks there will come a ready answer. The lives of Latter-day Saints, the philosophy that they have acquired, or have received, has made them feel that everything they receive is a result of efforts that they put forth. It is important that men should pray always, that hearts should be constantly uplifting to God for His guidance and direction, and that in all we do, we should seek for the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. But, of the three injunctions, I think this to be not the least, that we should be believing. Throughout all the generations of men. as far as my observation goes, I have noticed that one of the great stumbling blocks or faults in the way of mankind, is lack of ability to believe. I am daily in the midst of men who come in constant contact with the same truths that appeal to me, who have had laid before them the truths that have convinced me. I meet men who are honest, as far as I am able to judge, in all their dealings and acts with mankind, yet they do not always see as I see, or think as I think, or believe as I believe. Nevertheless, I know in my soul that the things I look upon as being- the ideals of life, are things that will lead me to salvation, and that if others would believe them they also would be led unto salvation; but it seems impossible for them to understand them or to esteem them as I do.
I wonder if among the Latter-day Saints there are those who, possibly, receive and accept, unthinkingly, the principles that are laid down before us, and the precepts that are given for our guidance day by day. That passive reception of these things is not evidence of full and entire belief. There should be no "doubting Thomases" among us. It is better to believe without seeing; better to believe by the evidences of the word that come to us from time to time in the pages of history. In histories that have been given of the lives of prophets and patriarchs of old there have been great events recorded that are not believed by many of the advanced minds of the present time. Robert G. Ingersoll wrote a book upon the mistakes of Moses; and the doings of Moses have been made a by-word in the mouths of scientific men. Great things that are recorded of the miracles performed during the early history of the world are looked upon as being mere figments of the imaginations of men, attempts to play upon the credulity of their fellowmen. We read of the miraculous journey of the children of Israel across the wilderness, their pathway preceded by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. We read of the striking of the rock, and the emerging therefrom of the hidden waters. We read of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still. All these things are accepted in the minds of some as true, and in the minds of others as being unbelievable. Today, in the history of the world, and of the Church, with which we are directly or indirectly associated, there have been miracles quite as great. There have been marvelous happenings in the lives of the Latter-day Saints that should elevate our minds to a knowledge of the fact that God is as near today as He has ever been in the history of the world. It is His purpose, day by day, to speak to us in one way or another, either by history or by the things that are now being fulfilled, of past prophecy or some other evidence that calls to us from the great Author of our being, with the endeavor to lead us into the way of righteousness. Those who believe, whose minds are open to receive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are the ones who are in the line of safety; while those whose minds are inclined to skepticism, who think that it is necessary to prove by actual demonstration, as one would prove the principles of geometry, are the ones who will not. receive the reward of the believer.
There are many problems confronting the Latter-day Saints at the present time. Never in the history of the Church, in modern times or in ancient days, have there been greater problems. The discoveries of the day, the inventions of mankind, the political problems, all unite to form complications so great, so difficult of understanding; that they operate upon the minds of individuals and turn them from a contemplation of the most important things in life. In the midst of all these things we become distracted, our thoughts are drawn from the ideals of our religion, not centered upon the promises of God to us. There is yet to be revealed things that will test the faith of the Latter-day Saints, and require that their belief be given readily and as cheerfully as if accompanied by tangible evidence. Therefore, in my opinion, the key that was given by the Prophet Joseph Smith is a very valuable one; the Latter-day Saints ought to study, with all due purpose of heart, the progress of the work, and endeavor to comprehend, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the ground upon which they stand. Our minds ought to be open to the influences derived from such meetings as these. When inspired men speak to us we should accept the truth or divinity of the word that we hear, not lay it aside, as being of no further use, but make it a part of our mental and spiritual possessions. In this way these conferences become of great value to us, uniting the many individuals who come together from the far borders of the Church, with their varied problems; fusing us, as it were, into a perfect body, making of us the strong and powerful organization which it is necessary for us to be in order to fulfil the purposes of God.
I bear my testimony to the truth of this work. I feel that if the spirit of my father were so he could see me now he would be proud that I have been honored with this position. I am glad to honor his name. It was said of him, by one of the Church authorities, who is present upon this stand today, that, like Nathaniel of old, he was a man without guile. His son may not reach that distinction, but I endeavor to follow in his footsteps, and heed the injunctions of those who have been the Church leaders in this day and dispensation in which God has restored His gospel to the earth. May the Lord add His blessing to us and continue with an increased portion of His Spirit during the remainder of this conference, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
ELDER FRANK Y. TAYLOR.
(President of Granite Stake.)
I trust, my brethren and sisters, that the same good spirit that has accompanied the former speakers may abide with me this afternoon in the few remarks that I shall make unto you. I rejoiced in the testimonies that have been borne. Particularly was I well pleased yesterday morning, in the splendid testimony and word of counsel pertaining to the callings of the priesthood and the organizations in the Church, that was presented to us by our President. I have also enjoyed the thoughts that many of the presidents of stakes have given unto us. relative to their thankfulness in belonging to this Church, and for the parenthood that has given them birth. I also am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe in it, and if I have any virtue in me I think I owe it to my faith in this great and glorious work. It is part of my being; and I have faith and hope that, if I can only be true to the end, I will be acceptable in my Heavenly Father's sight.
I am very grateful for my splendid parents. When I look back upon the truth, the dignity, the grace, and the grandeur of my father, I feel that I would at least be very recreant if I did not amount to something, and attempt in my feeble way to carry on the splendid work that he devoted his life to. I feel that I owe it to him that I shall try to magnify righteousness in the earth and do that which is good. When I think of my splendid mother her devotion to the work, to the cause, and her solicitude in my behalf, I feel that I could not hold up my head and look womankind in the face unless I led a pure and righteous life. I am grateful that I have had this care over me in my youth and that I have had a good example and good teachings to guide and direct me in the ways of righteousness and truth. I feel that I owe them a great debt of gratitude.
Like one of the other speakers who addressed us this morning, I admire and have respect for and love the authorities in this Church. I have known them all, from President Brigham Young down; and I have never listened to teachings from their lips but what were elevating and would bless me, and tend to make me a better man, if I would only follow their admonitions. Their lives, so far as I have known them, have been an inspiration to me, and have been a guide post to me during my life to lead me in the way of that which is good and virtuous. I hope that I will be able to conduct my life in that kind of a way that I also shall be an example to future generations; that I also shall have that power and influence by which I can control my children, and that they shall be a credit and an honor to this Church, and bring no reproach upon it or upon the work of the Lord.
I want to say, in connection with this thought, that I believe that we parents owe something to this Church, that we may carry on the splendid work that our fathers and our mothers have set out so well, and laid such a splendid foundation for us to build upon. I think we owe it to this Church, we owe it to our boys and girls, to give evidence by our lives that the man who holds any position in the priesthood of Almighty God is a worthy example to future generations, that he conducts his life in a manner that is sweet, clean and wholesome, and that every boy and every girl who sees anyone who holds the priesthood walking along the streets of our cities or through our valleys, may look upon that man and behold a righteous person in whose footsteps they will delight to follow. I think we should order our homes in that manner by which our example will teach our boys and girls the right way of living.
I wish that we as Latter-day Saints, especially we fathers, would devote more attention to our own, to our children. Never mind quite so much about having barns that are filled, and flocks upon a thousand hills, and a credit that cannot be impeached. These things are all good in their place; but I want to tell you, that which will bring credit, pleasure and happiness to you, all the days of your life, is a righteous son and a virtuous and beautiful daughter; it is through them that we are going to be exalted and blest, and have pleasure in our Heavenly Father's kingdom. It seems to me that they should have our best thought, our best attention, and our best time—the loved ones that the Lord our God has given us. Whenever I saw my father walk anywhere, I recognized his righteousness, his example, his truth and devotion to this work, I rejoiced all over, and I had pleasure in witnessing that which he did. All the days of my life I have tried, with all the strength and power that I have had, to tread in his footsteps, and I want my children to try to emulate that kind of an example. I believe that we should start at home in the teaching of our boys and girls. We have splendid auxiliary organizations. Who can estimate the good that our Sabbath Schools are doing, which take hold of our children when they are little ones, and nurture them, and guide them along until they become strong and vigorous in the work of the Lord? Who can estimate the value of the Primaries, and the Religion Class organization, and our Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement organizations that are working for the building up of our people ? But, I sometimes think that many of our parents leave entirely too much to these organizations to educate their boys and girls in the fear of the Lord, and it does not seem that it is right. I don't feel that the responsibility of my boys' and girls' education depends upon these organizations, as much good as they are doing. I recognize that when I go back to my Heavenly Father's presence He will inquire of me—not the Sunday School superintendent— what I have been doing for my boys and girls. I believe we should gather our children around us. more often, around the fireside; that we should be a better companion with our boy, get up close to him, know him, become acquainted with him, and have him know us; and get so close to our girls that there is never a secret between them and us so that they cannot come to us. I believe that we would have greater rejoicing, and that there would be less sorrow among people, less of our children go wrong, if we would only spend just a little more time with them ourselves; get up close to them, look them in the eye, be a companion with the loved ones that the Lord our God has given us. I believe, generally speaking, that if the people in the Church would follow that example a splendid result would accrue therefrom.
I remember, a few days ago, in listening to the testimony of some brethren in a high-priests' meeting, and they were generally speaking of the blessings of the Lord to them in a temporal way. Many of the brethren stated they had received some wonderful blessings from our Heavenly Father along temporal lines. Some of them told of this prominent position that their boy occupied, and how their girls shone socially in some place, and so forth, and how the Lord had blest them with the good things of the earth, so that they were rich and had no need to want. Then another man, a splendid character, that I know well, got up and bore his testimony, he said: "I haven't a big bank account; I am a poor man. I haven't a son that occupies a prominent position in the world, as far as the world goes, and I haven't a girl that shines much socially in the world; but I have a little cottage, and I have a large family that I am proud of. Every night I know where every one of my boys and girls are, and there is perfect harmony. We love one another; we are united; there are no secrets apart from one another; and we are bound together by the fellowship of love. Every one of my boys has a good education, so have my girls; every one of them has a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and every one of them are clean, sweet and honorable, and they are a credit to the Church of Christ." I thought in my soul how rich is that man who can put his hand upon his boys and girls at all times of the day and night, and know that they are safe and that they love the work of the Lord. I feel, my brethren and sisters, that we owe to this Church, as far as it is possible, that we see to it that our boys and girls do that which is just right, and wherever they go, let us not loose our hold on them, but, if need be, let us go after them, if they be in the desert or in the mountains, or wherever they may be; the Lord our God expects us, as fathers and mothers, that we take care and nurture and love our own, and bring them into the fold of the Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless us. May His spirit abide with us; and may the youth of Zion, that are growing up today, be just as faithful and true to the work of the Lord as their fathers and mothers have been. I believe they will be; I don't think that we need to fear the second, third, fourth, or fifth generation, because the spirit of truth is in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints. I believe our boys and girls are going to keep themselves clean, pure and unspotted from the sins and wickedness of the world, to the end that the light and Spirit of the Lord our God will rest down upon them, and the revelations of the Lord will be with them to lead them in the way of truth; that Zion shall glory in their righteousness and truth, which I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"The plains of Peace," a tenor solo, was rendered by Elder Robert Siddoway.
(President of Granite Stake.)
I trust, my brethren and sisters, that the same good spirit that has accompanied the former speakers may abide with me this afternoon in the few remarks that I shall make unto you. I rejoiced in the testimonies that have been borne. Particularly was I well pleased yesterday morning, in the splendid testimony and word of counsel pertaining to the callings of the priesthood and the organizations in the Church, that was presented to us by our President. I have also enjoyed the thoughts that many of the presidents of stakes have given unto us. relative to their thankfulness in belonging to this Church, and for the parenthood that has given them birth. I also am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe in it, and if I have any virtue in me I think I owe it to my faith in this great and glorious work. It is part of my being; and I have faith and hope that, if I can only be true to the end, I will be acceptable in my Heavenly Father's sight.
I am very grateful for my splendid parents. When I look back upon the truth, the dignity, the grace, and the grandeur of my father, I feel that I would at least be very recreant if I did not amount to something, and attempt in my feeble way to carry on the splendid work that he devoted his life to. I feel that I owe it to him that I shall try to magnify righteousness in the earth and do that which is good. When I think of my splendid mother her devotion to the work, to the cause, and her solicitude in my behalf, I feel that I could not hold up my head and look womankind in the face unless I led a pure and righteous life. I am grateful that I have had this care over me in my youth and that I have had a good example and good teachings to guide and direct me in the ways of righteousness and truth. I feel that I owe them a great debt of gratitude.
Like one of the other speakers who addressed us this morning, I admire and have respect for and love the authorities in this Church. I have known them all, from President Brigham Young down; and I have never listened to teachings from their lips but what were elevating and would bless me, and tend to make me a better man, if I would only follow their admonitions. Their lives, so far as I have known them, have been an inspiration to me, and have been a guide post to me during my life to lead me in the way of that which is good and virtuous. I hope that I will be able to conduct my life in that kind of a way that I also shall be an example to future generations; that I also shall have that power and influence by which I can control my children, and that they shall be a credit and an honor to this Church, and bring no reproach upon it or upon the work of the Lord.
I want to say, in connection with this thought, that I believe that we parents owe something to this Church, that we may carry on the splendid work that our fathers and our mothers have set out so well, and laid such a splendid foundation for us to build upon. I think we owe it to this Church, we owe it to our boys and girls, to give evidence by our lives that the man who holds any position in the priesthood of Almighty God is a worthy example to future generations, that he conducts his life in a manner that is sweet, clean and wholesome, and that every boy and every girl who sees anyone who holds the priesthood walking along the streets of our cities or through our valleys, may look upon that man and behold a righteous person in whose footsteps they will delight to follow. I think we should order our homes in that manner by which our example will teach our boys and girls the right way of living.
I wish that we as Latter-day Saints, especially we fathers, would devote more attention to our own, to our children. Never mind quite so much about having barns that are filled, and flocks upon a thousand hills, and a credit that cannot be impeached. These things are all good in their place; but I want to tell you, that which will bring credit, pleasure and happiness to you, all the days of your life, is a righteous son and a virtuous and beautiful daughter; it is through them that we are going to be exalted and blest, and have pleasure in our Heavenly Father's kingdom. It seems to me that they should have our best thought, our best attention, and our best time—the loved ones that the Lord our God has given us. Whenever I saw my father walk anywhere, I recognized his righteousness, his example, his truth and devotion to this work, I rejoiced all over, and I had pleasure in witnessing that which he did. All the days of my life I have tried, with all the strength and power that I have had, to tread in his footsteps, and I want my children to try to emulate that kind of an example. I believe that we should start at home in the teaching of our boys and girls. We have splendid auxiliary organizations. Who can estimate the good that our Sabbath Schools are doing, which take hold of our children when they are little ones, and nurture them, and guide them along until they become strong and vigorous in the work of the Lord? Who can estimate the value of the Primaries, and the Religion Class organization, and our Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement organizations that are working for the building up of our people ? But, I sometimes think that many of our parents leave entirely too much to these organizations to educate their boys and girls in the fear of the Lord, and it does not seem that it is right. I don't feel that the responsibility of my boys' and girls' education depends upon these organizations, as much good as they are doing. I recognize that when I go back to my Heavenly Father's presence He will inquire of me—not the Sunday School superintendent— what I have been doing for my boys and girls. I believe we should gather our children around us. more often, around the fireside; that we should be a better companion with our boy, get up close to him, know him, become acquainted with him, and have him know us; and get so close to our girls that there is never a secret between them and us so that they cannot come to us. I believe that we would have greater rejoicing, and that there would be less sorrow among people, less of our children go wrong, if we would only spend just a little more time with them ourselves; get up close to them, look them in the eye, be a companion with the loved ones that the Lord our God has given us. I believe, generally speaking, that if the people in the Church would follow that example a splendid result would accrue therefrom.
I remember, a few days ago, in listening to the testimony of some brethren in a high-priests' meeting, and they were generally speaking of the blessings of the Lord to them in a temporal way. Many of the brethren stated they had received some wonderful blessings from our Heavenly Father along temporal lines. Some of them told of this prominent position that their boy occupied, and how their girls shone socially in some place, and so forth, and how the Lord had blest them with the good things of the earth, so that they were rich and had no need to want. Then another man, a splendid character, that I know well, got up and bore his testimony, he said: "I haven't a big bank account; I am a poor man. I haven't a son that occupies a prominent position in the world, as far as the world goes, and I haven't a girl that shines much socially in the world; but I have a little cottage, and I have a large family that I am proud of. Every night I know where every one of my boys and girls are, and there is perfect harmony. We love one another; we are united; there are no secrets apart from one another; and we are bound together by the fellowship of love. Every one of my boys has a good education, so have my girls; every one of them has a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and every one of them are clean, sweet and honorable, and they are a credit to the Church of Christ." I thought in my soul how rich is that man who can put his hand upon his boys and girls at all times of the day and night, and know that they are safe and that they love the work of the Lord. I feel, my brethren and sisters, that we owe to this Church, as far as it is possible, that we see to it that our boys and girls do that which is just right, and wherever they go, let us not loose our hold on them, but, if need be, let us go after them, if they be in the desert or in the mountains, or wherever they may be; the Lord our God expects us, as fathers and mothers, that we take care and nurture and love our own, and bring them into the fold of the Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless us. May His spirit abide with us; and may the youth of Zion, that are growing up today, be just as faithful and true to the work of the Lord as their fathers and mothers have been. I believe they will be; I don't think that we need to fear the second, third, fourth, or fifth generation, because the spirit of truth is in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints. I believe our boys and girls are going to keep themselves clean, pure and unspotted from the sins and wickedness of the world, to the end that the light and Spirit of the Lord our God will rest down upon them, and the revelations of the Lord will be with them to lead them in the way of truth; that Zion shall glory in their righteousness and truth, which I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"The plains of Peace," a tenor solo, was rendered by Elder Robert Siddoway.
ELDER LOUIS W. SHURTLIFF.
(President of Weber Stake.)
My beloved brethren and sisters: The President said that he wanted me to bear my testimony for a few moments.
I rejoice exceedingly in the truths of the gospel. I have enjoyed myself in all of the sessions of this conference. I am pleased to have the privilege of meeting with the Saints of God. and I am thankful that my life has been associated with this Church. I am of the third generation of my family in the Church; my grandfather and my father before me, Newman A. Shurtliff, having joined the Church and gathered in Kirtland and followed the destinies of the Church from then until he came here to Utah, settling in Weber County, remaining there until his death. I am thankful for the associations of my brethren who preside over us. I have endeavored to be benefited by their instructions and counsels, and to carry them out in my life. I have been honored to know, to be acquainted with, and to labor with and under the direction of all of the presidents from President Brigham Young. I remember full well the first foreign mission on which I was sent, when a number of us were selected, over in the old assembly hall or tabernacle, that stood in the corner in sixty-seven, to go to Europe. Previous to that it was my good fortune to be called to the Salmon River mission, during my early manhood, or boyhood almost. I can say that the inspiration of heaven has followed the counsel of the servants of God, in all the history of this Church as far as I am aware. I know that these men are men of God. I know that the principles of the everlasting gospel, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, are true and will save men and women. I feel grateful that my eyes beheld the Prophet Joseph Smith. Although I was but a child I had opportunities of seeing him, and playing around his house with some of the sons of the prophet and patriarch, and other prominent brethren, early members of the Church.
I have the honor to preside over the Weber Stake of Zion. It is only a short time ago that the Weber Stake included all of Weber County, but it has been divided into three stakes, and we have all that we can do now. The stake that I preside over has eight thousand people in it, or thereabouts, and the other stakes nearly as many. The union, love and fellowship that exist among the Saints is a joy to not only myself but to those associated with me in the ministry.
I pray God to bless these our leaders, and fill them with the Holy Ghost and with power to proclaim His word;. and give us who are laboring in the cause, an earnest desire to carry out every counsel and advice given, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(President of Weber Stake.)
My beloved brethren and sisters: The President said that he wanted me to bear my testimony for a few moments.
I rejoice exceedingly in the truths of the gospel. I have enjoyed myself in all of the sessions of this conference. I am pleased to have the privilege of meeting with the Saints of God. and I am thankful that my life has been associated with this Church. I am of the third generation of my family in the Church; my grandfather and my father before me, Newman A. Shurtliff, having joined the Church and gathered in Kirtland and followed the destinies of the Church from then until he came here to Utah, settling in Weber County, remaining there until his death. I am thankful for the associations of my brethren who preside over us. I have endeavored to be benefited by their instructions and counsels, and to carry them out in my life. I have been honored to know, to be acquainted with, and to labor with and under the direction of all of the presidents from President Brigham Young. I remember full well the first foreign mission on which I was sent, when a number of us were selected, over in the old assembly hall or tabernacle, that stood in the corner in sixty-seven, to go to Europe. Previous to that it was my good fortune to be called to the Salmon River mission, during my early manhood, or boyhood almost. I can say that the inspiration of heaven has followed the counsel of the servants of God, in all the history of this Church as far as I am aware. I know that these men are men of God. I know that the principles of the everlasting gospel, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, are true and will save men and women. I feel grateful that my eyes beheld the Prophet Joseph Smith. Although I was but a child I had opportunities of seeing him, and playing around his house with some of the sons of the prophet and patriarch, and other prominent brethren, early members of the Church.
I have the honor to preside over the Weber Stake of Zion. It is only a short time ago that the Weber Stake included all of Weber County, but it has been divided into three stakes, and we have all that we can do now. The stake that I preside over has eight thousand people in it, or thereabouts, and the other stakes nearly as many. The union, love and fellowship that exist among the Saints is a joy to not only myself but to those associated with me in the ministry.
I pray God to bless these our leaders, and fill them with the Holy Ghost and with power to proclaim His word;. and give us who are laboring in the cause, an earnest desire to carry out every counsel and advice given, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
The brethren and sisters will begin to realize that the third generation is considerably in evidence during this conference; for those to whom we have listened, so far, have generally been of the third and fourth generations. I claim to be, one of the fourth generation myself, and I can produce in the neighborhood of a dozen of the fifth generation who are as good as any others.
The brethren and sisters will begin to realize that the third generation is considerably in evidence during this conference; for those to whom we have listened, so far, have generally been of the third and fourth generations. I claim to be, one of the fourth generation myself, and I can produce in the neighborhood of a dozen of the fifth generation who are as good as any others.
ELDER HEBER C. AUSTIN
(President of Bingham Stake.)
I feel that it will not be possible for me to profitably occupy this position, even for a few moments, unless I am aided and assisted by the faith and prayers of the Latter-day Saints. It goes without saying that I am very much surprised to be called upon to speak to you. I delight in the testimonies of the speakers, and in the spirit of this conference, like the other brethren who have spoken to us this afternoon, and in the different sessions of this conference. I have been edified and instructed in the counsels and in the testimonies of my brethren who have spoken to us, and I have learned more concerning my duties by listening to the instructions that have been given to us. I was especially impressed with the words of President Smith, in the opening session of this conference. I was delighted to hear him instruct the brethren as to their duties, and their authority in the callings of the priesthood. There has been, and is now perhaps, a lack of perfect understanding concerning those things; but I think those of us who listened to his remarks will find ourselves set right on these things.
I hail from a stake in the north, and I have wondered why we had such splendid good people up in that part, until I heard President Murdock, this morning, tell us that the goodness of his people was measured by the altitude that they live in. We, too, have a splendid people, no better I suppose anywhere in the Church; but we have not yet reached perfection. We have those among us who are somewhat indifferent. We have those among us who, perhaps, do not fully appreciate the responsibilities that are resting upon them as Latter- day Saints, and as men holding the priesthood who have been called to labor in the Lord's vineyard, and who have been given authority to officiate in His name, but I feel justified in saying that we have a good lot of people in the north, and I believe the same thing is true of all the stakes of Zion in that section.
You know we have the brethren of the general authorities visit us from time to time. Every three months we are blessed by having some of the quorum of the twelve, and the council of seventies, and other brethren come to instruct us in our duties; and we profit by their visits and by their instruction. We are laboring unitedly together. There is no contention in the part where I live. We are an industrious people. We are tilling the soil, producing the things that are necessary to sustain life, and the Lord is blessing us in our efforts, and we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all of these things. We are united in our support of the authorities of the Church. I have never heard a man or woman in the Bingham stake of Zion who have found it in their hearts to criticize or find fault with our brethren who preside over us; and for this I am grateful. For this I thank the Lord because I know that these men have been called by the inspiration of the Lord, that they are clothed with authority to officiate in His name, and that they are mouth-pieces of the Lord to us. We are ready and pleased to accept their counsel as they come and bring it to us. We rejoice in mingling together in these conferences. I am of the opinion that it would be impossible for men, no matter if they were wicked, to mingle with a body of men and women like we find in these gatherings of the general conferences, without being strengthened. Our leaders are determined to serve the Lord, let come what will.
Well, my brethren and sisters, you have now learned that I am not a public speaker; I am an ordinary farmer, I am laboring in the tilling of the soil; but I rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that it is true. I know that these brethren whom we are associated with have been called of the Lord, and I sustain them with all my heart, with all my power, and influence; and so do the people whom I have the honor to preside over.
I pray that the Lord will bless us and be with us to the end of our days, and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(President of Bingham Stake.)
I feel that it will not be possible for me to profitably occupy this position, even for a few moments, unless I am aided and assisted by the faith and prayers of the Latter-day Saints. It goes without saying that I am very much surprised to be called upon to speak to you. I delight in the testimonies of the speakers, and in the spirit of this conference, like the other brethren who have spoken to us this afternoon, and in the different sessions of this conference. I have been edified and instructed in the counsels and in the testimonies of my brethren who have spoken to us, and I have learned more concerning my duties by listening to the instructions that have been given to us. I was especially impressed with the words of President Smith, in the opening session of this conference. I was delighted to hear him instruct the brethren as to their duties, and their authority in the callings of the priesthood. There has been, and is now perhaps, a lack of perfect understanding concerning those things; but I think those of us who listened to his remarks will find ourselves set right on these things.
I hail from a stake in the north, and I have wondered why we had such splendid good people up in that part, until I heard President Murdock, this morning, tell us that the goodness of his people was measured by the altitude that they live in. We, too, have a splendid people, no better I suppose anywhere in the Church; but we have not yet reached perfection. We have those among us who are somewhat indifferent. We have those among us who, perhaps, do not fully appreciate the responsibilities that are resting upon them as Latter- day Saints, and as men holding the priesthood who have been called to labor in the Lord's vineyard, and who have been given authority to officiate in His name, but I feel justified in saying that we have a good lot of people in the north, and I believe the same thing is true of all the stakes of Zion in that section.
You know we have the brethren of the general authorities visit us from time to time. Every three months we are blessed by having some of the quorum of the twelve, and the council of seventies, and other brethren come to instruct us in our duties; and we profit by their visits and by their instruction. We are laboring unitedly together. There is no contention in the part where I live. We are an industrious people. We are tilling the soil, producing the things that are necessary to sustain life, and the Lord is blessing us in our efforts, and we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all of these things. We are united in our support of the authorities of the Church. I have never heard a man or woman in the Bingham stake of Zion who have found it in their hearts to criticize or find fault with our brethren who preside over us; and for this I am grateful. For this I thank the Lord because I know that these men have been called by the inspiration of the Lord, that they are clothed with authority to officiate in His name, and that they are mouth-pieces of the Lord to us. We are ready and pleased to accept their counsel as they come and bring it to us. We rejoice in mingling together in these conferences. I am of the opinion that it would be impossible for men, no matter if they were wicked, to mingle with a body of men and women like we find in these gatherings of the general conferences, without being strengthened. Our leaders are determined to serve the Lord, let come what will.
Well, my brethren and sisters, you have now learned that I am not a public speaker; I am an ordinary farmer, I am laboring in the tilling of the soil; but I rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that it is true. I know that these brethren whom we are associated with have been called of the Lord, and I sustain them with all my heart, with all my power, and influence; and so do the people whom I have the honor to preside over.
I pray that the Lord will bless us and be with us to the end of our days, and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER OLEEN N. STOHL.
(President of Box Elder Stake.)
My dear brethren and sisters: I am very thankful that I am among the number who have been born of goodly parents, who have taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ in our youth, and that I can say I belong to the third generation. I haven't any fear of the outcome of the third generation, or the other generations, if the parents in the Church will be true and faithful to the gospel and teach it to their children. Neither my parents nor grandparents were acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith; they did not embrace the gospel until some years after his death, but I am glad that they had a burning testimony in their souls that he indeed was a prophet of the living God, and they have taught that to their children.
I am thankful it is not necessary that one should have seen the Prophet Joseph Smith in order to enjoy this testimony. While I realize it was a pleasure and satisfaction, to those who were acquainted with him, to have seen and mingled with him, and thus learn of his greatness, his goodness and his prophetic powers, I am thankful that the Spirit of God gives to us the testimony that he was indeed a prophet of the Lord. I was impressed this afternoon while the brethren were speaking of the experience of Thomas, who would not believe that the Savior had risen from the grave until he could see Him. When Thomas beheld Him and exclaimed that it was his Lord, Jesus said, "Thomas, thou hast seen and thou believest. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
The spirit, the power of God, is in this work; it has been in it from the very beginning. It is in it today; and the same spirit, the same power is directing it and influencing those who preside over the Church today as it has done since its first organization. I was impressed with this thought at the close of President Smith's remarks yesterday morning. I remember the final passages in that great revelation on priesthood in the Book of Covenants. After the duties of the priesthood are severally made known, clearly and explicitly, the Lord says through the prophet: "Now let every man learn his duty and act in the office to which he is appointed, in all diligence;" and I thought that this very beautifully summed up, in connection with that revelation, the remarks of President Smith to us. If we could only carry out that admonition and every man and woman learn his or her duty, and act in the office to which they are appointed, in all diligence, then God would bless them and they would be successful in their labors. What a wonderful improvement we could make in our work and in the Church if we would do this.
Oh how thankful we should be for the gospel. When I read the revelations that were given to the Prophet Joseph, I marvel how well they apply to the Church even in this day, seventy and eighty years and more after they were given. If we could only carry out the suggestions made in the revelations in relation to the training of our children, as were made known to him away back in eighteen thirty-three, we would have the condition existing among us that President Frank Y. Taylor referred to here this afternoon. Our gospel is complete. The instructions, revelations and counsel that have been given to us are perfect. There is sufficient for us to do if we will only strive with all our power and might to carry it out.
I am glad for the testimony that I have of the divinity of this work. I know that the signs follow the believer in the Church, that they are following the believers today; and that our Father is pouring out His blessings upon His children, in keeping with their faithfulness and obedience to the gospel, as much today as He ever did before. This is my testimony. I know that those who preside over the Church today are our Father's servants, acknowledged of Him to be our leaders, and that they are His mouth-pieces unto us children in this work. Now I pray the blessings of the Lord upon us.
We have all rejoiced in the spirit of this conference thus far. We shall continue to rejoice in it, and I know that the power and the blessings of the Lord will continue with us and bless us, and that we shall go on and accomplish the work that is required of us as His children. May our Father bless us to this end, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The congregation sang the hymn:
There is beauty all around,
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound,
When there's love at home,
Peace and plenty there abide,
Smiling sweet on every side,
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there's love at home.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith.
Conference adjourned until 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th, 1913.
(President of Box Elder Stake.)
My dear brethren and sisters: I am very thankful that I am among the number who have been born of goodly parents, who have taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ in our youth, and that I can say I belong to the third generation. I haven't any fear of the outcome of the third generation, or the other generations, if the parents in the Church will be true and faithful to the gospel and teach it to their children. Neither my parents nor grandparents were acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith; they did not embrace the gospel until some years after his death, but I am glad that they had a burning testimony in their souls that he indeed was a prophet of the living God, and they have taught that to their children.
I am thankful it is not necessary that one should have seen the Prophet Joseph Smith in order to enjoy this testimony. While I realize it was a pleasure and satisfaction, to those who were acquainted with him, to have seen and mingled with him, and thus learn of his greatness, his goodness and his prophetic powers, I am thankful that the Spirit of God gives to us the testimony that he was indeed a prophet of the Lord. I was impressed this afternoon while the brethren were speaking of the experience of Thomas, who would not believe that the Savior had risen from the grave until he could see Him. When Thomas beheld Him and exclaimed that it was his Lord, Jesus said, "Thomas, thou hast seen and thou believest. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
The spirit, the power of God, is in this work; it has been in it from the very beginning. It is in it today; and the same spirit, the same power is directing it and influencing those who preside over the Church today as it has done since its first organization. I was impressed with this thought at the close of President Smith's remarks yesterday morning. I remember the final passages in that great revelation on priesthood in the Book of Covenants. After the duties of the priesthood are severally made known, clearly and explicitly, the Lord says through the prophet: "Now let every man learn his duty and act in the office to which he is appointed, in all diligence;" and I thought that this very beautifully summed up, in connection with that revelation, the remarks of President Smith to us. If we could only carry out that admonition and every man and woman learn his or her duty, and act in the office to which they are appointed, in all diligence, then God would bless them and they would be successful in their labors. What a wonderful improvement we could make in our work and in the Church if we would do this.
Oh how thankful we should be for the gospel. When I read the revelations that were given to the Prophet Joseph, I marvel how well they apply to the Church even in this day, seventy and eighty years and more after they were given. If we could only carry out the suggestions made in the revelations in relation to the training of our children, as were made known to him away back in eighteen thirty-three, we would have the condition existing among us that President Frank Y. Taylor referred to here this afternoon. Our gospel is complete. The instructions, revelations and counsel that have been given to us are perfect. There is sufficient for us to do if we will only strive with all our power and might to carry it out.
I am glad for the testimony that I have of the divinity of this work. I know that the signs follow the believer in the Church, that they are following the believers today; and that our Father is pouring out His blessings upon His children, in keeping with their faithfulness and obedience to the gospel, as much today as He ever did before. This is my testimony. I know that those who preside over the Church today are our Father's servants, acknowledged of Him to be our leaders, and that they are His mouth-pieces unto us children in this work. Now I pray the blessings of the Lord upon us.
We have all rejoiced in the spirit of this conference thus far. We shall continue to rejoice in it, and I know that the power and the blessings of the Lord will continue with us and bless us, and that we shall go on and accomplish the work that is required of us as His children. May our Father bless us to this end, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The congregation sang the hymn:
There is beauty all around,
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound,
When there's love at home,
Peace and plenty there abide,
Smiling sweet on every side,
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there's love at home.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith.
Conference adjourned until 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th, 1913.
AUDITOR’S REPORT
At the general meeting of the Priesthood, on Saturday evening, April 5th, 1913, in the Tabernacle, the following report was read:
Salt Lake City, Utah, April, 1913.
Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose, Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
Dear Brethren: We, the undersigned, Committee of Auditors, as sustained at the last General Conference, beg leave to report: That we have completed the annual Audit of the books of the Trustee-in- Trust, and also those of the Presiding Bishop's office, which are auxiliary thereto, and beg leave to say: that we found the books and accounts in both of these departments in excellent condition. The accounts are accurately, concisely and intelligently kept, and from a bookkeeper's standpoint, they leave but little, if anything, to be desired. When your committee was first appointed, some years ago, we then found the books of these departments in good shape, but from year to year we note improvements which add to their conciseness and make them more easy of audit. We think it proper to also state that the statistical department of the Presiding Bishop's Office is also kept in a very intelligent manner. These statistics are voluminous and yet the future will demonstrate they are of great value, for they demonstrate by comparison of one year with another, the growth and prosperity of the Church.
After careful and thorough examination of all the books of the Trustee-in-Trust and Presiding Bishop's Offices, showing all receipts and disbursements of the funds of the Church, your committee unhesitatingly report that all expenditures of the Church funds have been made for legitimate Church purposes.
We beg to acknowledge the very efficient services rendered us by Brother Arthur Winter, of the Trustee-in-Trust's Office, and of the brethren in the Presiding Bishop's Office, in throwing open to us every avenue for our inspection, which enabled us to get a clear and comprehensive view of all the matters that came within our purview.
We are, very respectfully,
Your brethren,
W. W. RITER.
John C. Cutler,
Joseph S. Wells,
Heber Scowcroft
H. H. Rolapp.
On motion, the foregoing report was received and approved, by unanimous vote of the Priesthood assembled.
At the general meeting of the Priesthood, on Saturday evening, April 5th, 1913, in the Tabernacle, the following report was read:
Salt Lake City, Utah, April, 1913.
Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose, Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
Dear Brethren: We, the undersigned, Committee of Auditors, as sustained at the last General Conference, beg leave to report: That we have completed the annual Audit of the books of the Trustee-in- Trust, and also those of the Presiding Bishop's office, which are auxiliary thereto, and beg leave to say: that we found the books and accounts in both of these departments in excellent condition. The accounts are accurately, concisely and intelligently kept, and from a bookkeeper's standpoint, they leave but little, if anything, to be desired. When your committee was first appointed, some years ago, we then found the books of these departments in good shape, but from year to year we note improvements which add to their conciseness and make them more easy of audit. We think it proper to also state that the statistical department of the Presiding Bishop's Office is also kept in a very intelligent manner. These statistics are voluminous and yet the future will demonstrate they are of great value, for they demonstrate by comparison of one year with another, the growth and prosperity of the Church.
After careful and thorough examination of all the books of the Trustee-in-Trust and Presiding Bishop's Offices, showing all receipts and disbursements of the funds of the Church, your committee unhesitatingly report that all expenditures of the Church funds have been made for legitimate Church purposes.
We beg to acknowledge the very efficient services rendered us by Brother Arthur Winter, of the Trustee-in-Trust's Office, and of the brethren in the Presiding Bishop's Office, in throwing open to us every avenue for our inspection, which enabled us to get a clear and comprehensive view of all the matters that came within our purview.
We are, very respectfully,
Your brethren,
W. W. RITER.
John C. Cutler,
Joseph S. Wells,
Heber Scowcroft
H. H. Rolapp.
On motion, the foregoing report was received and approved, by unanimous vote of the Priesthood assembled.
THIRD DAY.
Conference was resumed in the Tabernacle, at 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th; President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
President Smith announced that, for the benefit of the great number of people unable to obtain admission to the Tabernacle, overflow meetings will be held in the adjoining Assembly Hall this morning, and afternoon, and in the Barratt Hall at 2 p. m.
The Tabernacle Choir sang the hymn:
Hark! listen to the trumpeters!
They sound for volunteers,
On Zion's bright and flowery mount
Behold the officers.
Prayer was offered by Elder Gustave A. Iverson.
The choir sang the hymn:
Though deep'ning trials throng your way,
Press on, press on, ye Saints of God!
Ere long the resurrection day
Will shed its life and light abroad.
Conference was resumed in the Tabernacle, at 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th; President Joseph F. Smith presiding.
President Smith announced that, for the benefit of the great number of people unable to obtain admission to the Tabernacle, overflow meetings will be held in the adjoining Assembly Hall this morning, and afternoon, and in the Barratt Hall at 2 p. m.
The Tabernacle Choir sang the hymn:
Hark! listen to the trumpeters!
They sound for volunteers,
On Zion's bright and flowery mount
Behold the officers.
Prayer was offered by Elder Gustave A. Iverson.
The choir sang the hymn:
Though deep'ning trials throng your way,
Press on, press on, ye Saints of God!
Ere long the resurrection day
Will shed its life and light abroad.
PREST. CHARLES W. PENROSE.
"Mormons" of Third and Fourth Generations firm in the Faith.—The Science of Eugenics.-—False and Delusive Spirits.—Divine Revelations to Guide the Church come only through the Head of the Church.—Caution against Deceivers who are themselves Deceived.—God's house a house of Order.—Permanence and Perpetuity of the Church.—Its final triumph.
I feel that I am greatly privileged in having the opportunity of assembling with the Saints this morning in General Conference, and have been blessed from the beginning of our services through all the sessions that have been held. We have had a glorious time; that is, I have, and everybody to whom I have spoken concerning our meetings, expressed the same feeling. The Spirit of the Lord has been with us, and our brethren who have addressed the congregations have been inspired by that one Spirit which the Lord has given to his people who have obeyed the laws of the Gospel. Our brethren who have addressed us have been, chiefly, so they have informed us, men belonging to the third and fourth generation of those who have received the gospel in the latter days. This has impressed me very much. You doubtless have heard the prediction of some of our scientific men in the nation that the test of "Mormonism" would come with the third or fourth generation of its followers. They seem to have the idea that as time rolls on, the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons" as they call us, will begin to depart from the Faith of their forefathers, and be led away into different paths, just as the world has been, and as one noted man hoped we would become, "like the rest of us." But our brethren who have spoken to us during the conference, occupying prominent and responsible places in the Church, have shown to us that they are true Latter-day Saints. The spirit that they bear with them, and that accompanies their fervent testimonies, shows us that they are fully and entirely in the work of the Lord in the latter days; and this has gladdened my heart. I am proud also of the generations that are coming, and I believe that they will improve as the years go on, because there is always room for improvement with individuals and with the generations that come, when the fathers obey the commandments of God and teach the Truth to their children. Now, I don't happen to be in this grand and noble class of men,— I say that advisedly, about their character, for I remember reading in the Bible, in the Psalms, a prediction like this: "It shall be said of this and that man that he was born in Zion, and the Highest himself shall establish her;" so that it is really a privilege and a blessing to be born in Zion, of goodly parents, of men and women who have been obedient to the gospel, and who had the Spirit of the Lord upon them, even before the birth of these good men who have spoken to us.
The science of eugenics is taking a great hold upon some minds in the United States, and is being followed, I hope not too far, among the people called Latter-day Saints. It is a good thing to learn how a righteous and stalwart generation can be brought forth, strong spiritually as well as physically; strong mentally, endowed with all the powers that should belong to the sons and daughters of God in humanity. And I hail with pleasure the efforts that are being put forth in this direction; for prenatal influences are very powerful, and when the time comes that people understand the laws that pertain to the production of the human species, and are at least as particular in regard to these matters as in regard to the raising of fine stock of different kinds, I believe a new and better generation will be brought forth, so that the predictions of the prophets may be fulfilled, and that children will not be cut down by disease in their infancy or childhood, but, to use the words of the prophet, that "a man shall live to the age of a tree ;" (if it means a grand old oak tree, that is a pretty good length of time); and that the time will come when the children that will be born and grow up to that great age, shall not have to be buried in the ground, but shall be quickened by the power of God and changed so as to pass from mortality to immortality, as some very few of the earth's inhabitants have been translated by special dispensation of Divine Providence.
I said I did not happen to belong to the class of those that have been born in Zion, or who were. born of parents who received the gospel. I am the only one of the family to which I belong who has come out of the world into the Church of Christ. I have done my best to try and bring my relatives to a full understanding of the gospel, but have not been successful. I recognize the hand of Providence in this, as far as I am individually concerned. Perhaps if I had had the way smoothed before me to receive the gospel I might not have developed some talents that the Lord has brought forth in me. I might not have had force and power developed in me to resist evil, and to lay hold of the good, but, by the very struggles that I have had to make alone from my boyhood upward, I feel that God has blessed me and strengthened me, so that when times of testing came in various conditions and capacities, I was able to exercise my individuality and to choose the good and refuse the evil, and when many of my companions in the Priesthood in early days turned away and were led into by and forbidden paths, God strengthened my feet, planted them upon the Rock of Truth and gave me power to resist every inducement to turn away from the right.
Now, I do not speak of that in any way of boasting; the Lord forbid, for I feel that everything I have and everything that I am I owe to the Church and Kingdom that He has established on the earth; to the truths that He has revealed; to the power and authority that He has sent from heaven to guide people on the earth; to the Divine Spirit which I know has rested upon me from On High, and quickened all my powers and enabled me to continue to labor for the cause of truth and righteousness, and the building up of the Kingdom of our God; and this morning I rejoice in these blessings, and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the midst of this great congregation.
President Smith, in his opening address to the conference, gave us a very clear expose of the order of the Church, in the Priesthood particularly, and I am sure that every soul that heard the sound of his voice rejoiced in what was laid before us so plainly and so forcibly. and so strictly in accordance with the revelations that have been received and printed. President Lund also alluded to one of the fundamental doctrines of the Church, revealed when it was organized, which was that the Lord appointed Joseph Smith, at that time the head of the Church, to be a prophet, a seer and a revelator. and admonished the Church to follow his counsel, to be obedient to the things he gave to them as he received them from the Lord. Now, notwithstanding this revelation that was given on the very day of the organization of the Church, and the people were commanded to look to the head for guidance, for revelations, for commandments to govern and guide the Church, it was not very long, so we learn from the history of the Church, before false spirits came among the' people, and they were led, some to the right and some to the left, but out of "the strait and narrow way." Jesus declared that "Strait is the way and narrow is the path which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So it has been during the whole history of the world; and it is also a matter of history that always there were some who departed from the narrow way. the straight path into the presence of the Lord, and were led away by delusive influences and spirits. Now the Lord made it very clear, and pronounced it very emphatically right from the beginning, that there should be but one man, and he the head of the Church, who should receive revelations and commandments for the Church, and the Church has been warned, time and again, not to be turned aside from this plain and simple way that the Lord marked out.
I will read a passage or two from the Doctrine and Covenants on this point, because I consider it of very great importance, and always have so viewed it from the beginning of my membership in the Church. Those of you who are familiar with the history of the Church in its beginning will remember that Oliver Cowdery, who received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist, in company with the Prophet Joseph, and also with him the higher or JVIelchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James and John, became rather rebellious in his spirit. He actually commanded the Prophet Joseph to change one of the revelations that he had received; but the Lord gave words to Oliver which should be a guide to all who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I read from Doctrine and Covenants, section 28, verses 1-4:
"Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee, that thou shalt be heard by the Church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given.
"But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this Church, excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Junior, for he receiveth them even as Moses."
"And thou shall be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the Church."
I will not read the whole section, but there are two or three verses further that I would like to read to you this morning, commencing at the 11th verse in this section.
"And again, thou shalt take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he has written from that stone, are not of Me, and that Satan deceiveth him.
"For behold, these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this Church contrary to the Church covenants."
From time to time there have been persons who have arisen and claimed to be especially called of God to give something new, as they considered, to the Church, and they have assumed power and authority which did not belong to them, because the Lord had said in the beginning that this authority should be given to but one man at a time, and he the head of the Church. Yet some people were foolish enough to be led away by deceivers into by and forbidden paths. Now, they did not always manifest anything that was corrupt or wicked or evil, but were deceived themselves, just as Christ predicted it would be before His second advent, that there would be false teachers among the people, "deceiving and being deceived." Influences that were not of God operated on their minds, and they were led away, in their own pride sometimes, and vain conceit, and they assumed authority which was not given to them, because of the manifestations that they had received and which they supposed to be Divine. They were deceived themselves and they deceived others. So the Lord appointed this rule in the Church and I think that any one who will look into it will see that it was a very wise provision— that in this Church, people who believe in visions and dreams, and tongues and interpretations of tongues, and prophecy and all the gifts and blessings that pertain to membership in the Church of Christ ought not to be permitted to present their notions and ideas (arising perhaps from some manifestation that they had received) as divinely given for the guidance and direction of the Saints, but that such authoritative communications should come only through the head of the Church.
From time to time through the whole history of the Church every now and then somebody has started up with a dream or a vision or a revelation of some kind, and endeavored to lead other people away from the straight path, and yet the Lord has told the Church in the very beginning that He would not give revelations and commandments for the Church to any one but the man placed at the head. While individuals in this Church may seek to the Lord, as I know by personal experience, and receive His Spirit in power, and direction from the Lord in the performance of duty, and be led and guided by the spirit of God, for "they who are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God," yet, while this blessing is promised to individuals in the Church for their own special good, they are not intended for the Church or for other people besides themselves. Notwithstanding this, these diversions have occurred from time to time from the very beginning of the Church, and one of these was the kind spoken of here in regard to Hiram Page.
In the 50th section of the Doctrine and Covenants the same subject is referred to in this way, beginning at the first paragraph:
"Hearken, O, ye elders of my Church, and give ear to the voice of the living God, and attend to the words of wisdom which shall be given unto you, according as ye have asked and are agreed as touching the Church, and the spirits which have gone abroad in the earth.
"Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world;
"And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you."
The same might be said at the present time; there are various false influences abroad, and they seek to enter into the Church of Christ, and to lead people astray, and sometimes individuals will be so imbued with the importance of that which they have received—as they believe by revelation from God—that they begin to assume authority over others, and endeavor to lead them away, to follow them into the ways of darkness, into superstition, into folly and into neglect to observe the commandment that God gave in the beginning of the Church.
I will read another verse or two from the Doctrine and Covenants section 43, beginning at the first paragraph;
"O, hearken, ye elders of my Church, and give an ear to the words which I shall speak unto you;
"For, behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my Church, through him whom I have appointed unto you, to receive from my hand.
"And this ye shall know assuredly, that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in Me.
"But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.
"And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments;
"And this I shall give unto you that you may know they are not of Me."
It seems to me that this ought to be sufficient for Latter-day Saints, and particularly for the elders of the Church, to whom this revelation was especially addressed. Elders of this Church, men holding the authority of the priesthood that God has revealed, ought certainly to understand this one simple principle and law of the Church for the guidance of the people, and to preserve them from being deceived. From time to time, as I have said, persons have arisen claiming to have received revelations from the Lord for the guidance of the people, and members have followed them. In every instance, without exception, trouble, sorrow, anguish and destruction have come from following these false spirits. I do not say that in every case the individuals who led the people astray were willful deceivers; they were deceived themselves, and they had power to deceive others, for these false spirits that come in unawares, when they can get hold of people, will pour out, so to speak, an influence upon them which blinds their eyes, benumbs their understanding, and leaves them so that they do not receive the true Light, that which comes from above, the Light which comes from Christ, from God the Eternal Father, and from the Holy Ghost, which is one spirit, the spirit of light, the spirit of life and the spirit of power by which God organizes and regulates all things that he brings about for his Divine purposes. That spirit is one spirit, and these false influences that come to deceive dazzle the eyes of weak people, and they are led away. In the old country, in England particularly, sometimes in marshy places, on a dark evening there will arise a light, bobbing about from place to place called the "will-of-the-wisp." and in some places a "jack-o'-lantern," and when in the dark travelers have missed their way, they will follow this jack-o'-lantern or will-o'-the-wisp, fancying it is some house where they can find refuge, or learn the path they should follow, and it generally leads them into a bog, and they sink down up to their necks. That illustrates, I think to some degree, how it has been spiritually with a number of the people who have thus been led astray.
Now the light that God gives is clear and plain to the understanding, and above all we should remember that when the Lord has anything to reveal to this Church by way of commandment or doctrine or principle, in addition to that which has been given, which may appear perhaps to be new—perhaps only the old things revived—whenever God has anything to make known to this Church, it will come through the channel that He has appointed, and there is but one, and that is the head of the Church. This will save people from a great deal of trouble, if they will give heed to it, and I have believed in that doctrine from the beginning. I have had people come to me on several occasions, from time to time as the years have rolled on, and tell me some wonderful things that the Lord has revealed, and I have always taken my refuge in the passages that I have read to you. From the first the Lord appointed one man at a time on the earth, and that man is the head of the Church, to receive revelations for the Church, to receive commandments for the Church, not shutting out people from obtaining light for themselves individually; not interfering in the least degree with that agency which God has given to us; not depriving us of the privilege of going to the Lord ourselves and seeking for truth and light, to expand our souls, to enlarge our understandings, to strengthen us for the work we have to perform, to qualify for the duties that lie before us, to develop our souls that we may grow up unto Him who is our living Head, even Christ Jesus, our Lord,—not at all, but that we may not be led astray, that we may be able to keep in the strait and narrow path that leadeth unto eternal life.
In later years the Lord had to tell a little more about this on the same line, and I will refer you to section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, one of the latest of the revelations through the prophet Joseph Smith. I will commence at the eighth verse:
"Behold! Mine house is a house of order saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
"Will I accept an offering, saith the Lord God, that is not made in My name!
"Or, will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed!
"And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained before the world was!
"I am the Lord, Thy God, and I give unto you this commandment, that no man shall come unto the Father but by me, or by My word, which is my law, saith the Lord;
"And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me, or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the Resurrection, saith the Lord, your God;
"For, whatsoever things remain, are by me; and whatsoever things are not by Me shall be taken and destroyed."
Now my brethren and sisters, I direct your attention to this particular point in addition to those things that were presented by President Smith and President Lund, all in the same line and in harmony therewith, so that we may all have something to go by, that we may be able to hold onto it like the iron rod that we read of in the Book of Mormon, no matter who may come, to us pretending to have the word of the Lord, pretending to have received revelations or visions or dreams to guide us in anything, whether it be temporal or spiritual. You may know assuredly, the Lord says, that it is not of Him, because it does not come through the channel that He has appointed. This preserves order in the Church. "My house is a house of order," saith the Lord, "and not a house of confusion." We see this in all the glorious works of our Heavenly Father; in the physical universe, in things pertaining to salvation, in the Church of Christ, law and order are established in the midst of the people, and if we will observe the law and keep within the order that God has established, we shall not be led astray, nor come into the sorrows and troubles and pains that have fallen upon some of our brethren and sisters who have been led astray. Yet, every now and then somebody starts up and claims to be the man "mighty and strong," who is to set the house of the Lord in order, and perform a number of works spoken of in the revelations of God, which we understand have really been fulfilled; and that he is appointed, and you are to follow him, for he proclaims revelations by way of commandment to the Church.
Now, the simple way is to say it cannot be true because the Lord says He will not do that kind of thing, and if any man is really appointed of the Lord, He says, "he shall come in at the gate and be ordained as the Lord has provided." So that in this Church there is no need for any of us to be led off in wrong directions. Sometimes men have come to the president of the Church and claimed to be the person to be raised up "like unto Moses," and demanded the keys of the Church. There was one man came, poor fellow, a decrepit kind of being who hung around for several days. He could not get any "keys" and finally he came and begged for enough money to take him back to the place he came from in the strong." Now I don't say that to ridicule the man, poor fellow, but it illustrates what I am trying to tell you this morning. The Lord has established His Church on the earth, as He has told us, "in the last days and "for the last time."
There will be no reorganization of the Church, because the Church will not become disorganized. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on the 6th day of April, in the year 1830, the anniversary of which we are cele- East, and he hobbled out on his wooden leg,—the man "mighty and brating today, has continued without hindrance, or rather without obstruction, has persisted and prevailed, right down, unbroken, to the time in which we live, and today we have the Church organized after the pattern that God revealed; not in a moment, nor in a day, it was a growth like all the works of God which started with "that which is small," as the Book of Mormon says, and "proceedeth forth to that which is great," but, as the Church grew and developed, so did it come to its completeness- and it has continued. Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives the full order of the priesthood of God up to that date. Read it. Elders of Israel; read it, High Priests and Seventies, and priests and teachers and deacons and members, and become acquainted with the order of the Church, showing, as President Smith told us in the first session of this Conference, that the Church is presided over by "three presiding high priests chosen by the body, upheld and sustained by the faith and fellowship of the Church," and they stand at the head, and after them come the Twelve, holding equal authority when the First Presidency is removed by death or any other cause. The next quorum is that of the twelve apostles, and they form the presiding power in the Church when the first presidency has been dissolved by any means. When the Prophet Joseph died, the Church was not disorganized; the First Presidency became extinct so to speak, but the Twelve Apostles came up in its place, as provided in the revelation, and took charge of the Church, and in due time three presiding high priests were chosen by and from the body, and became the Presidency of the Church, and the quorum of the twelve was filled up. And so it will be from time to time as changes come. If the First Presidency is dissolved from any cause, the Twelve will take their place, and when the First Presidency is reorganized the quorum of the Twelve will be filled up and the work will go on. The Lord has provided this for the perpetuity of the Church, that it may continue, that it may stand and abide and not be like the organizations that have been set up in times past.
We can take up the Bible, the Old and the New Testaments, and read there predictions of men that were in power and authority in the Church in olden times, that the time would come "when darkness would cover the earth, and gross darkness the people," and when many should "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils," when they would "turn away their ears from the truth, and turn unto fables." Paul declared after he had preached the Gospel in many places in the vicinity of Jerusalem, that the day of the coming of the Redeemer, which they had been looking for to occur very soon, would not come except a great "falling away" would take place. But in the last days the Lord said he would establish his Church and Kingdom on the earth, and that it should stand forever. That it should not depart. That the Truth which would be revealed should not depart from his people, "nor from their seed, nor from their seed's seed, henceforth even forever.". So we have the generations coming along, and stalwart, good, fine noble men and women proceed therefrom, who are firm in the faith, who have the Truth in their hearts, who can bear testimony by the power of God, and their words go to the hearts of the people. And this will continue, and this Church shall never perish from the earth, nor become disorganized, for the Lord established it in such a way that it should continue and abide, no matter who might depart from it.
If you or I, or any of us, should leave the Church, the Church would still go on. Do not let us think, any of us, that the Church owes us anything. We owe a great deal to the Church, for light and truth and every principle and ordinance and authority and organization of the priesthood, and of the helps and gifts that are in the Church for our comfort, our blessing, our union, and the continuation of power in the Church. They have come to us from God through the appointed authorities of the Church, and they will abide, no matter what we may do. We are indebted to the Lord through his servants for these things that we enjoy, and we owe all we are, and all we have, to this Church in a spiritual sense, and a great many of us in a temporal sense. I rejoice in this; I rejoice in the knowledge that God has set up his Church and Kingdom on the earth in the last days for the last time, and has so organized it that it shall continue and abide and shall not be overcome. The Lord says, "It is my good pleasure, little flock, to give unto you the Kingdom;" and the Kingdom is ours if we will obey these precepts and these commandments and counsels, and walk in the way of life, and be guided by those who are appointed. Let those who are appointed to labor in this ministry labor with all diligence, and give this Church all their powers and strength.
I have endeavored,—I don't say it boastingly at all,—I have endeavored from the very start in this Church, over sixty-two years ago (when I received the priesthood of God, and was ordained an Elder, to go out and preach the Gospel, without pure or scrip), I have endeavored to give this Church the full strength of my body and mind and spirit, which are the Lord's, and in that I have had joy and the testimony of Jesus, and God has blessed me and opened the eyes of my understanding, and given me to comprehend truths that have rejoiced my soul, and I feel I am baptized into them. All there is of me is the Lord's, and I want to devote it still to the building up of his Kingdom to my latest breath. And when I depart from this tabernacle and enter into the world beyond the veil, I hope and believe that I shall have still to labor for the great cause of human redemption, for this work has to go on until the redemption of man is completed, until "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
When we depart, brethren, Elders in Israel, and mingle with the spirits behind the veil, we will find an immense work there for us to do, and I am thankful in the knowledge that a great deal of the work has been prepared for us. We have been out in the world and preached the gospel to many thousands of people, and only a few comparatively have come into the Church and received its ordinances and its blessings and the testimony of Christ; but thousands upon thousands have heard it, and it has touched their souls. They have steeled their hearts against it; they have closed their eyes against the light; and they have gone away from this stage of being into the ' world beyond, and everything they have learned and have heard, and understood while in the flesh, will come back to them when they "shuffle off this mortal coil," and their immortal spirits will be able to remember that which has occurred while they dwelt in the flesh, and we will find thousands upon thousands of people in the spirit world who are prepared for the ministration of the servants of God when they come among them. And so the work will go on, and the Gospel will be preached to the living, and it will be preached to the dead, and the work of the Lord will be triumphant, and the time will come when Satan shall not reign any more at all, but Christ shall reign, and the assembled millions in the flesh and in the spirit will bow the knee to King Emmanuel and be willing to receive him, for he is the Life and the Light of this world, and he is the head to whom we must all grow up.
Each man placed at the head of the Church on the earth is growing up to Him. Every one who is called to the ministry is growing up to Him, and we are building up the Church and Kingdom of our God unto Christ, our Redeemer, and He will be the King and Lord of all. Blessed and honored be His glorious name, who died for us, that we might live, and who will bring us into His presence, and into the presence of the Father, for no man can come unto the Father except by Him. So, while we dwell on the earth, brethren and sisters, let us devote ourselves to the building up of this Kingdom, unto Him, and when He comes we will receive our share of the reward. "Behold, I come" he declares. "My reward is with Me, but My work is before me." Now let us perform our work and do our part, no matter what it may be, great or small, and unite together in one spirit, and be led by the light and give heed to the counsels and guidance of the man that is set at the head, and all will be well with the Church of Christ, and all will be well with our individual standing. God bless us all and help us all to be faithful, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
"Mormons" of Third and Fourth Generations firm in the Faith.—The Science of Eugenics.-—False and Delusive Spirits.—Divine Revelations to Guide the Church come only through the Head of the Church.—Caution against Deceivers who are themselves Deceived.—God's house a house of Order.—Permanence and Perpetuity of the Church.—Its final triumph.
I feel that I am greatly privileged in having the opportunity of assembling with the Saints this morning in General Conference, and have been blessed from the beginning of our services through all the sessions that have been held. We have had a glorious time; that is, I have, and everybody to whom I have spoken concerning our meetings, expressed the same feeling. The Spirit of the Lord has been with us, and our brethren who have addressed the congregations have been inspired by that one Spirit which the Lord has given to his people who have obeyed the laws of the Gospel. Our brethren who have addressed us have been, chiefly, so they have informed us, men belonging to the third and fourth generation of those who have received the gospel in the latter days. This has impressed me very much. You doubtless have heard the prediction of some of our scientific men in the nation that the test of "Mormonism" would come with the third or fourth generation of its followers. They seem to have the idea that as time rolls on, the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons" as they call us, will begin to depart from the Faith of their forefathers, and be led away into different paths, just as the world has been, and as one noted man hoped we would become, "like the rest of us." But our brethren who have spoken to us during the conference, occupying prominent and responsible places in the Church, have shown to us that they are true Latter-day Saints. The spirit that they bear with them, and that accompanies their fervent testimonies, shows us that they are fully and entirely in the work of the Lord in the latter days; and this has gladdened my heart. I am proud also of the generations that are coming, and I believe that they will improve as the years go on, because there is always room for improvement with individuals and with the generations that come, when the fathers obey the commandments of God and teach the Truth to their children. Now, I don't happen to be in this grand and noble class of men,— I say that advisedly, about their character, for I remember reading in the Bible, in the Psalms, a prediction like this: "It shall be said of this and that man that he was born in Zion, and the Highest himself shall establish her;" so that it is really a privilege and a blessing to be born in Zion, of goodly parents, of men and women who have been obedient to the gospel, and who had the Spirit of the Lord upon them, even before the birth of these good men who have spoken to us.
The science of eugenics is taking a great hold upon some minds in the United States, and is being followed, I hope not too far, among the people called Latter-day Saints. It is a good thing to learn how a righteous and stalwart generation can be brought forth, strong spiritually as well as physically; strong mentally, endowed with all the powers that should belong to the sons and daughters of God in humanity. And I hail with pleasure the efforts that are being put forth in this direction; for prenatal influences are very powerful, and when the time comes that people understand the laws that pertain to the production of the human species, and are at least as particular in regard to these matters as in regard to the raising of fine stock of different kinds, I believe a new and better generation will be brought forth, so that the predictions of the prophets may be fulfilled, and that children will not be cut down by disease in their infancy or childhood, but, to use the words of the prophet, that "a man shall live to the age of a tree ;" (if it means a grand old oak tree, that is a pretty good length of time); and that the time will come when the children that will be born and grow up to that great age, shall not have to be buried in the ground, but shall be quickened by the power of God and changed so as to pass from mortality to immortality, as some very few of the earth's inhabitants have been translated by special dispensation of Divine Providence.
I said I did not happen to belong to the class of those that have been born in Zion, or who were. born of parents who received the gospel. I am the only one of the family to which I belong who has come out of the world into the Church of Christ. I have done my best to try and bring my relatives to a full understanding of the gospel, but have not been successful. I recognize the hand of Providence in this, as far as I am individually concerned. Perhaps if I had had the way smoothed before me to receive the gospel I might not have developed some talents that the Lord has brought forth in me. I might not have had force and power developed in me to resist evil, and to lay hold of the good, but, by the very struggles that I have had to make alone from my boyhood upward, I feel that God has blessed me and strengthened me, so that when times of testing came in various conditions and capacities, I was able to exercise my individuality and to choose the good and refuse the evil, and when many of my companions in the Priesthood in early days turned away and were led into by and forbidden paths, God strengthened my feet, planted them upon the Rock of Truth and gave me power to resist every inducement to turn away from the right.
Now, I do not speak of that in any way of boasting; the Lord forbid, for I feel that everything I have and everything that I am I owe to the Church and Kingdom that He has established on the earth; to the truths that He has revealed; to the power and authority that He has sent from heaven to guide people on the earth; to the Divine Spirit which I know has rested upon me from On High, and quickened all my powers and enabled me to continue to labor for the cause of truth and righteousness, and the building up of the Kingdom of our God; and this morning I rejoice in these blessings, and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the midst of this great congregation.
President Smith, in his opening address to the conference, gave us a very clear expose of the order of the Church, in the Priesthood particularly, and I am sure that every soul that heard the sound of his voice rejoiced in what was laid before us so plainly and so forcibly. and so strictly in accordance with the revelations that have been received and printed. President Lund also alluded to one of the fundamental doctrines of the Church, revealed when it was organized, which was that the Lord appointed Joseph Smith, at that time the head of the Church, to be a prophet, a seer and a revelator. and admonished the Church to follow his counsel, to be obedient to the things he gave to them as he received them from the Lord. Now, notwithstanding this revelation that was given on the very day of the organization of the Church, and the people were commanded to look to the head for guidance, for revelations, for commandments to govern and guide the Church, it was not very long, so we learn from the history of the Church, before false spirits came among the' people, and they were led, some to the right and some to the left, but out of "the strait and narrow way." Jesus declared that "Strait is the way and narrow is the path which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So it has been during the whole history of the world; and it is also a matter of history that always there were some who departed from the narrow way. the straight path into the presence of the Lord, and were led away by delusive influences and spirits. Now the Lord made it very clear, and pronounced it very emphatically right from the beginning, that there should be but one man, and he the head of the Church, who should receive revelations and commandments for the Church, and the Church has been warned, time and again, not to be turned aside from this plain and simple way that the Lord marked out.
I will read a passage or two from the Doctrine and Covenants on this point, because I consider it of very great importance, and always have so viewed it from the beginning of my membership in the Church. Those of you who are familiar with the history of the Church in its beginning will remember that Oliver Cowdery, who received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist, in company with the Prophet Joseph, and also with him the higher or JVIelchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James and John, became rather rebellious in his spirit. He actually commanded the Prophet Joseph to change one of the revelations that he had received; but the Lord gave words to Oliver which should be a guide to all who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I read from Doctrine and Covenants, section 28, verses 1-4:
"Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee, that thou shalt be heard by the Church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given.
"But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this Church, excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Junior, for he receiveth them even as Moses."
"And thou shall be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the Church."
I will not read the whole section, but there are two or three verses further that I would like to read to you this morning, commencing at the 11th verse in this section.
"And again, thou shalt take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he has written from that stone, are not of Me, and that Satan deceiveth him.
"For behold, these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this Church contrary to the Church covenants."
From time to time there have been persons who have arisen and claimed to be especially called of God to give something new, as they considered, to the Church, and they have assumed power and authority which did not belong to them, because the Lord had said in the beginning that this authority should be given to but one man at a time, and he the head of the Church. Yet some people were foolish enough to be led away by deceivers into by and forbidden paths. Now, they did not always manifest anything that was corrupt or wicked or evil, but were deceived themselves, just as Christ predicted it would be before His second advent, that there would be false teachers among the people, "deceiving and being deceived." Influences that were not of God operated on their minds, and they were led away, in their own pride sometimes, and vain conceit, and they assumed authority which was not given to them, because of the manifestations that they had received and which they supposed to be Divine. They were deceived themselves and they deceived others. So the Lord appointed this rule in the Church and I think that any one who will look into it will see that it was a very wise provision— that in this Church, people who believe in visions and dreams, and tongues and interpretations of tongues, and prophecy and all the gifts and blessings that pertain to membership in the Church of Christ ought not to be permitted to present their notions and ideas (arising perhaps from some manifestation that they had received) as divinely given for the guidance and direction of the Saints, but that such authoritative communications should come only through the head of the Church.
From time to time through the whole history of the Church every now and then somebody has started up with a dream or a vision or a revelation of some kind, and endeavored to lead other people away from the straight path, and yet the Lord has told the Church in the very beginning that He would not give revelations and commandments for the Church to any one but the man placed at the head. While individuals in this Church may seek to the Lord, as I know by personal experience, and receive His Spirit in power, and direction from the Lord in the performance of duty, and be led and guided by the spirit of God, for "they who are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God," yet, while this blessing is promised to individuals in the Church for their own special good, they are not intended for the Church or for other people besides themselves. Notwithstanding this, these diversions have occurred from time to time from the very beginning of the Church, and one of these was the kind spoken of here in regard to Hiram Page.
In the 50th section of the Doctrine and Covenants the same subject is referred to in this way, beginning at the first paragraph:
"Hearken, O, ye elders of my Church, and give ear to the voice of the living God, and attend to the words of wisdom which shall be given unto you, according as ye have asked and are agreed as touching the Church, and the spirits which have gone abroad in the earth.
"Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world;
"And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you."
The same might be said at the present time; there are various false influences abroad, and they seek to enter into the Church of Christ, and to lead people astray, and sometimes individuals will be so imbued with the importance of that which they have received—as they believe by revelation from God—that they begin to assume authority over others, and endeavor to lead them away, to follow them into the ways of darkness, into superstition, into folly and into neglect to observe the commandment that God gave in the beginning of the Church.
I will read another verse or two from the Doctrine and Covenants section 43, beginning at the first paragraph;
"O, hearken, ye elders of my Church, and give an ear to the words which I shall speak unto you;
"For, behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my Church, through him whom I have appointed unto you, to receive from my hand.
"And this ye shall know assuredly, that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in Me.
"But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.
"And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments;
"And this I shall give unto you that you may know they are not of Me."
It seems to me that this ought to be sufficient for Latter-day Saints, and particularly for the elders of the Church, to whom this revelation was especially addressed. Elders of this Church, men holding the authority of the priesthood that God has revealed, ought certainly to understand this one simple principle and law of the Church for the guidance of the people, and to preserve them from being deceived. From time to time, as I have said, persons have arisen claiming to have received revelations from the Lord for the guidance of the people, and members have followed them. In every instance, without exception, trouble, sorrow, anguish and destruction have come from following these false spirits. I do not say that in every case the individuals who led the people astray were willful deceivers; they were deceived themselves, and they had power to deceive others, for these false spirits that come in unawares, when they can get hold of people, will pour out, so to speak, an influence upon them which blinds their eyes, benumbs their understanding, and leaves them so that they do not receive the true Light, that which comes from above, the Light which comes from Christ, from God the Eternal Father, and from the Holy Ghost, which is one spirit, the spirit of light, the spirit of life and the spirit of power by which God organizes and regulates all things that he brings about for his Divine purposes. That spirit is one spirit, and these false influences that come to deceive dazzle the eyes of weak people, and they are led away. In the old country, in England particularly, sometimes in marshy places, on a dark evening there will arise a light, bobbing about from place to place called the "will-of-the-wisp." and in some places a "jack-o'-lantern," and when in the dark travelers have missed their way, they will follow this jack-o'-lantern or will-o'-the-wisp, fancying it is some house where they can find refuge, or learn the path they should follow, and it generally leads them into a bog, and they sink down up to their necks. That illustrates, I think to some degree, how it has been spiritually with a number of the people who have thus been led astray.
Now the light that God gives is clear and plain to the understanding, and above all we should remember that when the Lord has anything to reveal to this Church by way of commandment or doctrine or principle, in addition to that which has been given, which may appear perhaps to be new—perhaps only the old things revived—whenever God has anything to make known to this Church, it will come through the channel that He has appointed, and there is but one, and that is the head of the Church. This will save people from a great deal of trouble, if they will give heed to it, and I have believed in that doctrine from the beginning. I have had people come to me on several occasions, from time to time as the years have rolled on, and tell me some wonderful things that the Lord has revealed, and I have always taken my refuge in the passages that I have read to you. From the first the Lord appointed one man at a time on the earth, and that man is the head of the Church, to receive revelations for the Church, to receive commandments for the Church, not shutting out people from obtaining light for themselves individually; not interfering in the least degree with that agency which God has given to us; not depriving us of the privilege of going to the Lord ourselves and seeking for truth and light, to expand our souls, to enlarge our understandings, to strengthen us for the work we have to perform, to qualify for the duties that lie before us, to develop our souls that we may grow up unto Him who is our living Head, even Christ Jesus, our Lord,—not at all, but that we may not be led astray, that we may be able to keep in the strait and narrow path that leadeth unto eternal life.
In later years the Lord had to tell a little more about this on the same line, and I will refer you to section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, one of the latest of the revelations through the prophet Joseph Smith. I will commence at the eighth verse:
"Behold! Mine house is a house of order saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
"Will I accept an offering, saith the Lord God, that is not made in My name!
"Or, will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed!
"And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained before the world was!
"I am the Lord, Thy God, and I give unto you this commandment, that no man shall come unto the Father but by me, or by My word, which is my law, saith the Lord;
"And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me, or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the Resurrection, saith the Lord, your God;
"For, whatsoever things remain, are by me; and whatsoever things are not by Me shall be taken and destroyed."
Now my brethren and sisters, I direct your attention to this particular point in addition to those things that were presented by President Smith and President Lund, all in the same line and in harmony therewith, so that we may all have something to go by, that we may be able to hold onto it like the iron rod that we read of in the Book of Mormon, no matter who may come, to us pretending to have the word of the Lord, pretending to have received revelations or visions or dreams to guide us in anything, whether it be temporal or spiritual. You may know assuredly, the Lord says, that it is not of Him, because it does not come through the channel that He has appointed. This preserves order in the Church. "My house is a house of order," saith the Lord, "and not a house of confusion." We see this in all the glorious works of our Heavenly Father; in the physical universe, in things pertaining to salvation, in the Church of Christ, law and order are established in the midst of the people, and if we will observe the law and keep within the order that God has established, we shall not be led astray, nor come into the sorrows and troubles and pains that have fallen upon some of our brethren and sisters who have been led astray. Yet, every now and then somebody starts up and claims to be the man "mighty and strong," who is to set the house of the Lord in order, and perform a number of works spoken of in the revelations of God, which we understand have really been fulfilled; and that he is appointed, and you are to follow him, for he proclaims revelations by way of commandment to the Church.
Now, the simple way is to say it cannot be true because the Lord says He will not do that kind of thing, and if any man is really appointed of the Lord, He says, "he shall come in at the gate and be ordained as the Lord has provided." So that in this Church there is no need for any of us to be led off in wrong directions. Sometimes men have come to the president of the Church and claimed to be the person to be raised up "like unto Moses," and demanded the keys of the Church. There was one man came, poor fellow, a decrepit kind of being who hung around for several days. He could not get any "keys" and finally he came and begged for enough money to take him back to the place he came from in the strong." Now I don't say that to ridicule the man, poor fellow, but it illustrates what I am trying to tell you this morning. The Lord has established His Church on the earth, as He has told us, "in the last days and "for the last time."
There will be no reorganization of the Church, because the Church will not become disorganized. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on the 6th day of April, in the year 1830, the anniversary of which we are cele- East, and he hobbled out on his wooden leg,—the man "mighty and brating today, has continued without hindrance, or rather without obstruction, has persisted and prevailed, right down, unbroken, to the time in which we live, and today we have the Church organized after the pattern that God revealed; not in a moment, nor in a day, it was a growth like all the works of God which started with "that which is small," as the Book of Mormon says, and "proceedeth forth to that which is great," but, as the Church grew and developed, so did it come to its completeness- and it has continued. Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives the full order of the priesthood of God up to that date. Read it. Elders of Israel; read it, High Priests and Seventies, and priests and teachers and deacons and members, and become acquainted with the order of the Church, showing, as President Smith told us in the first session of this Conference, that the Church is presided over by "three presiding high priests chosen by the body, upheld and sustained by the faith and fellowship of the Church," and they stand at the head, and after them come the Twelve, holding equal authority when the First Presidency is removed by death or any other cause. The next quorum is that of the twelve apostles, and they form the presiding power in the Church when the first presidency has been dissolved by any means. When the Prophet Joseph died, the Church was not disorganized; the First Presidency became extinct so to speak, but the Twelve Apostles came up in its place, as provided in the revelation, and took charge of the Church, and in due time three presiding high priests were chosen by and from the body, and became the Presidency of the Church, and the quorum of the twelve was filled up. And so it will be from time to time as changes come. If the First Presidency is dissolved from any cause, the Twelve will take their place, and when the First Presidency is reorganized the quorum of the Twelve will be filled up and the work will go on. The Lord has provided this for the perpetuity of the Church, that it may continue, that it may stand and abide and not be like the organizations that have been set up in times past.
We can take up the Bible, the Old and the New Testaments, and read there predictions of men that were in power and authority in the Church in olden times, that the time would come "when darkness would cover the earth, and gross darkness the people," and when many should "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils," when they would "turn away their ears from the truth, and turn unto fables." Paul declared after he had preached the Gospel in many places in the vicinity of Jerusalem, that the day of the coming of the Redeemer, which they had been looking for to occur very soon, would not come except a great "falling away" would take place. But in the last days the Lord said he would establish his Church and Kingdom on the earth, and that it should stand forever. That it should not depart. That the Truth which would be revealed should not depart from his people, "nor from their seed, nor from their seed's seed, henceforth even forever.". So we have the generations coming along, and stalwart, good, fine noble men and women proceed therefrom, who are firm in the faith, who have the Truth in their hearts, who can bear testimony by the power of God, and their words go to the hearts of the people. And this will continue, and this Church shall never perish from the earth, nor become disorganized, for the Lord established it in such a way that it should continue and abide, no matter who might depart from it.
If you or I, or any of us, should leave the Church, the Church would still go on. Do not let us think, any of us, that the Church owes us anything. We owe a great deal to the Church, for light and truth and every principle and ordinance and authority and organization of the priesthood, and of the helps and gifts that are in the Church for our comfort, our blessing, our union, and the continuation of power in the Church. They have come to us from God through the appointed authorities of the Church, and they will abide, no matter what we may do. We are indebted to the Lord through his servants for these things that we enjoy, and we owe all we are, and all we have, to this Church in a spiritual sense, and a great many of us in a temporal sense. I rejoice in this; I rejoice in the knowledge that God has set up his Church and Kingdom on the earth in the last days for the last time, and has so organized it that it shall continue and abide and shall not be overcome. The Lord says, "It is my good pleasure, little flock, to give unto you the Kingdom;" and the Kingdom is ours if we will obey these precepts and these commandments and counsels, and walk in the way of life, and be guided by those who are appointed. Let those who are appointed to labor in this ministry labor with all diligence, and give this Church all their powers and strength.
I have endeavored,—I don't say it boastingly at all,—I have endeavored from the very start in this Church, over sixty-two years ago (when I received the priesthood of God, and was ordained an Elder, to go out and preach the Gospel, without pure or scrip), I have endeavored to give this Church the full strength of my body and mind and spirit, which are the Lord's, and in that I have had joy and the testimony of Jesus, and God has blessed me and opened the eyes of my understanding, and given me to comprehend truths that have rejoiced my soul, and I feel I am baptized into them. All there is of me is the Lord's, and I want to devote it still to the building up of his Kingdom to my latest breath. And when I depart from this tabernacle and enter into the world beyond the veil, I hope and believe that I shall have still to labor for the great cause of human redemption, for this work has to go on until the redemption of man is completed, until "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
When we depart, brethren, Elders in Israel, and mingle with the spirits behind the veil, we will find an immense work there for us to do, and I am thankful in the knowledge that a great deal of the work has been prepared for us. We have been out in the world and preached the gospel to many thousands of people, and only a few comparatively have come into the Church and received its ordinances and its blessings and the testimony of Christ; but thousands upon thousands have heard it, and it has touched their souls. They have steeled their hearts against it; they have closed their eyes against the light; and they have gone away from this stage of being into the ' world beyond, and everything they have learned and have heard, and understood while in the flesh, will come back to them when they "shuffle off this mortal coil," and their immortal spirits will be able to remember that which has occurred while they dwelt in the flesh, and we will find thousands upon thousands of people in the spirit world who are prepared for the ministration of the servants of God when they come among them. And so the work will go on, and the Gospel will be preached to the living, and it will be preached to the dead, and the work of the Lord will be triumphant, and the time will come when Satan shall not reign any more at all, but Christ shall reign, and the assembled millions in the flesh and in the spirit will bow the knee to King Emmanuel and be willing to receive him, for he is the Life and the Light of this world, and he is the head to whom we must all grow up.
Each man placed at the head of the Church on the earth is growing up to Him. Every one who is called to the ministry is growing up to Him, and we are building up the Church and Kingdom of our God unto Christ, our Redeemer, and He will be the King and Lord of all. Blessed and honored be His glorious name, who died for us, that we might live, and who will bring us into His presence, and into the presence of the Father, for no man can come unto the Father except by Him. So, while we dwell on the earth, brethren and sisters, let us devote ourselves to the building up of this Kingdom, unto Him, and when He comes we will receive our share of the reward. "Behold, I come" he declares. "My reward is with Me, but My work is before me." Now let us perform our work and do our part, no matter what it may be, great or small, and unite together in one spirit, and be led by the light and give heed to the counsels and guidance of the man that is set at the head, and all will be well with the Church of Christ, and all will be well with our individual standing. God bless us all and help us all to be faithful, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
There is no necessity for me to bear my testimony to every word and sentiment that has been expressed this morning by President Charles W. Penrose, for the simple reason that every Latter-day Saint in this audience knows, by the testimony of the Spirit of God, that he has taught us the Truth as the Lord has revealed it, and the standard doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from which there can be no variation in righteousness. And I simply wanted to give expression to this fact, for it is true. I thank the Lord for such men as President Penrose and others we have, who have made a life study of the principles and ordinances of the gospel, the order of the priesthood, the rights of the members of the Church, and the order of government therein, and who are enabled by the blessings of the Lord, to express themselves freely and to convey these principles in such unmistakable clearness to the understanding of the people. I feel very grateful this morning for all that we have heard, and again, although there is no necessity for it, I bear my testimony without reserve to the truths that have been uttered here today. Not only so, but I also endorse and bear testimony to the sincerity and earnestness of those who have spoken, and to the most excellent spirit that has been manifested during our entire conference; by the presidents of the missions, and by a few of the presidents of the stakes of Zion who have spoken to us. I would be glad if we had time to listen to those of the sixty-four presidents of the stakes of Zion, who are present in this conference. I would be delighted to have all the people hear the testimony of these men, to whom is entrusted by the Church and by the inspiration of the Almighty, the responsibility of presiding in the household of faith. They are men of truth, of honor, of virtue, and of uprightness; men who enjoy inspiration from God, men who exercise the privileges that belong to their office and calling', and can speak, as the Lord inspires them to speak, the truth to the people, and we pray that the people will give heed to their teachings and uphold and sustain them in their callings. The Lord bless the presiding officers of the Church throughout all the organized stakes of Zion, and throughout all the missions of the world, is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A soprano solo, entitled, "The Holy Temple," was sung by Sister Delia Daynes Hills; words by Sister Mary F. Kelly, and music by Prof. Joseph J. Daynes.
There is no necessity for me to bear my testimony to every word and sentiment that has been expressed this morning by President Charles W. Penrose, for the simple reason that every Latter-day Saint in this audience knows, by the testimony of the Spirit of God, that he has taught us the Truth as the Lord has revealed it, and the standard doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from which there can be no variation in righteousness. And I simply wanted to give expression to this fact, for it is true. I thank the Lord for such men as President Penrose and others we have, who have made a life study of the principles and ordinances of the gospel, the order of the priesthood, the rights of the members of the Church, and the order of government therein, and who are enabled by the blessings of the Lord, to express themselves freely and to convey these principles in such unmistakable clearness to the understanding of the people. I feel very grateful this morning for all that we have heard, and again, although there is no necessity for it, I bear my testimony without reserve to the truths that have been uttered here today. Not only so, but I also endorse and bear testimony to the sincerity and earnestness of those who have spoken, and to the most excellent spirit that has been manifested during our entire conference; by the presidents of the missions, and by a few of the presidents of the stakes of Zion who have spoken to us. I would be glad if we had time to listen to those of the sixty-four presidents of the stakes of Zion, who are present in this conference. I would be delighted to have all the people hear the testimony of these men, to whom is entrusted by the Church and by the inspiration of the Almighty, the responsibility of presiding in the household of faith. They are men of truth, of honor, of virtue, and of uprightness; men who enjoy inspiration from God, men who exercise the privileges that belong to their office and calling', and can speak, as the Lord inspires them to speak, the truth to the people, and we pray that the people will give heed to their teachings and uphold and sustain them in their callings. The Lord bless the presiding officers of the Church throughout all the organized stakes of Zion, and throughout all the missions of the world, is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A soprano solo, entitled, "The Holy Temple," was sung by Sister Delia Daynes Hills; words by Sister Mary F. Kelly, and music by Prof. Joseph J. Daynes.
PRESIDENT FRANCIS M. LYMAN.
Unity of understanding prevailing among Church leaders.—Duty of all Saints to assist in reforming others.—Order of the Church provides for care of each individual.—The Church fortunate in having so many devoted servants. — Teachers benefit themselves by their instructions to others.
We have all very greatly rejoiced in the experiences of this conference, in the "feast of fat things" that has been set before us in such variety, and especially in the counsels of the President. I may say that the presidents of the stakes and missions to whom we have listened, have the same testimony that has been borne by President Smith in our hearing. Every Latter-day Saint recognizes the voice of the Lord. We have been most thoroughly instructed, and have witnessed the fact that the brethren who preside over the various departments of the Church in the stakes and missions, so far as we have had time to hear them, have the same spirit, the same understanding and clear comprehension of the revelations of the Lord in these last days. The brethren are here in great numbers, representative brethren of the Church, from the missions, stakes, and wards of Zion, choice men, men who have had extensive experience, and if we had the time to hear from all these brethren, we would be astonished to discover what there is in their hearts, how thoroughly they are established in the truth.
I was particularly impressed with the opening remarks of the President. I believe we recognize the fact that it was an occasion of renewing to the understanding of Latter-day Saints, in an impressive manner, the order, the law and discipline of the Lord in His Church, and the responsibilities that abide with the quorums of the Priesthood and with the officials in all the associations and organizations of the Church at home and abroad. We have been reminded not only of the order and records so important to be kept in the Church, and in the various departments thereof, not only the strict and careful preparation that the Lord has made in the organization of His Church for the official care of His work in the earth, but there is brought to our attention, also the individual responsibilities that rest upon every member of the Church, that rest upon every father and mother, and the requirements that are made of children to honor their parents, and thus honor the Lord. Our chief parent is our Father who is in Heaven, and in honoring our parents on the earth we honor our Heavenly Father. I know of no better way for us to honor God than by honoring those who have brought us into this world, to love our fathers and our mothers, to love the Lord, and to be found performing perfectly, as far as possible, the requirements that are made of us. I believe that the time is opportune for the Church to take an advanced step or position in the ministry, and in taking care of the various departments of the Church of Christ in the earth in advance of anything that we have experienced in the past.
I desire to impress upon the minds of my brethren who are entrusted with responsible positions, whether in stakes or wards, or quorums or other organizations, at home and in missions abroad, the necessity of our performing most faithfully and zealously the duties that devolve upon us, and that we do not wait upon somebody else, and trust to somebody else to do what is required of us individually. Parents should thoroughly instruct their children, that our posterity may look back to us as having done our duty by them; also that our neighbors may discover that we have been good to them, and assisted them upon the principles demonstrated so nicely here by the president of a stake, referring to a brother that he had found delinquent, a man who had been true, trusty and faithful in the ministry, but had grown cold and become something of a back-slider. His brother discovered his trouble, and wisely undertook the labor to improve him, reform him, and restore him to his former desirable condition. Now that is not only the duty of that president of the stake, but every other president, and not only presidents of stakes, but bishops of wards and counselors and high counselors, high priests and seventies, and it is the duty of parents with their children. It is the duty of brethren with their brothers, until the full purpose of God is performed in giving attention to his people.
It is a marvelous work, a marvelous organization that is established by the Lord to accomplish the salvation of the children of men, and it is all necessary. There has been nothing required by the Lord through his servants that was not necessary, and that was not indispensable,— everything that is necessary for our salvation is indispensable. We must not forsake the way of life and salvation that is marked out for us. Hence, I desire to impress upon my brethren and sisters present today, as has been so beautifully done by our file leaders, and by the other brethren whose voices we have listened to, that we shall do better in the future, in fact, that we shall do right in the future, and that we shall not do any wrong; that we shall not neglect our duties, but remember them and perform them to the satisfaction of the Lord, and His Spirit will guide us, for every man in every place and position in this Church is entitled to the inspiration of the Lord in the responsibilities that rest upon him.
The responsibility rests upon those who preside over us to care for, instruct, prompt, assist and direct us in our labors and ministry. The bishops of wards, and presidents of stakes, should take care of the responsibility that rests upon each of them, so that every person that needs their attention may receive it. It is the sick that need the physician, and these brethren are our spiritual physicians. I have a physician of that kind in the ward where I live, a bishop, and he always keeps a careful eye on me, he knows pretty well where I am and what I am doing. Every man in the Church is entitled to the care and supervision of a bishop, and to the care and supervision of a high council and presidency of a stake, or president of the mission, wherever he may be located. It is those who preside over us that are to direct, and counsel and instruct us. There is no one in this Church but what has some one to care for him and assist him in his ministry, from the President of the Church to the least in the fold. It is the Lord's business to regulate and take care of the Presidency of the Church, and it is the business of the Presidency of the Church to take care of the Church, to preside over the Church, and direct the labors and efforts of those who bear the priesthood. It is not the duty of the members to regulate and set in order those who preside over them. It is not the duty of the twelve apostles to regulate the Presidency of the Church, but the Presidency always directs the labors of the twelve; and the Presidency and the twelve regulate and set in order the affairs of the Church throughout the world, assisted by those who bear the priesthood and have their particular positions and places of labor assigned them; so that there is order and discipline. The Spirit of the Lord guides the affairs of the Church, and the Lord watches over and preserves it.
When President Penrose was referring to his experiences in this Church, I did not think that I had been so long in the Church as he, but I find we have about the same length of time. I joined this Church sixty-five years ago. Of course, I was born of Latter-day Saint parents eight years before that, and have been acquainted with all the leaders of the Church from the beginning, in my boyhood and in my manhood, I have known them. I have known the leaders, not only of the Church, but the leaders of stakes and other departments of the Kingdom. It has been my lot to be with these presidents of stakes, bishops of wards, and leading brethren, and I can say they are all inspired with the same spirit. I want to bear that testimony because I am well acquainted with so many of the brethren of the Church, they have the same spirit that was manifested by the brethren who have spoken in this conference; that spirit dwells in the hearts of all presidents and counselors to presidents, in all high councilors, in all bishops and counselors to bishops, and presidents of quorums. That same spirit dwells in the hearts of all these brethren who assemble here from year to year to take counsel from those who preside over us, and they are seasoned and tried material, reliable and trusty. This body of men sitting on the stand here, the Presidency, the twelve, the presiding seventy, presiding bishopric, and presiding patriarch, you know that we are laboring with you all the time. We are occupied from the beginning of the year until its close, on all occasions when we are needed in the midst of the people, we are with the brethren and counsel with them. When men are needed for official positions, we look for the very choicest and best brethren that we can find; we counsel with the priesthood. The brethren are always willing to help us, they bear their share of responsibility, and it is a rare thing that a mistake is made, we rarely get the wrong man. As a rule the right man is designated by the inspiration of the Lord. We can hardly make a mistake in this regard, for the councils of the stakes of Zion are made up of choice high priests; they are sober, honest, upright and conscientious. We love them, we counsel together, and are in each other's confidence and fellowship, and in the fellowship and confidence of the people. I consider President Smith is a fortunate president of this Church, coming to the conditions that the Church has reached at the present time, so extended and numerous, so many stakes, wards, and missions, and so thoroughly manned with men of integrity. Their hearts are inspired and full of faith, and the Lord recognizes them; every one of them has been called of God; if any one has "shown the white feather" on any occasion, it has not been because he was not the right man for the place, it has been because he has not had the courage and strength to stand up and carry the load. The Lord makes no mistake in calling men; if we fail, it is our own weakness, for the Lord is ready to give strength sufficient to sustain the brethren in the responsibilities that are upon them. It is expected that these men shall be so advised and instructed that they will take care of matters that are entrusted to them, that the shoulders of the Presidency of this Church shall not be broken, that they shall not be overloaded with responsibility and care. The general affairs of the Kingdom keep them busy all the time. It is the duty of these men, such as have been talking to us here, from the missions and from the stakes of Zion, to take care of the affairs in their respective districts, to take care of the army of the priesthood and the associations; and so with the bishops of wards, it is their duty to take care of matters that arise in their wards.
Occasionally we have a little trouble, not very often. When I come to think of it, and look over the field, I notice it is a rare thing that there is a ward in the Church that develops any conditions that are serious, and they don't become chronic. Matters of difficulty and trouble between brethren should be settled at once, taken care of and relief brought immediately to those who are in trouble in the wards, quorums, or auxiliary organizations. Every man who has received responsibility should feel it resting upon him, just as every father and every mother should feel, and every member in this Church, as suggested by Brother Paul in ancient times in instructing his Brother Timothy in regard to the labors of a bishop. He made this important suggestion, that I think possibly has not been comprehended as it should be, that a bishop should be apt to teach. Now, it is not any truer that a bishop should be apt as a teacher than it is that every other Latter-day Saint should be apt as a teacher. Fathers, mothers, brethren and sisters should be teachers. Every member of this Church that has become converted into the fold and into the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ should convert their neighbors, or labor for that purpose. Hence, I would like to impress upon the Latter-day Saints, in conference assembled, the importance of every member of this Church cultivating an aptitude for teaching, be teachers, and help others, just as the example set by our brother who spoke here yesterday, helping to redeem others. We can't always save them, but we should do something, and generally we will be successful. The more experience we have in that line the more successful we will be, and the more successful we will be in our own lives, for the men who are teachers, and are apt to teach, always get the first good out of the instructions that are given, for it is better that a man teach than that he be taught, as it is better that a man should give than that he should receive. It is better to help others, do something for others, for when that is done it brings the most pleasure, it profits those who perform the mission. I want to so exhort my brethren, that they shall take care of the field that is entrusted to them, that their responsibilities shall be faithfully performed, and I promise them that the Lord will be with them.
I want to bear my testimony, not only in regard to what President Penrose said this morning, for he said exactly the truth, and a great deal of it, and so did President Smith. Every word they spoke and every instruction they gave were words inspired of God. It was the Lord that put those things in the hearts of our brethren to declare to us. The truth presented by our brethren in such great variety was from the Lord. I want it impressed upon our hearts that the men of God, who are placed in the position of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors, have been the only men authorized to speak the Word and Will of God for Israel and the world.
And so it will be while this Church and this earth stand, we have the sure guide for us, the keynote is: Stay with and listen to the man who stands at the head of this Church, who is entrusted by the Lord, and we will make no mistakes, we will not go astray. The Lord will guide him, and he speaks as the Lord Himself would speak in regard to these matters. Let us listen, let our ears be open to hear what the Lord says through His servant. And how grateful we ought to be for this important boon and blessing that He has established in the earth. That is my testimony to you. The mission of the Prophet Joseph Was divine, just as divine and sacred as that of the Savior, for it was the Savior who sent him, who selected him, and trained him and knew him from the beginning, and there was no mistake. It was the order and will of God when he was brought forth as the representative of the Lord in these last days.
I pray the Lord to bless you, my brethren, and sisters, and to bless all Israel, and to pour out His spirit upon us, that we may take care of the responsibilities that rest upon us individually, as well as in quorums and in associations and stakes of Zion, that all may prosper and be blessed together, brethren and sisters, in their official as well as in their private capacities, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The choir sang the anthem, "From afar, gracious Lord, Thou hast gathered Thy flock."
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Wm. H. Smart.
Adjourned until 2 p. m.
Unity of understanding prevailing among Church leaders.—Duty of all Saints to assist in reforming others.—Order of the Church provides for care of each individual.—The Church fortunate in having so many devoted servants. — Teachers benefit themselves by their instructions to others.
We have all very greatly rejoiced in the experiences of this conference, in the "feast of fat things" that has been set before us in such variety, and especially in the counsels of the President. I may say that the presidents of the stakes and missions to whom we have listened, have the same testimony that has been borne by President Smith in our hearing. Every Latter-day Saint recognizes the voice of the Lord. We have been most thoroughly instructed, and have witnessed the fact that the brethren who preside over the various departments of the Church in the stakes and missions, so far as we have had time to hear them, have the same spirit, the same understanding and clear comprehension of the revelations of the Lord in these last days. The brethren are here in great numbers, representative brethren of the Church, from the missions, stakes, and wards of Zion, choice men, men who have had extensive experience, and if we had the time to hear from all these brethren, we would be astonished to discover what there is in their hearts, how thoroughly they are established in the truth.
I was particularly impressed with the opening remarks of the President. I believe we recognize the fact that it was an occasion of renewing to the understanding of Latter-day Saints, in an impressive manner, the order, the law and discipline of the Lord in His Church, and the responsibilities that abide with the quorums of the Priesthood and with the officials in all the associations and organizations of the Church at home and abroad. We have been reminded not only of the order and records so important to be kept in the Church, and in the various departments thereof, not only the strict and careful preparation that the Lord has made in the organization of His Church for the official care of His work in the earth, but there is brought to our attention, also the individual responsibilities that rest upon every member of the Church, that rest upon every father and mother, and the requirements that are made of children to honor their parents, and thus honor the Lord. Our chief parent is our Father who is in Heaven, and in honoring our parents on the earth we honor our Heavenly Father. I know of no better way for us to honor God than by honoring those who have brought us into this world, to love our fathers and our mothers, to love the Lord, and to be found performing perfectly, as far as possible, the requirements that are made of us. I believe that the time is opportune for the Church to take an advanced step or position in the ministry, and in taking care of the various departments of the Church of Christ in the earth in advance of anything that we have experienced in the past.
I desire to impress upon the minds of my brethren who are entrusted with responsible positions, whether in stakes or wards, or quorums or other organizations, at home and in missions abroad, the necessity of our performing most faithfully and zealously the duties that devolve upon us, and that we do not wait upon somebody else, and trust to somebody else to do what is required of us individually. Parents should thoroughly instruct their children, that our posterity may look back to us as having done our duty by them; also that our neighbors may discover that we have been good to them, and assisted them upon the principles demonstrated so nicely here by the president of a stake, referring to a brother that he had found delinquent, a man who had been true, trusty and faithful in the ministry, but had grown cold and become something of a back-slider. His brother discovered his trouble, and wisely undertook the labor to improve him, reform him, and restore him to his former desirable condition. Now that is not only the duty of that president of the stake, but every other president, and not only presidents of stakes, but bishops of wards and counselors and high counselors, high priests and seventies, and it is the duty of parents with their children. It is the duty of brethren with their brothers, until the full purpose of God is performed in giving attention to his people.
It is a marvelous work, a marvelous organization that is established by the Lord to accomplish the salvation of the children of men, and it is all necessary. There has been nothing required by the Lord through his servants that was not necessary, and that was not indispensable,— everything that is necessary for our salvation is indispensable. We must not forsake the way of life and salvation that is marked out for us. Hence, I desire to impress upon my brethren and sisters present today, as has been so beautifully done by our file leaders, and by the other brethren whose voices we have listened to, that we shall do better in the future, in fact, that we shall do right in the future, and that we shall not do any wrong; that we shall not neglect our duties, but remember them and perform them to the satisfaction of the Lord, and His Spirit will guide us, for every man in every place and position in this Church is entitled to the inspiration of the Lord in the responsibilities that rest upon him.
The responsibility rests upon those who preside over us to care for, instruct, prompt, assist and direct us in our labors and ministry. The bishops of wards, and presidents of stakes, should take care of the responsibility that rests upon each of them, so that every person that needs their attention may receive it. It is the sick that need the physician, and these brethren are our spiritual physicians. I have a physician of that kind in the ward where I live, a bishop, and he always keeps a careful eye on me, he knows pretty well where I am and what I am doing. Every man in the Church is entitled to the care and supervision of a bishop, and to the care and supervision of a high council and presidency of a stake, or president of the mission, wherever he may be located. It is those who preside over us that are to direct, and counsel and instruct us. There is no one in this Church but what has some one to care for him and assist him in his ministry, from the President of the Church to the least in the fold. It is the Lord's business to regulate and take care of the Presidency of the Church, and it is the business of the Presidency of the Church to take care of the Church, to preside over the Church, and direct the labors and efforts of those who bear the priesthood. It is not the duty of the members to regulate and set in order those who preside over them. It is not the duty of the twelve apostles to regulate the Presidency of the Church, but the Presidency always directs the labors of the twelve; and the Presidency and the twelve regulate and set in order the affairs of the Church throughout the world, assisted by those who bear the priesthood and have their particular positions and places of labor assigned them; so that there is order and discipline. The Spirit of the Lord guides the affairs of the Church, and the Lord watches over and preserves it.
When President Penrose was referring to his experiences in this Church, I did not think that I had been so long in the Church as he, but I find we have about the same length of time. I joined this Church sixty-five years ago. Of course, I was born of Latter-day Saint parents eight years before that, and have been acquainted with all the leaders of the Church from the beginning, in my boyhood and in my manhood, I have known them. I have known the leaders, not only of the Church, but the leaders of stakes and other departments of the Kingdom. It has been my lot to be with these presidents of stakes, bishops of wards, and leading brethren, and I can say they are all inspired with the same spirit. I want to bear that testimony because I am well acquainted with so many of the brethren of the Church, they have the same spirit that was manifested by the brethren who have spoken in this conference; that spirit dwells in the hearts of all presidents and counselors to presidents, in all high councilors, in all bishops and counselors to bishops, and presidents of quorums. That same spirit dwells in the hearts of all these brethren who assemble here from year to year to take counsel from those who preside over us, and they are seasoned and tried material, reliable and trusty. This body of men sitting on the stand here, the Presidency, the twelve, the presiding seventy, presiding bishopric, and presiding patriarch, you know that we are laboring with you all the time. We are occupied from the beginning of the year until its close, on all occasions when we are needed in the midst of the people, we are with the brethren and counsel with them. When men are needed for official positions, we look for the very choicest and best brethren that we can find; we counsel with the priesthood. The brethren are always willing to help us, they bear their share of responsibility, and it is a rare thing that a mistake is made, we rarely get the wrong man. As a rule the right man is designated by the inspiration of the Lord. We can hardly make a mistake in this regard, for the councils of the stakes of Zion are made up of choice high priests; they are sober, honest, upright and conscientious. We love them, we counsel together, and are in each other's confidence and fellowship, and in the fellowship and confidence of the people. I consider President Smith is a fortunate president of this Church, coming to the conditions that the Church has reached at the present time, so extended and numerous, so many stakes, wards, and missions, and so thoroughly manned with men of integrity. Their hearts are inspired and full of faith, and the Lord recognizes them; every one of them has been called of God; if any one has "shown the white feather" on any occasion, it has not been because he was not the right man for the place, it has been because he has not had the courage and strength to stand up and carry the load. The Lord makes no mistake in calling men; if we fail, it is our own weakness, for the Lord is ready to give strength sufficient to sustain the brethren in the responsibilities that are upon them. It is expected that these men shall be so advised and instructed that they will take care of matters that are entrusted to them, that the shoulders of the Presidency of this Church shall not be broken, that they shall not be overloaded with responsibility and care. The general affairs of the Kingdom keep them busy all the time. It is the duty of these men, such as have been talking to us here, from the missions and from the stakes of Zion, to take care of the affairs in their respective districts, to take care of the army of the priesthood and the associations; and so with the bishops of wards, it is their duty to take care of matters that arise in their wards.
Occasionally we have a little trouble, not very often. When I come to think of it, and look over the field, I notice it is a rare thing that there is a ward in the Church that develops any conditions that are serious, and they don't become chronic. Matters of difficulty and trouble between brethren should be settled at once, taken care of and relief brought immediately to those who are in trouble in the wards, quorums, or auxiliary organizations. Every man who has received responsibility should feel it resting upon him, just as every father and every mother should feel, and every member in this Church, as suggested by Brother Paul in ancient times in instructing his Brother Timothy in regard to the labors of a bishop. He made this important suggestion, that I think possibly has not been comprehended as it should be, that a bishop should be apt to teach. Now, it is not any truer that a bishop should be apt as a teacher than it is that every other Latter-day Saint should be apt as a teacher. Fathers, mothers, brethren and sisters should be teachers. Every member of this Church that has become converted into the fold and into the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ should convert their neighbors, or labor for that purpose. Hence, I would like to impress upon the Latter-day Saints, in conference assembled, the importance of every member of this Church cultivating an aptitude for teaching, be teachers, and help others, just as the example set by our brother who spoke here yesterday, helping to redeem others. We can't always save them, but we should do something, and generally we will be successful. The more experience we have in that line the more successful we will be, and the more successful we will be in our own lives, for the men who are teachers, and are apt to teach, always get the first good out of the instructions that are given, for it is better that a man teach than that he be taught, as it is better that a man should give than that he should receive. It is better to help others, do something for others, for when that is done it brings the most pleasure, it profits those who perform the mission. I want to so exhort my brethren, that they shall take care of the field that is entrusted to them, that their responsibilities shall be faithfully performed, and I promise them that the Lord will be with them.
I want to bear my testimony, not only in regard to what President Penrose said this morning, for he said exactly the truth, and a great deal of it, and so did President Smith. Every word they spoke and every instruction they gave were words inspired of God. It was the Lord that put those things in the hearts of our brethren to declare to us. The truth presented by our brethren in such great variety was from the Lord. I want it impressed upon our hearts that the men of God, who are placed in the position of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors, have been the only men authorized to speak the Word and Will of God for Israel and the world.
And so it will be while this Church and this earth stand, we have the sure guide for us, the keynote is: Stay with and listen to the man who stands at the head of this Church, who is entrusted by the Lord, and we will make no mistakes, we will not go astray. The Lord will guide him, and he speaks as the Lord Himself would speak in regard to these matters. Let us listen, let our ears be open to hear what the Lord says through His servant. And how grateful we ought to be for this important boon and blessing that He has established in the earth. That is my testimony to you. The mission of the Prophet Joseph Was divine, just as divine and sacred as that of the Savior, for it was the Savior who sent him, who selected him, and trained him and knew him from the beginning, and there was no mistake. It was the order and will of God when he was brought forth as the representative of the Lord in these last days.
I pray the Lord to bless you, my brethren, and sisters, and to bless all Israel, and to pour out His spirit upon us, that we may take care of the responsibilities that rest upon us individually, as well as in quorums and in associations and stakes of Zion, that all may prosper and be blessed together, brethren and sisters, in their official as well as in their private capacities, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The choir sang the anthem, "From afar, gracious Lord, Thou hast gathered Thy flock."
Benediction was pronounced by Elder Wm. H. Smart.
Adjourned until 2 p. m.
OVERFLOW MEETING.
An overflow session of the Conference was held in the Assembly Hall, adjoining the Tabernacle, at 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th, 1913 The services were presided over by Elder George F. Richards.
The Thirty-first ward choir rendered the musical service under direction of H. E. Dewsnup.
The choir sang the anthem, "Hark, hark my soul."
Prayer was offered by Elder Nathaniel V. Jones.
Thomas L. Doxy and choir sang the anthem, "Crowned with the tempest."
An overflow session of the Conference was held in the Assembly Hall, adjoining the Tabernacle, at 10 a. m., Sunday, April 6th, 1913 The services were presided over by Elder George F. Richards.
The Thirty-first ward choir rendered the musical service under direction of H. E. Dewsnup.
The choir sang the anthem, "Hark, hark my soul."
Prayer was offered by Elder Nathaniel V. Jones.
Thomas L. Doxy and choir sang the anthem, "Crowned with the tempest."
ELDER LEVI EDGAR YOUNG.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
I hope that what is said this morning may be dictated by the Spirit of the Lord. I have been very greatly impressed with the services of this conference. There is one phase of the meetings of yesterday and day before that, to me, is a study in social intelligence. I think you were all impressed in the same way. When a man of the type of President Joseph F. Smith as 'leader of this Church, can stand before an audience of eight or ten thousand people, and call men from the congregation to the stand, in a magnificent building like the tabernacle, and have those men come forth and speak with the intelligence that they did, I say that it is a study in social intelligence which should impress everybody greatly. It is a known fact that in the Christian world there are few men, comparatively speaking, who can give any reason for their lives, for the hopes that they have, for their attitude toward the higher life, and I doubt if you could get as many men in all of this country to speak on the spur of the moment, as we can get within the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am this morning impressed with the thought, that "Mormonism" finds its power and efficacy after all in the human heart, that it is directed and inspired by the best that is in life and the best that can come from the throne of Almighty God.
I can speak to you but a few moments, but I want to leave this message with you. If there is anything needed today in the world, it is a knowledge of Jesus, the Christ. I believe that after all the only salvation for the social, political, economic and religious conditions of "he world today is through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We hear a great deal of what we call the philosophy of "Mormonism." It was only yesterday that I was asked this question: Of what I believe to be the philosophy of the social aspect of "Mormonism?" I did not know what the question meant. It was indefinite. But I wish to make this reply to it: If people would only hark back to the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and get that simplicity in their hearts, first, last and all the time, there would be no time whatever for idle gossip, idle talk and idle thoughts, if you please, concerning the meaning of this religion and the meaning of life. We are becoming, I sometimes think, too complex. We are growing out of harmony with all that is best in life, because of our trying to cope with what I call the mechanical fads and fashions of the day. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sains rests upon the teachings of the greatest Soul, yet the simplest Soul, in expression and in thought; it rests upon the thought of the Redeemer of the world, whose every act, whose every word, was so simple, so childlike, so clean, so enlightened, that kings would bow to him. And we are told by tradition, in the Talmud, that little children kissed his hand.' Now there is a thought there that we must not forget, and in this day and age of the world, in this confusion of life, all of us are working very, very hard to make life full of meaning, and to get out of it all that is best. He lives best who thinks best; he acts best, who loves best; he becomes the greatest light, the greatest influence in his religion of the pure Christ, when he passes on through life honestly, and when his whole body and soul in activity vibrates to the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Now I say I was impressed with this thing on yesterday, and it is a study of social intelligence.
I am proud of this people. I believe we are already taking the leadership of intelligence and morality in the world. That is my candid belief, and I have a right to say it. I believe that we have already set the pace for the solution of the social problem. I think we have set the pace for the solution of all the problems that concern the human race. I believe in the efficacy and in the power of men who hold the priesthood of God, because it is only through the priesthood that these problems will ultimately be solved. Another thing that I think has been impressive in this conference is this fact—you know, by the way, we all go home asking ourselves what lessons we have got out of the meeting; we should certainly do that — this meeting will do me and you no good unless you and I carry into our hearts a real, good reason, thought and suggestion to put into our lives tomorrow and the next day and all the days to come. Now I say another thought has impressed me very forcibly in this conference thus far. It is the fact that there is a difference between priestcraft and priesthood. Priestcraft is the hierarchy of a man-made government; it is a result of man's force and energy. Priesthood is the expression of the power of Almighty God in the soul, the very being of men who bear that divine calling. Historically, socially, religiously, there is a difference between priestcraft and priesthood.
My brethren and sisters, we are living in a very great age. I believe that we are all going to be more or less agitated at times in our feelings concerning things that are said and done towards us and said about us. But the glorious thing about this Church, if we are living our religion, is that nothing in the world can hurt us. You know nothing can injure truth. Truth has, it is quite true, but one enemy, and that is untruth. Untruth has two enemies, truth and itself. And my faith is that truth in any line will always become pre-eminent, predominant, and will always win out in the end. If we are living our religion as best we can, nothing from outside can ever injure us. The injury would come from our own hearts, our own activities, our own passions. So I say it behooves us as Latter-day Saints to study very hard, to think very accurately, and to allow our activities and our words to become mere expressions of our inner souls, and lives.
We ought to have ideals. We ought to have greater ideals every day. We ought to have greater dreams. I claim there never has been anything accomplished by a man unless he dreamed dreams and had visions of greater things. I glory when a Latter-day Saint says to me: "I dream, I have my vision of greater things," because that is pre-eminently the gift of God to man, and when men do dream, when men have their visions, then will men have their ideals, and will strive to carry these ideals out and make of life the greatest, the glorious thing that God had intended it to be. I love the man or the woman who goes from day to day, staking his whole being upon the fact that in his life there is but one sum and substance, and that is work.
Recently, in an interview, a man asked when these "Mormon" men and women found time, for joy or fun, for, he said, "it seems to me that the men and the women you have here are all working, working." It is in our work that we find our joy. It is in our work that we find our light and our happiness. It is in our work that we discover our lives. So we must work and never become discouraged. We must study and look up to the higher light, for there is always a higher light. God pity the man or the woman who has never seen it. We must learn to live ideally and idealistically. We must learn not always to say things that are practical in the sense of being materialistic. We must become practical but we must get away from the materialistic at times, and live the spirit which comes of God. That is practical. Some people get the idea, you know, that if any one lives a spiritual life, he is not practical. That is another thing that has impressed me in this conference, that men say by their lives that they are spiritualistic, and yet they make life real, practical, and true. We should then study the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should study the Holy Bible. We should study that equally great book, the Book of Mormon. We should find our rest, our peace, expressed in the Doctrine and Covenants. I want to say here—and every man has a right to believe what he wishes and to hold what he wishes to be true—I want to say to you, Read the book, the Pearl of Great Price, and read the Book of Abraham. The Pearl of Great Price I hold to be one of the most intelligent, one of the most religious books that the world has ever had; but, more than that, to me the Pearl of Great Price is true in its name. It contains an ideal of life that is higher and grander and more glorious than I think is found in the pages of any other book unless it be the Holy Bible. It behooves us to read these things, understand them; and I thank God when they are attacked, because it brings to me, after a study and thought, back to the fact that what God has given He has given, and He has nothing to retract.
God bless you in your work, and may we be united as a people, for in unity there is strength. Let us learn. Let us learn to look up. Let us learn that God made the stars and the sun and the moon for us. Life is too big, too noble, too true for us to stoop to low things. We have not time to talk about our neighbor. We have not time to speak unkind thoughts. We should be so active that every moment counts for the better life, and our dreams and our hopes and our ambitions should be lodged in the light of God, and our very activities should be making for His Kingdom. This applies to us all. And so let us take from this conference great thoughts. Let us find in it the kernel in the nut. Let us see to it that we carry these great thoughts home with us, and as much as possible weave them into our lives, that our lives may be made more resonant, more fruitful, that we may harmonize our very beings with the light, and with the will and the kingdom of God more each day. Then will the world sav of us, that our light, the light of "Mormonism," so shines that it becomes the ideal for the world to follow.
The gospel is true, every word of it. Jesus is the Christ. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and the revelation of God to his children will make it known better and better every day and every hour. God bless you. Amen.
A double quartet of ladies, of the Thirty-first ward choir, rendered a selection.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
I hope that what is said this morning may be dictated by the Spirit of the Lord. I have been very greatly impressed with the services of this conference. There is one phase of the meetings of yesterday and day before that, to me, is a study in social intelligence. I think you were all impressed in the same way. When a man of the type of President Joseph F. Smith as 'leader of this Church, can stand before an audience of eight or ten thousand people, and call men from the congregation to the stand, in a magnificent building like the tabernacle, and have those men come forth and speak with the intelligence that they did, I say that it is a study in social intelligence which should impress everybody greatly. It is a known fact that in the Christian world there are few men, comparatively speaking, who can give any reason for their lives, for the hopes that they have, for their attitude toward the higher life, and I doubt if you could get as many men in all of this country to speak on the spur of the moment, as we can get within the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am this morning impressed with the thought, that "Mormonism" finds its power and efficacy after all in the human heart, that it is directed and inspired by the best that is in life and the best that can come from the throne of Almighty God.
I can speak to you but a few moments, but I want to leave this message with you. If there is anything needed today in the world, it is a knowledge of Jesus, the Christ. I believe that after all the only salvation for the social, political, economic and religious conditions of "he world today is through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We hear a great deal of what we call the philosophy of "Mormonism." It was only yesterday that I was asked this question: Of what I believe to be the philosophy of the social aspect of "Mormonism?" I did not know what the question meant. It was indefinite. But I wish to make this reply to it: If people would only hark back to the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and get that simplicity in their hearts, first, last and all the time, there would be no time whatever for idle gossip, idle talk and idle thoughts, if you please, concerning the meaning of this religion and the meaning of life. We are becoming, I sometimes think, too complex. We are growing out of harmony with all that is best in life, because of our trying to cope with what I call the mechanical fads and fashions of the day. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sains rests upon the teachings of the greatest Soul, yet the simplest Soul, in expression and in thought; it rests upon the thought of the Redeemer of the world, whose every act, whose every word, was so simple, so childlike, so clean, so enlightened, that kings would bow to him. And we are told by tradition, in the Talmud, that little children kissed his hand.' Now there is a thought there that we must not forget, and in this day and age of the world, in this confusion of life, all of us are working very, very hard to make life full of meaning, and to get out of it all that is best. He lives best who thinks best; he acts best, who loves best; he becomes the greatest light, the greatest influence in his religion of the pure Christ, when he passes on through life honestly, and when his whole body and soul in activity vibrates to the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Now I say I was impressed with this thing on yesterday, and it is a study of social intelligence.
I am proud of this people. I believe we are already taking the leadership of intelligence and morality in the world. That is my candid belief, and I have a right to say it. I believe that we have already set the pace for the solution of the social problem. I think we have set the pace for the solution of all the problems that concern the human race. I believe in the efficacy and in the power of men who hold the priesthood of God, because it is only through the priesthood that these problems will ultimately be solved. Another thing that I think has been impressive in this conference is this fact—you know, by the way, we all go home asking ourselves what lessons we have got out of the meeting; we should certainly do that — this meeting will do me and you no good unless you and I carry into our hearts a real, good reason, thought and suggestion to put into our lives tomorrow and the next day and all the days to come. Now I say another thought has impressed me very forcibly in this conference thus far. It is the fact that there is a difference between priestcraft and priesthood. Priestcraft is the hierarchy of a man-made government; it is a result of man's force and energy. Priesthood is the expression of the power of Almighty God in the soul, the very being of men who bear that divine calling. Historically, socially, religiously, there is a difference between priestcraft and priesthood.
My brethren and sisters, we are living in a very great age. I believe that we are all going to be more or less agitated at times in our feelings concerning things that are said and done towards us and said about us. But the glorious thing about this Church, if we are living our religion, is that nothing in the world can hurt us. You know nothing can injure truth. Truth has, it is quite true, but one enemy, and that is untruth. Untruth has two enemies, truth and itself. And my faith is that truth in any line will always become pre-eminent, predominant, and will always win out in the end. If we are living our religion as best we can, nothing from outside can ever injure us. The injury would come from our own hearts, our own activities, our own passions. So I say it behooves us as Latter-day Saints to study very hard, to think very accurately, and to allow our activities and our words to become mere expressions of our inner souls, and lives.
We ought to have ideals. We ought to have greater ideals every day. We ought to have greater dreams. I claim there never has been anything accomplished by a man unless he dreamed dreams and had visions of greater things. I glory when a Latter-day Saint says to me: "I dream, I have my vision of greater things," because that is pre-eminently the gift of God to man, and when men do dream, when men have their visions, then will men have their ideals, and will strive to carry these ideals out and make of life the greatest, the glorious thing that God had intended it to be. I love the man or the woman who goes from day to day, staking his whole being upon the fact that in his life there is but one sum and substance, and that is work.
Recently, in an interview, a man asked when these "Mormon" men and women found time, for joy or fun, for, he said, "it seems to me that the men and the women you have here are all working, working." It is in our work that we find our joy. It is in our work that we find our light and our happiness. It is in our work that we discover our lives. So we must work and never become discouraged. We must study and look up to the higher light, for there is always a higher light. God pity the man or the woman who has never seen it. We must learn to live ideally and idealistically. We must learn not always to say things that are practical in the sense of being materialistic. We must become practical but we must get away from the materialistic at times, and live the spirit which comes of God. That is practical. Some people get the idea, you know, that if any one lives a spiritual life, he is not practical. That is another thing that has impressed me in this conference, that men say by their lives that they are spiritualistic, and yet they make life real, practical, and true. We should then study the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should study the Holy Bible. We should study that equally great book, the Book of Mormon. We should find our rest, our peace, expressed in the Doctrine and Covenants. I want to say here—and every man has a right to believe what he wishes and to hold what he wishes to be true—I want to say to you, Read the book, the Pearl of Great Price, and read the Book of Abraham. The Pearl of Great Price I hold to be one of the most intelligent, one of the most religious books that the world has ever had; but, more than that, to me the Pearl of Great Price is true in its name. It contains an ideal of life that is higher and grander and more glorious than I think is found in the pages of any other book unless it be the Holy Bible. It behooves us to read these things, understand them; and I thank God when they are attacked, because it brings to me, after a study and thought, back to the fact that what God has given He has given, and He has nothing to retract.
God bless you in your work, and may we be united as a people, for in unity there is strength. Let us learn. Let us learn to look up. Let us learn that God made the stars and the sun and the moon for us. Life is too big, too noble, too true for us to stoop to low things. We have not time to talk about our neighbor. We have not time to speak unkind thoughts. We should be so active that every moment counts for the better life, and our dreams and our hopes and our ambitions should be lodged in the light of God, and our very activities should be making for His Kingdom. This applies to us all. And so let us take from this conference great thoughts. Let us find in it the kernel in the nut. Let us see to it that we carry these great thoughts home with us, and as much as possible weave them into our lives, that our lives may be made more resonant, more fruitful, that we may harmonize our very beings with the light, and with the will and the kingdom of God more each day. Then will the world sav of us, that our light, the light of "Mormonism," so shines that it becomes the ideal for the world to follow.
The gospel is true, every word of it. Jesus is the Christ. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and the revelation of God to his children will make it known better and better every day and every hour. God bless you. Amen.
A double quartet of ladies, of the Thirty-first ward choir, rendered a selection.
ELDER CHARLES H. HART.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
I have greatly rejoiced at the testimonies, teachings and spirit of this conference, and I trust that by the blessings of the Lord the feast may continue.
The Constitutional Convention, over which the late lamented Prest. John Henry Smith presided, declared that "a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights and the perpetuity of free government." I think that truth is equally applicable in the Church, and that it was altogether timely and appropriate for the Presidency of the Church to refer to the fundamental principles underlying the organization of the Church and the practice of the priesthood, so that the exceptional, justifiable under exceptional circumstances, might not tend to crystalize into the established rule of practice. Like others of the speakers, I am not afraid that the third, the fourth and subsequent generations in the Church will forsake the gospel, if they are only properly indoctrinated in the principles of the Church. The danger is when they do not know the truth.
I met, sometime ago, a young student from the East, of "Mormon" parentage, who was a little adrift and had his doubts, because so called evil exists in the world. His attention had not been called to the doctrines of the Church in reference to that subject, which poets and philosophers have wrestled with. The poet Pope discussed the question when he reached the conclusion that,
"All nature is but art unknown to thee,
All chance, direction which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood,
All partial evil, universal good."
A familiar song declares that, "There is no song within our glad heart singing but has an echo of some minor strain." That amid the leaves of the most beautiful rose, a thorn is to be found; that the brightest day closes in shadows and in darkness, etc.
The poet Holland, in his beautiful poem entitled, "Bitter Sweet," considered the question in a very deep and thoughtful way, and when faith came to him, finally concludes:
"Evil is only the slave of good;
Sorrow the servant of joy,
And the soul is mad that refuses food
Of the meanest in God's employ.
The fountain of joy is fed by tears,
And love is lit by the breath of sighs,
The deepest griefs and the wildest fears
Have holiest ministries.
Strong grows the oak in the sweeping storm
Safely the flower sleeps under the snow;
And the farmer's hearth is never warm
Till the cold wind starts to blow."
The poet Tennyson considers the question also, and concludes, or exclaims:
"O yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final goal of ill,
That nothing walks with aimless feet,
That not one life shall be destroyed
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete;
That not a worm is cloven in vain;
That not a moth with vain desire
Is shriveled in a fruitless fire,
But subserves another's gain.
I can but trust that good will fall
At last—far off—at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring."
But I know of no literature that discusses the question more intelligently or philosophically than it is discussed in the Book of Mormon. Lehi, in speaking, to his son Jacob, says:
"For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness, nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one. Wherefore if it should be one body, it must needs remain as dead, having no life, neither death nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore it must needs have been created for a thing of naught. Wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power and the mercy and the justice of God. And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness; and if there be no righteousness, there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness, there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not, there is no God. And if there is no God, we are not, neither the earth, for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon. Wherefore all things must have vanished away. And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning. For there is a God, and He hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon, and to bring about His eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter; wherefore the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore man could not act for himself, save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other."
My young friend would really have done away with the free agency of man, if the universe had been planned after his order. Everything would be on the dead level of sameness; no extreme of cold, no extreme of heat, the temperature always being medium; no darkness in contrast with light, no evil in contrast with good, no sorrow in opposition to joy, etc. These opposites, as we are clearly informed in the Book of Mormon, really go to the question of free agency in this world of ours.
Some of the speakers commented upon the fact that we might expect, or that it was a little strange that there were not, larger numbers in the world flocking to the standard of "Mormonism," in view of its glorious principles. One reason there are not greater numbers converted is that the "Mormon" people have been misunderstood and their doctrines misunderstood. We have been to the world as "ships that pass in the night," as Longfellow gives us the figure in his Tales of a Wayside Inn:
"Ships that pass in the night,
They speak one another in passing,
Only a signal shown
And a distant voice in the darkness
So on the ocean of life,
We pass and speak one another.
Only a voice and a glance,
Then darkness again and a silence."
Individuals living even under the same roof do not in all respects understand one another. Some of the most serious tragedies that have come to my attention have been on account of a misunderstanding even by those who were very close to one another by the ties of kinship and affection. If those beneath the same roof may not understand one another aright, is it to be expected that those living remote from us should not have a misconception of our ideals and doctrines? Those brethren who responded yesterday, and who gave such strong testimonies to the truth of the gospel, were men who probably have not had the direct call of a heavenly messenger. The voice does not come to all as it came to Moses in the burning bush; not always as it came upon the Mount, amid the thunderings and lightnings; not always with cloven tongues of fire; and yet the silent call of the still small voice, the call of the divine, led these men and tens of thousands of others into the Church, in many cases in the face of contumely, scorn, sarcasm, and disinheritance; but the call was so potent to them, the call of the divine in their souls, that they were willing to bear ostracism of society, the disinheritance of their parents, to devote their lives to the truth, although it might mean, in a certain sense, a life of hardship, toil and trouble. Yet joy unspeakable came to them, the supreme joy of knowing that their lives were in harmony with the Infinite, and that they were responding to the silent call of the divine voice.
I must not occupy more of your time. May the Lord bless you, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A quartet of ladies, of the Thirty-first ward choir, rendered a selection.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
I have greatly rejoiced at the testimonies, teachings and spirit of this conference, and I trust that by the blessings of the Lord the feast may continue.
The Constitutional Convention, over which the late lamented Prest. John Henry Smith presided, declared that "a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights and the perpetuity of free government." I think that truth is equally applicable in the Church, and that it was altogether timely and appropriate for the Presidency of the Church to refer to the fundamental principles underlying the organization of the Church and the practice of the priesthood, so that the exceptional, justifiable under exceptional circumstances, might not tend to crystalize into the established rule of practice. Like others of the speakers, I am not afraid that the third, the fourth and subsequent generations in the Church will forsake the gospel, if they are only properly indoctrinated in the principles of the Church. The danger is when they do not know the truth.
I met, sometime ago, a young student from the East, of "Mormon" parentage, who was a little adrift and had his doubts, because so called evil exists in the world. His attention had not been called to the doctrines of the Church in reference to that subject, which poets and philosophers have wrestled with. The poet Pope discussed the question when he reached the conclusion that,
"All nature is but art unknown to thee,
All chance, direction which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood,
All partial evil, universal good."
A familiar song declares that, "There is no song within our glad heart singing but has an echo of some minor strain." That amid the leaves of the most beautiful rose, a thorn is to be found; that the brightest day closes in shadows and in darkness, etc.
The poet Holland, in his beautiful poem entitled, "Bitter Sweet," considered the question in a very deep and thoughtful way, and when faith came to him, finally concludes:
"Evil is only the slave of good;
Sorrow the servant of joy,
And the soul is mad that refuses food
Of the meanest in God's employ.
The fountain of joy is fed by tears,
And love is lit by the breath of sighs,
The deepest griefs and the wildest fears
Have holiest ministries.
Strong grows the oak in the sweeping storm
Safely the flower sleeps under the snow;
And the farmer's hearth is never warm
Till the cold wind starts to blow."
The poet Tennyson considers the question also, and concludes, or exclaims:
"O yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final goal of ill,
That nothing walks with aimless feet,
That not one life shall be destroyed
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete;
That not a worm is cloven in vain;
That not a moth with vain desire
Is shriveled in a fruitless fire,
But subserves another's gain.
I can but trust that good will fall
At last—far off—at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring."
But I know of no literature that discusses the question more intelligently or philosophically than it is discussed in the Book of Mormon. Lehi, in speaking, to his son Jacob, says:
"For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness, nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one. Wherefore if it should be one body, it must needs remain as dead, having no life, neither death nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore it must needs have been created for a thing of naught. Wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power and the mercy and the justice of God. And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness; and if there be no righteousness, there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness, there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not, there is no God. And if there is no God, we are not, neither the earth, for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon. Wherefore all things must have vanished away. And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning. For there is a God, and He hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon, and to bring about His eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter; wherefore the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore man could not act for himself, save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other."
My young friend would really have done away with the free agency of man, if the universe had been planned after his order. Everything would be on the dead level of sameness; no extreme of cold, no extreme of heat, the temperature always being medium; no darkness in contrast with light, no evil in contrast with good, no sorrow in opposition to joy, etc. These opposites, as we are clearly informed in the Book of Mormon, really go to the question of free agency in this world of ours.
Some of the speakers commented upon the fact that we might expect, or that it was a little strange that there were not, larger numbers in the world flocking to the standard of "Mormonism," in view of its glorious principles. One reason there are not greater numbers converted is that the "Mormon" people have been misunderstood and their doctrines misunderstood. We have been to the world as "ships that pass in the night," as Longfellow gives us the figure in his Tales of a Wayside Inn:
"Ships that pass in the night,
They speak one another in passing,
Only a signal shown
And a distant voice in the darkness
So on the ocean of life,
We pass and speak one another.
Only a voice and a glance,
Then darkness again and a silence."
Individuals living even under the same roof do not in all respects understand one another. Some of the most serious tragedies that have come to my attention have been on account of a misunderstanding even by those who were very close to one another by the ties of kinship and affection. If those beneath the same roof may not understand one another aright, is it to be expected that those living remote from us should not have a misconception of our ideals and doctrines? Those brethren who responded yesterday, and who gave such strong testimonies to the truth of the gospel, were men who probably have not had the direct call of a heavenly messenger. The voice does not come to all as it came to Moses in the burning bush; not always as it came upon the Mount, amid the thunderings and lightnings; not always with cloven tongues of fire; and yet the silent call of the still small voice, the call of the divine, led these men and tens of thousands of others into the Church, in many cases in the face of contumely, scorn, sarcasm, and disinheritance; but the call was so potent to them, the call of the divine in their souls, that they were willing to bear ostracism of society, the disinheritance of their parents, to devote their lives to the truth, although it might mean, in a certain sense, a life of hardship, toil and trouble. Yet joy unspeakable came to them, the supreme joy of knowing that their lives were in harmony with the Infinite, and that they were responding to the silent call of the divine voice.
I must not occupy more of your time. May the Lord bless you, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A quartet of ladies, of the Thirty-first ward choir, rendered a selection.
ELDER ANDREW JENSON.
(Assistant Church Historian.)
As I picked up the Bible in the commencement of our services for the purpose of finding a certain passage in Jeremiah, I opened mechanically to another part of the Sacred Volume, to find myself looking into that part called the Apocrypha, without knowing that the books known by that name were contained in this particular edition of the Bible lying here on the stand. But finding myself looking into the second book of Esdras, a passage occurred to my mind, which I will read:
"And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable people unto him. These are the Ten Tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of Oseas, the king, whom Salmanaser, the king of the Assyrians, took captive and crossed them beyond the river; so were they brought into another land, but they took this council to themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen and go forth onto a further country, where never man dwelt, that they might keep the statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered in at the narrow passages of the river Euphrates, for the most High then showed them signs and staid the springs of the flood till they were passed over; for through the country there was great journey, even of a year and a half, and the same region is called Arsareth." (2 Esdras 13:39-45.)
A few years ago I had occasion to visit the land of Palestine, and having made a very interesting little tour to the top of Mount Tabor, and to the Sea of Galilee, and had also visited Cana, in Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine, I found myself back in the little city of Nazareth; thence turning my face toward the south, I commenced a journey of about eighty miles through the heart of Galilee and Samaria to Jerusalem. On that journey I crossed the plain of Esdraelon, and passed by the village of Nain, where the widow's son was raised from the dead in the days of old by our Redeemer. I also passed by Endor, where the woman with a familiar spirit lived in the days of Saul, climbed up the slopes of Mount Gilboa, where Saul committed suicide and his sons were slain, and passed through Dothan, where Joseph was sold by his brethren to the Ishmaelitish merchants, who took him down to Egypt and there sold him. I next found myself passing through Samaria, the old capital of the Ten Tribes. Turning thence a little toward the east, I came to Shechem, and a little east of that I found myself on the plains of Moran, where is situated the well of Jacob and the tomb of Joseph. Changing again my course of travel toward the south, I traversed the plains of Moran in their entire length, and from the south end of the plain I found myself climbing the mountains until I reached" the town of Bethel, where Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had a peculiar dream, in which he saw angels passing" up and down, as it were, on a ladder that seemed to connect heaven and earth. And turning my face toward the east a little, I beheld a town situated about half way between Luz and Bethel and the Jordan River, and that town I was told by my Arabian companion was known as Ephraim. At once it dawned upon me that I stood in the midst of the mountains of Ephraim, and that here was the land where the Ten Tribes dwelt, particularly the strongest of all those tribes, the tribe of Joseph or the tribe of Ephraim. I could not then help thinking of this passage that I have just read. When I looked toward the east, I imagined that I could see far away over the plains of Syria into the land of Chaldea, where Abraham once dwelt, and where he was told by the Lord to leave the land of his fathers and come to live as a stranger in the land of Canaan. I thought of how his children, or his descendants. subsequently went down into Egypt, where they dwelt several hundred years, and afterwards came back under Moses and Joshua, and took possession of the land of Canaan, which was then divided between the twelve tribes, and how still later, when the children of Israel did not keep the commandments of God, they divided up into the Northern and Southern Kingdom, the tribe of Judah and part of another tribe only remaining loyal to the house of David, while the Ten Tribes revolted, and chose another king. In this divided condition the children of Israel lived for a number of years, until the wrath of the Almighty was kindled against them, because they would not serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but worshiped strange gods, and the consequence was that Salmanesar came over from Assyria and took them over the river Tigres some seven hundred miles from Samaria. Here we come to the events narrated in the passage which I have read, where it says that the people counseled among themselves, and as they did not like to live among the heathens, they took their goods and chattels and started on a long journey, disappearing in the lands of the north. From history we do not know anything more of them than that. That is where history ends, if we can call the apocryphal writings of Esdras history. There are undoubtedly many things in Esdras that are just as reliable as things found in the scriptures that are called canonical.
We are at the present time commencing investigations from the other end. We are looking very deep into genealogy. We have genealogical societies organized. Among others we have the Genealogical Society of Utah, of which a number of you perhaps are members. Genealogical societies are trying their best to hunt up all the information they can about our forefathers, and in a private way we are endeavoring to go back as far as we can to know from whence we sprang.
It is a source of great pride on the part of many Americans who live on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, to trace their ancestry back to some ship, commencing with the "Mayflower," that brought the Anglo-Saxons over to America. It is a source of pride, I say, for them to trace back their ancestry to that ship, or some other ship, that came over to this land bringing immigrants who laid the foundation of this great commonwealth. In tracing our genealogy we soon find ourselves on the other side of the water among the English people—not among the descendants of the old Britons, as a rule, but among the English people. And the question is then: Whence came the English people? We understand, of course, the close relationship between those on this side and those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean; and we are pleased to note that the two great Anglo-Saxon nations are the banner-bearers today of liberty and the equal rights of men. I take unusual interest in this proposition, because England is ruling her colonies with the same degree of liberality as that which governs the States of our own Union on this side of the Atlantic. This you can find out personally if you visit Australia, New Zealand, and other English colonies, as well as Canada, where the people are enjoying freedom and liberty, the same as we are in the United States of America. But whence came the Anglo-Saxons ? Going back into English history, we read of the Danish and of the Norman conquests. But before that, we read about Horsa and Hengist, who came over the North Sea about 449 years after the birth of our Savior, and took possession of England. We need not look into the details of the history of the wars, though we naturally think of how the Vikings fought with the Picts of Scotland and afterwards subdued the Celts or Britons, and introduced what we call the English language in the British Isles.
In the northern part of Europe we find a strong race of people, known as the Germanic race. We also notice as a branch of the Germanic race the Scandinavians. The ancestors of the Germans, the Swedes, the Norwegians and the Danes subscribed to a universal mythology, and have to a certain extent a common history, and when we read their histories by different authors, all agree in stating that the first inhabitants of those northern countries migrated to the north from the central part of western Asia. This is especially true of those who dwelt in ancient Saxony —not the present Saxony, where Dresden and Leipsig are located, but the old Saxony which was a part of the present Hanover, Mechlenburg and Holstein, etc., and the Angles, who lived in a country a little further north known as Schleswig and Jutland. It is universally understood that the early inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries came from Asia. Take up any history that traces the Scandinavian and German peoples, and they will agree that tradition points to the fact that these early Scandinavian and Germanic races came from the very part of Asia where the Ten Tribes were lost.
This to me is a most interesting study. Referring again to the mythology of the Scandinavians and Germans, what do you find? A religion of good morals. I venture to say that if modern Christianity, corrupted as it is today, is a remnant of the true Christianity introduced by our Savior; if the Free Masonry of today is a remnant and corruption of the true signs and tokens of the Priesthood revealed in the days of Solomon, when the Temple of Solomon was built, then it is easy for us to understand and believe that the mythology of the north is simply a corruption of the true Jehovah-worship, as Abraham knew it and taught it to his children. It is an easy thing to understand and believe this, because the mythology of the north is so godlike, chaste and morally pure, that it is almost heaven compared with the voluptuous worship which was known and practiced in the South. I refer particularly to the Latin and Greek mythologies, and those worships that were adopted by the people of the South or the lands bordering on the Mediterranean.
A great deal could be said in regard to this most interesting theme. We can approach the subject from the earliest dawn of history down the stream of time as far as we can reach; and then we can proceed the other way, going back from ourselves as far as we can, and we meet the proposition in Scandinavia and Northern Germany that the Anglo Saxons, the Germans and the Scandinavians are greatly mixed up with the remnants of the House of Israel. We can scarcely come to any other conclusion. Then we naturally spring another question: Why have the Latter-day Saint missionaries met with much more success among the Anglo-Saxons and the German and Scandinavian races, than among any other races upon the face of the earth? The answer is: We are, in fulfillment of the predictions of the ancient Prophets, gathering Israel. Why do we have so much to say at the present time, and at this conference, about the second, third, fourth and fifth generations of Latter-day Saints ? It is the most natural thing in the world. If we are of Israel, our genealogy must assume a shape like that, for the children of Israel, if not corrupted by environments, will naturally worship the God of their fathers. And we are of Israel; there is no doubt of it, and we will find that when our genealogy is revealed in detail, it will lead us back from America to England, from England to Scandinavia and Germany, and from there to the country lying between the Caspian and the Black Sea, that part of Asia where the Ten Tribes were lost. We can then easily trace it back to Palestine and Chaldea; we have the history completed from the Bible.
I rejoice that so many faithful men and women have believed and embraced the gospel as it has been preached by the Latter-day Saints during the last eighty years. I repeat, that when we have turned our attention to Latin or Oriental countries, we have met with but little success. If we have preached the gospel successfully in Australia, it is perhaps because the people there are mainly of English origin, and the same can be said of New Zealand, as to the white population. And if we speak of the Hawaiians and the Samoans and the Maoris, then they are simply another branch of the House of Israel, and that is undoubtedly the reason why we have met with success among them. Study the history of our missionary career ever since the Church was organized and I will venture to say that we hitherto have made very little progress among any people except those who come, as we claim, either pure or mixed from the House of Israel. We have not had success among the Latin or Oriental races, or among the Chinese or Japanese. There may be some of the blood of Israel among them, but so far we have discovered but a very little. Then I say, let us study this matter intelligently, when we endeavor to trace our genealogy and seek to complete the chain connecting us with Father Abraham. The subject is certainly a thing of immense interest to us.
I rejoice that the amalgamation of the Latter-day Saints of different nationalities takes place so beautifully and completely. People who have come from different climes soon become one strong and united community. The way we associate and affiliate, and the way we destroy all differences that naturally would and do exist in many other parts of the would between the Americans and the Germans and the Scandinavians, ought to be a lesson to all others. All differences seem to be passing away and disappearing in a single generation, and thus we are fast becoming "one nation upon the mountains of Ephraim."
Brethren and Sisters, God bless you. May we understand our privileges and live up to them; may we rejoice in the many blessings that we receive almost daily, and appreciate the privilege we have had to be assembled in a splendid conference. The many glorious testimonies, to which we have listened, are certainly calculated to make the heart of every Latter-day Saint rejoice. That we may go away from this conference renewed in our determination to serve God more perfectly hereafter than we have done hitherto, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Assistant Church Historian.)
As I picked up the Bible in the commencement of our services for the purpose of finding a certain passage in Jeremiah, I opened mechanically to another part of the Sacred Volume, to find myself looking into that part called the Apocrypha, without knowing that the books known by that name were contained in this particular edition of the Bible lying here on the stand. But finding myself looking into the second book of Esdras, a passage occurred to my mind, which I will read:
"And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable people unto him. These are the Ten Tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of Oseas, the king, whom Salmanaser, the king of the Assyrians, took captive and crossed them beyond the river; so were they brought into another land, but they took this council to themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen and go forth onto a further country, where never man dwelt, that they might keep the statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered in at the narrow passages of the river Euphrates, for the most High then showed them signs and staid the springs of the flood till they were passed over; for through the country there was great journey, even of a year and a half, and the same region is called Arsareth." (2 Esdras 13:39-45.)
A few years ago I had occasion to visit the land of Palestine, and having made a very interesting little tour to the top of Mount Tabor, and to the Sea of Galilee, and had also visited Cana, in Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine, I found myself back in the little city of Nazareth; thence turning my face toward the south, I commenced a journey of about eighty miles through the heart of Galilee and Samaria to Jerusalem. On that journey I crossed the plain of Esdraelon, and passed by the village of Nain, where the widow's son was raised from the dead in the days of old by our Redeemer. I also passed by Endor, where the woman with a familiar spirit lived in the days of Saul, climbed up the slopes of Mount Gilboa, where Saul committed suicide and his sons were slain, and passed through Dothan, where Joseph was sold by his brethren to the Ishmaelitish merchants, who took him down to Egypt and there sold him. I next found myself passing through Samaria, the old capital of the Ten Tribes. Turning thence a little toward the east, I came to Shechem, and a little east of that I found myself on the plains of Moran, where is situated the well of Jacob and the tomb of Joseph. Changing again my course of travel toward the south, I traversed the plains of Moran in their entire length, and from the south end of the plain I found myself climbing the mountains until I reached" the town of Bethel, where Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had a peculiar dream, in which he saw angels passing" up and down, as it were, on a ladder that seemed to connect heaven and earth. And turning my face toward the east a little, I beheld a town situated about half way between Luz and Bethel and the Jordan River, and that town I was told by my Arabian companion was known as Ephraim. At once it dawned upon me that I stood in the midst of the mountains of Ephraim, and that here was the land where the Ten Tribes dwelt, particularly the strongest of all those tribes, the tribe of Joseph or the tribe of Ephraim. I could not then help thinking of this passage that I have just read. When I looked toward the east, I imagined that I could see far away over the plains of Syria into the land of Chaldea, where Abraham once dwelt, and where he was told by the Lord to leave the land of his fathers and come to live as a stranger in the land of Canaan. I thought of how his children, or his descendants. subsequently went down into Egypt, where they dwelt several hundred years, and afterwards came back under Moses and Joshua, and took possession of the land of Canaan, which was then divided between the twelve tribes, and how still later, when the children of Israel did not keep the commandments of God, they divided up into the Northern and Southern Kingdom, the tribe of Judah and part of another tribe only remaining loyal to the house of David, while the Ten Tribes revolted, and chose another king. In this divided condition the children of Israel lived for a number of years, until the wrath of the Almighty was kindled against them, because they would not serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but worshiped strange gods, and the consequence was that Salmanesar came over from Assyria and took them over the river Tigres some seven hundred miles from Samaria. Here we come to the events narrated in the passage which I have read, where it says that the people counseled among themselves, and as they did not like to live among the heathens, they took their goods and chattels and started on a long journey, disappearing in the lands of the north. From history we do not know anything more of them than that. That is where history ends, if we can call the apocryphal writings of Esdras history. There are undoubtedly many things in Esdras that are just as reliable as things found in the scriptures that are called canonical.
We are at the present time commencing investigations from the other end. We are looking very deep into genealogy. We have genealogical societies organized. Among others we have the Genealogical Society of Utah, of which a number of you perhaps are members. Genealogical societies are trying their best to hunt up all the information they can about our forefathers, and in a private way we are endeavoring to go back as far as we can to know from whence we sprang.
It is a source of great pride on the part of many Americans who live on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, to trace their ancestry back to some ship, commencing with the "Mayflower," that brought the Anglo-Saxons over to America. It is a source of pride, I say, for them to trace back their ancestry to that ship, or some other ship, that came over to this land bringing immigrants who laid the foundation of this great commonwealth. In tracing our genealogy we soon find ourselves on the other side of the water among the English people—not among the descendants of the old Britons, as a rule, but among the English people. And the question is then: Whence came the English people? We understand, of course, the close relationship between those on this side and those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean; and we are pleased to note that the two great Anglo-Saxon nations are the banner-bearers today of liberty and the equal rights of men. I take unusual interest in this proposition, because England is ruling her colonies with the same degree of liberality as that which governs the States of our own Union on this side of the Atlantic. This you can find out personally if you visit Australia, New Zealand, and other English colonies, as well as Canada, where the people are enjoying freedom and liberty, the same as we are in the United States of America. But whence came the Anglo-Saxons ? Going back into English history, we read of the Danish and of the Norman conquests. But before that, we read about Horsa and Hengist, who came over the North Sea about 449 years after the birth of our Savior, and took possession of England. We need not look into the details of the history of the wars, though we naturally think of how the Vikings fought with the Picts of Scotland and afterwards subdued the Celts or Britons, and introduced what we call the English language in the British Isles.
In the northern part of Europe we find a strong race of people, known as the Germanic race. We also notice as a branch of the Germanic race the Scandinavians. The ancestors of the Germans, the Swedes, the Norwegians and the Danes subscribed to a universal mythology, and have to a certain extent a common history, and when we read their histories by different authors, all agree in stating that the first inhabitants of those northern countries migrated to the north from the central part of western Asia. This is especially true of those who dwelt in ancient Saxony —not the present Saxony, where Dresden and Leipsig are located, but the old Saxony which was a part of the present Hanover, Mechlenburg and Holstein, etc., and the Angles, who lived in a country a little further north known as Schleswig and Jutland. It is universally understood that the early inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries came from Asia. Take up any history that traces the Scandinavian and German peoples, and they will agree that tradition points to the fact that these early Scandinavian and Germanic races came from the very part of Asia where the Ten Tribes were lost.
This to me is a most interesting study. Referring again to the mythology of the Scandinavians and Germans, what do you find? A religion of good morals. I venture to say that if modern Christianity, corrupted as it is today, is a remnant of the true Christianity introduced by our Savior; if the Free Masonry of today is a remnant and corruption of the true signs and tokens of the Priesthood revealed in the days of Solomon, when the Temple of Solomon was built, then it is easy for us to understand and believe that the mythology of the north is simply a corruption of the true Jehovah-worship, as Abraham knew it and taught it to his children. It is an easy thing to understand and believe this, because the mythology of the north is so godlike, chaste and morally pure, that it is almost heaven compared with the voluptuous worship which was known and practiced in the South. I refer particularly to the Latin and Greek mythologies, and those worships that were adopted by the people of the South or the lands bordering on the Mediterranean.
A great deal could be said in regard to this most interesting theme. We can approach the subject from the earliest dawn of history down the stream of time as far as we can reach; and then we can proceed the other way, going back from ourselves as far as we can, and we meet the proposition in Scandinavia and Northern Germany that the Anglo Saxons, the Germans and the Scandinavians are greatly mixed up with the remnants of the House of Israel. We can scarcely come to any other conclusion. Then we naturally spring another question: Why have the Latter-day Saint missionaries met with much more success among the Anglo-Saxons and the German and Scandinavian races, than among any other races upon the face of the earth? The answer is: We are, in fulfillment of the predictions of the ancient Prophets, gathering Israel. Why do we have so much to say at the present time, and at this conference, about the second, third, fourth and fifth generations of Latter-day Saints ? It is the most natural thing in the world. If we are of Israel, our genealogy must assume a shape like that, for the children of Israel, if not corrupted by environments, will naturally worship the God of their fathers. And we are of Israel; there is no doubt of it, and we will find that when our genealogy is revealed in detail, it will lead us back from America to England, from England to Scandinavia and Germany, and from there to the country lying between the Caspian and the Black Sea, that part of Asia where the Ten Tribes were lost. We can then easily trace it back to Palestine and Chaldea; we have the history completed from the Bible.
I rejoice that so many faithful men and women have believed and embraced the gospel as it has been preached by the Latter-day Saints during the last eighty years. I repeat, that when we have turned our attention to Latin or Oriental countries, we have met with but little success. If we have preached the gospel successfully in Australia, it is perhaps because the people there are mainly of English origin, and the same can be said of New Zealand, as to the white population. And if we speak of the Hawaiians and the Samoans and the Maoris, then they are simply another branch of the House of Israel, and that is undoubtedly the reason why we have met with success among them. Study the history of our missionary career ever since the Church was organized and I will venture to say that we hitherto have made very little progress among any people except those who come, as we claim, either pure or mixed from the House of Israel. We have not had success among the Latin or Oriental races, or among the Chinese or Japanese. There may be some of the blood of Israel among them, but so far we have discovered but a very little. Then I say, let us study this matter intelligently, when we endeavor to trace our genealogy and seek to complete the chain connecting us with Father Abraham. The subject is certainly a thing of immense interest to us.
I rejoice that the amalgamation of the Latter-day Saints of different nationalities takes place so beautifully and completely. People who have come from different climes soon become one strong and united community. The way we associate and affiliate, and the way we destroy all differences that naturally would and do exist in many other parts of the would between the Americans and the Germans and the Scandinavians, ought to be a lesson to all others. All differences seem to be passing away and disappearing in a single generation, and thus we are fast becoming "one nation upon the mountains of Ephraim."
Brethren and Sisters, God bless you. May we understand our privileges and live up to them; may we rejoice in the many blessings that we receive almost daily, and appreciate the privilege we have had to be assembled in a splendid conference. The many glorious testimonies, to which we have listened, are certainly calculated to make the heart of every Latter-day Saint rejoice. That we may go away from this conference renewed in our determination to serve God more perfectly hereafter than we have done hitherto, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER GEORGE F. RICHARDS.
Obedience a heavenly and eternal principle.— Essentials to salvation.—The Redeemer a perfect exemplar of obedience.— Duties to be learned, and diligently fulfilled.
My brethren and sisters, I suppose this congregation is made up in large proportions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there is one principle which I desire to impress upon your minds this morning, in the few minutes that -I shall occupy, — and that is the principle of obedience.
I call your attention to the 20th chapter of Exodus, the Ten Commandments, which were written by the finger of the Lord upon the table of stone. One of these commandments, in part, reads: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and seas and all that in them is." The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, tells us how this was done. He says: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." If the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear, what must they have been made of but the elements of which they are composed ? which elements are eternal. God commanded the elements, and they obeyed, and out of chaos came forth order, and the earth was formed, and the waters were separated from the earth, and the light from the darkness, and the sun was placed in the firmament to give light by day and the moon and stars to give light by night, and vegetation was placed upon the earth, grains and fruits and flowers and grasses, and all things which are necessary to beautify the earth and to sustain the life of men, animals, fowls, etc. Animals were also placed upon the earth, and' these all were for the benefit of man. Order, then, follows obedience unto the commands and the laws of God. The law by which the universe is governed, is the law of God. We may call it the law of nature, but the law of nature is the law of God, and all His creations excepting man are obedient, hence the beautiful order which we see in all nature. If they were disobedient, as man is disobedient, there would be universal confusion, disorder and annihilation. Afan only of all the creatures of God disobeys His command, and disregards the law which He has framed for our guidance and government, that order and perfection might be established. Tins, because of man's agency. This is the point which I desire to call to your attention, that the law which God has given to us for our government is a divine law, and just as perfect as are the laws by which the universe is governed. And if we would be as obedient as are the elements, and His other creations, we would be perfect, and all would be in harmony and order. The difference between the Gospel law and the manner of our observance of it, represents the things which we have to repent of.
Repentance is a divine principle, a principle without which we cannot be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God, because we have exercised our agency in unrighteousness, we have not been strictly obedient unto the Lord's commandments, and therefore we have need to repent and to put ourselves in order. These are provisions the Lord has made in his gospel for our salvation; and we will not repent, we cannot repent, if we have not faith; hence faith is a principle of the gospel, a necessary principle of life and of salvation. The ordinances which the Lord has established as a part of the gospel law, for the salvation of the children of men, must be obeyed and we must add to our faith virtue; and to virtue godliness, brotherly kindness, charity, etc, thus making ourselves as Godlike as it is possible. We are His children in very deed, having been born of Him in the spirit, and we have inherited the very attributes which he possesses. They are in us, and they make us God's embryo, We believe that as we are now God once was, and by the practice of virtue and righteousness, by obedience unto law and authority, He has become what He is, and as He is, man may become, on the same principle.
There is no perfection of salvation and exaltation in. any other way than this, by observance of the laws which God has given us for our government. Christ, our Savior, is the great prototype of mankind. He gave Himself a ransom for our sins, that we might live again after death, thus redeeming ns from the effects of the transgression of our first parents, and also that we might be redeemed from the effects of our individual sins through accepting Him and His mission, and yielding obedience unto the principles of the gospel. We stood with Jesus in our former estate, when by His power Lucifer, who was the arch enemy of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and who has ever since sought to lead the children of men clown to his level, was cast out of heaven, we stood upon the same platform, and that is why we are here, and privileged as we are today, because of our integrity and faithfulness in that former estate. We kept our first estate, and if we will do as Jesus did, keep our second estate, we will be "added upon forever and ever." Jesus kept the covenant which He made on the other side for that covenant pertained to this life, as well as the previous life. "Thy will be done, and the glory be thine for ever," characterized his whole life's conduct. It should be so with us. It should be only necessary for us to know what our Father would have us to do, and with all our might, mind and strength we should go to and try and do those things. The beautiful song, so beautifully rendered yesterday by President Ballard:
"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountain, or plain, or sea;
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord:
I'll be what you want me to be."
That is the principle which should actuate us, whether it be great things or small which may be required at our hands, whether it comes direct by the voice of God to us or through His servants whom He has called, it matters not, for the Lord has said "Whether it be by my own mouth or the mouth of my servants, it is the same." That which comes through the mouth of him whom God hath called and sustained in his position God recognizes as doctrine, as law for the guidance of His people. That individual Prophet of God who thus speaks is responsible for what he says, and those who hear are responsible for their course, whether they accept and yield obedience unto those things, or whether they reject them. When the authorities of the Church have established an order in the Church, for instance, that one day in the month we shall abstain from food and drink, fasting and praying, giving assistance to the poor, that is all that should be necessary, even as it was all that was necessary for Adam to know that his Father commanded him that he should offer burnt offerings and perform sacrifices. It was sufficient for Abraham to be commanded of God to go and offer up his son, an offering on the altar, which he was told would be acceptable unto the Lord. It ought to be sufficient for us, my brethren and sisters, to know that these things have come to us through the servant of the Lord, all the commandments, all the laws and ordinances of the gospel, and we should observe them with all our hearts, yield obedience implicitly and without reserve. I want to tell you that nothing short of this, is pleasing and acceptable unto God. Therefore let us learn our duties. Let us learn where the Lord would have us to go, what he would have us to do, how he would have us to speak, and let us do these things, regardless of what other men or peoples might think of us. Unless we have the courage to do right, to act conscientiously before God, we will not be accepted of Him.
I pray the Lord to bless you. I feel to thank those who have made music for us on this occasion, and these our brethren who have taken part in the exercises, and you for your faith and attention. I thank the Lord, and pray that all that has been said, and the inspiration of His spirit which has been felt by us on this occasion, may be sanctified to our good and profit.
And now I bear my testimony, that I know that this gospel is true, that it is the power of God unto salvation, and there is no power outside of this gospel that is the power of God unto salvation, if we will keep the commandments of God, and will be honest and sincere in our purposes, that we will know the truth of these things, that we will love the truth, and that we will rejoice in sacrifices that we will have to make in order to fulfill the law of God. May the peace of the Lord be upon all Israel, I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The choir sang a hymn, commencing "Here, by Babylon's way."
Benediction was pronounced by Elder John N. Pike.
Obedience a heavenly and eternal principle.— Essentials to salvation.—The Redeemer a perfect exemplar of obedience.— Duties to be learned, and diligently fulfilled.
My brethren and sisters, I suppose this congregation is made up in large proportions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there is one principle which I desire to impress upon your minds this morning, in the few minutes that -I shall occupy, — and that is the principle of obedience.
I call your attention to the 20th chapter of Exodus, the Ten Commandments, which were written by the finger of the Lord upon the table of stone. One of these commandments, in part, reads: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and seas and all that in them is." The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, tells us how this was done. He says: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." If the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear, what must they have been made of but the elements of which they are composed ? which elements are eternal. God commanded the elements, and they obeyed, and out of chaos came forth order, and the earth was formed, and the waters were separated from the earth, and the light from the darkness, and the sun was placed in the firmament to give light by day and the moon and stars to give light by night, and vegetation was placed upon the earth, grains and fruits and flowers and grasses, and all things which are necessary to beautify the earth and to sustain the life of men, animals, fowls, etc. Animals were also placed upon the earth, and' these all were for the benefit of man. Order, then, follows obedience unto the commands and the laws of God. The law by which the universe is governed, is the law of God. We may call it the law of nature, but the law of nature is the law of God, and all His creations excepting man are obedient, hence the beautiful order which we see in all nature. If they were disobedient, as man is disobedient, there would be universal confusion, disorder and annihilation. Afan only of all the creatures of God disobeys His command, and disregards the law which He has framed for our guidance and government, that order and perfection might be established. Tins, because of man's agency. This is the point which I desire to call to your attention, that the law which God has given to us for our government is a divine law, and just as perfect as are the laws by which the universe is governed. And if we would be as obedient as are the elements, and His other creations, we would be perfect, and all would be in harmony and order. The difference between the Gospel law and the manner of our observance of it, represents the things which we have to repent of.
Repentance is a divine principle, a principle without which we cannot be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God, because we have exercised our agency in unrighteousness, we have not been strictly obedient unto the Lord's commandments, and therefore we have need to repent and to put ourselves in order. These are provisions the Lord has made in his gospel for our salvation; and we will not repent, we cannot repent, if we have not faith; hence faith is a principle of the gospel, a necessary principle of life and of salvation. The ordinances which the Lord has established as a part of the gospel law, for the salvation of the children of men, must be obeyed and we must add to our faith virtue; and to virtue godliness, brotherly kindness, charity, etc, thus making ourselves as Godlike as it is possible. We are His children in very deed, having been born of Him in the spirit, and we have inherited the very attributes which he possesses. They are in us, and they make us God's embryo, We believe that as we are now God once was, and by the practice of virtue and righteousness, by obedience unto law and authority, He has become what He is, and as He is, man may become, on the same principle.
There is no perfection of salvation and exaltation in. any other way than this, by observance of the laws which God has given us for our government. Christ, our Savior, is the great prototype of mankind. He gave Himself a ransom for our sins, that we might live again after death, thus redeeming ns from the effects of the transgression of our first parents, and also that we might be redeemed from the effects of our individual sins through accepting Him and His mission, and yielding obedience unto the principles of the gospel. We stood with Jesus in our former estate, when by His power Lucifer, who was the arch enemy of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and who has ever since sought to lead the children of men clown to his level, was cast out of heaven, we stood upon the same platform, and that is why we are here, and privileged as we are today, because of our integrity and faithfulness in that former estate. We kept our first estate, and if we will do as Jesus did, keep our second estate, we will be "added upon forever and ever." Jesus kept the covenant which He made on the other side for that covenant pertained to this life, as well as the previous life. "Thy will be done, and the glory be thine for ever," characterized his whole life's conduct. It should be so with us. It should be only necessary for us to know what our Father would have us to do, and with all our might, mind and strength we should go to and try and do those things. The beautiful song, so beautifully rendered yesterday by President Ballard:
"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountain, or plain, or sea;
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord:
I'll be what you want me to be."
That is the principle which should actuate us, whether it be great things or small which may be required at our hands, whether it comes direct by the voice of God to us or through His servants whom He has called, it matters not, for the Lord has said "Whether it be by my own mouth or the mouth of my servants, it is the same." That which comes through the mouth of him whom God hath called and sustained in his position God recognizes as doctrine, as law for the guidance of His people. That individual Prophet of God who thus speaks is responsible for what he says, and those who hear are responsible for their course, whether they accept and yield obedience unto those things, or whether they reject them. When the authorities of the Church have established an order in the Church, for instance, that one day in the month we shall abstain from food and drink, fasting and praying, giving assistance to the poor, that is all that should be necessary, even as it was all that was necessary for Adam to know that his Father commanded him that he should offer burnt offerings and perform sacrifices. It was sufficient for Abraham to be commanded of God to go and offer up his son, an offering on the altar, which he was told would be acceptable unto the Lord. It ought to be sufficient for us, my brethren and sisters, to know that these things have come to us through the servant of the Lord, all the commandments, all the laws and ordinances of the gospel, and we should observe them with all our hearts, yield obedience implicitly and without reserve. I want to tell you that nothing short of this, is pleasing and acceptable unto God. Therefore let us learn our duties. Let us learn where the Lord would have us to go, what he would have us to do, how he would have us to speak, and let us do these things, regardless of what other men or peoples might think of us. Unless we have the courage to do right, to act conscientiously before God, we will not be accepted of Him.
I pray the Lord to bless you. I feel to thank those who have made music for us on this occasion, and these our brethren who have taken part in the exercises, and you for your faith and attention. I thank the Lord, and pray that all that has been said, and the inspiration of His spirit which has been felt by us on this occasion, may be sanctified to our good and profit.
And now I bear my testimony, that I know that this gospel is true, that it is the power of God unto salvation, and there is no power outside of this gospel that is the power of God unto salvation, if we will keep the commandments of God, and will be honest and sincere in our purposes, that we will know the truth of these things, that we will love the truth, and that we will rejoice in sacrifices that we will have to make in order to fulfill the law of God. May the peace of the Lord be upon all Israel, I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The choir sang a hymn, commencing "Here, by Babylon's way."
Benediction was pronounced by Elder John N. Pike.
SECOND OVERFLOW MEETING.
Another meeting of the Conference was held in the Assembly Hall, at 2 p. m., at which Elder Joseph F. Smith Jr., presided.
The Thirty-first ward choir again furnished the musical exercises.
The choir sang the anthem, "Star of descending night."
Prayer was offered by Elder Moroni Snow.
The choir sang the anthem, "Grant us peace, O Lord."
Another meeting of the Conference was held in the Assembly Hall, at 2 p. m., at which Elder Joseph F. Smith Jr., presided.
The Thirty-first ward choir again furnished the musical exercises.
The choir sang the anthem, "Star of descending night."
Prayer was offered by Elder Moroni Snow.
The choir sang the anthem, "Grant us peace, O Lord."
ELDER J. GOLDEN KIMBALL.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
The short time that I shall occupy I trust that what I shall say I can crystalize, and make clear and comprehensive. Of course the great question is as to whether I have a message to deliver to you. This call has come somewhat unexpected, although I try in my labors in the ministry to always think about something and then try to tell it. Now, if there is any one thing that I am normal in, it is frankness. Whenever the time comes, in my ministerial labors, that I cannot be frank and honest with the people I will feel that my usefulness has come to an end. I cannot talk if I have not freedom, and if I ever feel that I have not the spirit of the people I will be unable to talk. There has been a great deal said, during this conference, about the third generation, and the fourth generation. Now, I am not going to speak on that subject, because God is the Father of all, and Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and helper of all. But there is a great responsibility rests upon us who are fathers, and upon the mothers, and I do not think there has ever been a time in my life when I have felt the responsibility to be so weighty and great upon me in all my labors in the Church as it is at the present time with my own family. They are not many in number, but there are enough, and about all I can handle.
I think you will find somewhere in the Old Testament, that "the fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children's teeth are set on edge." I have to confess to you that I have eaten some sour grapes in my day, and there is a problem regarding by children; and while I am interested in my children and family, I have similar interest for your children and families. I will read some other scripture that I thought of today. I have heard it many times; it is found in Matthew, 8th chapter and 11 and 12th verses:
"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
I am very proud of my parentage. I do not think any one appreciates their parentage more than I do. But, I want to say to the Latter-day Saints, pride in parentage won't save you. If we get salvation, we must keep the commandments, and serve the Lord. Knowledge pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ does not come through ordination, nor by appointment, nor by lineage, nor through father and mother, though they are helpful. But no matter who my father and mother were, or how devoted and faithful they have been; no matter how much work they have accomplished, and how much gospel they have preached to the children of men, I tell you if Heber C. Kimball's children are saved in the kingdom they must keep the commandments of God, or they won't be saved. If they don't accomplish it here, I am glad to know they will have another chance.
I don't want to be radical, but I think we are in great danger; I think it is wrong for us to sit down quietly and feel satisfied that "All is well in Zion," that our children and children's children are not in constant danger. There was a time in the peaceful valleys of these mountains when we were as one great patriarchal family, when it seemed practically safe for our children to run hither and thither. When it was just as safe in this great city of Salt Lake as it is in your distant country places to leave your doors open. I was born right up here on the hill, and have known this city all my life: it is not safe any more.
There is no people, I think, in the known world where there is as much laxity and freedom given to the children as there is among the Latter-day Saints. I want to warn the people that there is great danger on every hand. I would just as soon think of putting my daughters in a den of lions as to send them to Salt Lake without some one to look after them. When I say that, I am not saying anything against the people of Salt Lake. I am not saying there is not as good a class of people in Salt Lake, as good Latter-day Saints, and as pure a lot of people as can be found in the world. But, I tell you there is no longer safety for your children, if you don't look after them, I don't care who you are, Apostle, or Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, or Teacher. The responsibility rests upon us to look after our children, and I appreciate the responsibility.
My heart has not been broken yet over my children, but I realize the danger; and whenever one of my boys goes away I am concerned; I am full of anxiety, I have little peace or rest of body. All in the world I can do with my boy, my oldest boy, who is away now at work, because I cannot get him work here—and that is a responsibility resting upon us, to provide employment here for our boys and girls, so that we won't have to send them away off; we should regard that as a part of our religion ;—all in the world I can do for my boy is to teach him good principles. I do a great deal of writing, and I just put a little good counsel in here and there, and hope he will catch it, and f-et his feet anchored, and realize the danger that menaces him on every side.
I believe in public worship: it is part of our religion; it is part of the revelation to this people that they shall attend to their public worship but I don't believe that public worship is the only worship acceptable to our heavenly Father. It is along" that line I would like to talk to you a few more moments, that is, about private worship. I have given the matter a good deal of thought, as far as I am individually concerned, but I will not be able to impart to you all my thoughts. I have found it a very difficult thing to do. We all have different viewpoints, and perhaps there is not one man in Israel that will look at a thing in just the same way, from just the same view point I look at it. If I do look at it from a different viewpoint from you, I want to ask the question, Am I wrong? And I answer, Not unless I preach false doctrine. Now I am going to ask a few questions, and then I am going to answer a few of them.
Jesus lays great stress on private devotion. "When thou prayest," says our Master, "enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret." The reason this thought has come to me is because of my own household. It is not because I am intending to criticise your home, or render judgment as to the way in which you manage your household, but because I have a household of my own. The question is as to private devotion. Now, Isaac's closet was a field, David's closet was his bed chamber, the Lord's closet was the mountain, Peter's closet was the house-top. Now, the question is, can God be nearer to us while we are praying in solitude than when praying in congregations ? Do we need to go to church to find God. Some say, why is prayer necessary, since God, presumably, knows, without being told the wishes of all men? God assuredly does know the wishes in the hearts of all men. Is not the impulse to pray a natural one, springing from love for the Lord? And is that impulse given to all of God's children ? Yes, if the person loves the Lord he will have a great desire to communicate with Him. But if this love is lacking, is it not almost useless to force it? Now, there is the question. I am trying to get my children to pray. When I was a boy, my father did most of the praying in the home, and when I got to manhood I did not know how to pray; I did not know just how nor what to pray for. In fact. I did not know very much about the Lord, because my father died when I was fifteen years old, but I can remember how he prayed, and I have been sorry, many times, that I can't pray like my father did, for he seemed on those occasions to be in personal communication with God. There seemed to be a friendliness between my father and God, and when you heard him pray you would actually think the Lord was right there, and that father was talking to Him. Can you pray that way? Are you on such friendly terms with the Lord ? I don't mean that we should get too friendly and take advantage of it, like children with parents, but that we should manifest reverence and love for the Lord, ask only for what we need, and not for what we want. I think if you will just ask the Lord for what you need each day, and you will believe that the Lord is near and can answer your prayers, then there may be friendship between you and God. Well, then, learn to love the Lord.
(I am going to read this to get my statement before you.) But, how is this love to be cultivated? Now, there is the question, can we sit down and teach our children ? How are you going to cultivate love for the Lord? In other words, how is this love to be obtained ? There are surely thousands of the Lord's children who admit the existence of Deity, but without feeling any emotion or desire to pray. They acknowledge that is a duty; everything gives evidence of it, but they have no desire, no emotion. They perhaps have not been taught to pray, consequently, they do not pray. Just like children: you who have children know what your anxiety is, and you know what fathers and mothers do for children, especially mothers. I have learned one lesson with children that I never knew before; there is nothing on this earth grieves and hurts me worse, outside of sin and wickedness and rebellion, than, when I do everything I can for a child that he deserves, there is no evidence given of gratefulness, no gratitude, no thankfulness, but it is regarded as a debt the father owes to the child. Have you ever had a child say to you, "Well, you owe it to me?" I never had any of them do that but once, and it made me feel as if I could have eaten them up. That I owed him! I don't owe my children anything but love, protection, a home and shelter, and an education. I owe that to them, and the law requires it. Rut outside of that, shall they be grateful? Now, if we feel sad, and the mother so broken down after she has gone and worked her fingers' nails off to do something for a child, and then they don't appreciate it because they see something on the outside that is greater, see some one make a better present! Did you ever make a Christmas present to a child, and when they got it they were disappointed, and your Christmas was ruined, and you were made to feel almost broken-hearted, when you had affectionately expended every dollar you had, and because other people's children had presents much better, the whole day was spoiled to them and to you, too? Ingratitude is a sin in the sight of God.
Now, then, we have to learn to love our fathers and mothers, and unless you learn to love your fathers and mothers and appreciate what they have done for you, then you are not grateful. If you cannot understand what God has done for you, and you cannot learn to love God, then you cannot pray to Him. I may be wrong in stating that you can't pray. You might practice until you can, but you don't feel satisfied after you have got through praying, and you don't feel like your prayers have ascended to the Father, because your prayers are not built on love and gratitude. Now, how are you going to cultivate love for God? You don't know much about Him, He has not communicated much to you. Perhaps some of our children have never had a prayer answered. We must study, think, reason, try to comprehend the goodness and the wisdom of God, and the knowledge you obtain will help you to appreciate what God has done. You cannot then fail to love Him, if you can only get impressed with what God has done for you.
I love God for one thing, if nothing else, that He gives to every one of His children, black or white, bond or free, an equal chance. I like equality of opportunity, and whenever parents make a favorite of a child, I feel sorry for the favorite. If you want to destroy your family show favoritism, and do not give every child an equal chance. We parents have got to learn that lesson. Not to favor the child because you love it, but favor each and every child alike, that is a sacred obligation. God does that with all of His children, and if there is any disadvantage or any wrong, we do it against each other, God does not.
Prayer can be made in a simple, humble manner, without using a multitude of words. A person does not love the Lord just because He created him, or because He has given him health or wealth; it is not for outward manifestations. Your love may become weakened when illness and sorrow come to you. I hear people pray, "I thank thee, Lord, for health." They ought to be thankful; it is the greatest blessing we can have. But what do you do when you are sick ? Do you forget God ? What do you do when you accumulate a little means ? I haven't been in poverty all of my life, and I haven't been raised with a silver spoon in my mouth. I went out and fought my battles in the north country. I know what it costs to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow. I was mighty grateful for what I acquired, because I worked for it, I never grafted men for it, but I lost it. Now, have I forgotten God, because I lost it? Is my love and gratitude to God on so small a foundation that, just as soon as I lose my health, I will forget my Maker? I have had a little experience along that line, when I went into the South and got poisoned from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet with malaria. I have now got appendicitis on both sides. Am I going to forget God. Am I going to say that God has not been good to me ? Why, no; I feel that I have been favored above the whole Kimball race; I have got opportunities and privileges some of them have never had. Am I going to forsake my God? No, I have learned to love Him—not as well as my father loved Him, perhaps, but I am learning to love Him.
Now, what do you love the Lord for ? We should love the Lord for His justice, for His perfection and mercy, because He manifests His love by giving his children an equal chance in life's labor. We should ask for what we need, and find pleasure and spiritual enjoyment in it.
Now I am going to read to you what Alma says about prayer: "Begin to call upon his holy name [Just begin—just make a start]. Yea, cry unto him for mercy, for he is mighty to save. * * * Yea, cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, midday and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all. Ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. * * * Do not suppose that that is all, for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy and the naked, and visit not the afflicted and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not these things, behold your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith. If ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross which the refiners do cast out, it being of no worth, and is trodden under foot of men."
Let us awake from indifference and carelessness, and bring forth fruit unto repentance. The test is in that, and another test the Master directed His disciples to say is, "By their fruits ye shall know them." I acknowledge that I am imperfect, and no one is more sorry than I am. I have made mistakes, blunders, but I have faith in God, and I know God will forgive a man who repents. I know that we have ' got to teach our children to pray. I remember an incident that happened upon the fated Titanic. Those people were in distress on that great ocean—I have never seen the ocean, but I have always been afraid of it —I read about a group that climbed on to a raft, some of them rich and wealthy, many of them as good people as ever lived, and they wanted to pray. The band was playing, and the end was about to close upon them. They wanted to offer the Lord's prayer, but they did not know it, and some one had to lead them, and they followed in saying the Lord's prayer. They did not know how or what to ask for. They were so frightened, perhaps, and so unaccustomed to prayer that they could only repeat the Lord's prayer, and some one had to lead them. Now, I would like to learn how to pray before I get in such an emergency. I think we ought to teach all of our people how to pray. I am going to ask you a question, and I am going to let you answer it, and I am not going to criticise you. I know what your difficulties are, because they are just like mine. I ask the Latter-day Saint husbands if you have wives that look at everything just like you do? I would not give a snap of my finger for a woman that did not fight for her rights. I am thankful that my wife happens to be one of that kind; she has her own personality, her own individuality, and we don't always see things just alike.
Now I am going to ask you another question. I am not going to ask you what kind of a wife you have, but I could bet they don't all look at things just like you, if you do hold the priesthood; they don't look at things just like we do when it comes to handling the children. I want to ask you Latter-day Saints if you can have private devotion in the borne unless you are agreed and unless you have everything in order ? Do you ever try to pray in the morning when the children have only fifteen minutes to get to school? I thank the Lord there is one place where my children are always on time; whether they get their breakfast or not, they get to school. Did you ever know children to lose their breakfast to get to prayers? The father almost needs the patience of Job to get a family together for morning prayer. That is pretty plain talk, but you seem to understand what I mean. I guess you have tried it.
Now, brethren and sisters, some find a great deal of fault with the Church. I have been associated with men that found fault. I don't mean my companions in the ministry, but I have happened to be with others that have found fault with the Church, and with the authorities. I want to tell you there is no fault in the organization of the Church, it is perfect. There is no fault in the gospel of Christ if lived up to it makes you better; it makes you good in your home; it makes you good to your wife, and good to your children. It makes you good on the streets; it makes you honest; it makes you kind and generous. I know that, nobody knows it better than I do. That is what the religion of Christ does. The Church is all right. I have got no ax to grind, I am not one of the men that worship men, I worship God. I do not put my trust in the arm of flesh, but I honor the priesthood that men hold. I have this to say concerning the authorities of the Church, I have labored with these men for twenty years, and the men that work the hardest of any men I have ever lived with in my life are the men who are in authority in the Church of Christ. I know what I am talking about. Now, where is the fault? I invite every one of you to go home and find it, and I promise that if you find any big fault anywhere it will be right in your own home. If you can handle you own home, and mind your own business, you will have no time for fault-finding.
Now I pray the Lord to bless you. You go right home now. I know where my trouble is, and I am trying to cure it. I am learning this lesson, that there is no use of my trying to govern a family until I govern myself.
Don't forget private devotion; learn to pray in your home and get in communication with God, as my father did, right up there on Gordon avenue, in that little bit of room there my father communicated with God, and God answered him. I have got it in writing. I am a living witness that it has been fulfilled.
I will tell you a story, and then I will quit. Father had men working for him for a good many years, and he had one he called Col. Smith. It was in the days of hardships and poverty, and men had great difficulty. They employed a great many people, the brethren did, that was a part of their religion. He employed the colonel, who had been a soldier in Great Britain, and on one occasion he went to father for a pair of shoes, and I guess father felt pretty cross, and answered him a little abruptly, perhaps. So the Colonel went home feeling badly, and when he prayed that night, he made a complaint to God against father, saying that "Thy servant Heber" was not treating him right. When he came past that little place on Gordon avenue, next morning, father came out and said, "Robert, what did you complain against me for? You come in and get your shoes, and don't do it again?" Now, how did he know that Col. Robert Smith, who lived away down in the Nineteenth ward, had filed a complaint against him? Don't you think that we can get on friendly terms with God? Not on familiar terms, but friendly terms. I tell you, God will answer your prayers. If there was any one thing I knew better than another, when I was traveling in the South, it was that God answers prayers, and softens the hearts of people towards you. May the Lord bless you. Amen.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
The short time that I shall occupy I trust that what I shall say I can crystalize, and make clear and comprehensive. Of course the great question is as to whether I have a message to deliver to you. This call has come somewhat unexpected, although I try in my labors in the ministry to always think about something and then try to tell it. Now, if there is any one thing that I am normal in, it is frankness. Whenever the time comes, in my ministerial labors, that I cannot be frank and honest with the people I will feel that my usefulness has come to an end. I cannot talk if I have not freedom, and if I ever feel that I have not the spirit of the people I will be unable to talk. There has been a great deal said, during this conference, about the third generation, and the fourth generation. Now, I am not going to speak on that subject, because God is the Father of all, and Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and helper of all. But there is a great responsibility rests upon us who are fathers, and upon the mothers, and I do not think there has ever been a time in my life when I have felt the responsibility to be so weighty and great upon me in all my labors in the Church as it is at the present time with my own family. They are not many in number, but there are enough, and about all I can handle.
I think you will find somewhere in the Old Testament, that "the fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children's teeth are set on edge." I have to confess to you that I have eaten some sour grapes in my day, and there is a problem regarding by children; and while I am interested in my children and family, I have similar interest for your children and families. I will read some other scripture that I thought of today. I have heard it many times; it is found in Matthew, 8th chapter and 11 and 12th verses:
"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
I am very proud of my parentage. I do not think any one appreciates their parentage more than I do. But, I want to say to the Latter-day Saints, pride in parentage won't save you. If we get salvation, we must keep the commandments, and serve the Lord. Knowledge pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ does not come through ordination, nor by appointment, nor by lineage, nor through father and mother, though they are helpful. But no matter who my father and mother were, or how devoted and faithful they have been; no matter how much work they have accomplished, and how much gospel they have preached to the children of men, I tell you if Heber C. Kimball's children are saved in the kingdom they must keep the commandments of God, or they won't be saved. If they don't accomplish it here, I am glad to know they will have another chance.
I don't want to be radical, but I think we are in great danger; I think it is wrong for us to sit down quietly and feel satisfied that "All is well in Zion," that our children and children's children are not in constant danger. There was a time in the peaceful valleys of these mountains when we were as one great patriarchal family, when it seemed practically safe for our children to run hither and thither. When it was just as safe in this great city of Salt Lake as it is in your distant country places to leave your doors open. I was born right up here on the hill, and have known this city all my life: it is not safe any more.
There is no people, I think, in the known world where there is as much laxity and freedom given to the children as there is among the Latter-day Saints. I want to warn the people that there is great danger on every hand. I would just as soon think of putting my daughters in a den of lions as to send them to Salt Lake without some one to look after them. When I say that, I am not saying anything against the people of Salt Lake. I am not saying there is not as good a class of people in Salt Lake, as good Latter-day Saints, and as pure a lot of people as can be found in the world. But, I tell you there is no longer safety for your children, if you don't look after them, I don't care who you are, Apostle, or Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, or Teacher. The responsibility rests upon us to look after our children, and I appreciate the responsibility.
My heart has not been broken yet over my children, but I realize the danger; and whenever one of my boys goes away I am concerned; I am full of anxiety, I have little peace or rest of body. All in the world I can do with my boy, my oldest boy, who is away now at work, because I cannot get him work here—and that is a responsibility resting upon us, to provide employment here for our boys and girls, so that we won't have to send them away off; we should regard that as a part of our religion ;—all in the world I can do for my boy is to teach him good principles. I do a great deal of writing, and I just put a little good counsel in here and there, and hope he will catch it, and f-et his feet anchored, and realize the danger that menaces him on every side.
I believe in public worship: it is part of our religion; it is part of the revelation to this people that they shall attend to their public worship but I don't believe that public worship is the only worship acceptable to our heavenly Father. It is along" that line I would like to talk to you a few more moments, that is, about private worship. I have given the matter a good deal of thought, as far as I am individually concerned, but I will not be able to impart to you all my thoughts. I have found it a very difficult thing to do. We all have different viewpoints, and perhaps there is not one man in Israel that will look at a thing in just the same way, from just the same view point I look at it. If I do look at it from a different viewpoint from you, I want to ask the question, Am I wrong? And I answer, Not unless I preach false doctrine. Now I am going to ask a few questions, and then I am going to answer a few of them.
Jesus lays great stress on private devotion. "When thou prayest," says our Master, "enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret." The reason this thought has come to me is because of my own household. It is not because I am intending to criticise your home, or render judgment as to the way in which you manage your household, but because I have a household of my own. The question is as to private devotion. Now, Isaac's closet was a field, David's closet was his bed chamber, the Lord's closet was the mountain, Peter's closet was the house-top. Now, the question is, can God be nearer to us while we are praying in solitude than when praying in congregations ? Do we need to go to church to find God. Some say, why is prayer necessary, since God, presumably, knows, without being told the wishes of all men? God assuredly does know the wishes in the hearts of all men. Is not the impulse to pray a natural one, springing from love for the Lord? And is that impulse given to all of God's children ? Yes, if the person loves the Lord he will have a great desire to communicate with Him. But if this love is lacking, is it not almost useless to force it? Now, there is the question. I am trying to get my children to pray. When I was a boy, my father did most of the praying in the home, and when I got to manhood I did not know how to pray; I did not know just how nor what to pray for. In fact. I did not know very much about the Lord, because my father died when I was fifteen years old, but I can remember how he prayed, and I have been sorry, many times, that I can't pray like my father did, for he seemed on those occasions to be in personal communication with God. There seemed to be a friendliness between my father and God, and when you heard him pray you would actually think the Lord was right there, and that father was talking to Him. Can you pray that way? Are you on such friendly terms with the Lord ? I don't mean that we should get too friendly and take advantage of it, like children with parents, but that we should manifest reverence and love for the Lord, ask only for what we need, and not for what we want. I think if you will just ask the Lord for what you need each day, and you will believe that the Lord is near and can answer your prayers, then there may be friendship between you and God. Well, then, learn to love the Lord.
(I am going to read this to get my statement before you.) But, how is this love to be cultivated? Now, there is the question, can we sit down and teach our children ? How are you going to cultivate love for the Lord? In other words, how is this love to be obtained ? There are surely thousands of the Lord's children who admit the existence of Deity, but without feeling any emotion or desire to pray. They acknowledge that is a duty; everything gives evidence of it, but they have no desire, no emotion. They perhaps have not been taught to pray, consequently, they do not pray. Just like children: you who have children know what your anxiety is, and you know what fathers and mothers do for children, especially mothers. I have learned one lesson with children that I never knew before; there is nothing on this earth grieves and hurts me worse, outside of sin and wickedness and rebellion, than, when I do everything I can for a child that he deserves, there is no evidence given of gratefulness, no gratitude, no thankfulness, but it is regarded as a debt the father owes to the child. Have you ever had a child say to you, "Well, you owe it to me?" I never had any of them do that but once, and it made me feel as if I could have eaten them up. That I owed him! I don't owe my children anything but love, protection, a home and shelter, and an education. I owe that to them, and the law requires it. Rut outside of that, shall they be grateful? Now, if we feel sad, and the mother so broken down after she has gone and worked her fingers' nails off to do something for a child, and then they don't appreciate it because they see something on the outside that is greater, see some one make a better present! Did you ever make a Christmas present to a child, and when they got it they were disappointed, and your Christmas was ruined, and you were made to feel almost broken-hearted, when you had affectionately expended every dollar you had, and because other people's children had presents much better, the whole day was spoiled to them and to you, too? Ingratitude is a sin in the sight of God.
Now, then, we have to learn to love our fathers and mothers, and unless you learn to love your fathers and mothers and appreciate what they have done for you, then you are not grateful. If you cannot understand what God has done for you, and you cannot learn to love God, then you cannot pray to Him. I may be wrong in stating that you can't pray. You might practice until you can, but you don't feel satisfied after you have got through praying, and you don't feel like your prayers have ascended to the Father, because your prayers are not built on love and gratitude. Now, how are you going to cultivate love for God? You don't know much about Him, He has not communicated much to you. Perhaps some of our children have never had a prayer answered. We must study, think, reason, try to comprehend the goodness and the wisdom of God, and the knowledge you obtain will help you to appreciate what God has done. You cannot then fail to love Him, if you can only get impressed with what God has done for you.
I love God for one thing, if nothing else, that He gives to every one of His children, black or white, bond or free, an equal chance. I like equality of opportunity, and whenever parents make a favorite of a child, I feel sorry for the favorite. If you want to destroy your family show favoritism, and do not give every child an equal chance. We parents have got to learn that lesson. Not to favor the child because you love it, but favor each and every child alike, that is a sacred obligation. God does that with all of His children, and if there is any disadvantage or any wrong, we do it against each other, God does not.
Prayer can be made in a simple, humble manner, without using a multitude of words. A person does not love the Lord just because He created him, or because He has given him health or wealth; it is not for outward manifestations. Your love may become weakened when illness and sorrow come to you. I hear people pray, "I thank thee, Lord, for health." They ought to be thankful; it is the greatest blessing we can have. But what do you do when you are sick ? Do you forget God ? What do you do when you accumulate a little means ? I haven't been in poverty all of my life, and I haven't been raised with a silver spoon in my mouth. I went out and fought my battles in the north country. I know what it costs to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow. I was mighty grateful for what I acquired, because I worked for it, I never grafted men for it, but I lost it. Now, have I forgotten God, because I lost it? Is my love and gratitude to God on so small a foundation that, just as soon as I lose my health, I will forget my Maker? I have had a little experience along that line, when I went into the South and got poisoned from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet with malaria. I have now got appendicitis on both sides. Am I going to forget God. Am I going to say that God has not been good to me ? Why, no; I feel that I have been favored above the whole Kimball race; I have got opportunities and privileges some of them have never had. Am I going to forsake my God? No, I have learned to love Him—not as well as my father loved Him, perhaps, but I am learning to love Him.
Now, what do you love the Lord for ? We should love the Lord for His justice, for His perfection and mercy, because He manifests His love by giving his children an equal chance in life's labor. We should ask for what we need, and find pleasure and spiritual enjoyment in it.
Now I am going to read to you what Alma says about prayer: "Begin to call upon his holy name [Just begin—just make a start]. Yea, cry unto him for mercy, for he is mighty to save. * * * Yea, cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, midday and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all. Ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. * * * Do not suppose that that is all, for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy and the naked, and visit not the afflicted and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not these things, behold your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith. If ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross which the refiners do cast out, it being of no worth, and is trodden under foot of men."
Let us awake from indifference and carelessness, and bring forth fruit unto repentance. The test is in that, and another test the Master directed His disciples to say is, "By their fruits ye shall know them." I acknowledge that I am imperfect, and no one is more sorry than I am. I have made mistakes, blunders, but I have faith in God, and I know God will forgive a man who repents. I know that we have ' got to teach our children to pray. I remember an incident that happened upon the fated Titanic. Those people were in distress on that great ocean—I have never seen the ocean, but I have always been afraid of it —I read about a group that climbed on to a raft, some of them rich and wealthy, many of them as good people as ever lived, and they wanted to pray. The band was playing, and the end was about to close upon them. They wanted to offer the Lord's prayer, but they did not know it, and some one had to lead them, and they followed in saying the Lord's prayer. They did not know how or what to ask for. They were so frightened, perhaps, and so unaccustomed to prayer that they could only repeat the Lord's prayer, and some one had to lead them. Now, I would like to learn how to pray before I get in such an emergency. I think we ought to teach all of our people how to pray. I am going to ask you a question, and I am going to let you answer it, and I am not going to criticise you. I know what your difficulties are, because they are just like mine. I ask the Latter-day Saint husbands if you have wives that look at everything just like you do? I would not give a snap of my finger for a woman that did not fight for her rights. I am thankful that my wife happens to be one of that kind; she has her own personality, her own individuality, and we don't always see things just alike.
Now I am going to ask you another question. I am not going to ask you what kind of a wife you have, but I could bet they don't all look at things just like you, if you do hold the priesthood; they don't look at things just like we do when it comes to handling the children. I want to ask you Latter-day Saints if you can have private devotion in the borne unless you are agreed and unless you have everything in order ? Do you ever try to pray in the morning when the children have only fifteen minutes to get to school? I thank the Lord there is one place where my children are always on time; whether they get their breakfast or not, they get to school. Did you ever know children to lose their breakfast to get to prayers? The father almost needs the patience of Job to get a family together for morning prayer. That is pretty plain talk, but you seem to understand what I mean. I guess you have tried it.
Now, brethren and sisters, some find a great deal of fault with the Church. I have been associated with men that found fault. I don't mean my companions in the ministry, but I have happened to be with others that have found fault with the Church, and with the authorities. I want to tell you there is no fault in the organization of the Church, it is perfect. There is no fault in the gospel of Christ if lived up to it makes you better; it makes you good in your home; it makes you good to your wife, and good to your children. It makes you good on the streets; it makes you honest; it makes you kind and generous. I know that, nobody knows it better than I do. That is what the religion of Christ does. The Church is all right. I have got no ax to grind, I am not one of the men that worship men, I worship God. I do not put my trust in the arm of flesh, but I honor the priesthood that men hold. I have this to say concerning the authorities of the Church, I have labored with these men for twenty years, and the men that work the hardest of any men I have ever lived with in my life are the men who are in authority in the Church of Christ. I know what I am talking about. Now, where is the fault? I invite every one of you to go home and find it, and I promise that if you find any big fault anywhere it will be right in your own home. If you can handle you own home, and mind your own business, you will have no time for fault-finding.
Now I pray the Lord to bless you. You go right home now. I know where my trouble is, and I am trying to cure it. I am learning this lesson, that there is no use of my trying to govern a family until I govern myself.
Don't forget private devotion; learn to pray in your home and get in communication with God, as my father did, right up there on Gordon avenue, in that little bit of room there my father communicated with God, and God answered him. I have got it in writing. I am a living witness that it has been fulfilled.
I will tell you a story, and then I will quit. Father had men working for him for a good many years, and he had one he called Col. Smith. It was in the days of hardships and poverty, and men had great difficulty. They employed a great many people, the brethren did, that was a part of their religion. He employed the colonel, who had been a soldier in Great Britain, and on one occasion he went to father for a pair of shoes, and I guess father felt pretty cross, and answered him a little abruptly, perhaps. So the Colonel went home feeling badly, and when he prayed that night, he made a complaint to God against father, saying that "Thy servant Heber" was not treating him right. When he came past that little place on Gordon avenue, next morning, father came out and said, "Robert, what did you complain against me for? You come in and get your shoes, and don't do it again?" Now, how did he know that Col. Robert Smith, who lived away down in the Nineteenth ward, had filed a complaint against him? Don't you think that we can get on friendly terms with God? Not on familiar terms, but friendly terms. I tell you, God will answer your prayers. If there was any one thing I knew better than another, when I was traveling in the South, it was that God answers prayers, and softens the hearts of people towards you. May the Lord bless you. Amen.
ELDER RULON S. WELLS.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
During the meetings of this conference we have heard a great deal about the organization of the Church and the authority of the Holy Priesthood, and those of us who had the privilege of listening to President Smith, yesterday morning, were deeply impressed with the magnitude of this work and with the perfection of its organization.
Provision has been made in the organization of this Church to carry the gospel to the nations of the earth, and also to carry it to the homes of the people, who have been gathered from the farthest parts of the earth. If we will read the New Testament we will find that when the Lord organized His Church in that day, that He "Set in His church; first apostles, secondarily prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry." Every one was given a duty to perform. And so it is in the day and age in which we live, God has again set up His Church, and has placed in the church, first the apostles, secondarily prophets, pastors and teachers, high priests, seventies, and evangelists, for the work of the ministry, and this ministry is broad enough to accomplish all the purposes of the Lord, for He operates through this organization, and through this priesthood to whom He has delegated divine power and authority. In the operations of this ministry, every need is provided for. It is for the "edifying of the body of Christ," as well as bringing strangers to the knowledge of the truth.
In the exercise of that divine authority the gospel is proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. The message of salvation is being taken to all of our Father's children in every part of the world. Through this splendid organization, those who have been converted and brought up hither into these valleys of the mountains to cast their lots and identify their interests amongst the people of God, every one of them may be reached, for it is not only for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel to the world, but it is for the "edifying of the body of Christ," or the Church and Kingdom of God. It is for the "perfecting of the Saints." There are none of us so perfect that do not need the ministry to labor with us—that do not feel the need of this organization. We need the teachers to come and visit us, and to labor with us and with those that are wayward, seeing that there is no iniquity in the church, putting their arms around the wayward boys and bringing them to the fold of Christ, to the sacrament meeting, and seeing that they worthily partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We need the priests to visit the homes of the people, to impart spiritual food unto them in their homes. We need the bishop, who is the presiding priest in every ward, the president of the Aaronic priesthood. The bishop is a priest after the order of Aaron by reason of his bishopric. Sometimes I think that our bishops forget that, and imagine that they belong to the High Priests' quorum. Not so, they belong to the Priests' quorum, the bishops do, but by reason of being ordained high priests they also belong to the High Priests' quorum.
In the wards in which we live we need the ministry of our bishops for the perfecting of our own character, and the ministry which they perform in other directions in the wards where they live. We need the elders, the standing ministers in the stakes of Zion where they are called to labor in the exercise of the functions of their priesthood, to minister in the work of God, to labor for the salvation of souls, to perfect the Saints, to "edify the body of Christ." We need the seventies to proclaim the gospel to the nations of the earth. We need them to carry the gospel message to our Father's children even to the furthermost parts of this earth. We need the Apostles, who are able to bear testimony of the divinity of the mission of Jesus Christ, and to set in order all the affairs of the Church, both at home and abroad. As a people, we need the Prophet and mouthpiece of God, and we ought to honor, reverence and yield obedience to his counsels, for he speaks as the representative of God upon the earth, to tell unto the people the mind and will of the Father. We need this "for the work of the ministry," the "edifying of the body of Christ," for the "perfecting of the Saints." Not only do the wayward need them, not only do those who sit in darkness and have not heard the sound of the gospel need this ministry, not only them, but also those of us who have accepted the truth, for we need to be perfected, to be developed and to grow in the knowledge of God and in good works.
These are some of the purposes for which this great organization was established, and some have said in regard to it that it was the most wonderful in all the world, excepting perhaps the German army. I recollect hearing one of the brethren make the remark, that they might just as well have said, when they were looking up in the canopy of heaven, that the sun is the most splendid orb in the universe, excepting perhaps the moon. Indeed this organization is of divine origin, and it has no parallel in all the world, even the Germany army does not compare with it.
Now then, brethren and sisters, this work is for the "perfecting of the Saints." It is for the "edifying of the body of Christ." Wherein do you need this ministry? It becomes an individual affair with each and every one of us. Wherein do we need the ministry of the servants of God? Wherein can we benefit by submitting and receiving their administrations to us ? It is not enough that we should be what is ordinarily termed a good citizen. It is not enough that we should be honest in our desires. It is not enough that we should refrain from taking the lives of our fellow men, or from the stealing of their property. All these things are necessary, that we should refrain from doing those things that are wrong and that we should take on us the Christian virtues and make them a part of our own characters. Remember the case of the young man who came to the Savior and said to him, "Lord, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" and the Savior's reply, "Keep the commandments." A very necessary thing to do, a very essential thing, "keep the commandments." "Which commandments?" said the young man. "Well, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill," and he went on enumerating a number of the ten commandments. "Why," said the young man, "these have I done from my youth up. What lack I yet?" The Savior said, "If thou wouldst indeed be perfect, sell that which thou hast, give to the poor and come and follow me." It was not enough that he should merely be complying with the moral code.
There is something else for the development, for the perfecting of the Saints. It is necessary that our hearts should be loyal to God, that we should render obedience to Him, that we should put ourselves in complete harmony with the Divine mind and will. There is no one thing that you can say or do that will comply with this requirement. It is not enough that we should observe this commandment or that one, but we must devote all to the service of God, and be willing to obey His Divine mind and will and yield obedience thereto. That is the thing that is required of us, and there is not any one thing. If it be required, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor; and that is not enough either, "but come and follow me." That means that we shall "not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God," if we want to go on to perfection; and this ministry which God has instituted in His Church is for the purpose of "perfecting the Saints," until they shall place themselves in complete harmony with the divine mind and will. Let us, therefore, struggle on in that direction, until we can overcome our faults, weaknesses and imperfections. If the call should come to any young man, to leave his home and go out in the mission field, to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, what should he do? Can he think he has done enough, because he has kept these commandments or those ? Why no. What should he do? There is but one thing, go, go in obedience to the will of God and proclaim the gospel in that country where your services are needed. If it should be necessary that we give up all that we have, give it up, and remember that God requires it. That is the doctrine, and until men and women are willing to lay their all upon the altar they will not have attained perfection.
While none of us are perfect in our lives by any means, there are a great many weaknesses which we can and should overcome. Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto us. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Seek to obtain the companionship of God's Holy Spirit, even the Comforter that will lead us unto all truth, and then we are on our road to salvation. But none are saved, only those who shall endure unto the end. And may God help us all to do it, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
A male quartet sang the hymn, "I think when I read that sweet story of old."
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
During the meetings of this conference we have heard a great deal about the organization of the Church and the authority of the Holy Priesthood, and those of us who had the privilege of listening to President Smith, yesterday morning, were deeply impressed with the magnitude of this work and with the perfection of its organization.
Provision has been made in the organization of this Church to carry the gospel to the nations of the earth, and also to carry it to the homes of the people, who have been gathered from the farthest parts of the earth. If we will read the New Testament we will find that when the Lord organized His Church in that day, that He "Set in His church; first apostles, secondarily prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry." Every one was given a duty to perform. And so it is in the day and age in which we live, God has again set up His Church, and has placed in the church, first the apostles, secondarily prophets, pastors and teachers, high priests, seventies, and evangelists, for the work of the ministry, and this ministry is broad enough to accomplish all the purposes of the Lord, for He operates through this organization, and through this priesthood to whom He has delegated divine power and authority. In the operations of this ministry, every need is provided for. It is for the "edifying of the body of Christ," as well as bringing strangers to the knowledge of the truth.
In the exercise of that divine authority the gospel is proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. The message of salvation is being taken to all of our Father's children in every part of the world. Through this splendid organization, those who have been converted and brought up hither into these valleys of the mountains to cast their lots and identify their interests amongst the people of God, every one of them may be reached, for it is not only for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel to the world, but it is for the "edifying of the body of Christ," or the Church and Kingdom of God. It is for the "perfecting of the Saints." There are none of us so perfect that do not need the ministry to labor with us—that do not feel the need of this organization. We need the teachers to come and visit us, and to labor with us and with those that are wayward, seeing that there is no iniquity in the church, putting their arms around the wayward boys and bringing them to the fold of Christ, to the sacrament meeting, and seeing that they worthily partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We need the priests to visit the homes of the people, to impart spiritual food unto them in their homes. We need the bishop, who is the presiding priest in every ward, the president of the Aaronic priesthood. The bishop is a priest after the order of Aaron by reason of his bishopric. Sometimes I think that our bishops forget that, and imagine that they belong to the High Priests' quorum. Not so, they belong to the Priests' quorum, the bishops do, but by reason of being ordained high priests they also belong to the High Priests' quorum.
In the wards in which we live we need the ministry of our bishops for the perfecting of our own character, and the ministry which they perform in other directions in the wards where they live. We need the elders, the standing ministers in the stakes of Zion where they are called to labor in the exercise of the functions of their priesthood, to minister in the work of God, to labor for the salvation of souls, to perfect the Saints, to "edify the body of Christ." We need the seventies to proclaim the gospel to the nations of the earth. We need them to carry the gospel message to our Father's children even to the furthermost parts of this earth. We need the Apostles, who are able to bear testimony of the divinity of the mission of Jesus Christ, and to set in order all the affairs of the Church, both at home and abroad. As a people, we need the Prophet and mouthpiece of God, and we ought to honor, reverence and yield obedience to his counsels, for he speaks as the representative of God upon the earth, to tell unto the people the mind and will of the Father. We need this "for the work of the ministry," the "edifying of the body of Christ," for the "perfecting of the Saints." Not only do the wayward need them, not only do those who sit in darkness and have not heard the sound of the gospel need this ministry, not only them, but also those of us who have accepted the truth, for we need to be perfected, to be developed and to grow in the knowledge of God and in good works.
These are some of the purposes for which this great organization was established, and some have said in regard to it that it was the most wonderful in all the world, excepting perhaps the German army. I recollect hearing one of the brethren make the remark, that they might just as well have said, when they were looking up in the canopy of heaven, that the sun is the most splendid orb in the universe, excepting perhaps the moon. Indeed this organization is of divine origin, and it has no parallel in all the world, even the Germany army does not compare with it.
Now then, brethren and sisters, this work is for the "perfecting of the Saints." It is for the "edifying of the body of Christ." Wherein do you need this ministry? It becomes an individual affair with each and every one of us. Wherein do we need the ministry of the servants of God? Wherein can we benefit by submitting and receiving their administrations to us ? It is not enough that we should be what is ordinarily termed a good citizen. It is not enough that we should be honest in our desires. It is not enough that we should refrain from taking the lives of our fellow men, or from the stealing of their property. All these things are necessary, that we should refrain from doing those things that are wrong and that we should take on us the Christian virtues and make them a part of our own characters. Remember the case of the young man who came to the Savior and said to him, "Lord, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" and the Savior's reply, "Keep the commandments." A very necessary thing to do, a very essential thing, "keep the commandments." "Which commandments?" said the young man. "Well, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill," and he went on enumerating a number of the ten commandments. "Why," said the young man, "these have I done from my youth up. What lack I yet?" The Savior said, "If thou wouldst indeed be perfect, sell that which thou hast, give to the poor and come and follow me." It was not enough that he should merely be complying with the moral code.
There is something else for the development, for the perfecting of the Saints. It is necessary that our hearts should be loyal to God, that we should render obedience to Him, that we should put ourselves in complete harmony with the Divine mind and will. There is no one thing that you can say or do that will comply with this requirement. It is not enough that we should observe this commandment or that one, but we must devote all to the service of God, and be willing to obey His Divine mind and will and yield obedience thereto. That is the thing that is required of us, and there is not any one thing. If it be required, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor; and that is not enough either, "but come and follow me." That means that we shall "not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God," if we want to go on to perfection; and this ministry which God has instituted in His Church is for the purpose of "perfecting the Saints," until they shall place themselves in complete harmony with the divine mind and will. Let us, therefore, struggle on in that direction, until we can overcome our faults, weaknesses and imperfections. If the call should come to any young man, to leave his home and go out in the mission field, to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, what should he do? Can he think he has done enough, because he has kept these commandments or those ? Why no. What should he do? There is but one thing, go, go in obedience to the will of God and proclaim the gospel in that country where your services are needed. If it should be necessary that we give up all that we have, give it up, and remember that God requires it. That is the doctrine, and until men and women are willing to lay their all upon the altar they will not have attained perfection.
While none of us are perfect in our lives by any means, there are a great many weaknesses which we can and should overcome. Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto us. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Seek to obtain the companionship of God's Holy Spirit, even the Comforter that will lead us unto all truth, and then we are on our road to salvation. But none are saved, only those who shall endure unto the end. And may God help us all to do it, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
A male quartet sang the hymn, "I think when I read that sweet story of old."
ELDER JOSEPH W. M'MURRIN.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
At the close of one of the meetings of this conference, President Joseph F. Smith made a number of announcements. Among other notices that were given out by him, was one to the effect that there had been established a Correspondence Missionary Course, in connection with the Church school system, you my friends know that is the form of education that has accomplished so much good among the young people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The thought came into my mind, brethren and sisters, that this new step in connection with our Church school activities was one well worthy of more attention than it is receiving at the hands of many of those who are men of influence in the Church.
In the early history of the Church the Lord gave revelations to the people, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, bearing upon the great subject of education. In one of those revelations we read the following.
"Therefore, verily I say unto you, my friends, call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you. And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study, and also by faith."
As I have said, this instruction was given of the Lord at a very early period in the history of the Church, and even at an earlier date, than the date of this revelation from which I have just read, there had come the voice of the Lord to His people of the Latter dispensation concerning' the great importance of selecting and writing books, that such education might be imparted to the people as would be pleasing to the Lord. That injunction has been upon the people from that date to the present, and you my brethren and sisters, know that very great efforts have been made by the proper authorities of the Church, to give to the young people of Zion every possible educational advantage. The statement was made in a meeting last night which many of the brethren attended, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, appropriated last year about the same amount of money for the higher education of the children of the Latter-day Saints in Church academies as was appropriated by the Legislature in the State of Utah for higher education. Notwithstanding this, we are oftentimes spoken of by those who are either misinformed, or who are willfully wicked, as people who are opposed to education.
I would like, if possible, to impress upon the minds of fathers and mothers, and upon the minds also of the young men and women who are in this congregation, the great advantage that is offered them by this Missionary Correspondence School. I happened just yesterday in going through some papers at my home to run across this important communication, which is addressed to the Bishopric of the Church. I will read a part of the letter. It is over the signature of President Joseph F. Smith and relates to the splendid opportunity of obtaining a theological training by means of this missionary correspondence school. He first calls attention to the fact that some of our young men go into the missionary field not very well prepared for the responsibility that comes to them as advocates of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says:
"In this respect they do not represent our people fairly, nor do they accomplish as much good as they would if they were better informed. In some instances it requires the first year of their mission to prepare them for their calling. This is a great loss to themselves, their parents, and the cause they represent.
"To remedy this condition, classes for missionaries have been maintained in all of our larger Church schools for many years, and while they have done much good, they do not satisfy all the needs of the missionaries. To quit work and go to a church school for one or two years, and follow that with a mission of two or three years, is a greater sacrifice than many feel they can make. For all such as need the work and cannot take a regular course in a church school, a correspondence course has been provided. This course includes thorough instruction in the principles of the gospel, the leading facts in our Church history, a practical course in English, and some statistical and other information that every missionary should possess. All the work in this course can be done by the students at home, without interfering with their earning capacity. Utilizing evenings that otherwise might be wasted, and thereby establishing good habits to displace poorer ones.
"The services of Bishop Edwin S. Sheets have been secured to conduct the course. He is a practical teacher and an experienced missionary. The text books used during the first part of the course are: 'A Young Folks' History of the Church,' by Nephi Anderson. 'The Gospel,' by B. H. Roberts. 'Mormon Doctrine,' by Charles W. Penrose; and a good text on English. The cost of these books is $2.50. The books used in the second part of the course are: 'Articles of Faith,' by James E. Talmage; 'Ecclesiastical History,' by B. H. Roberts; 'Restoration of the Gospel,' by Osborne J. P. Widtsoe; together with a brief outline of statistics and other general information pertaining to the Church, and also to our state. The cost of the books for the second part of the course is $3.00. Those who already have the above named books will have no other expenses than $10.00 tuition fee, which is payable in advance.
"Students may enroll at any time. The length of time required to complete the course will depend largely upon the ability of the student and the time he can devote to the work. The course not only prepares brothers and sisters for the mission field, but also for a life of usefulness at home, in the quorums and in the auxiliary organizations."
I have taken the liberty of reading the larger part of this communication, to bring to your attention the views of the President of the Church in relation to the importance of this movement, and I hope these views will be very strongly impressed upon the minds of the young people, and upon the minds of the fathers and mothers and presiding authorities who are in this congregation. This course provides an opportunity for the young men and women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to gain a most desirable training in relation to the doctrines of the gospel, even while they remain at home. and continue to give attention to the daily affairs of life. Some may feel that there is not a very good chance to accomplish much by a system of education by correspondence. I will read a few words in regard to the judgment of some of the bright intellects of this modern age, who have discovered the very great opportunity that exists for the advancement of one and all, who will give the proper attention, and who will undertake to educate themselves. I might say in passing, that we need only look to some of the presiding authorities of the Church, and we will make the discovery, if we are not already aware of it, that there are some men of a very scholarly character numbered among those authorities, who have never had an opportunity for gaining scholastic information to any great extent through going to school or college, but they have obtained the wonderful fund of knowledge of which they are possessed very largely by utilizing spare moments in the reading of good books and seeking to educate themselves very much after the manner that is intended by the presiding authorities of the Church in establishing this correspondence school for missionaries. One writer has said:
"Oh, what wonders have been performed in one hour a day. One hour a day withdrawn from frivolous pursuits, and profitably employed, would enable any man of ordinary capacity,"—and I would like you to mark this statement, young men and maidens — ''any man of ordinary capacity, to master a complete science. One hour a day would make an ignorant man a well-informed man in ten years. One hour a day would earn enough to pay for two daily and two weekly papers, two leading magazines and a dozen good books. In an hour a day any boy or girl could read twenty pages thoughtfully—over seven thousand pages, or eighteen large volumes, in a year. An hour a day might make all the difference between bare existence and useful, happy living. An hour a day might make, nay, has made an unknown man a famous one, a useless man, a benefactor to his race." Young people, such a warning as this, from an intelligent writer should be as a trumpet call for an hour a day, or for some period of time earnestly devoted to the acquirement of gospel knowledge and other useful information.
There is no young man or young maiden in our community that is not able, if they so determine, to give an hour a day or even a less amount of time in such a laudable effort. The great educator, Dr. Chas. W. Eliot, who was recently offered the honorable post of ambassador from the United States of America at the court of St. James, and who for years stood at the head of Harvard College, in preparing the set of books known as the Harvard Classics, says on this subject: "I believe that the faithful and considerate reading of these books, with such re-readings and memorizings as individual taste may prescribe, will give any man the essentials of a liberal education, even if he can devote to them but fifteen minutes a day." The faithful reading of any other set of equally good books will accomplish the same thing.
Young people should give attention to the opportunities that abound around them on every hand, and be determined to stand fully abreast of the time. There ought not to be any young men who have come to, say, twenty-five years of age, who do not have an understanding concerning the gospel.
We have the revelations of the Almighty as contained in the Holy Bible, and in the revealed word of God as given in our own time, and other good books without number, that can be had for a few pence each; every young man and every young woman should be so concerned about the birthright that has been spoken of so much during this conference and the responsibilities that are sure to come as time advances, that they would be determined, even though they might not have the opportunity to go into the school room, and obtain the advantages that are given to those who have such privileges, that at home, by means of this correspondence course and by giving attention to proper reading, they would fill their minds with good information and become equipped for the great responsibilities that are awaiting them. Be careful, young people, of your companionship and where and how you spend your time, I will again read a few words that I commend to you most earnestly, for I believe them to be very precious and worthy of serious consideration.
"No one is anxious about a young man while he is busy in useful work. But where does he eat his lunch at noon? Where does he go when he leaves his boarding house at night? What does he do after supper? Where does he spend his Sundays and holidays? The great majority of youths, who go to the bad, are ruined after supper. Most of those who climb upward to honor and fame devote their evenings to study, or work, or the society of the wise and good. For the right use of these leisure hours, what we have called the waste of life, the odd moments usually thrown away, the author would plead with every youth."
That is what the teachers of the correspondence school pleads for — the odd moments. They are pleading with the youth of Zion that they take advantage of them, for they can be made more precious than rubies. Fathers, and mothers, bishops and presidents, ought to give attention, and encourage not only the two hundred and forty young men and maidens who are thus engaged today, but there ought to be easily, at the very least, one thousand students in this correspondence school. Those who are engaged in the correspondence school work are sending in testimonials of the highest character telling of the great good and advantage the course has been to them. One of the students says:
"I consider the institution of the missionary correspondence school one of the most useful and practical means that the Church has yet adopted to bring an all-around, up-to-date, civil and ecclesiastical education to every one that will avail himself. However poor financially or remote in distance one might be, this method will meet every circumstance and remove the last excuse of educational unpreparedness to meet any call at home or abroad. Its systematic teaching has made the matter of study a pleasure to me and has inspired me with new life and vigor to reach out for more, and still more knowledge."
I commend these various statements and this new line of work to this congregation, and feel that there will be a blessing come to every one who will give attention. God bless you, my brethren and sisters in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
At the close of one of the meetings of this conference, President Joseph F. Smith made a number of announcements. Among other notices that were given out by him, was one to the effect that there had been established a Correspondence Missionary Course, in connection with the Church school system, you my friends know that is the form of education that has accomplished so much good among the young people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The thought came into my mind, brethren and sisters, that this new step in connection with our Church school activities was one well worthy of more attention than it is receiving at the hands of many of those who are men of influence in the Church.
In the early history of the Church the Lord gave revelations to the people, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, bearing upon the great subject of education. In one of those revelations we read the following.
"Therefore, verily I say unto you, my friends, call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you. And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study, and also by faith."
As I have said, this instruction was given of the Lord at a very early period in the history of the Church, and even at an earlier date, than the date of this revelation from which I have just read, there had come the voice of the Lord to His people of the Latter dispensation concerning' the great importance of selecting and writing books, that such education might be imparted to the people as would be pleasing to the Lord. That injunction has been upon the people from that date to the present, and you my brethren and sisters, know that very great efforts have been made by the proper authorities of the Church, to give to the young people of Zion every possible educational advantage. The statement was made in a meeting last night which many of the brethren attended, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, appropriated last year about the same amount of money for the higher education of the children of the Latter-day Saints in Church academies as was appropriated by the Legislature in the State of Utah for higher education. Notwithstanding this, we are oftentimes spoken of by those who are either misinformed, or who are willfully wicked, as people who are opposed to education.
I would like, if possible, to impress upon the minds of fathers and mothers, and upon the minds also of the young men and women who are in this congregation, the great advantage that is offered them by this Missionary Correspondence School. I happened just yesterday in going through some papers at my home to run across this important communication, which is addressed to the Bishopric of the Church. I will read a part of the letter. It is over the signature of President Joseph F. Smith and relates to the splendid opportunity of obtaining a theological training by means of this missionary correspondence school. He first calls attention to the fact that some of our young men go into the missionary field not very well prepared for the responsibility that comes to them as advocates of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says:
"In this respect they do not represent our people fairly, nor do they accomplish as much good as they would if they were better informed. In some instances it requires the first year of their mission to prepare them for their calling. This is a great loss to themselves, their parents, and the cause they represent.
"To remedy this condition, classes for missionaries have been maintained in all of our larger Church schools for many years, and while they have done much good, they do not satisfy all the needs of the missionaries. To quit work and go to a church school for one or two years, and follow that with a mission of two or three years, is a greater sacrifice than many feel they can make. For all such as need the work and cannot take a regular course in a church school, a correspondence course has been provided. This course includes thorough instruction in the principles of the gospel, the leading facts in our Church history, a practical course in English, and some statistical and other information that every missionary should possess. All the work in this course can be done by the students at home, without interfering with their earning capacity. Utilizing evenings that otherwise might be wasted, and thereby establishing good habits to displace poorer ones.
"The services of Bishop Edwin S. Sheets have been secured to conduct the course. He is a practical teacher and an experienced missionary. The text books used during the first part of the course are: 'A Young Folks' History of the Church,' by Nephi Anderson. 'The Gospel,' by B. H. Roberts. 'Mormon Doctrine,' by Charles W. Penrose; and a good text on English. The cost of these books is $2.50. The books used in the second part of the course are: 'Articles of Faith,' by James E. Talmage; 'Ecclesiastical History,' by B. H. Roberts; 'Restoration of the Gospel,' by Osborne J. P. Widtsoe; together with a brief outline of statistics and other general information pertaining to the Church, and also to our state. The cost of the books for the second part of the course is $3.00. Those who already have the above named books will have no other expenses than $10.00 tuition fee, which is payable in advance.
"Students may enroll at any time. The length of time required to complete the course will depend largely upon the ability of the student and the time he can devote to the work. The course not only prepares brothers and sisters for the mission field, but also for a life of usefulness at home, in the quorums and in the auxiliary organizations."
I have taken the liberty of reading the larger part of this communication, to bring to your attention the views of the President of the Church in relation to the importance of this movement, and I hope these views will be very strongly impressed upon the minds of the young people, and upon the minds of the fathers and mothers and presiding authorities who are in this congregation. This course provides an opportunity for the young men and women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to gain a most desirable training in relation to the doctrines of the gospel, even while they remain at home. and continue to give attention to the daily affairs of life. Some may feel that there is not a very good chance to accomplish much by a system of education by correspondence. I will read a few words in regard to the judgment of some of the bright intellects of this modern age, who have discovered the very great opportunity that exists for the advancement of one and all, who will give the proper attention, and who will undertake to educate themselves. I might say in passing, that we need only look to some of the presiding authorities of the Church, and we will make the discovery, if we are not already aware of it, that there are some men of a very scholarly character numbered among those authorities, who have never had an opportunity for gaining scholastic information to any great extent through going to school or college, but they have obtained the wonderful fund of knowledge of which they are possessed very largely by utilizing spare moments in the reading of good books and seeking to educate themselves very much after the manner that is intended by the presiding authorities of the Church in establishing this correspondence school for missionaries. One writer has said:
"Oh, what wonders have been performed in one hour a day. One hour a day withdrawn from frivolous pursuits, and profitably employed, would enable any man of ordinary capacity,"—and I would like you to mark this statement, young men and maidens — ''any man of ordinary capacity, to master a complete science. One hour a day would make an ignorant man a well-informed man in ten years. One hour a day would earn enough to pay for two daily and two weekly papers, two leading magazines and a dozen good books. In an hour a day any boy or girl could read twenty pages thoughtfully—over seven thousand pages, or eighteen large volumes, in a year. An hour a day might make all the difference between bare existence and useful, happy living. An hour a day might make, nay, has made an unknown man a famous one, a useless man, a benefactor to his race." Young people, such a warning as this, from an intelligent writer should be as a trumpet call for an hour a day, or for some period of time earnestly devoted to the acquirement of gospel knowledge and other useful information.
There is no young man or young maiden in our community that is not able, if they so determine, to give an hour a day or even a less amount of time in such a laudable effort. The great educator, Dr. Chas. W. Eliot, who was recently offered the honorable post of ambassador from the United States of America at the court of St. James, and who for years stood at the head of Harvard College, in preparing the set of books known as the Harvard Classics, says on this subject: "I believe that the faithful and considerate reading of these books, with such re-readings and memorizings as individual taste may prescribe, will give any man the essentials of a liberal education, even if he can devote to them but fifteen minutes a day." The faithful reading of any other set of equally good books will accomplish the same thing.
Young people should give attention to the opportunities that abound around them on every hand, and be determined to stand fully abreast of the time. There ought not to be any young men who have come to, say, twenty-five years of age, who do not have an understanding concerning the gospel.
We have the revelations of the Almighty as contained in the Holy Bible, and in the revealed word of God as given in our own time, and other good books without number, that can be had for a few pence each; every young man and every young woman should be so concerned about the birthright that has been spoken of so much during this conference and the responsibilities that are sure to come as time advances, that they would be determined, even though they might not have the opportunity to go into the school room, and obtain the advantages that are given to those who have such privileges, that at home, by means of this correspondence course and by giving attention to proper reading, they would fill their minds with good information and become equipped for the great responsibilities that are awaiting them. Be careful, young people, of your companionship and where and how you spend your time, I will again read a few words that I commend to you most earnestly, for I believe them to be very precious and worthy of serious consideration.
"No one is anxious about a young man while he is busy in useful work. But where does he eat his lunch at noon? Where does he go when he leaves his boarding house at night? What does he do after supper? Where does he spend his Sundays and holidays? The great majority of youths, who go to the bad, are ruined after supper. Most of those who climb upward to honor and fame devote their evenings to study, or work, or the society of the wise and good. For the right use of these leisure hours, what we have called the waste of life, the odd moments usually thrown away, the author would plead with every youth."
That is what the teachers of the correspondence school pleads for — the odd moments. They are pleading with the youth of Zion that they take advantage of them, for they can be made more precious than rubies. Fathers, and mothers, bishops and presidents, ought to give attention, and encourage not only the two hundred and forty young men and maidens who are thus engaged today, but there ought to be easily, at the very least, one thousand students in this correspondence school. Those who are engaged in the correspondence school work are sending in testimonials of the highest character telling of the great good and advantage the course has been to them. One of the students says:
"I consider the institution of the missionary correspondence school one of the most useful and practical means that the Church has yet adopted to bring an all-around, up-to-date, civil and ecclesiastical education to every one that will avail himself. However poor financially or remote in distance one might be, this method will meet every circumstance and remove the last excuse of educational unpreparedness to meet any call at home or abroad. Its systematic teaching has made the matter of study a pleasure to me and has inspired me with new life and vigor to reach out for more, and still more knowledge."
I commend these various statements and this new line of work to this congregation, and feel that there will be a blessing come to every one who will give attention. God bless you, my brethren and sisters in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
ELDER JOHN L. HERRICK.
(President of Western States Mission.)
This very interesting meeting, thus far, is being conducted by a member of the Council of Twelve. I have tried to induce him to use the time that he desires I should use, because, I think, he has not spoken at any other meeting of this conference; but he has seen fit to decide otherwise. I beg the liberty to ask you who are here, unless you have some very urgent matters, that you remain until the close of this meeting, if not to hear me, at least to listen to the voice of Brother Joseph F. Smith, Jr. Arrangements have been made, I believe, with all railroads that visitors can remain until the close of meeting, without fear of missing trains; and we may fairly assume, I think, that the Tabernacle services will not conclude for, perhaps, a half hour yet.
In that splendid work entitled, "Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher," by Brother B. H. Roberts, reference is made to the last public speech of that great statesman, Daniel Webster, delivered, I believe, in the year 1852. I should like to read a few of the words he uttered at that time, which seem applicable to a matter that I should like to discuss:
"Let me say, that if any of our posterity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His commandments, if we and they shall maintain just moral sentiments and such conscientious convictions of duty as shall control the heart and life, we may have the highest hopes of the future of our country. But if we and our posterity reject religious instructions and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality or recklessly destroy political instruction which hold's us together, then no man knows when a sudden catastrophe may overwhelm us."
I believe there are many men and women in America today who discredit the Bible, who are seeking for the opportunity to prove, if they can, that the Bible is not authoritative. They are seeking, in various ways, to win the hearts and minds of people from a belief in its fundamental teachings. There are many, who do not believe the New Testament, and say that it is only a myth, or a story concocted by men. I saw yesterday, or day before, a dispatch purported to be from the greatest city of the old world, that Londoners have given up reading the Bible, and are fast becoming Pagan. In the light of these conditions it is well for us to stand close and fast by the teachings that have come down to us in that sacred book. The Bible is a revelation of God to man and it reveals men unto themselves. It plays no favorites. If there were those who were wicked, the Bible tells us so unqualifiedly. When the great King David fell, the Bible writer did not shield his faults, nor magnify his virtues. No. He was given a just rebuke, and his history was written just as that of the humblest man of his time might have been.
After all, my brothers and sisters, if we believe in that book, we shall consider ourselves to be free and independent creatures. We are accountable to our Father and God, and should recognize the authority that He has established in this world. If we believe the teachings of those who wrote in the time of Christ—not necessarily all there is in the New Testament—we may also look to other writings contemporaneous with that time, and we will find ample proof and assurance that those conditions that the Testament relates were true and authoritative.
Where shall we find a parallel for that work, that great battle to win human hearts, participated in by humble men in the days of Christ? There is no parallel in this world excepting in this Latter-day Church that was founded by Joseph Smith under God's direction, and who followed by humble, though strong and brave men, some of whom still remain to fight similar battles for the human heart. A belief and faith in God and his Son, Jesus Christ, a belief in divine revelation a belief which if lived up to will save and exalt the human race characterizes everyone that is honest in religious convictions.
It has been said during this conference that the test of this Church will come in the third and fourth generations. I am one of the third generation of our family that have joined the Church, and even though imperfectly I have endeavored to live my religion. If I can maintain the standard set by my father and mother I shall be deeply grateful. If my children of the fourth generation, emulate the attitude of my father, their grandfather, in supporting and advancing this glorious work, I shall praise God. His name receives praise in my heart today, that I have been privileged to devote a part of my life in the service of the Master. God grant that our lives, our thoughts and actions may be given to it in so much that all that we have and are, if need be, may be devoted to advancement of this great Latter-day work I humbly pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Elder Joseph F. Smith, Jr., presented the names of the General Authorities of the Church; each and all were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the congregation.
(President of Western States Mission.)
This very interesting meeting, thus far, is being conducted by a member of the Council of Twelve. I have tried to induce him to use the time that he desires I should use, because, I think, he has not spoken at any other meeting of this conference; but he has seen fit to decide otherwise. I beg the liberty to ask you who are here, unless you have some very urgent matters, that you remain until the close of this meeting, if not to hear me, at least to listen to the voice of Brother Joseph F. Smith, Jr. Arrangements have been made, I believe, with all railroads that visitors can remain until the close of meeting, without fear of missing trains; and we may fairly assume, I think, that the Tabernacle services will not conclude for, perhaps, a half hour yet.
In that splendid work entitled, "Joseph Smith the Prophet-Teacher," by Brother B. H. Roberts, reference is made to the last public speech of that great statesman, Daniel Webster, delivered, I believe, in the year 1852. I should like to read a few of the words he uttered at that time, which seem applicable to a matter that I should like to discuss:
"Let me say, that if any of our posterity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His commandments, if we and they shall maintain just moral sentiments and such conscientious convictions of duty as shall control the heart and life, we may have the highest hopes of the future of our country. But if we and our posterity reject religious instructions and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality or recklessly destroy political instruction which hold's us together, then no man knows when a sudden catastrophe may overwhelm us."
I believe there are many men and women in America today who discredit the Bible, who are seeking for the opportunity to prove, if they can, that the Bible is not authoritative. They are seeking, in various ways, to win the hearts and minds of people from a belief in its fundamental teachings. There are many, who do not believe the New Testament, and say that it is only a myth, or a story concocted by men. I saw yesterday, or day before, a dispatch purported to be from the greatest city of the old world, that Londoners have given up reading the Bible, and are fast becoming Pagan. In the light of these conditions it is well for us to stand close and fast by the teachings that have come down to us in that sacred book. The Bible is a revelation of God to man and it reveals men unto themselves. It plays no favorites. If there were those who were wicked, the Bible tells us so unqualifiedly. When the great King David fell, the Bible writer did not shield his faults, nor magnify his virtues. No. He was given a just rebuke, and his history was written just as that of the humblest man of his time might have been.
After all, my brothers and sisters, if we believe in that book, we shall consider ourselves to be free and independent creatures. We are accountable to our Father and God, and should recognize the authority that He has established in this world. If we believe the teachings of those who wrote in the time of Christ—not necessarily all there is in the New Testament—we may also look to other writings contemporaneous with that time, and we will find ample proof and assurance that those conditions that the Testament relates were true and authoritative.
Where shall we find a parallel for that work, that great battle to win human hearts, participated in by humble men in the days of Christ? There is no parallel in this world excepting in this Latter-day Church that was founded by Joseph Smith under God's direction, and who followed by humble, though strong and brave men, some of whom still remain to fight similar battles for the human heart. A belief and faith in God and his Son, Jesus Christ, a belief in divine revelation a belief which if lived up to will save and exalt the human race characterizes everyone that is honest in religious convictions.
It has been said during this conference that the test of this Church will come in the third and fourth generations. I am one of the third generation of our family that have joined the Church, and even though imperfectly I have endeavored to live my religion. If I can maintain the standard set by my father and mother I shall be deeply grateful. If my children of the fourth generation, emulate the attitude of my father, their grandfather, in supporting and advancing this glorious work, I shall praise God. His name receives praise in my heart today, that I have been privileged to devote a part of my life in the service of the Master. God grant that our lives, our thoughts and actions may be given to it in so much that all that we have and are, if need be, may be devoted to advancement of this great Latter-day work I humbly pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Elder Joseph F. Smith, Jr., presented the names of the General Authorities of the Church; each and all were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the congregation.
ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR.
Descendants of righteous men admonished to be faithful.—Saints should diligently obey God's laws.
I appreciate the kindness of my brother, Elder Herrick, in proffering me the time that was allotted to him. I have enjoyed all the meetings of the conference, listening to the remarks of the brethren. I feel that it would not be wise for me to occupy much time and keep you here longer this afternoon; but I desire to say that I am grateful for the testimonies and instructions that have been borne during this conference, and am proud to be a descendant of Latter-day Saint parentage, of the fifth generation. I am also proud to be a grandson of one of the original members of the Church, a man who was faithful to the end, and laid down his life for the truth; and I am glad to know that so many of his descendants are actively engaged in the cause, and are also faithful in the truth.
I trust that the sons and daughters of the Latter-day Saints will walk in the footsteps of their fathers in righteousness, and be true to the Church. I hope they will remember their covenants, honor the Priesthood, and the parents who gave them birth and made it possible for them to receive the many blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through faithfulness we shall overcome all things and receive an exaltation in our Father's Kingdom. I trust that the people will go from this conference with the determination in their hearts to serve the Lord, be true to his laws and the covenants they have made with Him, and keep the commandments better than they have done in the past, from this time henceforth.
We should labor diligently for the salvation of the souls of men, the living and the dead, that Zion may prosper, the truth spread in the earth and righteousness cover the face thereof. The time is coming when wickedness shall cease. This is inevitable; and it is plain to see that a people who will observe the laws of the Lord and keep themselves pure and free from the sins that curse the world, will be the people of wisdom possessed of the knowledge of the things of God, and eventually will have power and dominion in the earth. It does not require the spirit of revelation to understand these things, God's purposes shall not fail. It behooves us, therefore, to be obedient to the will of our Heavenly Father, and receive all principles of truth as they have been revealed from on high, and not partake of the sins of the world that lead to destruction.
I pray that we may all be faithful and true in the discharge of every duty as Latter-day Saints, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sister Edna Evans, and choir, sang the anthem, “Inflammatus."
Benediction was pronounced by President Hugh J. Cannon.
Descendants of righteous men admonished to be faithful.—Saints should diligently obey God's laws.
I appreciate the kindness of my brother, Elder Herrick, in proffering me the time that was allotted to him. I have enjoyed all the meetings of the conference, listening to the remarks of the brethren. I feel that it would not be wise for me to occupy much time and keep you here longer this afternoon; but I desire to say that I am grateful for the testimonies and instructions that have been borne during this conference, and am proud to be a descendant of Latter-day Saint parentage, of the fifth generation. I am also proud to be a grandson of one of the original members of the Church, a man who was faithful to the end, and laid down his life for the truth; and I am glad to know that so many of his descendants are actively engaged in the cause, and are also faithful in the truth.
I trust that the sons and daughters of the Latter-day Saints will walk in the footsteps of their fathers in righteousness, and be true to the Church. I hope they will remember their covenants, honor the Priesthood, and the parents who gave them birth and made it possible for them to receive the many blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through faithfulness we shall overcome all things and receive an exaltation in our Father's Kingdom. I trust that the people will go from this conference with the determination in their hearts to serve the Lord, be true to his laws and the covenants they have made with Him, and keep the commandments better than they have done in the past, from this time henceforth.
We should labor diligently for the salvation of the souls of men, the living and the dead, that Zion may prosper, the truth spread in the earth and righteousness cover the face thereof. The time is coming when wickedness shall cease. This is inevitable; and it is plain to see that a people who will observe the laws of the Lord and keep themselves pure and free from the sins that curse the world, will be the people of wisdom possessed of the knowledge of the things of God, and eventually will have power and dominion in the earth. It does not require the spirit of revelation to understand these things, God's purposes shall not fail. It behooves us, therefore, to be obedient to the will of our Heavenly Father, and receive all principles of truth as they have been revealed from on high, and not partake of the sins of the world that lead to destruction.
I pray that we may all be faithful and true in the discharge of every duty as Latter-day Saints, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sister Edna Evans, and choir, sang the anthem, “Inflammatus."
Benediction was pronounced by President Hugh J. Cannon.
BARRATT HALL MEETING
The afternoon sessions of the Conference, in the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall, were overcrowded, hundreds of persons were unable to obtain admission to either of those places, and another meeting was held, for their benefit, in the Barratt Hall of the L. D. S. University, on the adjoining block, at 2 p. m.
The services were under direction of President Seymour B. Young, and the musical exercises were conducted by Prof. Charles Kent, Mrs. Kent acting as accompanist.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come, all ye sons of Zion
And let us praise the Lord;
His ransomed are returning,
According to His word.
Prayer was offered by Elder Lewis Anderson.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way;
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Elder Seymour B. Young presented the names of the General Authorities of the Church; each and all were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the congregation.
Prof. Charles Kent rendered, as a solo, the hymn entitled, "Let us oft speak kind words to each other."
The afternoon sessions of the Conference, in the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall, were overcrowded, hundreds of persons were unable to obtain admission to either of those places, and another meeting was held, for their benefit, in the Barratt Hall of the L. D. S. University, on the adjoining block, at 2 p. m.
The services were under direction of President Seymour B. Young, and the musical exercises were conducted by Prof. Charles Kent, Mrs. Kent acting as accompanist.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come, all ye sons of Zion
And let us praise the Lord;
His ransomed are returning,
According to His word.
Prayer was offered by Elder Lewis Anderson.
The congregation sang the hymn:
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way;
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Elder Seymour B. Young presented the names of the General Authorities of the Church; each and all were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the congregation.
Prof. Charles Kent rendered, as a solo, the hymn entitled, "Let us oft speak kind words to each other."
ELDER JOSEPH ECKERSLEY.
(President of Wayne Stake.)
I have rejoiced exceedingly in the inspiration of the Lord that has been manifest in all the sessions of the conference that it has been my privilege to attend.
The beautiful thoughts of the song that we have just listened to have been emphasized in the talks that have been made during our conference. There have been no criticisms whatever made of the faith and beliefs of professed Christian people. Reference has been made, occasionally, by way of comparison, but there has been nothing said to which any professing consistent Christian could take exception. The gospel preached to the people during this conference has been the Gospel of Love. The principles of saving grace as enunciated by the Master have been very forcibly proclaimed.
If I have been impressed with one truth more than another during this conference, that is of great importance to the Latter-day Saints, it is the necessity for those who have entered into covenant with God in these last days to give heed to the living oracles. Very frequently, the Church of which we are members is criticised unfairly because of the unity that obtains among them with regard to sustaining the Church officials, the authorities of the Church, the implicit confidence we have in their word, and our willingness to obey their counsels. We are living in a day when much emphasis is placed upon the subject of individual liberty, and it is often intimated, by those who do not know us as well as they should, that we are a priest-ridden people. My experience in traveling in the world is the very opposite. If there is any religious people upon the earth who are free from domination, who are free from priest-craft, it is the Latter-day Saints. The Gospel that we have espoused, if we are living its principles, makes us free indeed.
The order, discipline, and mire priesthood of God was very plainly and beautifully explained by President Smith in the opening discourse of the Conference, and I am sure that the instructions imparted, and the testimony borne regarding the order of the priesthood, as laid down by our President, found an echo in the heart of every Latter-day Saint.
The very necessary and timely counsel imparted by President Lund, that the fathers and mothers of the Latter-day Saints should use diligence to see that their children are properly instructed in the ways of the Lord, in the principles and doctrines of the Church, was counsel well worth the close attention of the Latter-day Saints. It will profit us very little, my brethren and sisters, the years of sacrifice and toil and earnest endeavor that has been spent by the fathers and mothers in this work, if we do not succeed in rearing our children in the way that we have tried to go. I feel that these keynotes that were sounded at the commencement of our conference have been ringing in our ears ever since, in the remarks and the testimonies of our brethren.
I have been reminded that while we do perhaps give closer attention and more implicit obedience, because of the confidence that we have in our leaders, than do people generally of other churches, that yet we are not wanting in our reverence for the prophets of old; we are not wanting in reverence for the Word of God that has come down to us through the ages. It is a mistaken idea that we do not reverence as we should the ancient worthies, do not place enough importance upon the testimony of the ancient apostles. The fact is, that we believe all that God has revealed in the past that was written and spoken anciently and that was necessary in the day in which it was given, for the edification and blessing and consolation of the people, though we go further than that. We believe in present day revelation,—we believe all that God is now revealing, and we believe that in the future He will continue to reveal to His people as occasion may require, those things that are necessary for their edification, and for their perfection and glory.
A careful perusal of the Scriptures and of history reveals the fact that great and good men have seldom been fully appreciated for their worth in the day in which they lived. This is true of men and women who have been reformers in various spheres as well as it is true of the ministers of the gospel of the Redeemer. The people in the ages and times when men have spoken as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost have not generally received the message, people in general have turned a deaf ear to the testimony of the living prophets, while professing that they were willing to be guided by the words of those who had passed away. Such was the condition when John the Baptist came to the people as the fore-runner of Jesus the Redeemer of men. Such was the condition as Jesus followed in the mighty work that He was called to do. The people said they were willing to have Abraham for their father, were willing to believe in him, willing to accept the testimony of the prophets who had preceded the Messiah, but were unwilling to accept Him and believe in His testimony and in His doctrine.
You will remember the beautiful story that is told of Lazarus and the rich man. You remember how anxious, after he had left this life and was reaping the reward of his life's work, the rich man was when he lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus among the redeemed and blessed. He was tormented in his spirit. His mind went back to mother earth, and he was anxious for his brother, he was anxious for his relatives who were living upon the earth. He desired that they might escape the condition that he found himself in, and so he asked that one might be sent to warn his living relatives that they might peradventure repent, and not reach the condition that he found himself in. The answer came to him that though one should be sent from the dead, yet they would not believe. They had living prophets and they should give heed to their testimony and to their doctrine, and if they were not willing to do this, they would not receive the testimony of one that might be sent to them from the spirit life.
And so it is to-day. The voice of the servants of God proclaiming the truth appeal to the hearts of those who are seeking for light and knowledge, and for purity of life. "My sheep ;" said the Master, "hear my voice, and a stranger they will not follow." And wherever the blood of Israel is scattered in the nations, and comes in contact with the humble Elders that are sent forth to declare the gospel of truth, the words appeal to them as the words of God.
Now, I think that as a people we believe all that God has revealed in the Scriptures. We believe in the testimony as proclaimed in the Gospel of John when he said that God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We believe that to have faith in Jesus Christ means to believe not only that He lived and died for the sins of the world, but we believe in the Church that He organized, and in the doctrines of salvation that He promulgated, and we believe in living, actual faith, that produces a godly repentance from sin, a sorrow that leads me and women to humility and to contrition of heart, and leads them to observance of the ordinances of baptism for the remission of sins, that, being cleansed by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, they are worthy to receive, by the imposition of hands, the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is a faith in Jesus Christ that implies that we believe in all that He taught, in all that He did for the salvation of the human race. If the people in the day when Jesus ministered among them had believed in the living oracles, if they would have accepted His living testimony, instead of the written word of the ancients, or better, in addition to the written word of the ancients, then they might have been redeemed from their sins and have enjoyed the testimony of the righteous.
Now, I thank the Lord with all my heart for the restored gospel of the Redeemer. I thank the Lord that it is my privilege to live in the day and time when God has again spoken from the heavens, when He has again ministered by holy angels, when He has revealed and restored the fullness of the priesthood. I know there is saving power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know that every individual who will obey the injunction of Jesus of Nazareth, the Redeemer of the world, that every man and every one who will do the will of God, who will obey the doctrines that He taught, shall know assuredly for themselves concerning the truth of the principles that have been revealed for the salvation of the human race.
I know that the mission of the Latter-day Saints is to teach kindness, long-suffering, patience, mercy, and endurance, to bless and not to revile. I know that it is not only our mission, but it is the actual work that is being done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I pray, my brethren and sisters, that the spirit of repentance may always dwell in our hearts, that we may always be in a condition to receive the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord, that we may always be able, in our life's work, to know the voice of the true Shepherd, and that we may be willing to follow its promptings to our salvation and ultimate glory. I pray that as a result of the conference meetings that the Latter-day Saints who have assembled may go to their homes with renewed determination to serve the Lord in spirit and in truth, in every action of their lives, that they may proclaim by their daily walk and conversation that they have indeed drank of the fountain of truth, that they have experienced the new birth referred to in the chapter that I previously referred to.
I pray that light and truth may continue to spread in the earth, that the influence and power of this work may extend until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and His Christ. I pray that the words of the poet may be exemplified in our lives,
"Be it my only wisdom here
To serve the Lord with filial fear.
With loving gratitude, superior sense may I display
By shunning every evil way and walking in the good."
May the Lord incline our hearts to all that is good and pure and true, and may we follow in the way that is marked out for us from time to time. May we give heed to the counsels of those who are placed to guide us, that we may find continually the abiding testimony of Jesus in our hearts, which in the end shall make us wise unto salvation, I humbly pray through Jesus Christ. Amen.
(President of Wayne Stake.)
I have rejoiced exceedingly in the inspiration of the Lord that has been manifest in all the sessions of the conference that it has been my privilege to attend.
The beautiful thoughts of the song that we have just listened to have been emphasized in the talks that have been made during our conference. There have been no criticisms whatever made of the faith and beliefs of professed Christian people. Reference has been made, occasionally, by way of comparison, but there has been nothing said to which any professing consistent Christian could take exception. The gospel preached to the people during this conference has been the Gospel of Love. The principles of saving grace as enunciated by the Master have been very forcibly proclaimed.
If I have been impressed with one truth more than another during this conference, that is of great importance to the Latter-day Saints, it is the necessity for those who have entered into covenant with God in these last days to give heed to the living oracles. Very frequently, the Church of which we are members is criticised unfairly because of the unity that obtains among them with regard to sustaining the Church officials, the authorities of the Church, the implicit confidence we have in their word, and our willingness to obey their counsels. We are living in a day when much emphasis is placed upon the subject of individual liberty, and it is often intimated, by those who do not know us as well as they should, that we are a priest-ridden people. My experience in traveling in the world is the very opposite. If there is any religious people upon the earth who are free from domination, who are free from priest-craft, it is the Latter-day Saints. The Gospel that we have espoused, if we are living its principles, makes us free indeed.
The order, discipline, and mire priesthood of God was very plainly and beautifully explained by President Smith in the opening discourse of the Conference, and I am sure that the instructions imparted, and the testimony borne regarding the order of the priesthood, as laid down by our President, found an echo in the heart of every Latter-day Saint.
The very necessary and timely counsel imparted by President Lund, that the fathers and mothers of the Latter-day Saints should use diligence to see that their children are properly instructed in the ways of the Lord, in the principles and doctrines of the Church, was counsel well worth the close attention of the Latter-day Saints. It will profit us very little, my brethren and sisters, the years of sacrifice and toil and earnest endeavor that has been spent by the fathers and mothers in this work, if we do not succeed in rearing our children in the way that we have tried to go. I feel that these keynotes that were sounded at the commencement of our conference have been ringing in our ears ever since, in the remarks and the testimonies of our brethren.
I have been reminded that while we do perhaps give closer attention and more implicit obedience, because of the confidence that we have in our leaders, than do people generally of other churches, that yet we are not wanting in our reverence for the prophets of old; we are not wanting in reverence for the Word of God that has come down to us through the ages. It is a mistaken idea that we do not reverence as we should the ancient worthies, do not place enough importance upon the testimony of the ancient apostles. The fact is, that we believe all that God has revealed in the past that was written and spoken anciently and that was necessary in the day in which it was given, for the edification and blessing and consolation of the people, though we go further than that. We believe in present day revelation,—we believe all that God is now revealing, and we believe that in the future He will continue to reveal to His people as occasion may require, those things that are necessary for their edification, and for their perfection and glory.
A careful perusal of the Scriptures and of history reveals the fact that great and good men have seldom been fully appreciated for their worth in the day in which they lived. This is true of men and women who have been reformers in various spheres as well as it is true of the ministers of the gospel of the Redeemer. The people in the ages and times when men have spoken as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost have not generally received the message, people in general have turned a deaf ear to the testimony of the living prophets, while professing that they were willing to be guided by the words of those who had passed away. Such was the condition when John the Baptist came to the people as the fore-runner of Jesus the Redeemer of men. Such was the condition as Jesus followed in the mighty work that He was called to do. The people said they were willing to have Abraham for their father, were willing to believe in him, willing to accept the testimony of the prophets who had preceded the Messiah, but were unwilling to accept Him and believe in His testimony and in His doctrine.
You will remember the beautiful story that is told of Lazarus and the rich man. You remember how anxious, after he had left this life and was reaping the reward of his life's work, the rich man was when he lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus among the redeemed and blessed. He was tormented in his spirit. His mind went back to mother earth, and he was anxious for his brother, he was anxious for his relatives who were living upon the earth. He desired that they might escape the condition that he found himself in, and so he asked that one might be sent to warn his living relatives that they might peradventure repent, and not reach the condition that he found himself in. The answer came to him that though one should be sent from the dead, yet they would not believe. They had living prophets and they should give heed to their testimony and to their doctrine, and if they were not willing to do this, they would not receive the testimony of one that might be sent to them from the spirit life.
And so it is to-day. The voice of the servants of God proclaiming the truth appeal to the hearts of those who are seeking for light and knowledge, and for purity of life. "My sheep ;" said the Master, "hear my voice, and a stranger they will not follow." And wherever the blood of Israel is scattered in the nations, and comes in contact with the humble Elders that are sent forth to declare the gospel of truth, the words appeal to them as the words of God.
Now, I think that as a people we believe all that God has revealed in the Scriptures. We believe in the testimony as proclaimed in the Gospel of John when he said that God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We believe that to have faith in Jesus Christ means to believe not only that He lived and died for the sins of the world, but we believe in the Church that He organized, and in the doctrines of salvation that He promulgated, and we believe in living, actual faith, that produces a godly repentance from sin, a sorrow that leads me and women to humility and to contrition of heart, and leads them to observance of the ordinances of baptism for the remission of sins, that, being cleansed by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, they are worthy to receive, by the imposition of hands, the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is a faith in Jesus Christ that implies that we believe in all that He taught, in all that He did for the salvation of the human race. If the people in the day when Jesus ministered among them had believed in the living oracles, if they would have accepted His living testimony, instead of the written word of the ancients, or better, in addition to the written word of the ancients, then they might have been redeemed from their sins and have enjoyed the testimony of the righteous.
Now, I thank the Lord with all my heart for the restored gospel of the Redeemer. I thank the Lord that it is my privilege to live in the day and time when God has again spoken from the heavens, when He has again ministered by holy angels, when He has revealed and restored the fullness of the priesthood. I know there is saving power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know that every individual who will obey the injunction of Jesus of Nazareth, the Redeemer of the world, that every man and every one who will do the will of God, who will obey the doctrines that He taught, shall know assuredly for themselves concerning the truth of the principles that have been revealed for the salvation of the human race.
I know that the mission of the Latter-day Saints is to teach kindness, long-suffering, patience, mercy, and endurance, to bless and not to revile. I know that it is not only our mission, but it is the actual work that is being done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I pray, my brethren and sisters, that the spirit of repentance may always dwell in our hearts, that we may always be in a condition to receive the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord, that we may always be able, in our life's work, to know the voice of the true Shepherd, and that we may be willing to follow its promptings to our salvation and ultimate glory. I pray that as a result of the conference meetings that the Latter-day Saints who have assembled may go to their homes with renewed determination to serve the Lord in spirit and in truth, in every action of their lives, that they may proclaim by their daily walk and conversation that they have indeed drank of the fountain of truth, that they have experienced the new birth referred to in the chapter that I previously referred to.
I pray that light and truth may continue to spread in the earth, that the influence and power of this work may extend until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and His Christ. I pray that the words of the poet may be exemplified in our lives,
"Be it my only wisdom here
To serve the Lord with filial fear.
With loving gratitude, superior sense may I display
By shunning every evil way and walking in the good."
May the Lord incline our hearts to all that is good and pure and true, and may we follow in the way that is marked out for us from time to time. May we give heed to the counsels of those who are placed to guide us, that we may find continually the abiding testimony of Jesus in our hearts, which in the end shall make us wise unto salvation, I humbly pray through Jesus Christ. Amen.
ELDER DAVID H. CANNON.
(President of St. George Temple.).
I Pray that while I occupy a portion of your time that I may say something that will be of benefit I consider it a very important position to stand before the Saints in conference assembled, to feed them the bread of life.
This gospel with which you and I have become identified is the power of God unto salvation, to every man and woman who will render strict obedience to its requirements. There is no position in which mankind may be found but what the gospel is applicable to that condition. Hence we gather ourselves together from the places where the gospel sound greets our ears to the places the Lord has appointed for the gathering of His people. The prime object in this assembling and gathering is that we may be taught in the ways of the Lord, that we may walk in His paths and become intelligent followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. When we get through with mortality, the only thing we can take with us is our intelligence. That which we have done which has been praiseworthy before the Lord and that meets with His approval will be to our credit upon the other side of the vail; but as to our earthly possessions, and those things that we esteem to be things of great value in this world, we cannot take them with us when we are called to lay this earthly tenement down. The elders of the' Church go forth to the nations of the earth, calling upon mankind everywhere to repent of their sins, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and go down into the waters and be baptized by one having authority, for the remission of sins, and receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. And the elders of the Church, no matter where they travel or go, say to the people everywhere when calling upon them to repent. If you will do the will of the Father, you shall know of the doctrine: it is the privilege of every individual who is obedient to this gospel, and is endeavoring to carry out its requirements, to know of the doctrine.
It is not a person who says "Lord, Lord," or who is baptized and stops at that, or who receives a portion of priesthood and stops at that, that is going to be saved with a fulness of glory, but he who knoweth the will of the Father and then goes forth diligently to carry it out in his life. In all conditions of life men are called upon, without exception, to conform to these requirements. The promises, the blessings, are to follow those that believe and obey the gospel. It is not confined to those that are living, or who were living at the time that the Savior and His apostles were upon the earth. The Savior told the apostles to preach the gospel to every creature— not just a few—and he that believed and was baptized should be saved and he that believed not should be damned. And the signs were to follow them that believed. That proclamation is still binding upon the people, and the elders go forth and call upon people everywhere to repent of their sins. It is to greet the ears of every individual, no matter whether he lived in the ages past or at the present time, it is his duty to repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins, and if he does render himself obedient to these ordinances, the signs will follow him.
The question often arises, what are we going to do with those that have died during the dark ages, during the time that the gospel was not upon the earth? We have the answer exemplified in what is being done today in the midst of the people. We find that not only people who have become identified with the Church, but the people of the world, especially of this American nation, are diligently looking for information concerning their progenitors. Men are searching after their genealogical records, becoming familiar with pedigrees pertaining to their ancestors, who do not ask the question, What is it that prompts me to act thus, to spend my money and time to gather together what constitutes my family tree? But when they become familiar with the gospel of the Son of God. they learn the reason. They are doing it because by this gospel, in its earliest inception, the hearts of the fathers were turned to the children and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers, as prophesied by Malachi. At the time of this turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, there was not a genealogical society upon the face of the earth. But men who became familiar with the Church afterwards, have said that they were moved upon about that time to search for their ancestors. My father said that soon after the organization of the Church, he had began gathering genealogical data, for what he could not tell, but as soon as the gospel came to him he knew the reason why he had been doing this.
Another thing that came upon the people at the same time was the spirit of gathering. Think of what this work has come to the earth to accomplish: how could its members have accomplished it in a scattered condition? As soon as the gospel began to be preached, that moment the spirit of gathering took possession of the people. I remember hearing about President John Taylor, when he was in England on his mission, about 1838 or 1840. A sister said to him one morning, "I dreamed last night that the Saints were going down into ships, and singing the songs of Zion. What does it mean?" "It means," said he, "that the spirit of gathering has taken possession of you. The time will come when the Saints will have the privilege of gathering to the places that God has appointed, that they may go into holy places to receive those blessings that pertain to them and to their kindred dead." The spirit of gathering was coming upon the people at the earliest period of the Church's history. Since then the Saints have spent their money and time in the erection of temples, that they may go in and do the work for the dead, and the world has been paving the way for them to do that sacred work. We had a temple in Kirtland, and we had one in Nauvoo. I did not see the Kirtland Temple, but the Nauvoo Temple I remember very well; and I observed the anxiety of the people, and the willingness with which they gave up their substance for the completion of that building. The object that the Saints had in view was to go into the Temple and do the work necessary for the redemption of their dead, because of the spirit having manifested to them that they without their dead could not be made perfect. They went into the font of the temple and were baptized for thousands of their progenitors, but before they had the privilege of doing much of the other work for the dead for which the Temple was built, they were driven from their homes.
When we first came here, President Young marked the place where there would be a temple, before they had thought much about a city, schoolhouses, meetinghouses, or other things. The Saints felt they could not be saved without their dead, nor the dead be saved without this people, and temples have been erected. While there has been comparatively little work done in the temples for the redemption of the dead, yet a good beginning has been made. Thousands have gone into the temples and have received blessings in their own behalf, and performed baptisms and other ordinances that pertain to the salvation of their dead.
But it is not temple work alone that this gospel comprehends in its vastness; the gospel is applicable to all mankind, and to each individual in every condition. We are required to conform strictly to every law of God. It is not just the redemption of the dead, it is not just to be baptized and receive the imposition of hands of the servants of God for the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is not sufficient for us to receive the holy priesthood and then magnify it to a limited extent. It is required of us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, no matter what it pertains to, the education of the children of the Latter-day Saints, the gathering from the nations of the earth, the building of meetinghouses and temples, or anything else that is necessary. These things are parts of the gospel of Jesus, and must be conformed to, if we would know of the doctrine.
There are other things in connection with this. People say to me, "How is it that you dwell so much upon the law of tithing? You hardly ever speak to the people but you say something about tithing, it looks as though you were always thinking about money matters, or that the Church is wanting money." Why do I dwell upon it? It is another of the laws that the Lord has required His people to observe. Is it because the Church is in such a condition that it has to have the tithes of the people in order to conduct the work? Not essentially, because the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. He could turn everything to yield to the accomplishment of His purposes. But He has given the law of tithing to the people, as a school-master to prepare us for the future that is before us; and there is a promise connected with the observance of this law, that it shall be as a mark upon the doorpost. You know, at the time when the children of Israel were about to flee from Egypt, they marked the door-post with blood, that when the destroying angel came he should pass by, and that house should be spared. It is promised that those who render strict conformity to the law of tithing, at the time destruction comes upon the earth, will be soared and preserved; at the time of the burning they shall not be burned, but shall be protected. Another thing, when they hear of any good thing that has been accomplished in the Church, or that is to be accomplished, they feel that they are identified with that purpose, because they rendered assistance to its accomplishment by paying their tithing.
Then there are free-will offerings. We hear some people say, "Well, what I am going to give, if it is for charitable purposes, I prefer to give myself, and then I know to whom it is given, and for what purpose it is used." But I feel, and the gospel has taught me that if I would be blessed of the Lord, I must conform to this law that we shall observe a day of fast, and place in the hands of the bishop the value of what we would have eaten on that day, for the poor. This help is not given to the poor to make them feel that they are paupers, or dependent upon the charity of the people; they should be made to feel that they are entitled to this assistance, because of their fidelity to the work of God. Having paid their tithing, and done the things that God has required of them, and being now poor, and not able to toil and labor for their sustenance, God has established a principle by which they shall be provided for, that the bishop, the father of the ward, will look after them and see that their needs are supplied.
When we have lived until our hair is white, and are ready to lay our body down in the grave, we feel in our hearts that time has been too short to accomplish all that God has designed. In order to know the doctrine, we must do the will of the Father, and in order to do the will of the Father, we must conform to every law that God has revealed for the redemption of His people. When we. kneel down at night, as I trust all who are Saints do, and pour out our hearts in gratitude to our Father, in whose image we are created, we ask him among other things to grant that we may be eternally exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory. That is the burden of our prayer, that we may have the privilege of returning to the Father. Though we offer our prayers in that faith that brooks no denial, yet our lives do not always conform to the requirements of the gospel. But, my brethren and sisters, if you will put yourselves in such condition that God will see your sincerity not by your words alone, but by your life, walk, and conversation before Him, you need have no fear about being exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory, for it is sure to come to you. How are you to know that it is coming to you, and that you are approved of God? Not simply sitting down and being inactive in regard to these matters. The way to know is to live so that the hope of eternal life that was implanted at the time the servants of God impressed you with its importance grows brighter every day in your hearts; and as you do, you will be better satisfied with your life's labors. A person begins to doubt when he neglects his life's duties, and spends his time criticizing his brethren and sisters. If you will devote your time to the service of God, and keep bright within your heart the feeling that brings you in fellowship with the Spirit of God, it will be as a well of knowledge springing up into eternal life. That is my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters.
You know there are many people connected with this Church that spiritually died in the days of Joseph Smith. I remember one time coming across a man of that kind who had nothing remaining of the spirit or genius of the gospel in his disposition or makeup, and yet he was expecting, because of Joseph Smith's promises to him, to reap eternal life and celestial glory in the presence of the Father—and he was back in the states waiting for something to turn up, waiting for the people to go, he said, out west and then back, in the form of a horseshoe. But there was something connected with that promise, that he should be saved in the presence of the Father, that you know, you people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The promise was predicted on condition of his faithfulness. Did you ever receive the promise of a blessing in your life that you did not think was predicated upon your faithfulness ? You have heard among other things being said to people being married, "All these blessings, together with all the blessings pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, I seal upon you by virtue of the holy priesthood, through your faithfulness." A man who has been promised by the Prophet Joseph, or the other prophets, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, or Joseph F. Smith —any of these worthy servants of God—has had the blessing conferred upon condition of his faithfulness.
What made Abraham what he was? How came Abraham to be considered the father of the faithful? God said that He knew that Abraham would teach his seed after him to keep His commandments. What caused Abraham to have this blessing? The Lord had tried him to the very utmost, and found him worthy of eternal life. That was what caused Abraham to become the friend of God, a man upon whom God could rely. Abraham had been told that his seed would be like the sands upon the seashore, or the stars, as they are innumerable so would his posterity be. Abraham knew that his hands must not be imbued with the blood of his fellows. Yet, when the Lord said to Abraham, "Take your son and offer him as a sacrifice," Abraham took him, nothing doubting-. When they got to the foot of the hill and commenced its ascent, the boy said, "Here is the wood, but where is the sacrifice?" And that father turned to that son, through whom the blessings had been promised, in whom the hope of the future was concentrated, and he said, "My son, thou art the offering." What a terrible thing for a father to tell a son! Yet it was in obedience to the requirements of God. When the time came and the knife was finally raised to strike the fatal blow, Abraham was told, "Hold, look in yonder thicket, and find a ram." And Abraham, because of his fidelity to that which God had revealed, came to be the Father of the faithful, and the friend of God.
May His blessings be upon you. May we, in contemplating the future, remember that it is necessary for us to do the will of the Father before we will know of the doctrine, then will it be truly accomplished through Jesus Christ. Amen.
(President of St. George Temple.).
I Pray that while I occupy a portion of your time that I may say something that will be of benefit I consider it a very important position to stand before the Saints in conference assembled, to feed them the bread of life.
This gospel with which you and I have become identified is the power of God unto salvation, to every man and woman who will render strict obedience to its requirements. There is no position in which mankind may be found but what the gospel is applicable to that condition. Hence we gather ourselves together from the places where the gospel sound greets our ears to the places the Lord has appointed for the gathering of His people. The prime object in this assembling and gathering is that we may be taught in the ways of the Lord, that we may walk in His paths and become intelligent followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. When we get through with mortality, the only thing we can take with us is our intelligence. That which we have done which has been praiseworthy before the Lord and that meets with His approval will be to our credit upon the other side of the vail; but as to our earthly possessions, and those things that we esteem to be things of great value in this world, we cannot take them with us when we are called to lay this earthly tenement down. The elders of the' Church go forth to the nations of the earth, calling upon mankind everywhere to repent of their sins, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and go down into the waters and be baptized by one having authority, for the remission of sins, and receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. And the elders of the Church, no matter where they travel or go, say to the people everywhere when calling upon them to repent. If you will do the will of the Father, you shall know of the doctrine: it is the privilege of every individual who is obedient to this gospel, and is endeavoring to carry out its requirements, to know of the doctrine.
It is not a person who says "Lord, Lord," or who is baptized and stops at that, or who receives a portion of priesthood and stops at that, that is going to be saved with a fulness of glory, but he who knoweth the will of the Father and then goes forth diligently to carry it out in his life. In all conditions of life men are called upon, without exception, to conform to these requirements. The promises, the blessings, are to follow those that believe and obey the gospel. It is not confined to those that are living, or who were living at the time that the Savior and His apostles were upon the earth. The Savior told the apostles to preach the gospel to every creature— not just a few—and he that believed and was baptized should be saved and he that believed not should be damned. And the signs were to follow them that believed. That proclamation is still binding upon the people, and the elders go forth and call upon people everywhere to repent of their sins. It is to greet the ears of every individual, no matter whether he lived in the ages past or at the present time, it is his duty to repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins, and if he does render himself obedient to these ordinances, the signs will follow him.
The question often arises, what are we going to do with those that have died during the dark ages, during the time that the gospel was not upon the earth? We have the answer exemplified in what is being done today in the midst of the people. We find that not only people who have become identified with the Church, but the people of the world, especially of this American nation, are diligently looking for information concerning their progenitors. Men are searching after their genealogical records, becoming familiar with pedigrees pertaining to their ancestors, who do not ask the question, What is it that prompts me to act thus, to spend my money and time to gather together what constitutes my family tree? But when they become familiar with the gospel of the Son of God. they learn the reason. They are doing it because by this gospel, in its earliest inception, the hearts of the fathers were turned to the children and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers, as prophesied by Malachi. At the time of this turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, there was not a genealogical society upon the face of the earth. But men who became familiar with the Church afterwards, have said that they were moved upon about that time to search for their ancestors. My father said that soon after the organization of the Church, he had began gathering genealogical data, for what he could not tell, but as soon as the gospel came to him he knew the reason why he had been doing this.
Another thing that came upon the people at the same time was the spirit of gathering. Think of what this work has come to the earth to accomplish: how could its members have accomplished it in a scattered condition? As soon as the gospel began to be preached, that moment the spirit of gathering took possession of the people. I remember hearing about President John Taylor, when he was in England on his mission, about 1838 or 1840. A sister said to him one morning, "I dreamed last night that the Saints were going down into ships, and singing the songs of Zion. What does it mean?" "It means," said he, "that the spirit of gathering has taken possession of you. The time will come when the Saints will have the privilege of gathering to the places that God has appointed, that they may go into holy places to receive those blessings that pertain to them and to their kindred dead." The spirit of gathering was coming upon the people at the earliest period of the Church's history. Since then the Saints have spent their money and time in the erection of temples, that they may go in and do the work for the dead, and the world has been paving the way for them to do that sacred work. We had a temple in Kirtland, and we had one in Nauvoo. I did not see the Kirtland Temple, but the Nauvoo Temple I remember very well; and I observed the anxiety of the people, and the willingness with which they gave up their substance for the completion of that building. The object that the Saints had in view was to go into the Temple and do the work necessary for the redemption of their dead, because of the spirit having manifested to them that they without their dead could not be made perfect. They went into the font of the temple and were baptized for thousands of their progenitors, but before they had the privilege of doing much of the other work for the dead for which the Temple was built, they were driven from their homes.
When we first came here, President Young marked the place where there would be a temple, before they had thought much about a city, schoolhouses, meetinghouses, or other things. The Saints felt they could not be saved without their dead, nor the dead be saved without this people, and temples have been erected. While there has been comparatively little work done in the temples for the redemption of the dead, yet a good beginning has been made. Thousands have gone into the temples and have received blessings in their own behalf, and performed baptisms and other ordinances that pertain to the salvation of their dead.
But it is not temple work alone that this gospel comprehends in its vastness; the gospel is applicable to all mankind, and to each individual in every condition. We are required to conform strictly to every law of God. It is not just the redemption of the dead, it is not just to be baptized and receive the imposition of hands of the servants of God for the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is not sufficient for us to receive the holy priesthood and then magnify it to a limited extent. It is required of us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, no matter what it pertains to, the education of the children of the Latter-day Saints, the gathering from the nations of the earth, the building of meetinghouses and temples, or anything else that is necessary. These things are parts of the gospel of Jesus, and must be conformed to, if we would know of the doctrine.
There are other things in connection with this. People say to me, "How is it that you dwell so much upon the law of tithing? You hardly ever speak to the people but you say something about tithing, it looks as though you were always thinking about money matters, or that the Church is wanting money." Why do I dwell upon it? It is another of the laws that the Lord has required His people to observe. Is it because the Church is in such a condition that it has to have the tithes of the people in order to conduct the work? Not essentially, because the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. He could turn everything to yield to the accomplishment of His purposes. But He has given the law of tithing to the people, as a school-master to prepare us for the future that is before us; and there is a promise connected with the observance of this law, that it shall be as a mark upon the doorpost. You know, at the time when the children of Israel were about to flee from Egypt, they marked the door-post with blood, that when the destroying angel came he should pass by, and that house should be spared. It is promised that those who render strict conformity to the law of tithing, at the time destruction comes upon the earth, will be soared and preserved; at the time of the burning they shall not be burned, but shall be protected. Another thing, when they hear of any good thing that has been accomplished in the Church, or that is to be accomplished, they feel that they are identified with that purpose, because they rendered assistance to its accomplishment by paying their tithing.
Then there are free-will offerings. We hear some people say, "Well, what I am going to give, if it is for charitable purposes, I prefer to give myself, and then I know to whom it is given, and for what purpose it is used." But I feel, and the gospel has taught me that if I would be blessed of the Lord, I must conform to this law that we shall observe a day of fast, and place in the hands of the bishop the value of what we would have eaten on that day, for the poor. This help is not given to the poor to make them feel that they are paupers, or dependent upon the charity of the people; they should be made to feel that they are entitled to this assistance, because of their fidelity to the work of God. Having paid their tithing, and done the things that God has required of them, and being now poor, and not able to toil and labor for their sustenance, God has established a principle by which they shall be provided for, that the bishop, the father of the ward, will look after them and see that their needs are supplied.
When we have lived until our hair is white, and are ready to lay our body down in the grave, we feel in our hearts that time has been too short to accomplish all that God has designed. In order to know the doctrine, we must do the will of the Father, and in order to do the will of the Father, we must conform to every law that God has revealed for the redemption of His people. When we. kneel down at night, as I trust all who are Saints do, and pour out our hearts in gratitude to our Father, in whose image we are created, we ask him among other things to grant that we may be eternally exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory. That is the burden of our prayer, that we may have the privilege of returning to the Father. Though we offer our prayers in that faith that brooks no denial, yet our lives do not always conform to the requirements of the gospel. But, my brethren and sisters, if you will put yourselves in such condition that God will see your sincerity not by your words alone, but by your life, walk, and conversation before Him, you need have no fear about being exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory, for it is sure to come to you. How are you to know that it is coming to you, and that you are approved of God? Not simply sitting down and being inactive in regard to these matters. The way to know is to live so that the hope of eternal life that was implanted at the time the servants of God impressed you with its importance grows brighter every day in your hearts; and as you do, you will be better satisfied with your life's labors. A person begins to doubt when he neglects his life's duties, and spends his time criticizing his brethren and sisters. If you will devote your time to the service of God, and keep bright within your heart the feeling that brings you in fellowship with the Spirit of God, it will be as a well of knowledge springing up into eternal life. That is my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters.
You know there are many people connected with this Church that spiritually died in the days of Joseph Smith. I remember one time coming across a man of that kind who had nothing remaining of the spirit or genius of the gospel in his disposition or makeup, and yet he was expecting, because of Joseph Smith's promises to him, to reap eternal life and celestial glory in the presence of the Father—and he was back in the states waiting for something to turn up, waiting for the people to go, he said, out west and then back, in the form of a horseshoe. But there was something connected with that promise, that he should be saved in the presence of the Father, that you know, you people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The promise was predicted on condition of his faithfulness. Did you ever receive the promise of a blessing in your life that you did not think was predicated upon your faithfulness ? You have heard among other things being said to people being married, "All these blessings, together with all the blessings pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, I seal upon you by virtue of the holy priesthood, through your faithfulness." A man who has been promised by the Prophet Joseph, or the other prophets, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, or Joseph F. Smith —any of these worthy servants of God—has had the blessing conferred upon condition of his faithfulness.
What made Abraham what he was? How came Abraham to be considered the father of the faithful? God said that He knew that Abraham would teach his seed after him to keep His commandments. What caused Abraham to have this blessing? The Lord had tried him to the very utmost, and found him worthy of eternal life. That was what caused Abraham to become the friend of God, a man upon whom God could rely. Abraham had been told that his seed would be like the sands upon the seashore, or the stars, as they are innumerable so would his posterity be. Abraham knew that his hands must not be imbued with the blood of his fellows. Yet, when the Lord said to Abraham, "Take your son and offer him as a sacrifice," Abraham took him, nothing doubting-. When they got to the foot of the hill and commenced its ascent, the boy said, "Here is the wood, but where is the sacrifice?" And that father turned to that son, through whom the blessings had been promised, in whom the hope of the future was concentrated, and he said, "My son, thou art the offering." What a terrible thing for a father to tell a son! Yet it was in obedience to the requirements of God. When the time came and the knife was finally raised to strike the fatal blow, Abraham was told, "Hold, look in yonder thicket, and find a ram." And Abraham, because of his fidelity to that which God had revealed, came to be the Father of the faithful, and the friend of God.
May His blessings be upon you. May we, in contemplating the future, remember that it is necessary for us to do the will of the Father before we will know of the doctrine, then will it be truly accomplished through Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRESIDENT SEYMOUR B. YOUNG
(President First Council of Seventy.)
The spirit of this conference has, I believe, fastened upon our minds the necessity of receiving every principle of the gospel and living the same, practicing in our daily lives all that belongs to it.
When the Prophet Joseph Smith received the visitation of the Father and Son, he was under the power of the Holy Spirit to that degree that he could endure the presence of these heavenly beings. After they had commissioned him, and instructed him by ambassadors sent from time to time, he was entrusted with a very great work, that of translating an ancient record, the history of the races that were found upon this continent when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The prophet states that, while translating this sacred record, he and his fellow -worker, Oliver Cowdery, were impressed with a passage of scripture, found in III Nephi, relating to the ordinance of baptism, and they retired to a secret place and prayed to the Lord for light in regard to this ordinance. In answer to their prayer, the Lord sent to them John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord, and he revealed unto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the meaning of the ordinance of baptism, and the way in which it should be administered, at the same time conferring upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, and promising them that they should receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in the due time of the Lord.
When our Savior was upon the earth, in the meridian of time, He came in fulfillment of the predictions of ancient prophets, and according to the promise of the Father that He would send a Redeemer into the world, His only begotten Son, that was to save the people from the condition caused through the fall of their first parents, subject to eternal death, banished from the presence of God. Jesus came and brought life and immortality to light, yet, though He was the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, He subjected Himself to receive the sacred ordinance of baptism. We are told that He came unto John, who was baptizing repentant Jews in the River Jordan, and requested that He be baptized; and John said, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" But Jesus answered, "It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness ;" and then John suffered him. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Father manifested His approval of the ordinance by proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Then the Holy Ghost, in the sign of a beautiful dove, came and rested upon the Savior as an evidence to the people of the fulfillment of the prophetic words John the Baptist had uttered sometime previous when he said, "Upon whom you see the Holy Ghost descending, know you indeed that this is He."
Afterward, when Jesus was ministering among the people, John was taken and thrown into prison, and he sent to the Savior two faithful messengers who asked: "Are you indeed the promised Messiah ? or do we look for another?" And Jesus sent this answer to John, "Behold the gospel is preached to the poor, the dead are raised, the deaf are made to hear, the blind have their eyes opened"—leaving John to judge by these words whether He was indeed the promised Redeemer or not. We are not informed as to what the effect was upon John when he received this message from our Lord, but this we do know, that when the Savior arose from the dead He sought to impress upon the minds of His disciples that He was indeed a resurrected being. He said to one who was doubting, Come and handle me and see: behold the prints of the nails in my hands: behold the wound of the Roman spear in my side, and no longer doubt, but believe, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. Later, He said to His apostles, "As my Father has commissioned me, so I commission you." He declared that all power was given unto Him in heaven and in earth, and then said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost * * * * and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
We find, my brethren and sisters, that there were many, in the early history of this work, who when they heard the gospel, said to the elders, "Why, I was baptized into the Baptist church," or "I was baptized, when an infant, into the Methodist church," or "I have received that ordinance in other churches." But the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph, All persons that desire to be received in the Church of Christ in this dispensation must repent of their sins, and receive baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, and this ordinance must be administered by one having authority; for no man taketh this honor to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron. Aaron, as we know, was called by the Lord through the Prophet Moses. The Lord said, lay your hands upon your brother Aaron and call him to be your spokesman, that he may take some of' the burden from your shoulders.
Many have said, "If I must be deprived of the comforts of life that I so much enjoy, in the way of using" tobacco, or wine, or tea, or coffee, I do not want to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would rather have my enjoyment of these luxuries than belong to the church whose doctrines you have introduced to me." Others have refrained from embracing the work, fearful that they would be deprived of some pleasures that they have heretofore enjoyed. Some refused to embrace the gospel because, as I have stated, they did not think it necessary to be baptized again. Others hold back for fear that they might meet with censure from their neighbors and fellow-churchmen. Many a person has held himself aloof from this work of the Lord because he was afraid of public opinion. You know very well, my friends, that the Saints have not always been spoken well of. In fact, I am reminded of one of old, who said, This people are spoken evil of everywhere: and yet they seem to prosper: they love each other: and they grow in strength, in power and in numbers. One said concerning the Apostles of Jesus, Let these people alone and, if their doctrine is of man, they will be scattered and. come to naught; but if their doctrine be of God, let them alone, lest perchance you be found fighting against God; a very wise and correct admonition.
You know Paul said, in relating his experience to some who were listening to him to condemn him, I was indeed a Pharisee of the straightest kind. I went from city to city to prosecute the followers of the Nazarene. I was journeying to Damascus with letters of apprehension in my hand and that I might find people there who were proclaiming the gospel of the Nazarene. And as I journeyed to Damascus, a great light came upon me and I fell to the earth, and I heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" and I said, "Who art thou Lord?" and the voice said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecuteth." Then Saul asked what he should do, and he was told to arise, and someone should lead him into Damascus, and one Ananias would tell him what to do to be saved. Paul declared, I rose up from the dust and one took me by the hand and led me to the city of Damascus, and there I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord revealed to me that there was a man in that city who was also praying to the Lord to know what his duty was, and the angel came to this other man who was praying, and said to him, Arise, and go to such and such a place in the city, and find one Saul, for behold he prayeth. This servant of the Lord obeyed the voice and found Saul and said to him, "Brother Saul, receive thy sight," and Paul says, I immediately felt my sight restored as of scales falling from my eyes. And then this good man who was sent to him, who was called Ananias, said to him, "Brother Saul, why tarriest thou? Arise now and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord." And so, Paul declares, I was brought to a newness of life by being buried in the liquid grave. And not only were my eyes opened, my physical vision restored, but the eyes of my spirit and understanding were opened as well. Then Paul knew he had been persecuting Saints of God. who were indeed the followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene, who was indeed the Son of God.
My brethren and sisters, we have listened to the doctrines of the gospel from a number of speakers during this great conference, and I must say, in the experience that I have had in attending conferences, I never have attended one in the last sixty years that I have been any better satisfied with than this which is now about to close.
May the Lord bless the people, comfort everyone. Those who could not come to this conference, may they receive from their friends the message of good will and kindliness that came from the lips of our prophet, and leader, and from the lips of his brethren who have spoken during this conference. May health and peace continue to abound in the homes of the Latter-day Saints, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The hymn commencing, "I know that my Redeemer lives," was sung by Prof. Charles Kent.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder George E: Bench.
(President First Council of Seventy.)
The spirit of this conference has, I believe, fastened upon our minds the necessity of receiving every principle of the gospel and living the same, practicing in our daily lives all that belongs to it.
When the Prophet Joseph Smith received the visitation of the Father and Son, he was under the power of the Holy Spirit to that degree that he could endure the presence of these heavenly beings. After they had commissioned him, and instructed him by ambassadors sent from time to time, he was entrusted with a very great work, that of translating an ancient record, the history of the races that were found upon this continent when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The prophet states that, while translating this sacred record, he and his fellow -worker, Oliver Cowdery, were impressed with a passage of scripture, found in III Nephi, relating to the ordinance of baptism, and they retired to a secret place and prayed to the Lord for light in regard to this ordinance. In answer to their prayer, the Lord sent to them John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord, and he revealed unto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the meaning of the ordinance of baptism, and the way in which it should be administered, at the same time conferring upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, and promising them that they should receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in the due time of the Lord.
When our Savior was upon the earth, in the meridian of time, He came in fulfillment of the predictions of ancient prophets, and according to the promise of the Father that He would send a Redeemer into the world, His only begotten Son, that was to save the people from the condition caused through the fall of their first parents, subject to eternal death, banished from the presence of God. Jesus came and brought life and immortality to light, yet, though He was the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, He subjected Himself to receive the sacred ordinance of baptism. We are told that He came unto John, who was baptizing repentant Jews in the River Jordan, and requested that He be baptized; and John said, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" But Jesus answered, "It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness ;" and then John suffered him. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Father manifested His approval of the ordinance by proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Then the Holy Ghost, in the sign of a beautiful dove, came and rested upon the Savior as an evidence to the people of the fulfillment of the prophetic words John the Baptist had uttered sometime previous when he said, "Upon whom you see the Holy Ghost descending, know you indeed that this is He."
Afterward, when Jesus was ministering among the people, John was taken and thrown into prison, and he sent to the Savior two faithful messengers who asked: "Are you indeed the promised Messiah ? or do we look for another?" And Jesus sent this answer to John, "Behold the gospel is preached to the poor, the dead are raised, the deaf are made to hear, the blind have their eyes opened"—leaving John to judge by these words whether He was indeed the promised Redeemer or not. We are not informed as to what the effect was upon John when he received this message from our Lord, but this we do know, that when the Savior arose from the dead He sought to impress upon the minds of His disciples that He was indeed a resurrected being. He said to one who was doubting, Come and handle me and see: behold the prints of the nails in my hands: behold the wound of the Roman spear in my side, and no longer doubt, but believe, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. Later, He said to His apostles, "As my Father has commissioned me, so I commission you." He declared that all power was given unto Him in heaven and in earth, and then said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost * * * * and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
We find, my brethren and sisters, that there were many, in the early history of this work, who when they heard the gospel, said to the elders, "Why, I was baptized into the Baptist church," or "I was baptized, when an infant, into the Methodist church," or "I have received that ordinance in other churches." But the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph, All persons that desire to be received in the Church of Christ in this dispensation must repent of their sins, and receive baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, and this ordinance must be administered by one having authority; for no man taketh this honor to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron. Aaron, as we know, was called by the Lord through the Prophet Moses. The Lord said, lay your hands upon your brother Aaron and call him to be your spokesman, that he may take some of' the burden from your shoulders.
Many have said, "If I must be deprived of the comforts of life that I so much enjoy, in the way of using" tobacco, or wine, or tea, or coffee, I do not want to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would rather have my enjoyment of these luxuries than belong to the church whose doctrines you have introduced to me." Others have refrained from embracing the work, fearful that they would be deprived of some pleasures that they have heretofore enjoyed. Some refused to embrace the gospel because, as I have stated, they did not think it necessary to be baptized again. Others hold back for fear that they might meet with censure from their neighbors and fellow-churchmen. Many a person has held himself aloof from this work of the Lord because he was afraid of public opinion. You know very well, my friends, that the Saints have not always been spoken well of. In fact, I am reminded of one of old, who said, This people are spoken evil of everywhere: and yet they seem to prosper: they love each other: and they grow in strength, in power and in numbers. One said concerning the Apostles of Jesus, Let these people alone and, if their doctrine is of man, they will be scattered and. come to naught; but if their doctrine be of God, let them alone, lest perchance you be found fighting against God; a very wise and correct admonition.
You know Paul said, in relating his experience to some who were listening to him to condemn him, I was indeed a Pharisee of the straightest kind. I went from city to city to prosecute the followers of the Nazarene. I was journeying to Damascus with letters of apprehension in my hand and that I might find people there who were proclaiming the gospel of the Nazarene. And as I journeyed to Damascus, a great light came upon me and I fell to the earth, and I heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" and I said, "Who art thou Lord?" and the voice said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecuteth." Then Saul asked what he should do, and he was told to arise, and someone should lead him into Damascus, and one Ananias would tell him what to do to be saved. Paul declared, I rose up from the dust and one took me by the hand and led me to the city of Damascus, and there I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord revealed to me that there was a man in that city who was also praying to the Lord to know what his duty was, and the angel came to this other man who was praying, and said to him, Arise, and go to such and such a place in the city, and find one Saul, for behold he prayeth. This servant of the Lord obeyed the voice and found Saul and said to him, "Brother Saul, receive thy sight," and Paul says, I immediately felt my sight restored as of scales falling from my eyes. And then this good man who was sent to him, who was called Ananias, said to him, "Brother Saul, why tarriest thou? Arise now and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord." And so, Paul declares, I was brought to a newness of life by being buried in the liquid grave. And not only were my eyes opened, my physical vision restored, but the eyes of my spirit and understanding were opened as well. Then Paul knew he had been persecuting Saints of God. who were indeed the followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene, who was indeed the Son of God.
My brethren and sisters, we have listened to the doctrines of the gospel from a number of speakers during this great conference, and I must say, in the experience that I have had in attending conferences, I never have attended one in the last sixty years that I have been any better satisfied with than this which is now about to close.
May the Lord bless the people, comfort everyone. Those who could not come to this conference, may they receive from their friends the message of good will and kindliness that came from the lips of our prophet, and leader, and from the lips of his brethren who have spoken during this conference. May health and peace continue to abound in the homes of the Latter-day Saints, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The hymn commencing, "I know that my Redeemer lives," was sung by Prof. Charles Kent.
Benediction was pronounced by Elder George E: Bench.
CLOSING SESSION.
In the Tabernacle, at 2 p. m.
President Joseph F. Smith called the meeting to order.
President Smith made announcements, including a notice of overflow meetings of the Conference in the Assembly Hall, and Barratt Hall, being held at this hour.
The Tabernacle choir sang the anthem, "Arise, shine for thy light is come."
Prayer was offered by Elder Serge F. Ballif.
The choir sang Professor Evan Stephens' anthem, "Awake My Soul ;" the duet passages were rendered by Margaret Summerhays and Thomas Ashworth.
In the Tabernacle, at 2 p. m.
President Joseph F. Smith called the meeting to order.
President Smith made announcements, including a notice of overflow meetings of the Conference in the Assembly Hall, and Barratt Hall, being held at this hour.
The Tabernacle choir sang the anthem, "Arise, shine for thy light is come."
Prayer was offered by Elder Serge F. Ballif.
The choir sang Professor Evan Stephens' anthem, "Awake My Soul ;" the duet passages were rendered by Margaret Summerhays and Thomas Ashworth.
ELDER HEBER J. GRANT.
Inspiration in the hymns of Zion.—Respect and friendship of neighbors desirable.— Testimony lost by failure to live Gospel principles.—Children honor parents by being true to the faith. — Godliness and loyalty characteristics of Church leaders.
I rejoice exceedingly in the spirit of the meetings of this conference. I endorse most heartily all that I have heard during the conference, and bear testimony to the inspiration of the Lord in those who have spoken; and I humbly and earnestly pray that the time I occupy, this afternoon, that the same good spirit and inspiration which have been given to those who have already spoken may be given to me. I have no desire today, in standing before you, and I have never had when occupying this position or a similar one, except to say only those things which might be beneficial to those who listen as well as to myself. I have been blessed upon more than one occasion, while speaking to the Saints, and have felt truly grateful to the Lord for the encouragement that has come to me. because of the rich outpouring of His Holy Spirit.
I have been particularly impressed during this conference, with the many old-time and inspiring hymns which have been sung by the choir and the congregation. I never hear, "Come, come ye Saints," "Though Deepening Trials throng your wav," and other inspirational songs which the Lord has given to the "men and women of this community, by the inspiration of His Spirit, that I do not rejoice as I listen to them. I feel that this very splendid hymn, "Though Deepening Trials throng your way," could be read by every one within the sound of my voice, at the close of the meeting today, and they would be profited thereby; and the same would be true with reference to the others that we have listened to.
I rejoice in the unity existing among the Latter-day Saints. As you know, it falls to my lot, in connection with my associates in the Council of the Twelve, to visit the different Stakes of Zion; and wherever I have visited in any of the Stakes I have always found love and devotion to the work of the Lord, on the part of the stake officers, and of the ward officers, and all those who are connected as officers with the auxiliary associations in the Church. I was delighted with the report made here by Brother Murdock, that they had Religion Classes after their school exercises, throughout the entire Wasatch Stake. There are some of our people that have stood up so straight, where they were school trustees, that in my judgment they have leaned over backwards, in objecting to religious training after the school sessions. I hope that the very splendid example of liberality that has been exhibited in the Wasatch Stake of Zion may spread all over the stakes of Zion. I rejoice in hearing that those not of our faith in that stake of Zion had good fellowship and good will for the Latter-day Saints. That is as it ought to be. As I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, it enjoins upon up to live lives of virtue, of charity, of uprightness, of fair and honorable dealing, so that all men seeing our good deeds shall glorify God and shall be led to investigate the gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the elders in the Church, at home and abroad.
I can indorse the statement made by President Hinckley, that I do not know any person who has once had a testimony of this gospel who has ever lost that testimony unless he first failed to do his duty and to keep the commandments of God. The writings of James, wherein he says that faith without works is dead, that it is like the body without the spirit, have always appealed to me. I have discovered that dead faith, among professed Latter-day Saints, comes from the failure to be honest with the Lord in the payment of our tithes and offerings, the failure to observe what is known as the Word of Wisdom, the failure to attend to secret and family prayers, and the failure to live a life of pure religion as James puts it down, which is to visit the widow and the orphan and to relieve the distress of those that are needy. It is this class and this class only, so far as I have ever seen, and the class who commit sin, who lose their faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I rejoice beyond my power to tell, that as men grow in good deeds, as they grow in love for their fellows, as they grow in absolute honesty in their dealings with their fellow men, as their lives are shown to be worthy of the imitation of all men. that those who so live grow and increase in a burning testimony of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged, and that there are no doubts or dubieties which cross their minds as to the inspiration of the Lord to His servants who stand at the head of this work.
We have heard gratitude expressed by many of the speakers because they, like Nephi of old, have been born of goodly parents. I feel that I would be unworthy the wonderful teachings and the magnificent and splendid example of a widowed mother who reared me, if I too did not lift my voice here today and thank God for a mother who loved Him, who loved the religion of Jesus Christ, whose life was an example above reproach, than whom I knew no more loyal, patriotic and true woman among the Latter-day Saints. I thank the Lord for my father, although I never knew him. I have had love lavished upon me by the leaders of this Church and by influential men from one end of this country to the other, because of the love and respect which they felt for my father. Particularly was this the case with the late President John R. Winder, who often told me that the first encouraging word and helping hand, and the first loyal friend that he found in Utah was my father; and he certainly paid and repaid this love four fold, by love and kindness and encouragement and blessing to me and other members of my father's family. It is indeed a wonderful and a splendid thing to be born of goodly parents; and it is one of the saddest of all sad things where the sons and the daughters of goodly parents are recreant to the faith of their parents, when they are careless and indifferent, where they fail to honor their fathers and their mothers, and thereby fail to honor their God, where they follow after the things of this world, and allow the ideas of men to blind them.
I particularly enjoyed the remarks of President Smith. Many of them came home to me; and with the help of the Lord I propose to practice his teachings and to see to it that they shall not be to me as a "dead faith." They particularly impressed me when I realized that upon very many occasions I had been guilty of referring to the faults and the failings of people, instead of magnifying their good deeds. With the help of the Lord I propose to try and learn to sing the favorite song of my counselor in the Tooele Stake of Zion, and my successor, the late Hugh S. Gowans, "Nay speak no ill, a kindly word can never leave a sting behind," etc. I thank the Lord for my intimate association, from a little child, with President Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and with President Joseph F. Smith.
I thank the Lord that I have never known anything but good in all my association for fifty years with these men. I remember very distinctly, when a child six years of age, a conversation with President Brigham Young; and for fifty years I have never heard in public or in private anything fall from the lips of the servants of God, who have been chosen to stand at the head of this work, but what was for the uplift and the betterment of the people of God. I know, as I know that I live, that those men who have passed away were in very deed God's representatives upon the earth, and that Joseph F. Smith is the Lord's anointed today. I know that each and every one of us who are loyal, who are true, who are patriotic, who learn the lesson that "obedience is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams," will be blessed of God, that He will magnify us, and that as we sustain His representative He will sustain us. God bless all Israel, and help us all to be loyal and true, and to serve Him with full purpose of heart, I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Inspiration in the hymns of Zion.—Respect and friendship of neighbors desirable.— Testimony lost by failure to live Gospel principles.—Children honor parents by being true to the faith. — Godliness and loyalty characteristics of Church leaders.
I rejoice exceedingly in the spirit of the meetings of this conference. I endorse most heartily all that I have heard during the conference, and bear testimony to the inspiration of the Lord in those who have spoken; and I humbly and earnestly pray that the time I occupy, this afternoon, that the same good spirit and inspiration which have been given to those who have already spoken may be given to me. I have no desire today, in standing before you, and I have never had when occupying this position or a similar one, except to say only those things which might be beneficial to those who listen as well as to myself. I have been blessed upon more than one occasion, while speaking to the Saints, and have felt truly grateful to the Lord for the encouragement that has come to me. because of the rich outpouring of His Holy Spirit.
I have been particularly impressed during this conference, with the many old-time and inspiring hymns which have been sung by the choir and the congregation. I never hear, "Come, come ye Saints," "Though Deepening Trials throng your wav," and other inspirational songs which the Lord has given to the "men and women of this community, by the inspiration of His Spirit, that I do not rejoice as I listen to them. I feel that this very splendid hymn, "Though Deepening Trials throng your way," could be read by every one within the sound of my voice, at the close of the meeting today, and they would be profited thereby; and the same would be true with reference to the others that we have listened to.
I rejoice in the unity existing among the Latter-day Saints. As you know, it falls to my lot, in connection with my associates in the Council of the Twelve, to visit the different Stakes of Zion; and wherever I have visited in any of the Stakes I have always found love and devotion to the work of the Lord, on the part of the stake officers, and of the ward officers, and all those who are connected as officers with the auxiliary associations in the Church. I was delighted with the report made here by Brother Murdock, that they had Religion Classes after their school exercises, throughout the entire Wasatch Stake. There are some of our people that have stood up so straight, where they were school trustees, that in my judgment they have leaned over backwards, in objecting to religious training after the school sessions. I hope that the very splendid example of liberality that has been exhibited in the Wasatch Stake of Zion may spread all over the stakes of Zion. I rejoice in hearing that those not of our faith in that stake of Zion had good fellowship and good will for the Latter-day Saints. That is as it ought to be. As I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, it enjoins upon up to live lives of virtue, of charity, of uprightness, of fair and honorable dealing, so that all men seeing our good deeds shall glorify God and shall be led to investigate the gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the elders in the Church, at home and abroad.
I can indorse the statement made by President Hinckley, that I do not know any person who has once had a testimony of this gospel who has ever lost that testimony unless he first failed to do his duty and to keep the commandments of God. The writings of James, wherein he says that faith without works is dead, that it is like the body without the spirit, have always appealed to me. I have discovered that dead faith, among professed Latter-day Saints, comes from the failure to be honest with the Lord in the payment of our tithes and offerings, the failure to observe what is known as the Word of Wisdom, the failure to attend to secret and family prayers, and the failure to live a life of pure religion as James puts it down, which is to visit the widow and the orphan and to relieve the distress of those that are needy. It is this class and this class only, so far as I have ever seen, and the class who commit sin, who lose their faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I rejoice beyond my power to tell, that as men grow in good deeds, as they grow in love for their fellows, as they grow in absolute honesty in their dealings with their fellow men, as their lives are shown to be worthy of the imitation of all men. that those who so live grow and increase in a burning testimony of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged, and that there are no doubts or dubieties which cross their minds as to the inspiration of the Lord to His servants who stand at the head of this work.
We have heard gratitude expressed by many of the speakers because they, like Nephi of old, have been born of goodly parents. I feel that I would be unworthy the wonderful teachings and the magnificent and splendid example of a widowed mother who reared me, if I too did not lift my voice here today and thank God for a mother who loved Him, who loved the religion of Jesus Christ, whose life was an example above reproach, than whom I knew no more loyal, patriotic and true woman among the Latter-day Saints. I thank the Lord for my father, although I never knew him. I have had love lavished upon me by the leaders of this Church and by influential men from one end of this country to the other, because of the love and respect which they felt for my father. Particularly was this the case with the late President John R. Winder, who often told me that the first encouraging word and helping hand, and the first loyal friend that he found in Utah was my father; and he certainly paid and repaid this love four fold, by love and kindness and encouragement and blessing to me and other members of my father's family. It is indeed a wonderful and a splendid thing to be born of goodly parents; and it is one of the saddest of all sad things where the sons and the daughters of goodly parents are recreant to the faith of their parents, when they are careless and indifferent, where they fail to honor their fathers and their mothers, and thereby fail to honor their God, where they follow after the things of this world, and allow the ideas of men to blind them.
I particularly enjoyed the remarks of President Smith. Many of them came home to me; and with the help of the Lord I propose to practice his teachings and to see to it that they shall not be to me as a "dead faith." They particularly impressed me when I realized that upon very many occasions I had been guilty of referring to the faults and the failings of people, instead of magnifying their good deeds. With the help of the Lord I propose to try and learn to sing the favorite song of my counselor in the Tooele Stake of Zion, and my successor, the late Hugh S. Gowans, "Nay speak no ill, a kindly word can never leave a sting behind," etc. I thank the Lord for my intimate association, from a little child, with President Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and with President Joseph F. Smith.
I thank the Lord that I have never known anything but good in all my association for fifty years with these men. I remember very distinctly, when a child six years of age, a conversation with President Brigham Young; and for fifty years I have never heard in public or in private anything fall from the lips of the servants of God, who have been chosen to stand at the head of this work, but what was for the uplift and the betterment of the people of God. I know, as I know that I live, that those men who have passed away were in very deed God's representatives upon the earth, and that Joseph F. Smith is the Lord's anointed today. I know that each and every one of us who are loyal, who are true, who are patriotic, who learn the lesson that "obedience is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams," will be blessed of God, that He will magnify us, and that as we sustain His representative He will sustain us. God bless all Israel, and help us all to be loyal and true, and to serve Him with full purpose of heart, I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER HYRUM M. SMITH.
Honor to parentage a general characteristic of faithful Saints.—Marriage advocated as a moral safeguard. — Righteous life an important qualification for Marriage.—Trouble and sorrow lessened, happiness increased, where true love prevails.—Immorality of divorce.—Unfortunate results of Marriage outside the Covenant.
I believe that all who have been fortunate enough to be in attendance upon this conference have rejoiced in the spirit of it.. I believe that God has looked down upon us in our assemblies in approbation, and that He has poured out upon us a very rich portion of His Holy Spirit; and I believe that the angels have rejoiced with us. I believe also that the faithful fathers, of whom witness has been borne by faithful sons, have also been filled with joy in seeing the integrity, faithfulness and devotion of their sons and grandsons.
I could have wished that the spirit might have directed that others of our brethren of the presidencies of stakes might have been called to address the Saints. Those who have spoken have spoken under the divine inspiration of the Lord; and it has given the Latter-day Saints an opportunity to judge of the character, the caliber, and the quality of the men whom the Lord has sought out and chosen to preside over the various stakes of Zion and mission fields. There are between fifty and sixty other presidents of stakes, who are the peers of the brethren who have spoken; and I rejoice in the strength and in the integrity of these servants of the Lord. If time would permit there are many of the bishops who could also give a splendid account of themselves, if called upon to do so. This power of the priesthood is not only enjoyed and exercised by the general authorities of the Church, but the same power is held and the same authority is wisely exercised by presidents of stakes, and bishops of wards. I may say, further, that there are hundreds and thousands of men who do not hold these responsible positions of presidency, but who do hold the priesthood and are exercising the authority of it in honor and righteousness among the Latter-day Saints.
Underlying the remarks of many of the brethren can be found that great law of God, that commandment which He recorded with His own finger upon the tables of stone, namely, "Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." We have seen exemplified, in the lives of the brethren who have been called upon to address the conference, a complete and full obedience to this law and commandment. They have spoken in praise and thanksgiving of their fathers, and of the faith of their fathers, and have testified that they likewise have the same testimony of the truth and the same determination to stand firm, steadfast and true to the covenants and obligations of the gospel. I rejoice in this fact, and I may testify that this is not confined to those who are termed authorities in the Church, but it is general among the Latter-day Saints. There is always in the heart of the faithful Latter-day Saint gratitude to God, if he or she were born of parents who were faithful in the Church; and there is always great joy and happiness in being conscious of the fact that we ourselves love the truth and desire to be faithful and true. It is not so much that we honor our fathers and our mothers that, individually, our days may be long in the land. This is a great principle of heaven and a great law unto the people of God, and pertains to the congregation or to the whole Church as well as individuals; and when we all are faithful to the parents whom God has given us, then it goes without saying that the lives of the people, and the perpetuity of the Church, will be extended and prolonged in the land that the Lord has given unto His people.
Now, my brethren and sisters, while upon general principles it is a wise thing to see the fruits of righteousness and of goodness and of faith and obedience in our brethren and sisters, nevertheless there are conditions that prevail among the children of men that are dangerous to their peace and happiness. Against these evils that threaten our happiness and salvation we cannot always be justified in closing our eyes or remaining silent. The moral condition of the world is very bad indeed, so bad that it is causing grave concern among others than the ministers of the gospel. Statesmen, governors and other state officials are concerned about these things, and are investigating these matters with the view of determining the causes thereof, with the hope of finding a remedy. Immorality of various kinds is rife in the world. While I am thankful to say these things are not so prevalent among the Latter-day Saints, yet there "is danger in them, and occasionally they come very close home to some of us.
I would like to say just a word or two upon the principle of marriage. It is being advocated by some as the remedy for the immoral condition so prevalent among men, that churches should take up the doctrine of marriage and preach it more often and extensively, to encourage men and women to marry, and to be faithful in the marriage relation. That is timely, it is a good doctrine; it has been forgotten altogether too long, and needs attention on the part of both the clergy and the civil authorities, and of the people themselves. It is a great principle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; as practiced outside the Church it is a principle that is not altogether a remedy for immorality in the world, as may be illustrated in the boast of one of our neighboring states, and published under great leaded headlines, that that state had the record in divorces, that out of every seven marriages there was one divorce. Now, I would like to say to my brethren and sisters of the Latter-day Saints, we ought to have respect and regard for that great and vital principle and doctrine of marriage. We should advocate it among our young people in the spirit of righteousness and- sacredness, and never speak of it in the spirit of levity or fun making, or do that which would discourage young people from entering into the marriage relation, or that would discredit that relation. There are far too many of our young people of marriageable age unmarried. I do not know the reasons why they remain unmarried. Many young men fear that they are unable to support a wife, build a home and care for a family. Many young women have the same fear, that the young man will not be able to support them in the manner that they are accustomed to; losing sight of the great fact that their fathers and mothers, perhaps, have come up from the beginning, even in poverty, starting very low indeed in the scale of possession of this world's goods, but by frugality, sacrifice and skimping themselves, practicing rigid economy, they have eventually achieved success in life and reached a reasonable degree of prosperity. Young men ought to be willing, with the help of God, to undertake this great responsibility, if they have health of body and a willingness to work and earn a living; and young women, who can find honorable and virtuous young men so determined, ought to be willing to accept them and help them, be helpmeets to them, and not seek to marry only that they may have someone to earn money for them that they can spend in pleasure and extravagance. I would like to read, in this connection, just a paragraph from a discourse delivered by one of the early apostles in this dispensation, upon this subject. I read it because I feel that the doctrine and the principle could hardly be expounded more beautifully. I recommend this paragraph to our young men and young women, and to their fathers and mothers, and advise the latter to commence early teaching their children to prepare themselves for the duties and responsibilities of life, rather than for merely enjoying those foolish and worldly pastimes and pleasures after which so many seek.
"Let that man who intends to become a husband seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and learn to govern himself according to the law of God, for he that cannot govern himself cannot govern others. Let him dedicate his property, his talents, his time and even his life, to the service of God, holding all things at his disposal to do with the same according as He shall direct through the counsel He has ordained. In selecting a companion let him not look wholly at the beauty of the countenance, or the splendor of the - apparel, or the great fortune, or the artful smiles, or the affected modesty of females, for all these without the genuine virtues are like the dew drops which glitter for a moment in the sun and dazzle the eye but soon vanish away; but let him look for a kind, amiable disposition, for unaffected modesty, for industrious habits, for sterling virtue, for honesty, integrity and truthfulness; for cleanliness in person, in apparel, in cooking, and in every kind of domestic labor, for cheerfulness, patience, and stability of character, and above all for genuine religion to control and govern her every thought and deed."
That is the doctrine of the gospel of Christ, that I would like to present for the consideration of the young men and women; that young men contemplating marriage should contemplate it in a spirit of prayer and devotion to God and to service of the Lord, and that young women should prepare themselves to be such as described by Brother Orson Pratt in his discourse from which I have selected this paragraph. I would say to young men and women that they should honor their fathers and mothers, and should seek the counsel and advice of their parents in such important steps as marriage. It is one of the most vital and important moves that young men and women can make in life. Upon it depends more of joy, more of happiness, more of peace and genuine satisfaction than can be found in almost any other thing in the world, where the union is entered into in the spirit of truth and righteousness, and a determination to fulfil the laws of God and of nature. On the -other hand it is a step fraught with trouble, sorrow, misery, and unhappiness when it is not entered into in this spirit and for this purpose. Young men and women must determine that they are willing, with the help of God, to endure whatsoever experiences come to them in life. The responsibilities of marriage are great, but where love abounds, there will be happiness and joy unspeakable. So, likewise, in that relationship, they will be called upon, in all probability, to undergo very sorrowful experiences, that will bring sadness to their souls and try them severely; yet all these things can be endured if the love that should exist does exist in the hearts of those who have plighted their faith to each other.
"My house is a house of order, saith the Lord, and not a house of confusion." Brother Penrose read that passage this morning. That relates not so much to the little ordinary noise, and disturbance, and confusion that we may find sometimes in homes, or in communities. It may cover that point, but it has a more deep and a much wider meaning than that. That home where the furniture may at times be deranged and the children may create din with their lusty shouts, that is not confusion, that can easily be remedied. That home wherein a son rises up in rebellion against his father, and against the order, rules and regulation of the home, there is confusion. That community where one man lifts himself up in opposition against his brother in the priesthood, and opposes its authority, creates confusion; but this passage of scripture was given, more particularly, in connection with the revelation that the Lord gave upon the great subject of marriage. There is no thing in the world that can bring about such great confusion as promiscuous marriage and divorce; the woman being married a half dozen times, and being divorced a half dozen times, bearing children with each husband; that, I say, brings about confusion; and the same it is with the man who marries and is divorced, time and time again. It is a most immoral condition; and the issue therefrom are without father or mother, and without name, almost, in this world, and surely will be so in the next.
Our young men who marry gentile girls create confusion. They marry not according to the law of God. They are not joined together by the holy spirit of promise, they are joined together for only a little time, to be severed and separated after this life. They have no more claim upon one another; and the children that may have been born find themselves likewise without father or mother, or relationship in the world to come, and this is confusion. It is as it were the forging of a chain of unwelded links, that is easily broken and scattered, and is not in accordance with the law of God. No young man can marry outside of the Church,' except he dishonor his father and mother, and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the command of God as given in the revelations of the latter-day. The same it is with a young woman who marries out of the Church. She marries unhappiness and misery, separation and disintegration, loss of husband and children in the world to come, and loses happiness and peace of mind and heart here; and it is unfortunate. I would like to call attention to this great principle and plead with our fathers and mothers to more thoughtfully and thoroughly teach these doctrines to their sons and daughters; that such dishonor to the latter, to their parents, to the Church of God, and the principles of righteousness may not be shown, and that the incident misery and unhappiness may not be or have to be endured. Let our young men and young women marry in the Church, and in the holy places that God has set apart where that ceremony may be performed. Let them marry as the performance of a part of their sacred religion, because it is a religious rite, and marriage without religion will never be a success but must spell failure sooner or later, both in time and eternity.
Now, if you would have your children rise up, in a later day, and. take the stand toward you that our brethren, the presidents of stakes who have addressed us, have taken towards their parents, you will honor your fathers and mothers, and the gospel to which they have been true all their lives here. I thought myself, what a terrible thing it would be for a man to be born of parents so unequally yoked together as one to be a "Mormon" and one a Gentile. He would have to say: My father was a Gentile; my mother was a Latter-day Saint or, My mother was a Gentile, and my father was a Latter-day Saint. I was born without the covenant my parents were not sealed by the holy spirit of promise and by the authority of God. I have no father and no mother in the hereafter, except, through the blessings of the gospel, my mother may be given, and I with her, to some good man, by the holy priesthood for eternity. That, to me, would be a terrible condition.
My brethren and sisters, I want to say and can say, as my brethren have said, I love, honor and revere my parents, and I trust that my children after me can say the same thing, and God be pleased that their children after them, to the latest generation, can rise up and declare their fathers blessed.
May God bless the Latter-day Saints; may they look into the doctrines of the Church and the holy principles of righteousness, the principles of heaven, of truth, as they have been revealed, and practice them in their lives, revere them, honor them, and live by them, that they may be blest of God and exalted in the land which God has given us, and exalted too, in due time, in the presence of the Father with the redeemed and sanctified, in a saved and a glorified condition. I ask this blessing for the Latter-day Saints, each and every one of us, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Honor to parentage a general characteristic of faithful Saints.—Marriage advocated as a moral safeguard. — Righteous life an important qualification for Marriage.—Trouble and sorrow lessened, happiness increased, where true love prevails.—Immorality of divorce.—Unfortunate results of Marriage outside the Covenant.
I believe that all who have been fortunate enough to be in attendance upon this conference have rejoiced in the spirit of it.. I believe that God has looked down upon us in our assemblies in approbation, and that He has poured out upon us a very rich portion of His Holy Spirit; and I believe that the angels have rejoiced with us. I believe also that the faithful fathers, of whom witness has been borne by faithful sons, have also been filled with joy in seeing the integrity, faithfulness and devotion of their sons and grandsons.
I could have wished that the spirit might have directed that others of our brethren of the presidencies of stakes might have been called to address the Saints. Those who have spoken have spoken under the divine inspiration of the Lord; and it has given the Latter-day Saints an opportunity to judge of the character, the caliber, and the quality of the men whom the Lord has sought out and chosen to preside over the various stakes of Zion and mission fields. There are between fifty and sixty other presidents of stakes, who are the peers of the brethren who have spoken; and I rejoice in the strength and in the integrity of these servants of the Lord. If time would permit there are many of the bishops who could also give a splendid account of themselves, if called upon to do so. This power of the priesthood is not only enjoyed and exercised by the general authorities of the Church, but the same power is held and the same authority is wisely exercised by presidents of stakes, and bishops of wards. I may say, further, that there are hundreds and thousands of men who do not hold these responsible positions of presidency, but who do hold the priesthood and are exercising the authority of it in honor and righteousness among the Latter-day Saints.
Underlying the remarks of many of the brethren can be found that great law of God, that commandment which He recorded with His own finger upon the tables of stone, namely, "Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." We have seen exemplified, in the lives of the brethren who have been called upon to address the conference, a complete and full obedience to this law and commandment. They have spoken in praise and thanksgiving of their fathers, and of the faith of their fathers, and have testified that they likewise have the same testimony of the truth and the same determination to stand firm, steadfast and true to the covenants and obligations of the gospel. I rejoice in this fact, and I may testify that this is not confined to those who are termed authorities in the Church, but it is general among the Latter-day Saints. There is always in the heart of the faithful Latter-day Saint gratitude to God, if he or she were born of parents who were faithful in the Church; and there is always great joy and happiness in being conscious of the fact that we ourselves love the truth and desire to be faithful and true. It is not so much that we honor our fathers and our mothers that, individually, our days may be long in the land. This is a great principle of heaven and a great law unto the people of God, and pertains to the congregation or to the whole Church as well as individuals; and when we all are faithful to the parents whom God has given us, then it goes without saying that the lives of the people, and the perpetuity of the Church, will be extended and prolonged in the land that the Lord has given unto His people.
Now, my brethren and sisters, while upon general principles it is a wise thing to see the fruits of righteousness and of goodness and of faith and obedience in our brethren and sisters, nevertheless there are conditions that prevail among the children of men that are dangerous to their peace and happiness. Against these evils that threaten our happiness and salvation we cannot always be justified in closing our eyes or remaining silent. The moral condition of the world is very bad indeed, so bad that it is causing grave concern among others than the ministers of the gospel. Statesmen, governors and other state officials are concerned about these things, and are investigating these matters with the view of determining the causes thereof, with the hope of finding a remedy. Immorality of various kinds is rife in the world. While I am thankful to say these things are not so prevalent among the Latter-day Saints, yet there "is danger in them, and occasionally they come very close home to some of us.
I would like to say just a word or two upon the principle of marriage. It is being advocated by some as the remedy for the immoral condition so prevalent among men, that churches should take up the doctrine of marriage and preach it more often and extensively, to encourage men and women to marry, and to be faithful in the marriage relation. That is timely, it is a good doctrine; it has been forgotten altogether too long, and needs attention on the part of both the clergy and the civil authorities, and of the people themselves. It is a great principle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; as practiced outside the Church it is a principle that is not altogether a remedy for immorality in the world, as may be illustrated in the boast of one of our neighboring states, and published under great leaded headlines, that that state had the record in divorces, that out of every seven marriages there was one divorce. Now, I would like to say to my brethren and sisters of the Latter-day Saints, we ought to have respect and regard for that great and vital principle and doctrine of marriage. We should advocate it among our young people in the spirit of righteousness and- sacredness, and never speak of it in the spirit of levity or fun making, or do that which would discourage young people from entering into the marriage relation, or that would discredit that relation. There are far too many of our young people of marriageable age unmarried. I do not know the reasons why they remain unmarried. Many young men fear that they are unable to support a wife, build a home and care for a family. Many young women have the same fear, that the young man will not be able to support them in the manner that they are accustomed to; losing sight of the great fact that their fathers and mothers, perhaps, have come up from the beginning, even in poverty, starting very low indeed in the scale of possession of this world's goods, but by frugality, sacrifice and skimping themselves, practicing rigid economy, they have eventually achieved success in life and reached a reasonable degree of prosperity. Young men ought to be willing, with the help of God, to undertake this great responsibility, if they have health of body and a willingness to work and earn a living; and young women, who can find honorable and virtuous young men so determined, ought to be willing to accept them and help them, be helpmeets to them, and not seek to marry only that they may have someone to earn money for them that they can spend in pleasure and extravagance. I would like to read, in this connection, just a paragraph from a discourse delivered by one of the early apostles in this dispensation, upon this subject. I read it because I feel that the doctrine and the principle could hardly be expounded more beautifully. I recommend this paragraph to our young men and young women, and to their fathers and mothers, and advise the latter to commence early teaching their children to prepare themselves for the duties and responsibilities of life, rather than for merely enjoying those foolish and worldly pastimes and pleasures after which so many seek.
"Let that man who intends to become a husband seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and learn to govern himself according to the law of God, for he that cannot govern himself cannot govern others. Let him dedicate his property, his talents, his time and even his life, to the service of God, holding all things at his disposal to do with the same according as He shall direct through the counsel He has ordained. In selecting a companion let him not look wholly at the beauty of the countenance, or the splendor of the - apparel, or the great fortune, or the artful smiles, or the affected modesty of females, for all these without the genuine virtues are like the dew drops which glitter for a moment in the sun and dazzle the eye but soon vanish away; but let him look for a kind, amiable disposition, for unaffected modesty, for industrious habits, for sterling virtue, for honesty, integrity and truthfulness; for cleanliness in person, in apparel, in cooking, and in every kind of domestic labor, for cheerfulness, patience, and stability of character, and above all for genuine religion to control and govern her every thought and deed."
That is the doctrine of the gospel of Christ, that I would like to present for the consideration of the young men and women; that young men contemplating marriage should contemplate it in a spirit of prayer and devotion to God and to service of the Lord, and that young women should prepare themselves to be such as described by Brother Orson Pratt in his discourse from which I have selected this paragraph. I would say to young men and women that they should honor their fathers and mothers, and should seek the counsel and advice of their parents in such important steps as marriage. It is one of the most vital and important moves that young men and women can make in life. Upon it depends more of joy, more of happiness, more of peace and genuine satisfaction than can be found in almost any other thing in the world, where the union is entered into in the spirit of truth and righteousness, and a determination to fulfil the laws of God and of nature. On the -other hand it is a step fraught with trouble, sorrow, misery, and unhappiness when it is not entered into in this spirit and for this purpose. Young men and women must determine that they are willing, with the help of God, to endure whatsoever experiences come to them in life. The responsibilities of marriage are great, but where love abounds, there will be happiness and joy unspeakable. So, likewise, in that relationship, they will be called upon, in all probability, to undergo very sorrowful experiences, that will bring sadness to their souls and try them severely; yet all these things can be endured if the love that should exist does exist in the hearts of those who have plighted their faith to each other.
"My house is a house of order, saith the Lord, and not a house of confusion." Brother Penrose read that passage this morning. That relates not so much to the little ordinary noise, and disturbance, and confusion that we may find sometimes in homes, or in communities. It may cover that point, but it has a more deep and a much wider meaning than that. That home where the furniture may at times be deranged and the children may create din with their lusty shouts, that is not confusion, that can easily be remedied. That home wherein a son rises up in rebellion against his father, and against the order, rules and regulation of the home, there is confusion. That community where one man lifts himself up in opposition against his brother in the priesthood, and opposes its authority, creates confusion; but this passage of scripture was given, more particularly, in connection with the revelation that the Lord gave upon the great subject of marriage. There is no thing in the world that can bring about such great confusion as promiscuous marriage and divorce; the woman being married a half dozen times, and being divorced a half dozen times, bearing children with each husband; that, I say, brings about confusion; and the same it is with the man who marries and is divorced, time and time again. It is a most immoral condition; and the issue therefrom are without father or mother, and without name, almost, in this world, and surely will be so in the next.
Our young men who marry gentile girls create confusion. They marry not according to the law of God. They are not joined together by the holy spirit of promise, they are joined together for only a little time, to be severed and separated after this life. They have no more claim upon one another; and the children that may have been born find themselves likewise without father or mother, or relationship in the world to come, and this is confusion. It is as it were the forging of a chain of unwelded links, that is easily broken and scattered, and is not in accordance with the law of God. No young man can marry outside of the Church,' except he dishonor his father and mother, and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the command of God as given in the revelations of the latter-day. The same it is with a young woman who marries out of the Church. She marries unhappiness and misery, separation and disintegration, loss of husband and children in the world to come, and loses happiness and peace of mind and heart here; and it is unfortunate. I would like to call attention to this great principle and plead with our fathers and mothers to more thoughtfully and thoroughly teach these doctrines to their sons and daughters; that such dishonor to the latter, to their parents, to the Church of God, and the principles of righteousness may not be shown, and that the incident misery and unhappiness may not be or have to be endured. Let our young men and young women marry in the Church, and in the holy places that God has set apart where that ceremony may be performed. Let them marry as the performance of a part of their sacred religion, because it is a religious rite, and marriage without religion will never be a success but must spell failure sooner or later, both in time and eternity.
Now, if you would have your children rise up, in a later day, and. take the stand toward you that our brethren, the presidents of stakes who have addressed us, have taken towards their parents, you will honor your fathers and mothers, and the gospel to which they have been true all their lives here. I thought myself, what a terrible thing it would be for a man to be born of parents so unequally yoked together as one to be a "Mormon" and one a Gentile. He would have to say: My father was a Gentile; my mother was a Latter-day Saint or, My mother was a Gentile, and my father was a Latter-day Saint. I was born without the covenant my parents were not sealed by the holy spirit of promise and by the authority of God. I have no father and no mother in the hereafter, except, through the blessings of the gospel, my mother may be given, and I with her, to some good man, by the holy priesthood for eternity. That, to me, would be a terrible condition.
My brethren and sisters, I want to say and can say, as my brethren have said, I love, honor and revere my parents, and I trust that my children after me can say the same thing, and God be pleased that their children after them, to the latest generation, can rise up and declare their fathers blessed.
May God bless the Latter-day Saints; may they look into the doctrines of the Church and the holy principles of righteousness, the principles of heaven, of truth, as they have been revealed, and practice them in their lives, revere them, honor them, and live by them, that they may be blest of God and exalted in the land which God has given us, and exalted too, in due time, in the presence of the Father with the redeemed and sanctified, in a saved and a glorified condition. I ask this blessing for the Latter-day Saints, each and every one of us, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
If it may not be considered intrusion, I would like to supplement, in a few words, the remarks that have just been made. The house of the Lord is a house of order and not a house of confusion; and that means, that the man is not without the woman in the Lord, neither is the woman without the man in the Lord; and that no man can be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God without the woman, and no woman can reach perfection and exaltation in the kingdom of God, alone. That is what it means. God instituted marriage in the beginning. He made man in His own image and likeness, male and female, and in their creation it was designed that they should be united together in sacred bonds of marriage, and one is not perfect without the other. Furthermore, it means that there is no union for time and eternity that can be consummated outside of the law of God and the order of His house. Men may desire it, they may go through the form of it in this life, but it will be of non effect except it be done and sanctioned by divine authority, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
It is my pleasure to read to the congregation a message that I have received today from Washington, D. C:
"April 5th, 1913.
"President Joseph F. Smith: "I have been thinking all day of home and our general conference. I am with you all in spirit, if not in person. May the spirit of unity, of prayer, of charity, of toleration and loyalty prevail. I ask God's blessings upon our nation, upon our state, and our Church, upon you and the brethren, and upon every honest man.
"Reed Smoot."
This is from New York. April 5th, also:
"President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake, Utah: Please accept my most friendly greetings, loyal regards, and faith and prayers for yourself, the brethren, and all the Saints.
"John W. Young."
This is his semi-annual message; and I am glad to receive that much from John W. Young, for he is a son of President Brigham Young; I wish he had the humility, and wisdom, and disposition to come home and live with the Saints.
"Be thou faithful unto death," a tenor solo, was rendered by Prof. Elihu Call.
If it may not be considered intrusion, I would like to supplement, in a few words, the remarks that have just been made. The house of the Lord is a house of order and not a house of confusion; and that means, that the man is not without the woman in the Lord, neither is the woman without the man in the Lord; and that no man can be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God without the woman, and no woman can reach perfection and exaltation in the kingdom of God, alone. That is what it means. God instituted marriage in the beginning. He made man in His own image and likeness, male and female, and in their creation it was designed that they should be united together in sacred bonds of marriage, and one is not perfect without the other. Furthermore, it means that there is no union for time and eternity that can be consummated outside of the law of God and the order of His house. Men may desire it, they may go through the form of it in this life, but it will be of non effect except it be done and sanctioned by divine authority, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
It is my pleasure to read to the congregation a message that I have received today from Washington, D. C:
"April 5th, 1913.
"President Joseph F. Smith: "I have been thinking all day of home and our general conference. I am with you all in spirit, if not in person. May the spirit of unity, of prayer, of charity, of toleration and loyalty prevail. I ask God's blessings upon our nation, upon our state, and our Church, upon you and the brethren, and upon every honest man.
"Reed Smoot."
This is from New York. April 5th, also:
"President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake, Utah: Please accept my most friendly greetings, loyal regards, and faith and prayers for yourself, the brethren, and all the Saints.
"John W. Young."
This is his semi-annual message; and I am glad to receive that much from John W. Young, for he is a son of President Brigham Young; I wish he had the humility, and wisdom, and disposition to come home and live with the Saints.
"Be thou faithful unto death," a tenor solo, was rendered by Prof. Elihu Call.
PATRIARCH HYRUM G. SMITH.
Declaration that the Lord is pleased with His people.—Prayer for continued success of the Lord's work.
I declare unto this great gathering here that the Spirit of the Lord has been with us in this conference, with those who have spoken, and with those who have listened. The Lord is pleased with those whom He has called to direct His work in the earth in this day. He is pleased with their fidelity, and with their fearlessness to declare His truth that has been revealed, and restored to the earth again. The Lord is pleased with those whom He has called to teach the youth of Zion the principles of righteousness, the principles of truth and education. The Lord is pleased with those who sing His praises, not only here in our choir, that we have heard today, but in the choirs throughout the stakes of Zion. The Lord is pleased with all who are serving Him, who strive to honor His name and perform His work in the earth.
May the Lord continue to be pleased with us. May we so live that He will continue to bless us, and look down upon us in love and mercy. May we take home with us the counsels, admonitions and teachings that we have received in this conference, both young and old; that we may honor the Lord and His servants in the earth. May He bless you in your homes and in your endeavors to serve Him and keep His commandments, to live clean and unspotted from the sins of the world. May we so live that He will be pleased with us in all of our endeavors to serve Him, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Declaration that the Lord is pleased with His people.—Prayer for continued success of the Lord's work.
I declare unto this great gathering here that the Spirit of the Lord has been with us in this conference, with those who have spoken, and with those who have listened. The Lord is pleased with those whom He has called to direct His work in the earth in this day. He is pleased with their fidelity, and with their fearlessness to declare His truth that has been revealed, and restored to the earth again. The Lord is pleased with those whom He has called to teach the youth of Zion the principles of righteousness, the principles of truth and education. The Lord is pleased with those who sing His praises, not only here in our choir, that we have heard today, but in the choirs throughout the stakes of Zion. The Lord is pleased with all who are serving Him, who strive to honor His name and perform His work in the earth.
May the Lord continue to be pleased with us. May we so live that He will continue to bless us, and look down upon us in love and mercy. May we take home with us the counsels, admonitions and teachings that we have received in this conference, both young and old; that we may honor the Lord and His servants in the earth. May He bless you in your homes and in your endeavors to serve Him and keep His commandments, to live clean and unspotted from the sins of the world. May we so live that He will be pleased with us in all of our endeavors to serve Him, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
ELDER BRIGHAM H. ROBERTS.
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
Several times during this conference, while listening to the brethren and contemplating the doctrines which they have presented, I have made this mental comment: How excellent is the wisdom of the Lord. And in the few moments that I am to address you, if I could. I would like to point out, by demonstration, the truth of my comment.
The people in some parts of the United States have recently been passing through wonderful experiences, experiences I may say that have been foreshadowed by the inspired utterances of the great prophet of the new dispensation of the gospel; for as early as 1831 the Lord, both by vision and word of mouth, decreed that there should be great destruction upon the waters of the Missouri, the Mississippi and the Ohio valleys; and no one in recent years has noted the annual recurrence of destruction, in various forms, upon those waters, but what has been convinced that the warning word of the Lord, through the Prophet, was being fulfilled. Great distress has come upon the people of the land by reason of storm and tempest and by dangers that have been developed in those regions of country to which reference has been made. The country has been appealed to and is now appealed to for help to relieve the distress that has come upon the people. In this connection I want to say to you that there has been no single act that has so completely met with the approval of my spirit than the fact that the President of the Church, in his capacity as Trustee-in- trust, has stretched forth a helping hand to the distressed people of Ohio, and in a small way, has helped those who are in distress.
Now, what I want to call your attention to is a little of the wisdom of God, which, if followed out by the inhabitants of the earth, would provide a means for meeting emergencies of this kind, a means which we ourselves, it seems to me, do not properly appreciate. It was a way found out in the midst of our own distresses, an institution of the Church, born to the Church, out of the midst of the things which our community was called upon to suffer. During the year 1855, the community of Latter-day Saints in these valleys, was- sore distressed by a double calamity of drought and grasshoppers. The crops were well nigh destroyed, and the people had to be put again upon rations, as in the earliest years of their experience in these valleys. Those who had been provident and careful of their means, and were blest with means, had to share with those who had not. This calamity of drought and grasshoppers was followed by a severe winter in which much of the stock of the people was destroyed; and then, while they were distressed in this way, the responsibilities of the people increased by an unusually large immigration, into these valleys, both of our own people and the passing immigrant companies on their way to California, with whom the Latter-day Saints always shared their pittance. To meet the very great demands of charity upon the Latter-day Saints in those trying years, our fast day came into existence; the servants of the Lord instituted the first Thursday in every month as fast day, with a view of taking what was saved by this sacrifice and minister unto those who otherwise would be in want. This plan of meeting that emergency became an established institution; and in course of time the servants of the Lord changed the fast day from the first Thursday of the month to the "first Sunday of the month.
I want to call your attention to some very pretty sentiments and some very substantial wisdom connected with that thing. The regulations of the Church were to the effect—and are to the effect:
"That a fast meeting should be held in every ward on the first Sunday of each month, at which time the Saints should remember the poor and donate for their benefit, which should at least equal the amount saved by the person or family so fasting. All such funds shall be applied exclusively for the purpose of assisting the worthy poor, as in the judgment of the bishopric may be necessary. The Latter-day Saints should liberally observe the payment of their donations for the worthy poor, so that the bishop may have funds to assist the destitute and needy." Now, mark you this: "who should always have our sympathy and aid; but whenever a person drawing assistance is able to do something toward his or her support, however small, the bishopric should endeavor to provide such with employment suited to their capacity and their condition."
I call your attention to the fact, in passing, that the institution of this means for providing for those who may be in want is limited to the worthy poor; because there is no intention, on the part of the Lord, so far as His will is revealed to the Church—there is no intention to create a permanent pauper class, or to permit the vicious and idle to prey upon the industrious and the provident; and hence this wise counsel that these charities are to be extended to the worthy poor. Counsel is given, also, that even these, wherever and whenever it is possible, should have the glorious means or opportunity afforded them to preserve their personal independence by giving something in return, in labor, in service, for the help that is given them.
The subject, of course, is capable of great expansion. All I can do here and now, and all I desire to do now, is to show by reference to this little thing, how excellent is the wisdom of God! Suppose the Christian people of New York, with her between five and six millions of people, largely of at least nominal Christian profession, suppose that Christian city were to adopt God's method of providing a permanent means of charity for the worthy poor; if they would but take this one^ little fragment of "Mormonism" and apply it in their charity economics, they would establish a permanent revenue for the charities of that city that would stop the cry of hunger rising up to greet the ears of the God of Sabbaoth. They would have sufficient to feed, to clothe, and to lodge the worthy poor, and what is more, if you mathematicians will take the pains to work it out, and suppose that only one-half of the Christian people of that city were to faithfully observe this little principle, you would have means not only to clothe and feed and lodge the worthy poor, but when emergencies of calamity arose in the city there would be ample means to meet those emergencies. And if a state were to adopt that bit of charity economy, if the nation were to adopt it, if the Christian world were to adopt it, out of that one fragment of God's inspired truth given to His people, there would be ample means to meet all the demands of charity at the hands of the people. How great, how excellent is the wisdom of God, even in small matters. The Lord bless you. Amen.
[The speaker would also add to the thoughts above expressed, that in the above described fast system established in the Church, all—the rich and the poor, the wealthy man of business and the common laborer —would contribute equally to this proposed charity. Not that what would be saved from the fast of the common laborer's family for the fast fund would equal in dollars and cents the amount that would be saved from the fast of the rich man's family; but it would cost one as much as the other, viz., the sacrifice in each case of the meals that would otherwise be eaten; and that which costs the same to each, ought to be equal, and in the sight of God would be equal, in contribution to such a cause.
Again, another beauty of this charity proposed for universal Christian acceptance, is the fact that it would place those who live always in the enjoyment of an abundance, in sympathetic relations with those who frequently feel the pangs of hunger, and sense the weakness that comes of insufficient food. When the children of the rich feel the lassitude and perhaps the faintness that arises from their voluntary fasting, they can better understand the meaning of insufficient food, and days of enforced fasting that must be endured by the poor, and make them more ready and willing, - not only to deal kindly, but justly, with those who toil for rewards less than sufficient to meet their daily needs. It is for the Latter-day Saints to magnify this regulation of the Church, vindicate its wisdom, and demonstrate for the instruction of the world its wonderful possibilities.]
(Of the First Council of Seventy.)
Several times during this conference, while listening to the brethren and contemplating the doctrines which they have presented, I have made this mental comment: How excellent is the wisdom of the Lord. And in the few moments that I am to address you, if I could. I would like to point out, by demonstration, the truth of my comment.
The people in some parts of the United States have recently been passing through wonderful experiences, experiences I may say that have been foreshadowed by the inspired utterances of the great prophet of the new dispensation of the gospel; for as early as 1831 the Lord, both by vision and word of mouth, decreed that there should be great destruction upon the waters of the Missouri, the Mississippi and the Ohio valleys; and no one in recent years has noted the annual recurrence of destruction, in various forms, upon those waters, but what has been convinced that the warning word of the Lord, through the Prophet, was being fulfilled. Great distress has come upon the people of the land by reason of storm and tempest and by dangers that have been developed in those regions of country to which reference has been made. The country has been appealed to and is now appealed to for help to relieve the distress that has come upon the people. In this connection I want to say to you that there has been no single act that has so completely met with the approval of my spirit than the fact that the President of the Church, in his capacity as Trustee-in- trust, has stretched forth a helping hand to the distressed people of Ohio, and in a small way, has helped those who are in distress.
Now, what I want to call your attention to is a little of the wisdom of God, which, if followed out by the inhabitants of the earth, would provide a means for meeting emergencies of this kind, a means which we ourselves, it seems to me, do not properly appreciate. It was a way found out in the midst of our own distresses, an institution of the Church, born to the Church, out of the midst of the things which our community was called upon to suffer. During the year 1855, the community of Latter-day Saints in these valleys, was- sore distressed by a double calamity of drought and grasshoppers. The crops were well nigh destroyed, and the people had to be put again upon rations, as in the earliest years of their experience in these valleys. Those who had been provident and careful of their means, and were blest with means, had to share with those who had not. This calamity of drought and grasshoppers was followed by a severe winter in which much of the stock of the people was destroyed; and then, while they were distressed in this way, the responsibilities of the people increased by an unusually large immigration, into these valleys, both of our own people and the passing immigrant companies on their way to California, with whom the Latter-day Saints always shared their pittance. To meet the very great demands of charity upon the Latter-day Saints in those trying years, our fast day came into existence; the servants of the Lord instituted the first Thursday in every month as fast day, with a view of taking what was saved by this sacrifice and minister unto those who otherwise would be in want. This plan of meeting that emergency became an established institution; and in course of time the servants of the Lord changed the fast day from the first Thursday of the month to the "first Sunday of the month.
I want to call your attention to some very pretty sentiments and some very substantial wisdom connected with that thing. The regulations of the Church were to the effect—and are to the effect:
"That a fast meeting should be held in every ward on the first Sunday of each month, at which time the Saints should remember the poor and donate for their benefit, which should at least equal the amount saved by the person or family so fasting. All such funds shall be applied exclusively for the purpose of assisting the worthy poor, as in the judgment of the bishopric may be necessary. The Latter-day Saints should liberally observe the payment of their donations for the worthy poor, so that the bishop may have funds to assist the destitute and needy." Now, mark you this: "who should always have our sympathy and aid; but whenever a person drawing assistance is able to do something toward his or her support, however small, the bishopric should endeavor to provide such with employment suited to their capacity and their condition."
I call your attention to the fact, in passing, that the institution of this means for providing for those who may be in want is limited to the worthy poor; because there is no intention, on the part of the Lord, so far as His will is revealed to the Church—there is no intention to create a permanent pauper class, or to permit the vicious and idle to prey upon the industrious and the provident; and hence this wise counsel that these charities are to be extended to the worthy poor. Counsel is given, also, that even these, wherever and whenever it is possible, should have the glorious means or opportunity afforded them to preserve their personal independence by giving something in return, in labor, in service, for the help that is given them.
The subject, of course, is capable of great expansion. All I can do here and now, and all I desire to do now, is to show by reference to this little thing, how excellent is the wisdom of God! Suppose the Christian people of New York, with her between five and six millions of people, largely of at least nominal Christian profession, suppose that Christian city were to adopt God's method of providing a permanent means of charity for the worthy poor; if they would but take this one^ little fragment of "Mormonism" and apply it in their charity economics, they would establish a permanent revenue for the charities of that city that would stop the cry of hunger rising up to greet the ears of the God of Sabbaoth. They would have sufficient to feed, to clothe, and to lodge the worthy poor, and what is more, if you mathematicians will take the pains to work it out, and suppose that only one-half of the Christian people of that city were to faithfully observe this little principle, you would have means not only to clothe and feed and lodge the worthy poor, but when emergencies of calamity arose in the city there would be ample means to meet those emergencies. And if a state were to adopt that bit of charity economy, if the nation were to adopt it, if the Christian world were to adopt it, out of that one fragment of God's inspired truth given to His people, there would be ample means to meet all the demands of charity at the hands of the people. How great, how excellent is the wisdom of God, even in small matters. The Lord bless you. Amen.
[The speaker would also add to the thoughts above expressed, that in the above described fast system established in the Church, all—the rich and the poor, the wealthy man of business and the common laborer —would contribute equally to this proposed charity. Not that what would be saved from the fast of the common laborer's family for the fast fund would equal in dollars and cents the amount that would be saved from the fast of the rich man's family; but it would cost one as much as the other, viz., the sacrifice in each case of the meals that would otherwise be eaten; and that which costs the same to each, ought to be equal, and in the sight of God would be equal, in contribution to such a cause.
Again, another beauty of this charity proposed for universal Christian acceptance, is the fact that it would place those who live always in the enjoyment of an abundance, in sympathetic relations with those who frequently feel the pangs of hunger, and sense the weakness that comes of insufficient food. When the children of the rich feel the lassitude and perhaps the faintness that arises from their voluntary fasting, they can better understand the meaning of insufficient food, and days of enforced fasting that must be endured by the poor, and make them more ready and willing, - not only to deal kindly, but justly, with those who toil for rewards less than sufficient to meet their daily needs. It is for the Latter-day Saints to magnify this regulation of the Church, vindicate its wisdom, and demonstrate for the instruction of the world its wonderful possibilities.]
ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY.
What "Mormonism" Stands For.—Gathering and Unity.—Things of God only to be comprehended by the Spirit of God.—How to Obtain and Retain that Spirit—Obedience the Key to all Blessings.
This great gathering of God's people reminds me of a remark dropped by a reverend gentleman in a conversation between him and myself. It had devolved upon me to correct a public statement made by him, to the effect that the "Mormon" people advocate a social system destructive of the purity of the home. After I had, from this stand, corrected that statement, the gentleman called upon me and explained very courteously that he had not intended to impugn the morality of the "Mormon home." He had meant to say merely that "Mormonism," as he viewed it, destroyed the oneness or integrity of the home. He had used the word purity, he said, in the sense of oneness, and he added: "It seems to me that your system has a tendency to disunite and scatter things.”
I did what I could on that occasion, and have subsequently taken pains, to correct this mistaken notion. If "Mormonism" stands for anything, it stands for the gathering, not the scattering, of things, It is for the unification of all that is good and virtuous and pure and praiseworthy'. This vast congregation is a testimony to the character and results of our religion. These are the days of the gathering of Israel from their long dispersion. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God has set his hand to gather in one all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. For this purpose the Gospel was instituted, and for this purpose it was restored in these latter days. Gathering is the great distinctive feature of the dispensation of the fullness of times. "Mormonism" does not scatter, does not disintegrate, does not divide; it gathers, unifies, and proposes to bring together all things in Christ.
But how impossible it is to see the kingdom of God except by the Spirit of God. "Except a man be born again he cannot see" that kingdom. It does not matter how intelligent he may be, how learned, how educated, how well trained; if he have not the gift of the Holy Ghost he cannot comprehend the things of God.
I have often marveled why those great men who came in contact with the Prophet Joseph Smith, men like Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, men of intelligence, men of character, men whose motives were pure and worthy for the most part —why they were not converted to the Gospel—the religion that Joseph Smith preached and represented. I have often wondered why such men as Hoarce Greeley, who came here in early days and had long interviews, with President Brigham Young—why he was not converted. Greeley, like Lincoln, was a good man, a great man, whose word at that time was more influential than that of the President of the. United States; he was probably the greatest editor that ever lived. He came here, saw President Young, conversed with him, investigated "Mormonism," and went away and wrote a book in which he recorded his impressions of Utah and her people. -He wrote in praise of the people, but he was not converted to their religion. He did not see in "Mormonism" what you and I see in it. Why? It was not because he lacked intelligence, or education, or learning, the wisdom of the world. Schuyler Colfax came some years later; he was then Speaker of the House of Representatives; and he came again when he was Vice-President of the Nation. He also had interviews with President Young; he heard him preach in the "Old Bowery" then on this Block, and spoke there himself on the character and principles of Abraham Lincoln. But Colfax was far from converted to "Mormonism." He .wrote against it, used his powerful influence against it; utterly unable to see in it what you and I recognize.
And so with this reverend gentleman to whom I have referred. He is right here among us; has studied our sacred .books; has heard our preachers; has made a diligent study of our system and faith; and yet he has formed the misconception that "Mormonism," whose very sign-manual is gathering and unity, stands for and has a tendency toward division and disintegration.
The explanation is simple, after all. Spiritual things are only to be comprehended by the Spirit. "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of the great things that God has reserved for those who wait for Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save by the spirit, of man that is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." And the Spirit has been given to every man, woman, and child who has embraced the Gospel. All who have had faith in God, who have repented of their sins, have had their sins remitted by baptism, and have received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, are entitled to the possession of that Spirit, and it enables them to see what is hidden from the wisdom of the world.
What a precious possession! Can we afford to part with it? How and why did we become possessed of it? It was because of our obedience. Every blessing comes from God upon that principle. There is "a law irrevocably decreed in the heavens," governing the distribution of all things, spiritual and temporal; and when we receive anything from Him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, it is because of our obedience to the principle or law upon which that blessing was predicated. Men may sit upon thrones, may preside over nations, may issue edicts or enact laws; they may go through college may become eminent; may possess all human wisdom and all worldly wealth, by virtue of their obedience to the laws governing such things; but if they ever receive the kingdom of God and the testimony of the truth, it will be because they obey the laws pertaining to these higher blessings. They can be obtained in no other way—neither obtained nor retained. Obedience is the key to it all. This is why our Savior exhorted the hearers of the word to be doers of it too, thus building upon the rock, and not upon the sand. There is no safety in any other course. We cannot receive a testimony that this is God's work, without obedience to Him, without the Spirit that rewards obedience. Neither can we retain that testimony, only by keeping God's commandments and having the Holy Spirit ever burning brightly upon the altar of our hearts.
May the Lord help us to profit, through obedience, by all the good things that we have heard during this Conference. May he enable us to maintain ourselves firmly upon the rock where He has planted our feet, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
What "Mormonism" Stands For.—Gathering and Unity.—Things of God only to be comprehended by the Spirit of God.—How to Obtain and Retain that Spirit—Obedience the Key to all Blessings.
This great gathering of God's people reminds me of a remark dropped by a reverend gentleman in a conversation between him and myself. It had devolved upon me to correct a public statement made by him, to the effect that the "Mormon" people advocate a social system destructive of the purity of the home. After I had, from this stand, corrected that statement, the gentleman called upon me and explained very courteously that he had not intended to impugn the morality of the "Mormon home." He had meant to say merely that "Mormonism," as he viewed it, destroyed the oneness or integrity of the home. He had used the word purity, he said, in the sense of oneness, and he added: "It seems to me that your system has a tendency to disunite and scatter things.”
I did what I could on that occasion, and have subsequently taken pains, to correct this mistaken notion. If "Mormonism" stands for anything, it stands for the gathering, not the scattering, of things, It is for the unification of all that is good and virtuous and pure and praiseworthy'. This vast congregation is a testimony to the character and results of our religion. These are the days of the gathering of Israel from their long dispersion. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God has set his hand to gather in one all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. For this purpose the Gospel was instituted, and for this purpose it was restored in these latter days. Gathering is the great distinctive feature of the dispensation of the fullness of times. "Mormonism" does not scatter, does not disintegrate, does not divide; it gathers, unifies, and proposes to bring together all things in Christ.
But how impossible it is to see the kingdom of God except by the Spirit of God. "Except a man be born again he cannot see" that kingdom. It does not matter how intelligent he may be, how learned, how educated, how well trained; if he have not the gift of the Holy Ghost he cannot comprehend the things of God.
I have often marveled why those great men who came in contact with the Prophet Joseph Smith, men like Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, men of intelligence, men of character, men whose motives were pure and worthy for the most part —why they were not converted to the Gospel—the religion that Joseph Smith preached and represented. I have often wondered why such men as Hoarce Greeley, who came here in early days and had long interviews, with President Brigham Young—why he was not converted. Greeley, like Lincoln, was a good man, a great man, whose word at that time was more influential than that of the President of the. United States; he was probably the greatest editor that ever lived. He came here, saw President Young, conversed with him, investigated "Mormonism," and went away and wrote a book in which he recorded his impressions of Utah and her people. -He wrote in praise of the people, but he was not converted to their religion. He did not see in "Mormonism" what you and I see in it. Why? It was not because he lacked intelligence, or education, or learning, the wisdom of the world. Schuyler Colfax came some years later; he was then Speaker of the House of Representatives; and he came again when he was Vice-President of the Nation. He also had interviews with President Young; he heard him preach in the "Old Bowery" then on this Block, and spoke there himself on the character and principles of Abraham Lincoln. But Colfax was far from converted to "Mormonism." He .wrote against it, used his powerful influence against it; utterly unable to see in it what you and I recognize.
And so with this reverend gentleman to whom I have referred. He is right here among us; has studied our sacred .books; has heard our preachers; has made a diligent study of our system and faith; and yet he has formed the misconception that "Mormonism," whose very sign-manual is gathering and unity, stands for and has a tendency toward division and disintegration.
The explanation is simple, after all. Spiritual things are only to be comprehended by the Spirit. "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of the great things that God has reserved for those who wait for Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save by the spirit, of man that is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." And the Spirit has been given to every man, woman, and child who has embraced the Gospel. All who have had faith in God, who have repented of their sins, have had their sins remitted by baptism, and have received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, are entitled to the possession of that Spirit, and it enables them to see what is hidden from the wisdom of the world.
What a precious possession! Can we afford to part with it? How and why did we become possessed of it? It was because of our obedience. Every blessing comes from God upon that principle. There is "a law irrevocably decreed in the heavens," governing the distribution of all things, spiritual and temporal; and when we receive anything from Him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, it is because of our obedience to the principle or law upon which that blessing was predicated. Men may sit upon thrones, may preside over nations, may issue edicts or enact laws; they may go through college may become eminent; may possess all human wisdom and all worldly wealth, by virtue of their obedience to the laws governing such things; but if they ever receive the kingdom of God and the testimony of the truth, it will be because they obey the laws pertaining to these higher blessings. They can be obtained in no other way—neither obtained nor retained. Obedience is the key to it all. This is why our Savior exhorted the hearers of the word to be doers of it too, thus building upon the rock, and not upon the sand. There is no safety in any other course. We cannot receive a testimony that this is God's work, without obedience to Him, without the Spirit that rewards obedience. Neither can we retain that testimony, only by keeping God's commandments and having the Holy Spirit ever burning brightly upon the altar of our hearts.
May the Lord help us to profit, through obedience, by all the good things that we have heard during this Conference. May he enable us to maintain ourselves firmly upon the rock where He has planted our feet, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
AUTHORITIES SUSTAINED.
Elder Heber J. Grant presented the General Authorities of the Church, to be voted upon by the assembly, as follows:
Joseph F. Smith, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Anthon H. Lund, as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Charles W. Penrose, as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Francis M. Lyman as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Council of Twelve Apostles: Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Rudger Claw son, Reed Smoot, Hyrum M. Smith, George Albert Smith, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Anthony W. Ivins, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and James E. Talmage.
Hyrum G. Smith, as Presiding Patriarch of the Church.
The Counselors in the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and the Presiding Patriarch, as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
First Seven Presidents of Seventies: Seymour B. Young, Brigham H. Roberts, Jonathan G. Kimball, Rulon S. Wells, Joseph W. McMurrin, Charles H. Hart and Levi Edgar Young.
Charles W. Nibley, as Presiding Bishop, with Orrin P. Miller and David A. Smith as his first and second Counselors.
Joseph F. Smith, as Trustee-in- Trust for the body of religious worshipers known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Anthon H. Lund, as Church Historian and General Church Recorder.
Andrew Jenson, Brigham H. Roberts, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and August W. Lund, Assistant Historians.
As members of the General Church Board of Education: Joseph F. Smith, Willard Young, Anthon H. Lund, George H. Brimhall, Rudger Clawson, Charles W. Penrose, Horace H. Cummings, Orson F. Whitney, and Francis M. Lyman.
Arthur Winter, Secretary and Treasurer to the General Church Board of Education.
Horace H. Cummings, General Superintendent of Church Schools.
Board of Examiners for Church Schools: Horace H. Cummings, chairman; George H. Brimhall, James H. Linford and Willard Young.
Auditing committee: William W. Riter, Henry H. Rolapp, John C. Cutler, Heber Scowcroft and Jos. S. Wells.
Tabernacle choir: Evan Stephens, conductor; Horace S. Ensign, assistant conductor; John J. McClellan, organist; Edward P. Kimball and Tracy Y. Cannon, assistant organists; George C. Smith, secretary and treasurer; Noel S. Pratt, librarian; and all the members.
Duncan M. McAllister as clerk of the Conference.
Each and all of those named were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the Conference.
Elder Heber J. Grant presented the General Authorities of the Church, to be voted upon by the assembly, as follows:
Joseph F. Smith, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Anthon H. Lund, as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Charles W. Penrose, as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Francis M. Lyman as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Council of Twelve Apostles: Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Rudger Claw son, Reed Smoot, Hyrum M. Smith, George Albert Smith, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Anthony W. Ivins, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and James E. Talmage.
Hyrum G. Smith, as Presiding Patriarch of the Church.
The Counselors in the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and the Presiding Patriarch, as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
First Seven Presidents of Seventies: Seymour B. Young, Brigham H. Roberts, Jonathan G. Kimball, Rulon S. Wells, Joseph W. McMurrin, Charles H. Hart and Levi Edgar Young.
Charles W. Nibley, as Presiding Bishop, with Orrin P. Miller and David A. Smith as his first and second Counselors.
Joseph F. Smith, as Trustee-in- Trust for the body of religious worshipers known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Anthon H. Lund, as Church Historian and General Church Recorder.
Andrew Jenson, Brigham H. Roberts, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., and August W. Lund, Assistant Historians.
As members of the General Church Board of Education: Joseph F. Smith, Willard Young, Anthon H. Lund, George H. Brimhall, Rudger Clawson, Charles W. Penrose, Horace H. Cummings, Orson F. Whitney, and Francis M. Lyman.
Arthur Winter, Secretary and Treasurer to the General Church Board of Education.
Horace H. Cummings, General Superintendent of Church Schools.
Board of Examiners for Church Schools: Horace H. Cummings, chairman; George H. Brimhall, James H. Linford and Willard Young.
Auditing committee: William W. Riter, Henry H. Rolapp, John C. Cutler, Heber Scowcroft and Jos. S. Wells.
Tabernacle choir: Evan Stephens, conductor; Horace S. Ensign, assistant conductor; John J. McClellan, organist; Edward P. Kimball and Tracy Y. Cannon, assistant organists; George C. Smith, secretary and treasurer; Noel S. Pratt, librarian; and all the members.
Duncan M. McAllister as clerk of the Conference.
Each and all of those named were duly sustained in the positions designated, by unanimous vote of the Conference.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
CLOSING REMARKS.
There is only time for one thing more, and that is an expression from this vast congregation as to their feeling relative to our conference. I move that it be the sense of this vast assembly that this has been one of the best conferences that we have ever had in the Church. (Motion seconded.) All in favor will signify it. Contrary by the same sign. I see no contrary vote, it is unanimous.
Sister Lizzie Thomas Edward, and the choir, sang the anthem, "When Thou comest to the judgment" ("Inflamatus").
Benediction was pronounced by Elder James W. Paxman.
Conference adjourned for six months.
Prof. Evan Stephens, assisted by Horace S. Ensign, conducted the singing of the choir and congregation at the Conference meetings in the Tabernacle, and Prof. John J. McClellan played the accompaniments, interludes, etc., on the great organ, assisted by Edward P. Kimball and Tracy Y. Cannon.
The stenographic reports of the discourses were taken by Elders Franklin W. Otterstrom. Frederick E. Barker, Fred G. Barker, and Clarence Cramer.
Duncan M. McAllister,
Clerk of Conference.
CLOSING REMARKS.
There is only time for one thing more, and that is an expression from this vast congregation as to their feeling relative to our conference. I move that it be the sense of this vast assembly that this has been one of the best conferences that we have ever had in the Church. (Motion seconded.) All in favor will signify it. Contrary by the same sign. I see no contrary vote, it is unanimous.
Sister Lizzie Thomas Edward, and the choir, sang the anthem, "When Thou comest to the judgment" ("Inflamatus").
Benediction was pronounced by Elder James W. Paxman.
Conference adjourned for six months.
Prof. Evan Stephens, assisted by Horace S. Ensign, conducted the singing of the choir and congregation at the Conference meetings in the Tabernacle, and Prof. John J. McClellan played the accompaniments, interludes, etc., on the great organ, assisted by Edward P. Kimball and Tracy Y. Cannon.
The stenographic reports of the discourses were taken by Elders Franklin W. Otterstrom. Frederick E. Barker, Fred G. Barker, and Clarence Cramer.
Duncan M. McAllister,
Clerk of Conference.