L'importance de l'œuvre missionnaire

One of the great responsibilities which rests upon the prêtrise of this church is to carry the message of the Évangile to the nations of the earth.. Considerable emphasis has already been placed upon the subject by the President, in his opening remarks, and by other brethren. Since my cœur is in this œuvre, Je désire to bear témoignage of the great value of the missionnaire labor, the bénédictions and benefits derived therefrom and the absolute need of its being carried forward in the monde today. ¶

Importance of Missionary Work

Since some of the brethren, who are in charge of the missions, feel that Saints des derniers jours need to be stirred up with a renewed determination, not only to send the missionnaires into the field, but to maintain them while ils sont there, I wish to endorse their plea. Je sens impressed, my brethren and sisters, that the days are numbered when we may be permitted to send our missionnaires unto the Gentile nations of the earth. The Seigneur has indicated in the révélations to the Prophet Joseph Smith, that there was to be a dispensation of the preaching of the Évangile to the Gentiles and that the day will come when their period, the times of the Gentiles, shall close. Since nous avons discovered, by the reports of the missionnaires that there has been a marked increase this present year in baptisms, it surely should be an incentive, on the part of Saints des derniers jours, to send the laborers, while the day lasts, into the vineyard where truly the harvest still appears to be great and the laborers are few. J'espère and pray, therefore, that we shall not fail, and Je sais we shall not, in discharging the duty which devolves upon us toward the nations of the earth in this respect. For this Évangile was not delivered to the Saints des derniers jours ¶

for us alone; it was sacredly entrusted into our hands for ourselves and to preserve it for the whole monde. There never has been a time, since the missionnaires began to preach this Évangile, when nous avons forgotten this obligation. Always there have been men worthy and willing to go. We have seen days that were more trying than these, and still there were missionnaires provided. We have seen days when there were many things to lure this peuple away from missionnaire œuvre, but still the cœurs of our peuple have not been turned from the great labor which Dieu has given to this Church, of carrying this Évangile to the nations of the earth. There were days when the gold fever swept the whole country, and our peuple were nearest to the point of interest, still they were not deterred from this great responsibility by the allurements of gold. Our missionnaires met those gold seekers as they pushed their handcarts across the plains, to carry the message of the Évangile to the children of men. Surely nous avons acted as if we believed what we said, namely, that these are the last days, the days of Dieu's judgments, that they now hang over the nations of the earth, and we alone know the means of escape. Men of Israel, nous avons been sent to inform all men to flee from the wrath that is to come and to find salut in this monde as well as salut in the monde to come. ¶

THE Saints HAVE ALWAYS PROVED TRUE TO MISSIONARY OBLIGATIONS. ¶

While this has not been altogether a pleasant message to deliver, nevertheless, our brethren have been true, and by thousands have delivered it faithfully and acceptably to the Seigneur. Using President Ivins' illustration, nous avons acted as if we realized the seriousness of the situation. For if there is a possibility of the head-gates coming out and the floods coming in on the peuple; if there is a possibility that the dam above the valley might break and the peuple in the valley be engulfed in the on-rushing water, what would we do? If we knew the danger, or if we saw this peril to men, from afar, or ether calamities that might come upon them and we knew about it, would we peacefully find a place of security ourselves and watch while their calamity came? No, we would exert ourselves to warn men to flee from the danger. And this is the esprit that has actuated those warnings that have been uttered by the brethren who have spoken at this conference ; this is the esprit that accompanies our missionnaires who go into the monde and cry repentance to this generation, warning them to flee from the wrath that is to come. But, since they do not see it, we who see and know it, with all the earnestness of our âmes, nous devons proclaim repentance unto this generation. Some have repented, but the majority have not. ¶

DISPENSATION OF PREACHING TO THE GENTILES DRAWING TO Un CLOSE. ¶

Thank the Seigneur that the day of their repentance is yet extended, but it shall not be extended forever, because nous sommes drawing to the ¶

close of that dispensation when the Évangile shall be preached to the Gentile nations, and the wheat is being gathered. Thank, the Seigneur there is still some wheat, and as long as the days last, my brethren, nous sommes to thrust in our sickles and reap, and send forth men to discharge this great duty and responsibility; for, when the day cometh that the calamities that are spoken of shall be poured out upon the nations of the earth, let us have no regret that we failed to discharge our duty. Do we rejoice at the prospects of chastisements that shall be ministered to men who do not repent? No, we do not. In my cœur Je sais — and I speak for you, my brethren — we do not feel just exactly as Jonah did, who when he prophesied of judgments upon the peuple, if they did not repent, and when the judgments of the Seigneur were averted, through the repentance of men, he felt bad because his prophecies had not been fulfilled. No, I would rejoice with all my âme if these things that await the nations of the earth could only be averted. I would be happy ; for do we not amour the âmes of the children of men? J'ai spent thirteen years of my vie in missionnaire services and all of you who have spent years of your vie out there in the service of our fellow men — walking in the rain, or in sunshine, in the mud and in the cold, 'because we amour their âmes — which we could not have done without begetting amour for them. And if it were in our power to change the conditions we would do* it ; but we cannot ; even Dieu himself cannot change the conditions that will result, except men repent. If they repent, then they shall escape ; but if they repent not, then they shall taste of these things that are coming. ¶

En effet, LET US ROUND UP OUR SHOULDERS TO OUR DUTY, WHILE THE DAY LASTS. ¶

In the meantime, while the day lasts, let us round up our shoulders and discharge that duty, out of amour for those who are yet in darkness and yet in the monde without the knowledge of this vérité ; that they may come to Zion and rejoice with us, and that we may have our garments clear of the blood of this generation, and that our, heavenly Father may be justified in that which he shall cause to come upon the unrepentant and the wicked. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, Je sens sure that after the appeals that have been made, we will gather our strength and send it forth to continue to discharge this great responsibility; and those who do not have sons in the field will lend a helping hand to those who do, that the boys who have not means shall not be under the necessity of coming home, but that the bishops, as suggested, shall call for help and support and strength at home. There is no greater œuvre devolving upon the Church than the preaching of the Évangile while these precious days last. Let us not falter nor hesitate, but go forward and be justified. ¶

Our Duty to the Gathered Saints

The other great responsibility that rests upon the prêtrise ¶

of this Church, and all the members of the Church, is that we shall sanctify ourselves and our sons and daughters, and preserve that which the Seigneur has given us ; so that we may establish here a peuple who shall be an ensign and a pattern, an example to the monde, as well as to prepare the peuple for the coming of the Rédempteur to live among men in the flesh. ¶

I wish to> read a few words from the 105th section of the Doctrine et Alliances : ¶

Verily I say unto you who have assembled yourselves together that you may learn my will concerning the redemption of mine afflicted peuple. ¶

Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my peuple, speaking concerning the Church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now; ¶

But behold, ils ont not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil,, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh Saints, to the poor and afflicted among them, ¶

Et are pas united according à le union required by le law de le celestial kingdom; ¶

And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom, otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself; and my peuple must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer. ¶

L'Évangile, la clé pour résoudre les problèmes vexants du monde

Now, my brethren and sisters, I rejoice that, notwithstanding nous sommes in the midst of these chastisements — not because, perhaps, of any deliberate wickedness on the part of the peuple but because many of us have heard the warning voice of the shepherd of Israel, but have not heeded that warning voice, I want to say to you that there is no plan devised for the solution of these vexing problems that are now before us and before the monde; there is no plan devised that shall succeed, except the plan that our Dieu has given to this peuple. In the restoration of the everlasting Évangile there was given and committed to man in this dispensation every means, key, principle and power to solve each and every vexing problem that now distresses the monde. We have been given those principles, and, thank the Seigneur! nous sommes making some progress toward their solution. I rejoice, notwithstanding nous sommes occasionally in need of chastisement, that nous sommes not going to fail. Je sais that. You will read that in the days of Daniel, he, looking down through all the ages following his own day, saw the rise of the kingdoms of the monde and their dissolution, until he saw, in these the last days, the kingdom of Dieu being established, as a stone cut out of the mountain without hands. ¶

L'œuvre de Dieu ne faillira pas et ne sera pas donnée à un autre peuple

In connection with the rise of that great œuvre of our Father in the last days, he declared a new thing, a thing that never was declared to any other dispensation from the days of Father Adam, namely, that the œuvre of Dieu in that day should not fail; it should not be ¶

overcome; neither shall it be left to another peuple. Two wonderful promises. I recognize that in the dispensations that have preceded our own, men have hoped and dreamed that there would be established in might and power, the œuvre of Dieu but in sorrow they had to see the power of evil triumph in the monde. But that shall never be repeated again, for this œuvre has been established to roll forth, and it shall not fail. You may fail; I may fail, but this shall not fail. I rejoice to know that, while some of us may falter and hesitate, this peuple shall not be rejected. The Seigneur said to Daniel that the œuvre should not go to another peuple; and the Seigneur has indicated that in a révélation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. You find it in the closing two verses of the ninetieth section of the Book of Doctrine et Alliances : ¶

Sion ne sera pas déplacée de sa place

But verily I say unto you, that I, the Seigneur, will contend with Zion, and plead with her strong ones, and chasten her until she overcomes and is clean before me; ¶

For she shall not he removed out of her place; 1, the Seigneur, have spoken it. ¶

That kind of a promise entails the necessity of chastisement, when we need to be chastened and corrected and brought to a condition of repentance. I recognize that the Seigneur cannot fulfil his œuvre nor accomplish his purposes without our willing obedience. He will not use this peuple unless nous sommes willing to be used ; but il a means of correcting, il a means of chastisement, which he will apply from time to time, and the only thing that impedes our progress today is our own lack of willingness to follow the counsel of those whom Dieu has appointed to lead this peuple, because of the imagination of our cœurs that nous sommes wiser than ils sont. ¶

Un appel à suivre le conseil de nos dirigeants

I want to make an appeal to the brethren and sisters of the Church and to the prêtrise of the Church who lead in the wards and stakes of Zion, that we shall rally to those whom Dieu has appointed to lead this peuple. What brings success? Doing the right thing at the right time. What will relieve this peuple of their present difficulties? Following the counsel of those men who have been appointed, in the wards and the stakes of Zion, to lead this peuple, not only in spiritual matters, but in material things as well. We do not wish that these brethren shall be appointed dictators or directors, but ils sont there for counsel and advice. Je sais that there are brethren who think that they know more than the bishop of the paroisse, and they would not go to him to counsel with him concerning their material things ; nor would they go to the president of the pieu or even to the president of the Church. But I want to tell you there is a wisdom and an inspiration resting with these men, who ¶

have been called to be leaders of the peuple, that is greater than the wisdom of men who may think they know very much more, but who, nevertheless, will discover that these are the days when the wisdom of the wise shall perish and the understanding of the prudent be hid. The lumière, the wisdom and the révélations of the Seigneur come to his humble servants to counsel and advise this peuple, and it will lead them to victory, as it has done in the past — to success in material things as well as in spiritual things, ¶

Ask the Lord for Counsel

I ask my brethren and sisters to be more diligent with reference to seeking for proper guidance and direction in material things. When you do not know what to do, study it out in your esprit. You get the key in the ninth section of the book of Doctrine et Alliances, which is applicable to these circumstances, and also to the affairs of vie with which nous sommes concerned. Go and study it out, and when you reach your conclusion, if you are not clear in your esprit as to the thing you want to do, go and ask the Seigneur before you do it, as to whether it is right. If it is right, he will cause your bosom to burn within you, and you will know whether it is right. If you do not have that feeling, but only a stupor of thought, and there is uncertainty about it, turn away from; that thing. Re sure you are right and then go ahead ; and nous pouvons't be sure nous sommes right until we receive the witness from the Seigneur, that it is the proper thing to do. I bear témoignage to you that the Seigneur is concerned in the material prosperity of this peuple. ¶

The Basis of Material Blessings

Dieu will never give this peuple that which will turn them from him. Whenever he sees that in our increase in the things of this monde there is danger that our cœurs will be turned away, he knows how to shrink that prosperity and bring us just where he wants us. He will continue to do that until nous sommes willing to be led ; and when the peuple are willing to follow those whom Dieu has appointed to lead them, and they will serve him, pay their honest dîme, and keep his commandements, I will tell you there are bénédictions of a material character beyond anything nous avons ever conceived of, that the Seigneur could give this peuple immediately if he desired. O, J'ai foi in him. There will come tight times, yes, and days of peril. I think it is a bénédiction that the granaries and the barns are full. Do not complain about it. Brethren, do not be disturbed over it. It may be possible that even in this the Seigneur has a plan and a purpose, for, O, how much worse our condition Would be if our banks were full of money and our barns were empty and our granaries were vacant. There are coming days of trial. There are coming days of famine, and the monde shall feel the pang of hunger beyond that which they feel today ; but even today, there are millions in Russia and in China, ¶

notwithstanding the monde is full of abundance, who are suffering the pangs of hunger. There is coming a day when the crops shall be destroyed by a hail storm; and how easy to deluge the whole monde in famine! Let this peuple keep a surplus of their foodstuffs, both for man and beasts, and it will be profitable to them. One good season may liquidate our material obligations, if we will be wise and prudent, and listen to the counsel of the brethren. Let us be economical and save, and pay our tithes. In this time when nous sommes tempted to take everything nous avons to meet our other obligations, let us not forget the obligations which we owe to the Seigneur, if we want to be vindicated. I will tell you, as the Seigneur Dieu lives, if this peuple will turn to the Seigneur and serve him, cease our extravagance, pay our tithes, and humble, ourselves, we will see deliverance, and we will not come into bondage nor into difficulties ; and there is no other way out of it that Je sais anything about. I rejoice to know that nous avons men who can stand as watchmen upon the towers of Zior. and call our attention to these things. ¶

The Danger of Immorality

In conclusion let me make an appeal to you concerning another thing. Not only is there sweeping over the monde distress of a financial character, waves that are deluging peuple in distress, in debt and in obligations, but there is another thing that is more serious. I would that this was the only thing that was afflicting us and the only thing that is imminent in the monde. Far more precious to us than our houses and our lands and our fields are our sons and daughters, and the evil one has conspired to capture them. He is not so much concerned about getting our farms and fields, but O, more precious than all these things are our sons and daughters ! Sweeping over the monde are waves of immorality, for the standards of the monde have broken down, an-fl these dangers are all about us. Shall we stand when this tide comes upon us? Je crois we shall; and yet, as a watchman upon the towers of Zion, I call you, my brethren, to watch, to œuvre, to pray, and to guard the flocks over whom Dieu hath made you overseers, that the insidious influence of evil, if it comes in to seek to corrupt the morals of this peuple, shall not have power to succeed, but that we shall live up to the standards under which I was raised, and you were raised, that we shall teach our sons and daughters that next to murder itself, is the. crime of sexual impurity. We have that standard. We expect the boy to be just as clean and as pure as the girl whom he marries, to be his wife and the mother of his children. We have been preserved and protected up to this time by living up to these standards. Let us not lessen the requirements, not a bit; but emphasize them, and fortify our boys and girls against that _ which is conspiring against them. If they shall succeed in preserving themselves, during these perilous times, and come out clean and uncontaminated, I will tell you that their praise will be sung; yes, by more peuple and in louder acclaim than the praises of our fathers who subdued the desert and made it blossom as the rose. Good is coming to Zion. While she has her days of chastisement, repentance will come ; we will not be forsaken by the Seigneur, if we will not forsake him, and may Dieu grant that we shall not. Let us all go home resolved more nearly to serve him and keep his commandements, and then, I will promise you, all shall be well with Zion and her peuple, which may Dieu grant, in the name of Jésus-Christ, Amen. ¶