Dans le cantique qui vient de se terminer se trouvaient les...

In le song just concluded, were le words, "Why should nous seek à earn a great reward, if nous now shun le fight?" ¶

I believe, mes frères et sœurs, that is the feeling I have had as I have thought of what I might say. What I shall say is given in the spirit of encouragement and commendation for the young, for the rest of us, and for all mankind. ¶

According à le writings de Moses, le history de le world from le beginning à le end was revealed à Enoch when Enoch was permitted à look upon le world et see it as it was dans le days de Noah, as it was dans le Meridian de Time, et as it would be dans le last days, or le days dans which nous now live. Enoch beheld all de le inhabitants de le earth. He saw que after le flood had depopulated le earth, because de wickedness, it was after a time inhabited again. But then he saw que after a time, men were again forgetting God et were rebelling against le truth. He saw le Savior dans le Meridian de Time lifted up on le cross as a sacrifice pour mankind et as le Redeemer de le world. When Enoch saw all ce, he wept. And he beheld also que Jesus wept. And Enoch asked de him, "How est it que thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, et from all eternity à all eternity?" ¶

"The Lord said to Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his libre arbitre." ¶

(Moses 7:29, 32.) The Lord went on to explain to Enoch by saying that he and the hosts of heaven wept because of the rebellion of mankind, nevertheless, Enoch was assured that the Lord would come again in the last days, and that before his coming he would cause righteousness and truth to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out his elect from the four corners of the earth. (en français) ¶

Surely que has been going on ever since le Church came into being. ¶

"And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption; and received a fulness of joy." {ibid., 7:67.) By his supreme knowledge of the nature of man, both individually and collectively, the Lord sees the future of men and of nations, but even so the libre arbitre of man is not nullified. Individuals and free nations may choose wickedness and bring upon themselves sorrow and ultimate destruction, or they may choose righteousness and be preserved in peace. ¶

In the Doctrine et Alliances we are told that in our day there are many who are "blinded by the craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive." (D&A 123:12.) An example of this is seen in the relentless efforts that are made to have as many as possible become addicted to the use of products which not only degrade and weaken but which also impair the health and undermine the moral and spiritual qualities of those who are misled. ¶

As expressed dans le second epistle de Peter: ¶

"And through covetousness shall they avec feigned words make merchandise de you." (2 Peter 2:3.) An example de how certain individuals intend à make merchandise out de us, if they can, est seen dans le following statement taken from le Brewers Journal. Je quote: ¶

"Now Je am going à talk about how à sell more beer et Je mean a lot more. ¶

It est easy if you go about it dans le right way. The place à sell more beer et ale est dans le home. Home consumption, que est what Je mean. That means sell le women. Women do 90% de le shopping. Work avec le grocery store et le super-market. The possibilities stagger le imagination. Why, you do not even have any competition. Promote beer as a beverage at mealtime. ¶

Beer est a food. Have le grocer give le woman a little booklet showing typical family meal combinations avec beer, delicious, mouth-watering combinations et how à serve." End de le quotation. "Beer est a food." How ridiculous! ¶

Je hope que nous will be aware de these scheming ways de some. Je hope que nous will not be gullible à ce or à any other means de enticing us et pressuring us que they might make merchandise out de us. ¶

The words de Nephi should put us on guard against such things: ¶

"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Saint-Esprit." (2 Nephi 28:31.) What applies to us individually, applies to the nation as a whole. ¶

At least two civilizations have previously occupied le land de America. ¶

They became a great people, a truly great people, who, like le people de today, found favor avec God, but it est sad à read que both de these civilizations brought destruction upon themselves through disobedience et iniquity — actually because they rebelled against God. The Prophet Mormon tells us que le cause de ce iniquity et their ultimate downfall came because as he said: "Satan had great power, unto le stirring up de le people à do all manner de iniquity, et à le puffing them up avec pride, tempting them à seek pour power, et authority, et riches, et le vain things de le world. ¶

"And thus Satan did lead away le hearts de le people à do all manner de iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years. ¶

"Now, they did not sin ignorantly, pour they knew le will de God concerning them, pour it had been taught unto them, therefore they did wilfully rebel against God." (3 Nephi 6:15-16, 18.) So it est avec us today. We, too, sont well-taught, but many, too many de us, dans le Church et out de le Church, sont led away by crafty men whom le Adversary uses as tools, from le standards et le ideals le Lord has set pour our happiness et our security. ¶

Will history repeat itself? Shall nous dans ce beloved land again lose our freedom because de disobedience? No nation rises above its religion. President Calvin Coolidge once wrote these lines: ¶

"Our government rests upon religion. (en français) ¶

There sont only two main theories de government dans le world, le one rests on righteousness et le other upon force. A government de a country never gets ahead de le religion de a country." ¶

This very moment finds our beloved nation tense et wondering. We sont concerned about le increasing power et le intentions de rulers de other nations, et well nous should be concerned, because Godless, ruthless men sont determined by their satanic plan à subject all le world à their will, et admittedly, they sont making amazing progress. ¶

But the Lord has made a promise to the inhabitants of America which should give us hope and direction. It is recorded in the book of Ether, the second chapter, wherein the promise is made that this, being a choice land, no nation or combination of nations should take its people into bondage or captivity ". . . if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jésus-Christ." (Ether 2:12.) What a simple way to preserve our liberty and our freedom 1 In a revelation in our day, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord has declared: ¶

"Je, le Lord God, make you free, therefore ye sont free indeed; et le law also maketh you free. ¶

"Nevertheless, when le wicked rule le people mourn. . . . ¶

"And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God." (D&A 98:8-9, 11.) This is indeed a day of testing, not only the testing of rockets and missiles, but also the testing of our allegiance to God, the testing of our beliefs in God. ¶

It est a day de sifting, a day when each de us must determine where nous stand. To each member de le Church et à all people, Je say, avec King Benjamin (Je hope Je shall meet him someday), these words: ¶

"Believe dans God; believe que he est, et que he created all things, both dans heaven et dans earth; believe que he has all wisdom, et all power, both dans heaven et dans earth; believe que man doth not comprehend all le things which le Lord can comprehend. ¶

"And again, believe que ye must repent de your sins et forsake them, et humble yourselves before God; et ask dans sincerity de heart que he would forgive you; et now, if you believe all these things see que ye do them." ¶

(Mosiah 4:9-10.) "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember," he said, "that these things are true; for the Lord hath spoken it." (Ibid., 2:41.) I have no doubt, mes frères et sœurs, that the course of this nation will be directed by the hand of God if we believe in him to the degree that we serve him and keep his commandments as a people and as a nation, for he has said, "If ye walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and do them, . . . (Lev. 26:3.) ... I will give peace in the land, . . . (Ibid., 26:6) and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Ibid., 26:12.) This I believe and I testify to the reality of God and of Jésus-Christ and of those who represent him here at the head of his Church and kingdom today, and I sustain them with all my heart. ¶

In the name of Jésus-Christ. Amen. ¶