Value of a Well Spent Life

In the hymn just sung a very sweet text is given unto me: "God is with thee." I think it has been demonstrated at this Conference, in the testimonies that have been given concerning us and concerning the establishment of the Church of Christ upon the earth in these latter days — that God is with us, and that the prophecies are being fulfilled establishing the truth of the utterances of the prophets that have lived upon the earth in the days that are gone; and that the glorious principles of the everlasting Gospel are being preached by us in all the world for a witness; to the accomplishment of His own glorious purposes, as has been demonstrated in the discourses that have been given during this Conference concerning the work of God in the earth, and its wonderful progress. ¶

I was very much impressed a few days ago when I had the honor of an invitation to the Temple by the Temple workers, who, loving their president, had invited him to come and spend an hour or two with them upon the anniversary of his birthday— I was very much impressed with the value of a well-spent life. What a credit it is to a man and how God is glorified in having such sons as our president here in this lower world, surrounded by all its allurements and temptations, who of their own free will and agency take up the cross of Christ, obey His unpopular doctrine; and are willing to be looked upon as the offscouring of all flesh, because they love God, acknowledge the atonement of His son and desire to love Him and keep His commandments rather than anything else, no matter what the consequences may be! I can understand how God is glorified because it is by the grace of God that we are sustained. We could not do without it, and it is another evidence that God is with us ¶

I remember coming out of the world, and I remember accepting this unpopular doctrine; I remember the contumely and scorn and contempt that I had to pass through; and I have advocated this despised doctrine and have been sustained by the grace of God, and I know that He has been with me; and in all my tribulations, afflictions, in my bereavements and heartaches, I can bear testimony that God has been with me. I know that God lives. I have learned that in my experience; He has been my counselor and my guide; He has been my director. I have sought the counsels of His will and have endeavored in my poor way to carry them out, and I can bear this testimony that God has been with me. He has sustained me in all the vicissitudes of life: and in the fulfilment of all my duties; and I also know that He is with this people; and that which we are most condemned for — our belief in plural marriage — is, to my mind, another evidence that we are the Israel of God. Pagan Rome prohibited plural marriage, and this action has been generally accepted and sustained by the so-called Christian nations, of the earth. Now, we are told not to love the world nor the things of the world. If we love the world the love of God is not with us; but there are many other evidences that this people are the people of God, and that God has sustained them, and that He is with them. The Latter-day Saints are devoted to their country; they are devoted to the Constitution; they look upon it as a sacred record, given by inspiration; and they revere the men who were made instruments in the hands of Almighty God in framing that wonderful document; and they are true and faithful to it; and they have manifested this faithfulness on all occasions. Whenever their country required their assistance, they have been ready to lay down their lives in defense of it and in defense of the flag, and in defense of the constitution. We are a liberty loving people, and we respect the government, and we manifest this in the course that we are taking today. We can afford to labor and wait, because we know that intelligence must rule. Mob violence and mob rule is distressing, but the rule and government of intelligence is what we all desire, for when the righteous rule the people rejoice, and when the wicked rule the people mourn. We are in favor of good government; we are in favor of intelligence. We give our children the best education that we can. Our academies and our seminaries of learning show this. The first house for public purposes that is built in any of our settlements is, as a rule, the school house. We have always demonstrated that we were in favor of education. We want doctrines, but we want likewise good education. We don't want to be taught false theories and false doctrines, but we want the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, because to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent is eternal life; and we want this eternal life. That is one reason why we assemble in conference — to learn of the ways of the Lord, that we may walk in His paths. We want to understand the conditions of salvation. ¶

I have a profound affection for the Apostle John. He says, in the first chapter of his first epistle: ¶

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ¶

"(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifest unto us;) ¶

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ¶

"And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full " — (I John i, 1-4. ¶

He thus wrote unto the saints, those who had obeyed the principles of the Gospel — the doctrine of Christ. They believed and worshipped the living and true God in the name of Jesus Christ, accepting the atonement; they had repented of their sins and of their false doctrines and theories; they had been baptized by immersion for the remission of their sins; they had received the efficacy of the precious blood of Christ which follows the water and they had received the gift of the Holy Ghost. He further says: ¶

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." ¶

That is what we believe. ¶

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." ¶

Now mark you, ¶

"But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John i, 5-7. ¶

These are the conditions: "If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of His Son Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." We believe that. We believe that it is necessary for us to walk in the light; we believe that it is necessary for us to keep the commandments of Almighty God; and we have seen that God is with those that love Him and keep His commandments. ¶

The life of our beloved President, Lorenzo Snow, was reviewed on the occasion I referred to; it was a grand record. Then I thought of President Wilford Woodruff; of President John Taylor; of President Brigham Young; of President Joseph Smith, these servants of God who have stood the brunt and burden of the day, being right in the front of the battle; and also I thought of their counselors: Heber C. Kimball, Daniel H. Wells, Willard Richards, Jedediah M. Grant, George A. Smith and others who have passed away — men who have made the record of a well-spent life; who have done the will of God and kept His commandments. I thought what a glorious record this was. What have they demonstrated? They have demonstrated that they loved righteousness rather than the things of the world. Here is what the beloved disciple says on this matter: ¶

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. ¶

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¶

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." (I John ii, 15-17. ¶

I say God is with us, because we do His will. If we do not the will of God, we have no promise, for the Lord has said: "When you do as I say, I am bound to fulfill, but when you do not, you have no promise." (Doctrine and Covenants). John further says: ¶

"Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. ¶

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. ¶

"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. ¶

"I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth." (I John ii, 18-21. ¶

Why do we pay our tithes and offerings? To be obedient and do the will of God. That was a grand sermon that used to be preached by Bishop Edward Hunter: "Pay your tithes and offerings and be blessed." He that has lived that principle can bear testimony to the truth of what was referred to by Brother John W. Taylor: "Whoso will do the will of the Father shall know of the doctrine." Well, how do we know? Because we have the living witness. We learned in our obedience that baptism by immersion for the remission of sins is necessary. God never established anything that was non-essential. Jesus Christ told Nicodemus that unless he was born again he could not see the kingdom of God, and that unless he was born of the water and of the Spirit he could in no wise enter into the kingdom of God; and when He, Jesus went unto John to be baptized of him, and John forbade him, He said, "Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." There are two principles, Christ and anti-Christ. Anti-Christ is opposed to the doctrine of Christ. Anti-Christ says the ordinances are non-essential; Christ says these ordinances are essential. He also says "not those that say Lord, Lord shall inherit the kingdom, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven." Again — "He that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken to a man that built his house upon a rock, and the winds blew and the rains descended and beat upon that house, but it stood, because it was built upon a rock," "but he that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, is like the man that built his house upon the sand, etc." The difference between the obedient and disobedient. ¶

My beloved brethren and sisters, I bear testimony that God is with us; that we are the Church of Christ, representing the Church of the Lamb upon the earth; and we believe these everlasting principles; we appreciate them; and by reference to the Scriptures we can show that it is no new doctrine; that as it was in the beginning, is now and ever will be. These doctrines and principles of everlasting life are eternal. Another impression that was made upon my mind when thinking of the glory of a well-spent life: I thought that these brethren, these representative men, were kind to themselves; I thought they had chosen the better part; they had taken up the cross of Christ; and they had advocated the principles of Almighty God and His righteousness down to the very last, enjoining upon, their children, and upon their children's children to be true and faithful to the everlasting principles of the Gospel, that they may inherit that rest that was promised unto those that would love God and keep His commandments. What is meant by that rest? It means a fulness of everything; to enjoy a fulness of love, a fulness of light, a fulness of intelligence, a fulness of power; to sit down with Christ upon His throne, as He has overcome and sits upon the throne of the Father — the promise that was given unto the Israel of God — the promise that was given to the sons of the Most High. Do we understand these principles? Do we understand the value of a well-spent life? Do we understand the glory of loving God and keeping His commandments, and of keeping ourselves clean and unspotted from the world? This is what we want to understand. We want to magnify the Priesthood God has given us and the Lord has told us concerning the magnifying of the Priesthood, that we can rightly have some idea as to what we can attain to, because the Lord has been very kind unto us in giving unto us the principles of the everlasting Gospel, and has taught us the value of the Priesthood. He requires an intelligent obedience. ¶

Let me refer you to the Doctrine and Covenants, page 290: ¶

"And this greater Priesthood (the Melchisedek) administereth the Gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God; ¶

"Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest; ¶

"And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the Priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest to man in the flesh; ¶

"For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. ¶

"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God. ¶

"But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence, therefore, the Lord in his wrath (for his anger was kindled against them) swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory." (Sec. 86, v. 19-24. ¶

Again, "For whoso is faithful to the obtaining of these two Priesthoods of which I have spoken, (the Aaronic and Melchisedec) and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies; ¶

"They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron, and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God; ¶

"And also they who receive this priesthood receiveth me, saith the Lord; ¶

"For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; ¶

"And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; ¶

"And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him; ¶

"And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the Priesthood. ¶

"Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he can not break, neither can it be moved; ¶

"But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come." (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 86, v. 33-41. ¶

I want to bear my testimony that this Priesthood of the Son of God has been restored to the earth; and that the Church of Christ is organized upon the earth, and has never required any re-organization — that is simply nonsense. It has always been intact. God has been with us from the beginning; from the day when He took the boy Joseph Smith up to the present time, and it is by the grace of God that we are sustained. It is by the grace of God that we grow and increase as we are growing and increasing, because God has determined to establish His righteousness upon the earth and He will do it. He is educating us. ¶

Now let me exhort you my beloved brethren and sisters to serve God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. We can not make any excuse for rejecting the ordinances of the house of God, and we can not make any excuse for rejecting the love of God. We represent Christ by accepting His doctrine. When we are in favor of the doctrine of Christ we manifest our faith by our works, and consequently are saved by grace and are justified by faith, because we manifest our faith by our works. There is the key. It is all nonsense that ordinances are non-essential. They are essential and have to be administered by the proper authority in order that we may obtain redemption from death and from hell and from the grave, and in order that we may not die in our sins, for if we do reject the ordinances of the house of God we will die in our sins. If we want to be redeemed, we have to accept and obey the message of Almighty God. We have done so, and it has brought us out of the darkness which covers the earth. The Gospel message is extending upon our right hand and upon our left, and God is gathering His people, His Israel, as He predicted He would do. ¶

I pray God our eternal Father that we may have grace to overcome temptation, obey His commandments and in the end be saved in His kingdom through Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶