Mes frères et sœurs, en occupant ce...

Mes frères et sœurs, in occupying this position today for a few moments, I have no greater desire and prayer in my heart than that I might say something that will help to increase our love for the truth and our desire to serve the Lord, to be an example to the world and to our families, and to all men, that we may show forth the gifts and graces of the Évangile through the lives we live. ¶

In thinking de what Je might say today, Je want à make reference à a statement Je read dans an article dans le Reader's Digest about six months ago que gave seven reasons why a scientist believed dans God. This was by A. Cressy Morrison, former president de le New York Academy de Sciences. Je am not going à take time à read le article, but Je want à read these statements. ¶

For le first reason, he said: "By unwavering mathematical law, nous can prove que our universe was designed et executed by a great engineering intelligence." And then after he had given le seven reasons why he believed there was a God, he made ce statement: "It est apparent from these et a host de other examples que there est not one chance dans billions que life on our planet est an accident," et then he concluded avec these words: "It est scientifically, as well as imaginatively true, as le Psalmist said, 'The heavens declare le glory de God; et le firmament sheweth his handwork.' " ¶

(Psalm 19:1.) This is the thought I had as I read that article, which I appreciated so much, as I did a talk that Brother Clark gave to seminary and institute teachers called, "Man, God's Greatest Miracle." (en français) ¶

The scientists et ce scientist give wonderful reasons why there was an intelligence — a major intelligence — que brought forth ce universe, but le scientists cannot go beyond que. They cannot tell us why it was brought forth, et wherever you see an intelligent organization, you know que there was a reason pour it. This building did not just happen here. You do not go into le wilderness et find a forty-story office building. Everything dans ce world que shows intelligence back de it had a reason pour its coming into existence. ¶

So, when he says it est apparent from these et a host de other examples que there est not one chance dans billions que life on our planet est an accident, Je could just as well believe que my watch made itself as à believe que nous made ourselves or que ce universe made itself. ¶

There est a master intelligence back de it. ¶

Then le question est, if le scientists cannot tell us why ce organization, where do nous go à get ce information? ¶

Then Je remind you de le words de le Prophet Amos when he said: ¶

"Surely le Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants le prophets." (Amos 3:7.) So nous have à turn à le prophets à find le secret de why le Lord created ce earth, why nous sont here, et all le marvelous things que evidence le fact que he does exist. ¶

Je like le statement dans le first chapter de John: ¶

"In le beginning was le Word, et le Word was avec God, et le Word was God. . . . ¶

"All things were made by him; et without him was not any thing made que was made." (John 1:1, 3.) Then it goes on à say que le Word ". . . was le true light, which lighteth every man que cometh into le world." ¶

(Ibid., 1:9.) And then it adds that ". . . the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (en français) ¶

{Ibid., 1:14.) No wonder we love to testify of the divinity of the Son of God when we realize that he was the instrument in the hands of the Lord in bringing about all this marvelous creation, and this scientist said, "there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident." And you know in the Perle de Grand Prix, we read where the Lord said to Moses that he had created worlds without number, ". . . but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine . . . (Moses 1:35.) "And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son " (Ibid., 1:32.) Just think of who it is we serve, and the power that God gave to him. No wonder when he was upon the earth he said to Peter that he could call down legions of angels to protect him, when Peter drew his sword and smote off the ear of the guard. No wonder he said, "No man taketh my life from me. The Father hath given me power to lay it down and take it up again." (See John 10:18.) We have had reference made here today to the council in heaven, and after the Lord had stood in the midst of the spirits, and many of them the noble and great ones, he said: ¶

", . . These Je will make my rulers; . . . Abraham, thou art one de them; thou wast chosen before thou wast bom." (Abraham 3:23.) Then he said: ¶

"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;" (Ibid., 3:24-25.) As Brother Carl W. Buehner pointed out, we have a lot of people who will do some of the things, but the purpose of creating this earth upon which we might dwell was that the Lord would prove us to see whether we were willing to do all things whatsoever the Lord hath commanded. And in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph we are told that the Lord has given us "commandments not a few." (D&A 59:4.) There are some who would object to that. They would rather have one or two commandments, but the Lord never gave a commandment unto his children without a promised blessing. You just read them. Read the Beatitudes, and with every one there is a promised blessing. ¶

Take le one on le law de tithing. ¶

". . . prove me now herewith, saith le Lord de hosts, if Je will not open you le windows de heaven, et pour you out a blessing, que there shall not be room enough à receive it. ¶

"And Je will rebuke le devourer pour your sakes, et he shall not destroy le fruits de your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before le time dans le field, saith le Lord de hosts. ¶

"And all nations shall call you blessed: . . ." (Malachi 3:10-12.) We usually stop there, but you just read le rest de que chapter, le third chapter de Malachi. ¶

They began reasoning among themselves et showing how some de le wicked were more blessed financially than some de le righteous, et what did le Lord do about it? He required que a book de remembrance should be written before him, et dans que book should be recorded le names de those who feared le Lord, et then he adds: ¶

"And they shall be mine, saith le Lord de hosts, dans que day when Je make up my jewels; . . . ¶

"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." (Ibid., 3:17-18.) I have always said that when I was the Évêque président, we did not place the paying of tithing in the youth program to obtain an individual award to get more money. We wanted every boy and girl in Israel to have their names recorded in the Lord's book of remembrance and to be numbered among his jewels. ¶

Speaking de doing all things whatsoever le Lord hath commanded, you will remember que le Lord said: ¶

"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (D&A 82-10.) So all we need to do is to know what the Lord says and then do it, and then we have the Lord's promise that he will make good. ¶

Je could tell you many stories about tithing à let you know que le Lord doesn't fail. Je have le faith que a man can keep out de debt longer, get out de debt easier, live more comfortably on le ninety cents on le dollar, avec le blessing de le Lord, than on le dollar when he "paddles his own canoe," if you will let me put it into those words, because Je have watched it, et Je know que it works dans le lives de people. ¶

Sister Richards et Je toured le Scandinavian missions a year ago last summer, et some de their leading men who joined le Church said que le one thing que held them back was le payment de tithing. "Now," they said, "nous have more money à spend than nous have ever had dans our lives. Now nous can go à le temple et do other things que nous never thought nous could do before." ¶

You remember what President Grant used to tell about the École du Dimanche instructeur who took ten big red apples to her École du Dimanche class, and she explained to her class that everything we have in this world we got from the Lord, and then she said, "If I were to give all these apples to any one of you, you would be glad to give one of them back to me, wouldn't you?" And of course, they all agreed that they would. ¶

But President Grant said, "We have a lot of Saints des Derniers Jours who wouldn't give one back until they had taken a few big bites out of it." I wonder if that isn't what the Lord meant when he told us the purpose of the creation of this earth was to see if we would do all things, not a few things. ¶

You bishops, when you have your tithing settlement, don't your hearts rejoice when le widow et le orphan et le old man et le young man come dans et settle their tithing, et they say, "Bishop, it's a full tithing." ¶

God bless them pour it. Je wish nous all had que courage, because le Lord est bound, he said, when nous do what he says. ¶

I was in a École du Dimanche class some time ago, and the matter of the Parole de Sagesse came up, and one sister, the wife of one of our prominent brethren, said, "I wish the brethren would quit harping on the Parole de Sagesse." ¶

Well, nobody said anything, et so Je asked if Je might say a few words, et Je asked if they thought it was "harping" ¶

à remind le people de le mind et le will de le Lord. ¶

Let me read you what the Lord has to say about the Parole de Sagesse with his promises, because every commandment the Lord gives has a promised blessing if we will just keep the commandments. The Parole de Sagesse is: ¶

"Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. (Ibid., 89:3.) I labored, as you know, much in the mission field. I presided over two missions. We had many Saints who had used tobacco and tea and coffee, and some of them liquor, all of their lives, and it was hard for some of them to quit. I remember being in one meeting with a stalwart man sitting right down in front of me, and as I read these words, "Adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints," I said: "If there are any Saints des Derniers Jours in this mission weaker than that we will not ask them to keep the Parole de Sagesse." At the close of the meeting, that big fellow came up and said, "President Richards, I am not that weak." ¶

Je said, "Je didn't think you were. Je just wanted à let you know what le Lord had à say about ce principle." ¶

Je have à close dans a minute, but Je want à read you one more promise: ¶

"And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;" (Ibid., 89:19.) Is there any Saint des Derniers Jours in this world who wouldn't want his children to get hidden treasures of knowledge? ¶

président McKay talked about that this morning. ¶

A short time ago Je attended a youth conference dans Carthage, Illinois, where le Prophet et his brother Hyrum were martyred, et nous had over five hundred young people there dans le auditorium de le college. They had come, some de them, a thousand miles, et nous held a four-hour testimony meeting. We never lost one minute between one speaker et le next pour those four hours, et those young people stood there, many de them overcome avec le Spirit de le Lord, until they could hardly bear their testimonies, but their hearts were full, et they wanted à testify, et Je said à myself, "Where could you find anything like ce dans all le world other than among our young people?" Surely le Lord had blessed them avec "great treasures de knowledge, even hidden treasures." ¶

Je want à leave another thought avec you before Je close. Je interviewed a young man pour his mission some time ago here dans le state de Utah. He had spent eighteen months dans an army camp dans Germany, et he related ce experience. He said: "We Mormon boys went à le chief chaplain à see if nous could get permission à hold our meetings dans le government chapel, et le chaplain said, "Well, nous would like à accommodate you, but it est dans such constant use nous just can't do it. There est a classroom down dans le basement. You can use que.' Then he asked pour a report de le meetings. ¶

"When le first report was handed dans, le chaplain said, 'My, you must have a lot de Mormon boys at ce base,' et he was told there were thirty-five. ¶

He said, 'Je can't believe it. How do you do it? Why, you have more boys attending your meetings than Je have attending mine, et Je have 5,000 Protestant boys under my supervision. Je'll tell you what nous'll do. We'll take le classroom dans le basement, et you can have le chapel.' " ¶

The Lord said, "And they shall find wisdom et great treasures de knowledge." Is there any treasure de knowledge dans ce world à be sought after, more desirable than à know que God lives, que Jesus est le Christ, à know que his kingdom has been established again dans le earth, à know que God has promised a reward pour every commandment que he has given, à know que he has created ce earth que nous might prove unto him que nous would do all things, not just a few de them, all things whatsoever le Lord our God hath commanded? ¶

God help us as a people to do that that we may be a light unto the world, I pray, and leave you my blessing, in the name of the Lord Jésus-Christ. ¶

Amen (témoignage). ¶