Remarks

I feel very dependent upon the Lord for what I shall say this morning, and I also feel very much the need of His assistance and the strength of His Spirit to enable me to make myself heard. About two or three months ago I became poisoned by the foul air which was compelled to inhale while speaking in a close, warm meeting room, and I have been suffering from it since. We cannot live without fresh air. We could live much longer without food than without air, and if there is any fresh air that could be let into this house, I think it would be a good thing for the congregation. ¶

It is a grand sight to behold this vast congregation gathered from all parts of the Territory for the purpose of attending the sixty-fifth annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and taking part in the exercises thereof. In my judgment, one of the most important acts performed at the conferences of the Church is that in which we hold up our hands before the Lord to sustain the authorities of the Church and the organization thereof as it exists. But it is one of the important things we do which rests with little weight upon some people. In other words, some people go away after holding up their hands to sustain the authorities of the Church and think no more about it, and act in many respects as though they had merely gone through a form to which they did not attach any importance whatever. I conceive this to be a wrong principle. It is equally wrong to do this as it is to neglect any other principle which pertains to the government of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or to ignore any principle of the Gospel which is necessary for our welfare and happiness and for the uniting of us together in the holy faith. Those who covenant to keep the commandments of the Lord, and then violate that covenant by failing to observe those commandments, do no more than they do who raise their hands in token of a covenant to uphold and sustain the authorities of the Church and then fail to do it. The principle is the same in both cases: it is a violation of the covenant we make. If we do not intend to keep our covenants and to obey the commands of the Lord, it will be better for us to refrain from making them. For “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin,” and to him that maketh a covenant, and breaketh it, to him it is sin. He that hath made no covenant, being without knowledge, is under no obligation. Hence the world, not having entered into the covenants of the Gospel, will fare better in the final judgment before the bar of God than many of us who have entered into the covenants of the Gospel and fail to keep them. The heathen world will enjoy greater immunity from the wrath of the Lord in the day of judgment than will the Latter-day Saints who fail to keep the covenants which they have made in the Gospel. ¶

We have been gathered out of Babylon by the hand of God. We have come into these mountains by the voice of the Spirit, calling upon us to come out of Babylon, that we might not partake of her sins nor receive of her plagues. Many of us have come here in obedience to that call. For a time it looked as if we were going to be able to accomplish the purpose for which we were gathered in much better for than subsequent events proved. Notwithstanding we have been gathered here it is apparent that we are still very human, very weak, and susceptible to the influences of the world—that we are far from being what we should be, in many respects. The doctrine of Christ is the doctrine of purity, of holiness, of self-sacrifice, of humility, of submission to the will of the Father. It is difficult for us to comply fully with the doctrine of Christ. I realize that it is for me. Jesus came into the world born of woman, as we are; yet He is called the Son of God, the Lamb which was slain before the foundation of the world, that taketh away the sin of the world. His life upon the earth was a humble life. It was marked by no great or powerful accomplishments like unto the great deeds that other men have accomplished in the world. He built no temple, He founded no city; He established no empire or nation; He led no armies to battle; He did not figure as a statesman among the people; but He came as the meek and lowly Jesus, the humble Nazarene, preaching faith in God, repentance of sin, and the acknowledgment or the will of the Father as being above all other things. He did not take the pains to teach mankind how to get a temporal living. He did not bother Himself with the science of financiering. When he needed money to pay taxes, He told His disciples to go to the lake and cast their net and take out a fish, and there they would find money to pay their taxes. He devoted himself to the preaching of the word of life, the word of God, the power of salvation, to the children of men. He did not teach people how to farm or to get a living. It was not necessary. And yet he proved beyond the possibility of a doubt that He knew how to combine the elements to meet His necessities. He was not entirely dependent upon the ordinary sources of life for existence; for when He wanted bread to feed the multitude He was able to call it together, so that when He had fed the multitude they took up more than they had at the beginning. When He wanted wine at the feast of Cana, His own wedding perhaps, He did not have to send out and buy it; but He took the water pots and converted the water into wine, and made superior wine of it, too, to that which man could make with all his skill in wine making. Hence He was not ignorant with regard to the laws of life, development and organization. If He did not teach men how to financier. He understood the principle. If He did not teach them how to build temples, He understood their purposes and how to build them. If He did not attempt to found cities and empires, He understood the principles by which cities were built and empires were founded. If He did not teach men how to get a living in the world, He understood the principle of life, both temporal and spiritual. He came to teach the way of eternal life. His words were simple words, easy to be understood. He spoke to the understanding of the people among whom he labored. He sought, in the simplest forms of speech and in the plainest manner, to convey to them the words of truth and soberness, the principles of life and salvation. He exemplified these words in His life and actions. Among other things, He taught that the greatest commandment given unto men was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” He further taught that the next greatest commandment given unto men was, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” These were the great foundation principles of the Gospel that was taught by our Savior while He was upon the earth. Of course, these follow obedience to the first principles of the Gospel; for except we believe, except we have the witness of the Holy Spirit to bear record unto us of the Father and the Son it would be impossible for us to love God as we should. And if we could not keep the first commandment, it would be impossible for a man to keep the next; for it is impossible for a man to say truthfully that he loves his neighbor if he does not love God. It is also impossible for a man to say truthfully that he follows God without he loves his neighbor. The Apostle John says, “If a man say I love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar.” Therefore, if we love God, we are in a position to love our neighbor; and if we love our neighbor anything like we love ourselves, it is an evidence that we love God; for these go hand in hand and are inseparable. ¶

If the world would obey the counsels of the Son of God there would be no difficulty respecting the government of men, because the same condition would exist as was described by the Prophet Joseph when he was asked how he governed the people. He said he taught them correct principles and they governed themselves. If we understood the doctrines of Christ and would practice them, we would not stand in need of much government. Being possessed of a knowledge of the truth, and having a desire in our hearts to obey it, we would not need judges and lawyers, governors and rulers, for God would be our governor, and Christ would be our lawgiver, and we would delight to obey Him. How long will it take us to learn to become obedient to the requirements of the Gospel? We have been baptized for the remission of our sins and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and we have been confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We covenanted before the Lord in baptism that we would abstain from sin; that we would learned to do that which is right and proper in the sight of God. The law of the Lord is now before us, and we may read it from day to day; but we do not appear to understand it, or if we do, many of us certainly go far from our understanding. Now, I do not mean to apply this to any man or woman who is keeping the laws of God according to the light he or she possesses. I do not mean those who have the love of God in their hearts. When I say that men do not love God with all their hearts I do not refer to those who do. If this whole congregation possess the love of God in their hearts, then what I say with regard to this does not apply to this congregation, but only to those who have not obtained this spirit and are still unconverted. I want to read a word or two in this glorious book that President Woodruff has recommended to you so highly—the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which, as he has said and I firmly believe, contains some of the most sublime revelations that have ever been given to the world: ¶

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receiveth not the gift? Behold he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. ¶

And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law, and perfected and sanctified by the same. ¶

That which breaketh a law and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice nor judgment. Therefore they must remain filthy still. ¶

And all kingdoms have a law given: ¶

And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom. ¶

What I desire to call your attention to more particularly is: “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he received not the gift? Behold he rejoices not in that which is given him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” I consider that every principle of the Gospel which we have received is in itself a glorious gift of God unto the children of men. The gift of wisdom, the gift of understanding, the gift of healing, the gift of testimony, the gift of knowledge, all these are designed by the Almighty to come to us through our obedience to the principles of life and salvation. The word which the Lord has given to us respecting wisdom in our habits, in our eating and drinking, and in our conduct through life, is a gift of God unto us. How many of us appreciate that gift and have joy in the Giver of it? He has said that if we will keep that simple word which He has revealed, we shall run and not be wearing, we shall walk and not faint. I once heard a preacher of the Gospel explain how men could run and not be weary and walk and not faint. He said if a man possessed the knowledge which he is entitled to, if he were running he would stop before he got weary, and if he were walking he would have judgment to stop and sit down before he fainted. When I heard this explanation it sounded to me a little worldly. It did not seem to strike me as being just the interpretation to give to this passage. Yet when I came to reflect upon it, it is a truth that if a man possessed the keys which unlock the treasury of knowledge and wisdom, he would then be able to govern himself agreeable to the laws of God, and he would do nothing that would bring sorrow or trouble, fatigue or faintness upon himself; he would go as far as wisdom dictated, and there he would remain until he was resuscitated. But in the mad rush of life for worldly honors and for the possession of the perishable things of this earth men do not stop before they get weary, and they do not rest before they become faint. They appear to think that what is necessary for them when they become weary and faint is to take stimulants to refresh themselves, that they may be able to run a little farther for a few moments. In this way the man of business braces himself up by taking strong drinks. The housewife and the mother who has the care of her family upon her hands, after she has toiled until she has become faint, feels that she must, in order to keep up her strength, take a cup of tea, and thus brace up her nerves and strengthen herself for a little while that she may be able to finish her day’s work. Now, if the pure intelligence of the Spirit of God were substituted for the stimulating influence of the tea and the liquor; if we could by some means get a sufficient portion of the Spirit of the Lord within us that would cause us to know just what to do when we felt weariness and faintness coming upon us, without resorting to the aid of stimulants and drugs that go far to injure our systems and make us slaves, to an acquired appetite, it would be a great deal better for us. A good housewife who takes her tea or coffee to stimulate, and to enable her to finish her day’s work, may feel the effects of it for a little while, and she may think herself better prepared thereby for the labors she has to perform; but if she knew the whole truth she would understand that the injury site is doing herself by this practice is far worse than the fatigue for which she takes the drug as a remedy. I would rather feel tired and exhausted by labor, and let nature have a chance to restore itself, than I would attempt to doctor myself by the use of narcotics and drugs that would sap the foundation of my physical and spiritual health. ¶

But inasmuch as we do not observe the Word of Wisdom, how shall we have wisdom, knowledge and understanding by which we may be governed in our own conduct? The promise is that if we will observe this we shall have knowledge, and the destroyer shall pass us by, and we shall escape those evils that are coming upon the wicked. But many of the Latter-day Saints do not believe in this Word of Wisdom. They have no joy in this gift which God has bestowed upon them. In the beginning it was given not by commandment, lest we should be under condemnation if we did not observe it; for when a commandment is given it is necessary that we should obey it or we must abide all the consequences. But when we are simply invited to do right, and we do it not, the responsibility is not altogether so great. In later times, however, it was revealed through President Brigham Young that we had reached a point in our experience when the Word of Wisdom became a law unto the people, and they were required to obey it. I want simply to lay this before you, and you may think of it yourselves. ¶

That which breaketh a law and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice nor judgment. Therefore they must remain filthy still. ¶

When I see an Elder of Israel walking the streets, using tobacco, which the Lord has said is not good for man, but is for medicine for sick cattle, I say to myself, “This man breaketh a law, and he seeketh to become a law unto himself in regard to this matter, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, so far as this practice is concerned, and therefore he cannot be sanctified by the law, nether by mercy, justice nor judgment, but he will remain filthy still.” When I see people drinking hot stimulants this passage of the law of God comes to my mind, and I think, “Here are the people that are breaking the law and that are seeking to become a law unto themselves, and they are abiding in sin, and they altogether abide in sin in that particular wrong-doing, and therefore they cannot be justified nor sanctified by the law of God, but must remain filthy still.” What better is the Latter-day Saint who curses and profanes the name of Deity than the unbeliever who does the same thing? I will give it as my opinion that the unbeliever who knows not the law of God is under less condemnation for cursing and swearing and blaspheming His name than the man who professes to be a believer. Upon the latter rests the greater responsibility. What better is a drunkard who professes to be a Latter-day Saint than the unbeliever who is accustomed to drunkenness? He is no better, but worse. How much better is the Latter-day Saint who uses these things that the Lord has said are not good than one who does not believe in God and uses them? I say, of the two it will be more tolerable for the unbeliever. “But,” one says, “you put a great deal of stress upon the importance of these matters. The drinking of a cup of tea is a very simple thing.” If it were just the cup of tea, the sin would not be so very great; it would simply be an injury to the individual, except others thereby followed the example, and then they also would be affected by it. But it is not the drinking of the cup of tea that I have in mind. I do not care a groat about your tea or your coffee, your tobacco or your whisky. What I have in mind is this: God has said that these things are not good. He has given you a commandment that you shall not practice these habits and customs of the world; that you shall come out of Babylon, that you may not partake of her sins nor receive of her plagues; and when we indulge in these habits it is violating the commands of God, and we are under condemnation, the same as when we raise our hands to uphold and sustain the authorities of the Church, and then go away and backbite them and say all manner of evil falsely against them, holding them up to scorn and ridicule from our ignorant standpoint, wherein we judge them partially, not knowing their motives. It is a serious wrong in the presence of the Almighty for one to vote to sustain the authorities of the Church and then to go away and oppose them and trample under foot the counsels that they give; and we will be judged of the Lord for it. If we do not believe in this, let us not enter into the covenant. ¶

Another thing: When you see men who hold the priesthood, and are in high positions in the church, manifesting a coldness and indifference, and they seek to shun their brethren lest peradventure they may receive counsel they do not want, depend upon it there is something wrong beneath the surface. One who does this “breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin and cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore they must remain filthy still,” until they repent of their sins. ¶

May God have mercy upon us, and lead us in the paths of duty. It grieves me when I look around and see the boldness, and impudence, the shamelessness and the utter disregard on the part of some men to the feelings and sentiments of a whole people as to come and flaunt in the faces of the people, on the days of their Conference, advertisements which would, if they should succeed, be the means of sowing the seeds of desolation and death amongst us. We desired yesterday to have Bro. Talmage speak upon this matter from a scientific standpoint; but he was called suddenly and was unprepared. I wish that he had had more time, so that he could have given us figures in relation to this matter. But if you allow your sons to begin the practice of smoking, drinking, &c., the appetite for opium and other narcotic and pernicious things will fasten itself upon them so that they will not be able to resist it throughout the future of their lives. They are the seeds of immorality and death, and we should avoid them, and see that our children do not fall into the traps that have been set for them. The Lord help us to preserve our children from the sins of the world, and help us also to avoid breaking the law of God and spurning the gifts that He has bestowed upon us; but may He enable us to appreciate these gifts and also the source from whence they come, that we may be benefited by these things, and eventually, be brought back into His presence and partake of glory and exaltation with Him. This is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶