Actions the Best Evidence of Sincerity

I am pleased to have the opportunity of standing before the Latter-day Saints and addressing them in this conference. I have rejoiced in the spirit and inspiration of the conference thus far, and I desire that the remarks which I may make may be under the inspiration of the same good Spirit. As I have often said in occupying this position, I desire only to say those things that shall be beneficial to those who listen as well as to myself. If I know my heart, I believe I can in all truth testify that it is set upon the building up of the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth. I desire above all things to know the mind and will of God concerning me as an individual; and after having learned that, I want the strength and the determination to carry the same out in my life. ¶

I was particularly impressed with the remarks of President Snow in the opening of our conference, referring to the man who, when he found a great treasure in the field, went and sold all he had that he might obtain it; or, when he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold all he had to secure it. While listening to his remarks I remembered a letter which I have read in many of the wards and Stakes of Zion, and I may have read it in this building; but if I have, the sentiments therein contained, one sentence in particular, have made such a profound impression upon my mind that I do not know that I can do better than to again read an extract from the letter, with the sincere prayer that it may find lodgment in your hearts. It was written to me by a gentleman with whom I have been acquainted from my childhood. It is something over thirty years since I first knew him, and he has been a very dear friend of mine. I may say that, with the exception of my associates in the Church of Christ and my own relatives, there is no man living upon the earth today that has as warm a place in my heart and that I love as dearly as the man who wrote this letter. I do not know that he would care to have me mention his name; therefore I shall not do so; but I will state that at the time he wrote this letter he was the general manager for the United Kingdom of a corporation of over two hundred millions of dollars; so you may know that he was a man of considerable experience and importance in the business world. The letter was written to me from London: ¶

"My Dear Heber: ¶

"Your very nice long letter of the 10th came duly to hand. Of course, you know, aside from the long and intimate personal friendship we have had together, how much I have always been impressed with the genuineness and sincerity of the religious feeling among the men and women who hold your faith. Many times and oft I have said, in conversation, that the only religious people I ever knew who lived up to their professions, were the Mormons of Utah. And this is true." ¶

I am indeed grateful that my friend has not access to the list of non-tithepayers, amounting to ten thousand, because I doubt very much if then he could say "that the only religious people I ever knew who lived up to their professions, were the Mormons of Utah." I am grateful that the Mormons with whom this man became acquainted were not only Mormons in name, but that they were in very deed Latter-day Saints. He gained his opinion of all "Mormons" by those with whom he became acquainted; and I have often said in public that I regard it as the duty of every Latter-day Saint to so order his life that his conduct will inspire all people with respect for him, and thereby create respect for the entire people. It is In keeping with the teachings of our Savior to let our light so shine, that men, seeing our good works, will glorify God and be led to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

"This it is that inspires respect, even when there is a total absence of a belief in the doctrines. Your people carry their beliefs into daily life, and act as if they think there is something in them. If I had the belief to start with, I cannot see how as a sensible person I could do otherwise." ¶

Now, here is the sentence that I desire impressed upon your minds indellibly: ¶

"If there is anything [and my friend draws a big black line under 'anything'] in a belief which involves an eternity of future existence, there is everything [and my friend draws another black line under 'everything.']" ¶

Do we as Latter-day Saints believe this Do we appreciate the force of my friend's remark "If there is anything in a belief which involves an eternity of future existence, there is everything." Are we convinced that there is everything in this belief that involves an eternity of future existence And do we, as our friend says we do, carry our beliefs into daily life, and act as if we do think there is something in them Or are we making pretensions Are we like the salt that has lost its savor, that is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. My friend continues: ¶

"Now, I have given you my own sincere thought. The fact that I have no such conviction is evidenced by the fact that I am agnostic on such questions, as shown by my own actions." ¶

If we are to take that standard -- what is shown by the actions -- then there are thousands of Latter-day Saints who are agnostics. And that is the standard of Jesus Christ. It is the only standtrd by which we will stand or fall. ¶

"Still I never attempt to proselyte on behalf of non-belief; and the last thing [ would do, is to disturb those who believe in a theory which I don't; and I won't argue in defense of my own lack of believing. ¶

"I think, Heber, I have expressed about these views to your mother many years ago." ¶

This man, as I have said, is a friend of mine, and he has shown his friendship by his actions-a friendship which I doubt very much I could have experienced from many of the Latter-day Saints, if they had been put to the test. In the panic of 1893, this man, learning of my financial distress, wrote me a letter and announced that it was impossible to borrow any money in San Francisco (where he was then located) upon ordinary securities, but that money was there to be loaned upon real estate. He said that he had no real estate except his home, but if the money from a mortgage placed upon his home would save my financial life, he said, "telegraph me upon receipt of this letter; do not wait to write, because delays are dangerous, and the money shall come to you by the first mail." I could not restrain my tears when I read that letter, To think that God had given me sufficient of His Spirit whereby I had been enabled to so live that a man who was an agnostic, and who had no hope beyond the grave, had been so impressed with the genuineness of my character and integrity that he was willing to risk his home to save my "financial life." What called forth this letter My friend wrote to me from London, inquiring about my mother, about her sister, and about a number of other people with whom he was acquainted when he was a boarder in my mother's home, and wanting to know how they were getting along. Among others, he inquired regarding my cousin, Anthony W. Ivins; and I wrote and told him of the sacrifices that he had made, in selling his property and moving to a foreign country. With regard to those sacrifices, I remarked that he had gone because of a call he had received, without any earthly hope of reward, and I said; "You see that we Mormons go where we are sent, without regard to the profits that may come to us." This called forth the letter I have read in your hearing. That man, to my knowledge, many years ago, was the instrument in the hands of God, in connection with another friend of mine, of making for this people a friend of a man who was chosen to govern this Territory, namely, Gov. Axtell. He wrote to me that he came here imbued -- "filled full," is the expression in the letter -- with his ideas of the "Mormons." He said: "He is my friend, and I know what kind of a people you are, and he comes there believing as I believe." ¶

I maintain that it is the duty of every Latter-day Saint to so order his life that every man will believe he is honest and sincere. I was in Phoenix, Arizona, some years ago, with Apostle John Henry Smith. We were preaching, by request, in the opera house there, and one of the good sisters overheard the following compliment (though some might consider it very doubtful) paid me while I was speaking. A man said, "Well, that man is a pretty red hot talker, and seems quite earnest." Pretty soon he exclaimed, "I'll be damned if that fellow don't talk earnest." Not many minutes passed, and he said, "I'll be damned if I don't believe that fellow believes what he is saying." Now, if we can impress every person with whom we come in contact that we are honest, then we have done something towards impressing them with the honesty of all the people. I prize very highly a letter that I got from a friend that was managing a large corporation when I was made an Apostle. He said, "Well, I always thought that the Mormon leaders were frauds, but now that they have chosen you I have changed my opinion; for I know you are honest, and they must be, or they would not dare have you in their counsels." ¶

You will pardon me, I trust, for these personal allusions. They say that personalities sometimes are calculated to impress a lesson more vividly upon the hearts of the people than any other kind of teaching. I do know that God lives. I do know that Jesus is the Christ. I do know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. I do know that we are engaged in the work of God. I do know that there is an eternity of future happiness in store for every Latter-day Saint that keeps the commandments of God. The Savior said: ¶

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." ¶

This promise is not made to us, only upon the condition of keeping the commandments of God. The Savior also said: ¶

"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ¶

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ¶

"And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ¶

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was. the fall of it." ¶

We find here in the very first section of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants teachings to us as Latter-day Saints, and many of us do not remember them. ¶

"And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; ¶

"For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; ¶

"They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall." ¶

Are we seeking our own mind and will? Do we believe as Apostle Taylor said, that we should subject our mind and will to the will of God? Are we breaking the everlasting covenant? In this same revelation the Lord also says: ¶

"And verily I say unto you, that they who go forth bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is power given to seal both on earth and in heaven, the unbelieving and rebellious; ¶

"Yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure; ¶

"Unto the day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man." ¶

"For I, the Lord, cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; ¶

"Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven; ¶

"And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received, for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts." ¶

"Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. ¶

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same; ¶

"For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever." ¶

As Latter-day Saints we are told to search these commandments, for they are true and faithful. ¶

My friends, my brethren and my sisters, I leave with you my testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. I leave with you my testimony that only by keeping the commandments of God will you be saved. I say unto you, be honest with God. Never make a dollar in the world but you pay your tithing on it. Observe the Word of Wisdom. Keep the commandments of Almighty God, and you will be saved. In bidding you good-bye to go to a foreign land to preach the Gospel, I wish to go with your faith. I desire to be remembered in your homes night and morning. I love the Latter-day Saints. I love to labor for the advancement of the kingdom of God. I know that He lives. I have reached out my hand and plucked the fruit of the Gospel, and I know that the Gospel tree is alive and bears fruit. I delight to labor for the spread of the Gospel, and I thank God for the privilege of going to introduce the Gospel to a nation that has been in darkness. I hope and pray that in the providence of God there is a great labor to be accomplished. I pray in humility that I may go forth with the faith and the prayers of the Saints to accomplish all that God desires I should do. I leave my blessing with the Latter-day Saints, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶