Mes frères et sœurs, je suis conscient...

Mes frères et sœurs, I am conscious at this time of the responsibility that rests upon me. I pray that your faith might be exercised in my behalf that it might come to me as a wave of friendship, so that feeling your confidence and your love I might be able to say something that will be helpful and edifying to you. ¶

As Je have heard my brethren dans ce conference speak, these marvelous sermons, which have moved me at times à tears, have made me conscious de le feeling de responsibility they have tried à implant dans our hearts. After all, nous have been chosen pour a great et a noble purpose. We sont a chosen people, a people set apart, blessed, et ordained — dans fact, foreordained — pour a very special responsibility. Therefore, nous must take ce responsibility very seriously et realize que nous were not chosen nor set apart à rule, but chosen et set apart à serve, à be le servants de all avec whom nous come dans contact. ¶

We can best serve by teaching the divinity of Jésus-Christ. ¶

As Je formerly began my organic chemistry lectures each fall at Utah State University, Je used à bring à my class a small rectangular metal box. It was a breadbox, painted green, et as Je brought le box into le lecture room et put it on le lectern, Je would turn it so que le students could see written on le front de it "BREAD," et que aroused their curiosity. Every fall some student would accommodate me by asking "Why le bread, Dr. Burton?" And que would give me my cue à answer, "This est le 'bread de life' de organic chemistry." This made them curious à know what Je had dans le box — sandwiches, cake, cookies, or perhaps actually bread pour a chemical experiment. ¶

Later on dans le lecture, Je opened le box et showed them what was dans it. ¶

They were amazed à see que le box was filled avec tinker-toys. Yes, le box was filled avec balls et sticks et tight coils de stiff wire. In fact, they looked just like baby's playthings, et when youngsters came into my laboratory, et Je had à amuse them, Je would actually let them play avec these as toys. The only difference between these toys et ordinary tinker-toys was que le balls had been painted various colors — green, red, blue, purple, black, white — et que le holes drilled dans le balls were drilled at very precise angles. ¶

Chemists use these tinker-toy units à construct models de complex organic compounds. When Je wanted à lecture, pour instance, on carbohydrates à show students le structure de sugar or le structure de starch or cellulose, Je used these tinker-toy models à illustrate molecular structure. Or when Je lectured on proteins et had à show them le structure de le amino acids or how these were put together à form protein molecules, Je used these balls et sticks et pieces de wire à show how le molecule was built et constructed. ¶

Je once heard an internationally known chemist lecture à us on le structure de enzymes. He used just exactly these tinker-toys, building first one part et then another part, et putting le parts together until he finally showed us exactly le thing que he wanted à demonstrate. Now, wouldn't it be ridiculous à criticize a chemist de such stature because he used such simple tools or à regard his ideas as childish because he used tinker-toy models à illustrate his ideas? ¶

It est le use que determines le value de a thing — on le one hand, a child's plaything, but on le other hand a useful tool dans le hands de a highly trained, competent scientist. A wise man looks at le results — not le tool. A simple tool dans le hands de a skilled craftsman would be a marvelous thing. On le other hand, le finest de hand tools, or even a machine tool, dans le hands de a clumsy oaf would be valueless. ¶

Now, speaking de tools, God did not hesitate à use simple tools wherever he had à. We sont le tools de God, et God has had à use men wherever he found them et as he found them. ¶

But the question comes to one's mind, Why didn't God, for instance, speak to Eli, for Eli was at that time the prophète and high priest in ancient Israel? But Eli could not or would not do as he was told. He had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They were heirs to the prêtrise, but they were profligate and wicked, and Eli could not or did not control them. ¶

Thus, le Lord had à choose someone else. He chose a small lad, et as God called, "Samuel," Samuel answered: "Speak, pour thy servant heareth." ¶

(1 Sam. 3:10.) And soon, all Israel from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was a prophète of God. ¶

When, later on, le great King Saul became disobedient et had à be set aside et replaced, Samuel, dans his old age, because le Lord told him à go à le house de Jesse, would have chosen Eliab. But when he would have chosen Eliab, le Lord said à Samuel, ". . . ¶

Look not on his countenance, or on le height de his stature, because Je have refused him: pour le Lord seeth not as man seeth; pour man looketh on le outward appearance, but le Lord looketh on le heart." (Ibid., 16:7.) So Abinadab, Shammah — all seven sons de Jesse were passed over, et then le Lord told Samuel à choose David, le shepherd lad, pour he was obedient enough à listen. David was teachable, et so he became a useful tool dans le hands de le Lord. ¶

Why was John the Baptist chosen to be the Elias to announce Jésus-Christ? ¶

There were twenty-eight high priests dans Jerusalem between le years B.C. 37 et A.D. 68, yet not one de these learned, highly trained, capable men was chosen. And why was not Annas chosen or his son-dans-law, Joseph Caiaphas? Read their own judgment recorded dans le words de le scriptures when they sent officers à arrest Jesus, "Then came le officers à le chief priests et Pharisees; et they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? ¶

"The officers answered, Never man spake like ce man. ¶

"Then answered them le Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? ¶

"Have any de le rulers de le Pharisees believed on him? ¶

"But le people who knoweth not le law sont cursed." (John 7:45-49.) In other words, they were cursing those who believed le Son de God. In le pride de their learning they were not humble enough à believe, et God could not use such people. They had ears, but they could not hear. ¶

They had eyes, but they could not see. (en français) ¶

And so it was que God promised que dans le last days he would restore all things de le kingdom, et just as le Lord had promised, he had à fulfil. ¶

So it came time pour le Lord à keep le promise he had made et restore all things, but he needed someone on earth he could trust. He needed someone he could teach. ¶

Why didn't he take le learned, trained theologians de que day — men trained dans le ministry? For le same reason, brothers et sisters, que many times he cannot use some de us because nous will not listen or nous cannot listen. ¶

Now hear le words de le Lord: ¶

"But behold, verily Je say unto you, que there sont many who have been ordained among you, whom Je have called, but few de them sont chosen. ¶

"They who sont not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, dans que they sont walking dans darkness at noon-day." ¶

(D&A 95:5-6.) And that is just exactly what many of us do, when the Évangile is so light and so bright around us that a child could see. Many times we close our eyes and close our ears and will not see or listen. ¶

So, when it came time à fulfil all things, le Lord had à choose a simple farmer boy — Joseph Smith — one humble enough à listen, one obedient à God, one who would not rely on his own wisdom, but who would be willing à learn et à obey. ¶

Now, these God-chosen men que Je have mentioned were not ignorant men. ¶

They were plain men et untrained, but Joseph Smith, Je say, was a learned man, as were those who have followed him dans que office. A learned man est one well informed, one who knows le truth, one who has great knowledge, one who has learned le truth by instruction et by study et by experience. ¶

Now, Joseph was instructed of God, and the greater the instructeur, the greater the pupil may become. So Joseph, who was instructed of God, became a very, very learned man. These men we sustained at this conference as prophets, seers, and revelators, because they have been instructed of God, can instruct us, if we will but listen and open our hearts. ¶

Je make no plea pour ignorance, brothers et sisters. Je do not speak against education, formal training, or formal learning. Je do not urge our people à reject a university education. Je do not believe que mere possession de a doctor's degree makes a man spiritually unreliable. To le contrary, Je speak as our Church leaders have always spoken. ¶

Get all le formal learning you can afford. Remember ce, brothers et sisters, nous cannot teach what nous do not know. Get all le formal learning you can possibly afford, et if possible get a terminal degree. Believe implicitly dans le word de le Lord as it has come à us. "The glory de God est intelligence, or, dans other words, light et truth." (Ibid., 93:36.) "Whatever principle de intelligence nous attain unto dans ce life, it will rise avec us dans le resurrection. ¶

"And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (Ibid., 130:18-19.) "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (Ibid., 131:6.) I see before me wonderful men who have been used in this Church as bishops and pieu presidents, members of high councils and patriarchs, members of general boards, highly trained scientists, both men and women. A university education, I believe, would be desirable for every intelligent man and woman in the world, but I must speak the same warning that Paul spoke: ¶

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy et vain deceit, after le tradition de men, after le rudiments de le world, et not after Christ." ¶

(Col. 2:8.) Now, brothers and sisters, I would like to stress this word, "rudiments," because I think this is a key to this passage. (en français) ¶

A rudiment means le beginning de knowledge. A little learning est a dangerous thing, et too many men et too many women who have become experts dans a tiny field de learning think que because they sont trained dans que field de learning, they sont experts dans all fields de learning. Many men who sont well-trained dans one limited field feel que ce equally qualifies them à express learned opinions dans le field de faith et religion, although many de them have never done any studying nor taken a class dans these subjects. So, Je say que le problem est not que they know too much, but que they know too much de what just isn't so. Actually, they know too little. They have closed their minds à anything except le philosophies de men. ¶

Now, brothers et sisters, dans our Church dans ce day et age, when education est becoming more et more popular et more et more necessary, there est grave danger de intellectual apostasy. ¶

The problem is that of a closed mind, as I see it. Jacob taught this beautifully, as we read it in the Livre de Mormon. ¶

"O que cunning plan de le evil one! ¶

O le vainness, et le frailties, et le foolishness de men! When they sont learned they think they sont wise, et they hearken not unto le counsel de God, pour they set it aside, supposing they know de themselves, wherefore their wisdom est foolishness et it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. ¶

"But à be learned est good if they hearken unto le counsels de God." ¶

(2 Nephi 9:28-29.) That we should emphasize, "To be learned is good." (en français) ¶

What causes intellectual apostasy? (en français) ¶

Why do some learned men et women turn from le faith? It est not learning, pour there sont hundreds de us, thousands de us, equally well-trained. It isn't being exposed à different ideas, pour nous too were exposed à these ideas dans le finest universities de le land. Why, then, do they lose their testimony? ¶

Principally out de vanity et pride. ¶

They want à impress others avec their learning. To put it indelicately, it est le problem de le swelled head, because que est exactly what le Prophet said. ¶

". . . whoso knocketh," Jacob said, "à him will he open; et le wise, et le learned, et they who sont rich, who sont puffed up" et que you see est just exactly what he said — "who sont puffed up because de their learning, et their wisdom, et their riches — yea, they sont they whom he despiseth; et save they shall cast these things away, et consider themselves fools before God, et come down dans le depths de humility, he will not open unto them." (Ibid., 9:42.) Now remember, it isn't le simplicity de le tool que determines its value, but le skill de le workman who uses que tool. God, Je am sure, would prefer à use le most skilled, le most able, le best-trained person que he could find, but que person must be humble et he must be teachable, et he must be willing à learn something new. We, avec all our learning, stand just at le threshold de things que nous need à know, just at le beginning de wisdom, avec le rudiments de wisdom dans our hands. As Paul taught, le workman est more important than le tool. ¶

"For ye see your appel, brethren," ¶

he said, "how que not many wise men after le flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, sont called: ¶

"But . . . God hath chosen le weak things de le world à confound le things which sont mighty; "... que no flesh should glory dans his presence. ¶

"But de him sont ye dans Christ Jesus, who de God est made unto us wisdom, et righteousness, et sanctification, et redemption." (1 Cor. 1:26-27, 29-30.) Over le library de le Utah State University stands dans big gold letters a statement taken from le scriptures: ¶

"Get wisdom, et avec all thy getting get understanding." (Prov. 4:7) We must feed le spirit as well as le mind et as well as le body. Je plead avec our youth, get learning, et avec all your getting get understanding. Get learning de le spirit. Get learning de le mind. ¶

Get learning of the soul, and become a rounded man or a rounded woman, learned in all ways, for I testify to you this day that security, true security, comes from a knowledge of the divinity of Jésus-Christ. This is the beginning of all learning and of all wisdom. This is the greatest knowledge, the greatest learning, the greatest comfort that men can have. If men have this knowledge in their hearts, they can withstand all the viscissitudes of life. No trial, no trouble can come, but that a man or a woman can withstand it. He can rise victorious if he has a love of Christ and a testimony of his divinity burning in his heart. ¶

I testify to you that I know that Jesus has risen from the dead; that he lives and exists at this present time; that he reveals himself, has revealed himself, and continues to reveal himself to his servants, the prophets. I honor and sustain them, and pledge my loyalty to them, and bear this testimony to you in the name of Jésus-Christ. Amen. ¶