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My beloved brethren and sisters, I am pleased to meet with you upon this Sabbath day and at this holiday time. Inasmuch as I have been called upon to address you for a short time, I am earnestly desirous that I should enjoy the Spirit of God. I feel that it would be useless for me to occupy your time without I enjoy your sympathy and your faith and prayers; for no man, no matter who he may be or what his experience may have been, can edify the Latter-day Saints if he does not enjoy the Spirit of God. If, however, I am able this afternoon, as a servant of God and a weak follower of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to deliver to you His word, our time will be profitably spent and we shall be satisfied. I never arise to address believers in the doctrine of Christ without feeling my great dependence upon my Heavenly Father, and how weak I am within myself, and how incapable I am of edifying His Saints and feeding them the bread of life, except I enjoy the inspiration of His Holy Spirit.
As Latter-day Saints, we have many things to be thankful for. What a great work we are engaged in! This tree which has been planted by the Prophet Joseph Smith, under the inspiration of God, how its branches are extending! How the roots or feelers are spreading into the various parts of the world! The work is increasing throughout the length and breadth of the land. The people are becoming more interested in this latter-day work, and the responsibility is upon the Latter-day Saints to preach this Gospel to the nations of the earth. Throughout the various Stakes of Zion the work is increasing. A great many of those who have not been interested in the Gospel before are now taking an active part in the work. Young men are desirous of knowing for themselves whether this Gospel be of God or whether it was originated through the wisdom or cunning of man. I can say that if men were the founders of this work, it will surely come to naught; but if it be of God we can safely leave the outcome with Him. Never mind what other people may think of this work. Those who are doing their duty and keeping the commandments of God know that the Almighty is at the head of this work, and that He will bring it through successfully.
I have just returned from quite an extended trip through southern Utah. I have visited the various Stakes of Zion in that region. In something like thirty-five days I have spoken in over fifty meetings of the Latter-day Saints. I have been able to get a pretty thorough understanding of the condition of our people in that part of Zion. The people do not by any means seem to be losing interest in the work. They do not appear to have the idea that it is going to the ground. On every hand it is growing and increasing, and the people are taking more interest in it.
I have no doubt that there are people in Salt Lake City who are just as true and faithful to God as are the people in the smaller settlements of Utah; but here we are so mixed up with other elements that we do not feel that influence of the Spirit of God as much as we do where most all of the people are Latter-day Saints. In a number of the settlements that I have visited you can count on the finger of one hand those who are not of our faith. Therefore, if there is wrongdoing in those settlements, or conditions exist that are forbidden by the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we cannot charge it to any but the Latter-day Saints.
There has been among some of our young people a great indifference manifested toward the work of the Lord. They have been willing to fight for the Gospel, if necessary; they have been willing to die for it, if enemies approached to destroy us; but to live for it has been another thing with them. In this connection I have earnestly petitioned my Heavenly Father that He would give me power to do one thing, if no other, and that was to awaken an interest in the hearts of the young people of Zion where I have visited, that they might lay to heart the importance of this work in which we are engaged, and be led to investigate for themselves and know of a surety that this work is of God, and not of man.
My desire, at least in having the young people attend the meetings, has been fulfilled. They have attended the meetings very faithfully. Young men who have hitherto manifested no particular interest in the Gospel, or have only attended meetings occasionally, have come out to our meetings very regularly, and have exhibited a great deal of interest in the conferences that have been held. This is a source of joy to my heart to see that the young people are becoming interested in this latter-day work. For we must realize that those who have carried this work through the heat of the day will not always be with us.
The time will come when we will be left to depend upon the testimony of the Gospel which we have for ourselves. Therefore, if we will come forward while we are young, and listen to the rehearsal of the experience of those who have been with the work from the beginning, and be impressed by their teachings, it will have a greater effect upon us than will the reading of their experiences after they have passed away. Not only that, but a great deal of the history of this people has never been written, and never can be. Much of the sufferings and trials they have had to pass through at the hands of their enemies will never be recorded, only by the angels, who know and see all things.
The Latter-day Saints have been greatly misjudged. Their motives have been misconstrued. People have thought evil of them, simply because they did not understand their motives. If they had understood that the Latter-day Saints were trying to better the world, trying to bring forth fruit, with the help of God, that would show that their organization and institutions were really ordained of God, they would not have persecuted this people as they have done. There is no doubt in my mind but that many an honest-hearted Christian has been led into darkness concerning this people. We have been misunderstood; and in many cases the idea has been entertained that we were opposed to the government under which this Church has grown and been nourished.
I say, had it been understood that we were simply trying to teach the Gospel that our Lord and Savior taught, and to bring about a better condition of affairs in the world, honest-hearted people would have turned unto us, and they would have given us sympathy, and we would have been enabled to accomplish much more than we have. But this is God's work. We are simply instruments in His hands. We come upon the stage, and we play our part to the best of our ability, and then we are willing to leave the result with God.
It has been said that God buries His workmen, but continues His work. So one by one those who have been identified with this work pass away. Some of them leave a written history, to a small extent, of what they have passed through and what they have known; but their full history or their characters can never be made as plain to us on paper as they can by conversing with them. So I say that it is very essential that all people who have any interest in this work should make use of the opportunities that present themselves to hear those who are yet among us who have been with the work from the beginning; and they should seek to know for themselves concerning this Gospel. If they find for themselves, and not for another, that it is of God, then there is no sacrifice too great for them to make for this cause.
If we become thoroughly converted to the Gospel of Christ, we will not prize our lives as anything in comparison with our standing in the Church of Christ and with the saving of the souls of others who have not yet come to a knowledge of this faith.
Therefore, our brethren go to the nations of the earth, leaving all that is near and dear to them, and place themselves in the hands of God to preach His Gospel. They go abroad, not feeling that their time is their own, but that it belongs to God, who gave them life; feeling that everything they have they are indebted to Him for, and that He has given and He can take away.
This morning I attended the meeting of the German Saints, held in the Assembly Hall, and had the pleasure of talking to them a little in their native tongue. While seated upon the stand there my heart was made to rejoice at seeing a number of those with whom I had labored in Switzerland and Germany, and also a number whom I had not met before in Zion, but whom I had had the pleasure of bringing into the Church through baptism. I thought, Oh! if I could only dedicate all the talent God has given to me and all my powers to trying to keep these souls in the Church, and if I could cause that they should remain faithful until the end of their days, how happy I should be!
But in administering in the ordinances of the Gospel we do not, as servants of God, feel to take any praise or honor unto ourselves. We have been left helpless so many times, we have been shown our weaknesses so many times, that we are in no condition to take praise or honor unto ourselves. But we rejoice when others are made happy; we rejoice when others are brought to see the Gospel as it is; we rejoice to see souls sought out of the dark corners of this world who are willing to come forward and unite themselves with the work which has been set up by the power of God, and which will never be destroyed. It gives us pleasure to see people who, notwithstanding the opposition that is aroused as soon as they express their willingness to become members of the Church of Christ, are still willing to come forward and show their individuality, and manifest by their course that they are men and women willing to stand for what they know to be right, no matter what public opinion may be.
Public opinion has led more people to degradation than anything else that I know of. The Latter-day Saints have not gone very much on public opinion. They do not care what the world thinks as long as they know they are trying to keep the commandments of God. The Elders, in preaching the Gospel from door to door, may be turned away, may be rejected, and their testimony may not be received; but if they are true and faithful in bearing that testimony and in discharging their duties, they are happy, and they are willing to leave the result with God.
Those who bring members into the Church of Jesus Christ have no right to take any honor unto themselves; for one has planted, another has nourished, and another may reap. Those who are brought into the Church by one may be the result of the efforts of another. But if we are able, through our efforts, to touch the people's hearts, to get them to understand the Scriptures which they have read for years and years and have not understood, and to realize that if they only get the Spirit that they will not only have the dead letter, but they will have the Spirit which maketh alive, and which will bear testimony to their souls concerning the written word of God, and what is necessary for them to do to be saved in the kingdom of our God--if we are able to do this, we perform a great labor.
This Spirit accompanies the testimony of the Elders. It bears testimony to all who will receive it that this Gospel is from God. It has caused those who have read their Bibles without understanding them to read and understand. This is what is meant by the reception of the Holy Ghost, which is promised to all those who will repent of their sins, be baptized, and have the hands of the Elders laid upon them.
We cannot understand either the written word or the living oracles of God, except we have His Spirit. It is only through the spirit of man that we understand the things pertaining to man; it is only through the Spirit of God that we are able to understand the things pertaining to God. If the world have not the Spirit of God, having led lives that would not entitle them to the enjoyment of that Spirit, is it any wonder that they cannot understand the work of our Heavenly Father? Not at all, because they have alienated themselves from His Spirit; and in many cases His Spirit, which has striven with them from time to time, has become grieved.
We understand that the Spirit of God will not always strive with man. Therefore, the world should give heed, while there is yet time, to the teachings of the Gospel, which is so simple that even a child can understand it, and yet so deep that man will never be able to fathom the beauties thereof.
I rejoice with you today, my brethren and sisters, in living in a day and time when God has again established His work. Why, when the Manifesto was issued and went forth to the world, the idea got abroad that Mormonism was a thing of the past. They thought that plural marriage was the principle upon which our faith was based, and that when this was done away with, all the rest would soon pass away.
But how different it is to this! And right among those people who have entertained this idea, the Church of Jesus Christ is growing today more than ever. There are more Elders in the field today, proclaiming the word of God, than we have ever had. They are meeting with greater success today than they have ever met with before. This ought to be a source of gratification and joy to the honest in heart. Our Stakes have been strung out from Canada to Mexico, and branches have been organized throughout the Eastern and Southern States, and in Europe.
And now, I understand, it has become the mission of one of the members of our quorum--Apostle Lund--to go to the Holy Land and find out what the prospects are there for founding a colony in that land. The Elders in Germany and Switzerland and in various parts of the continent of Europe, are meeting with success. All they lack is more Elders to preach the word of the Lord. There are many, many cities that have not yet heard the voices of our Elders, and therefore we cannot do otherwise than believe that this work will grow and increase.
Aside from that, people who have been prejudiced towards us, and who have been opposed to us because they did not understand our motives, are becoming softened in their hearts. The Lord is pouring out His Spirit upon them, that they may be led to investigate this work and seek for a testimony for themselves. Our Elders do not require anyone to accept their words alone. They beseech all to seek God to know if their words are true. Those who will do this, if they are believers in the true and living God, can know of a surety if this Gospel be of God or of man. It would be a miracle in our eyes if we were to admit that it is of man; for there is nothing that can cope with it in all the world.
All the fragmentary pieces of Christianity that we find throughout the world are only remnants of the grand old organization that existed in the days of our Lord and Savior. But here in the United States of America, through the instrumentality of the boy Prophet, has been organized the Church of Jesus Christ. It was organized on the 6th day of April, 1830, with but six members. We can see how it has grown, and how it has met all opposition and overcome every power that has attempted to thwart its progress.
Therefore, we are encouraged, and we are not wont to believe that the work is going to the ground, although we are surrounded with temptation. We always will have temptation, because the Almighty will never rob us of that free agency which we exercised before we came to this world to take upon ourselves bodies. But this Church has been organized with Apostles and Prophets, and with the various offices of the two Priesthoods which have been restored. Our Elders go forth bearing this testimony. But sometimes when they return, they neglect their duties. On account of the lack of efficient work on the part of the Priesthood, every quorum not having performed its duty as it should have done, it has been deemed wise to send out a great number of missionaries to labor here in Zion.
Do you suppose, my brethren and sisters, that if we all had been doing our duty in every organization of the Priesthood--if the Priests had been going among the people and explaining the Scriptures, if the Teachers had been visiting from house to house as they are required to, in every ward of Zion--do you suppose it would have been necessary to send out missionaries among our own people? Of course, it would not. We must admit that there has been a lack of energy on our part in this regard. Elders who return home, or those who are not appointed to any special mission either at home or abroad, feel that they can be a little dilatory in regard to the performance of their duties as members of quorums and still be under no great responsibility.
But it is my understanding of the Gospel of Christ that if we allow sin to exist in our midst and do not warn the sinner; if we allow conditions to exist that we know are foreign to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, those upon whom the Priesthood has been conferred will be held responsible, at any rate to some extent. Now, we can divide this responsibility just as we please, and take it to ourselves as it fits us, because it does fit us all.
We must acknowledge that if these quorums had performed their duties faithfully, if this whole body of Christ had been in a proper, healthy, working condition, there would be no need of sending missionaries to labor among the different Stakes of Zion. But this condition exists, and we must deal with it as best we can.
Therefore, it has been a source of joy to me in meeting with the Saints throughout the Stakes, to see the awakening interest that the young people are showing in the Gospel, and many of them have expressed themselves that they would try to do better. A great many of us get the idea that we are going to live forever, and that we do not need to trouble ourselves about anything excepting the things pertaining to this life; but how mistaken we will be, and how we are led every now and then to realize how uncertain this life of ours is, and how helpless--how useless, I may say--is this body without the spirit!
I was reminded of this a few days since by being at the deathbed of a little girl, the daughter of President Uriah T. Jones, of the Parowan Stake of Zion. The little one died of croup. While at her bedside and in being present when her spirit took leave from the body, I was led to think over these matters, and it strengthened my testimony; for I am of the firm opinion that the greater part of man is not his body, but the spirit that gives life to the body. At any rate, it is quite as much of our being as is this material body.
What is this clay after the spirit has departed? How helpless, how useless, it lies before us! We see that those powers that have been the very life of the being have departed. The little one I refer to had been suffering very much in the evening and the father who was at Priesthood meeting had been sent for. He went home and found her in a very bad condition; and after the meeting Brother David H. Cannon and myself returned there, and we were requested to lay hands on the little one. We knelt down by the bedside, and laid our hands upon her, and the mother and brothers and sisters knelt down also and laid their hands upon the bed, and we poured out our souls to God that He would spare that child, if it were His will; but we felt to say, "Thy will, O Father, not ours, be done."
As a result of our administration, the little one was very much eased and rested quietly until morning, when we were again called and got up to find her in a very bad condition, struggling for life. We again laid hands upon her and prayed God that the child might be released from her pain, and if consistent with His will, that she might be spared to her parents, who loved her so dearly. The mother seemed as though she could not be reconciled to parting with her. The little one was easier after our administration and appeared to be at perfect rest as compared with her previous condition. I could see that the family were grief-stricken, and that the father and mother did not want to part with the little one, and I went into my room, knelt down and prayed to my Heavenly Father that if it were consistent with His will He would spare the little one; at any rate, that He would not allow it to suffer any more; that if it were His will that the child should be taken away, He would prepare the hearts of its parents, that they might realize His will was being done in the matter.
In about half an hour after our administration, Brother David H. Cannon, my wife, myself, and the family were surrounding the little one and her spirit departed from the body; but as death approached, a pleasant smile crept over her countenance, and she went to sleep without even so much as raising a hand or showing any sign of pain.
This little occurrence was a testimony to me; and if I had ever had any fear of death before, this would have banished it all. As the time came for the spirit to depart from the body, it appeared as though it could see into eternity; at any rate, its vision must have been a pleasant one. The child was perfectly conscious; had been asking about its kittens and little playthings only a short time before. It was a testimony to me that the vision of that child must have been a pleasant one; and I thought to myself, if after I have done the will of my Father and all that is within my power to do to cause people to repent of their sins and to come unto Christ, the Lord Almighty should take me away in the condition He took that child in, how happy I would be!
My brethren and sisters, we do not fear death if we are trying to keep the commandments of God. Indeed, many times it comes as a welcome messenger to those who have labored long and hard to spread this Gospel, and who have been faithful over that which God has given them. Such people feel happy when death comes; they feel no regret at having their spirit depart from their body. They know that the body will come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with immortality. They know that there will be no sorrow, no sickness, no death, there; but that those who have struggled earnestly, in the face of opposition, to do the will of the Father, and have been able to carry it out, they will receive an exaltation far superior to anything that we can imagine in this mortal state of ours.
Those who were called to sustain the loss of this little one did not feel to sorrow, only at the separation. They knew that all was well; that He who had given that spirit to that little body had called it away, and that it had filled its mission. I was very much touched on the occasion; not on account of witnessing the little one go to sleep but on account of the nobleness of the mother. She had sat up night after night, going without sleep, until she was almost worn out; still she was not willing to leave the bedside of her little one. She desired with all her heart to save it. She had been through the pain of bringing that soul into the world, and she wanted to rear it in the fear of the Lord, that it might be a useful instrument in accomplishing good in this latter-day work, because her whole heart is with this people. But to see how resigned she was in the midst of her sorrow showed a nobleness of character which I have rarely seen, and which was more touching by far than to see the little one go to sleep.
As individuals and as a people, the Almighty has required that we possess noble characters; that we be self-sacrificing; that we be willing to part with the dearest things on earth, if required by Him. It takes nobleness and integrity of character for our missionaries to go into the world, in the face of all the opposition that they have to meet, and proclaim the Gospel to those who do not believe.
My brethren and sisters, I rejoice in this work. I rejoice in the hope that we have in a resurrection of the dead--that we will come forth from the grave. Indeed, this is the corner-stone of our belief. It is for this cause we labor. If we labored for this world alone, we would be a most miserable and wretched people. Our hope is not in this world, but in what we will receive in the world to come. When we understand the Gospel, death indeed is robbed of its sting and the grave of its victory.
We believe, as Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead and came forth with His body, witnessed not only by a few, but by hundreds at various times, so also all those who will keep the commandments of God will be resurrected and receive an exaltation and a home in the presence of the Great Master. I am happy to be identified with this work. I am willing, if it be the will of God, to labor all the days of my life in spreading His word.
I have a testimony that this is the work of God. I have a testimony that the Prophet Joseph Smith was an ordained servant of the Almighty. No matter what other people may think or believe, that cannot change the opinion of one true Latter-day Saint. Our faith is not founded upon the actions of men. It is founded upon the rock of revelation, upon the foundation of Prophets and Apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.
When we look at the condition of the world today, one crying, "Here is Christ," and another crying, "Here is Christ," how thankful we should be that we have a testimony in our hearts that we have the same organization, with Apostles and Prophets, gifts, blessings and ordinances, the same faith, the same Lord, and the same baptism, that existed in the primitive Church of Christ. How thankful, I say, we ought to be for this, no matter what we may be called upon to pass through for the sake of the Gospel. We are here but for a little while. I view this life of ours only as one drop of water as compared with the mighty ocean of eternity--as simply a preparatory school that we have to pass through to get unto the presence of our Heavenly Father, where we progress from one condition to another.
We must progress. It is dangerous for any Latter-day Saint to think that he or she can be indifferent to the work of the Lord. We must be either active or inactive. If we do not work for the Lord, we set an example that is a hindrance to others. If, on the other hand, we do a good act, something that is praiseworthy and pleasing in the sight of God, there are others who will see our example and will follow after it.
Now, we have been feasting through the holidays. There are no people upon the face of the earth that live better than do the Latter-day Saints. Today we have come together to learn of the ways of the Lord. In this we show our faith, that men shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. We are anxious that this work should progress and be successful, and we should lend our little mite towards its advancement; for when all the sons and daughters of men come before that judgment bar of God, Christ will say that it is not all those who say unto Him, Lord, Lord, that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of the Father.
If we are successful in keeping the commandments of the Lord, we shall lay up treasures in heaven. What are the things of this world in comparison with the knowledge that we have that God lives? Would we not rather part with everything that is dear to us in this life than to part with the knowledge which we have that God lives? No matter what our poverty or our persecutions may be, if we have this knowledge we will be happy under all conditions.
Many times I have prayed within my heart to God that with all, He would at least leave me His Spirit, even though He should deprive me of everything else in this life. I would rather have the Spirit of God than to possess the riches of the world, because that will make me happy and the riches of the world will not, unless I know how to use them.
It is only a righteous ambition that the Latter-day Saints should wish to possess homes, and lands and all that will make them comfortable; but most of all we should wish to possess the eternal riches that will be of benefit to us and our posterity in the life to come.
Our good acts and our good deeds, noble thoughts carried into actions, are the riches that will go before us to plead for us before the Great Judge, when we are summoned to give an account for the deeds done in the flesh. Let people array themselves against this work and against us; let all the powers of earth and hell array themselves against this work, it will not matter; in fact, it will only cause the work to grow, and make us more united, and should cause our enemies to see that this is the work of God.
We do not fear opposition from without; we do not fear anything that can come from the enemies of truth, if we are seeking to keep the commandments of the Lord. If God is our friend, we will be happy; we will rejoice that He has condescended to make us His friends. This is a glorious work. We are told that the Lord is the vine and we are the branches. We can do nothing of ourselves. The branches are helpless without the vine.
Let us try to keep in touch with the Spirit of God. Let us, above all, so live that we will be continually in the sunlight of that Spirit. And we will go forth fearlessly proclaiming repentance to the nations of the earth. We will proclaim it at home also. If we have done wrong, we will seek to do right. If we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves, we will seek to rectify our course of life in this regard. If we have failed in keeping the commandments of God in other ways, we will seek to keep them. I desire that we shall all remain true and faithful to the covenants we have made with God. We have made them knowingly. We went down into the waters of baptism and were immersed for the remission of our sins knowingly. We knew what obligations we took upon ourselves.
If we are not liked for our peculiar belief, let us not return evil for evil; but let us ask God to forgive those who persecute us, and pray that their hearts may be opened, that they may be led to see the light of God as we see it. I am desirous to spend all my time and all the powers which God has given me, in His ministry and in proclaiming His word, because I never feel happier than when I am engaged in doing my duty and trying to do good to others, trying to bring happiness to a home that has known no happiness, trying to bring sunlight to some heart that has not known sunlight for years, and that has dwelt in darkness. We should not grope in darkness. If we do not feel well, we should set ourselves right with God, and if we do this He will not allow any evil spirits to overcome us, or to afflict us, any more than will be sanctified to our good.
May God grant that we may be true and faithful in keeping His commandments, and that we may feel to dedicate our lives and all we possess, realizing that He is the giver of all, to the building up of His kingdom and to the benefitting of our fellow men. We should not wish to live selfish lives. Let us not live for ourselves alone, but live for our fellow beings, and try to spread this Gospel of peace on earth and goodwill to all men to the four ends of the earth, that all who are honest in heart may be led to partake of the blessings that we now enjoy. That we may all remain true and faithful to the covenants we have made with our Father, taking Christ as our example, knowing that it is enough for the servant to be as the Master was, and be patient in carrying any burden that may be placed upon us, that we may gain a home in the presence of our God and in the presence of the Prophet Joseph Smith and all the righteous who have gone before us, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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