The Work of God Not Dependent Upon the World

My brethren and sisters, it is very gratifying to see so many in attendance upon this conference, and I feel that there has been a pleasing variety of instructions given unto us, and that it would be a good thing for the Latter-day Saints as a whole, and for the Priesthood especially, to make a little note, if not in a notebook, in their minds, of the items of instruction that are touched upon, so that we may act upon it in our various wards and stakes when we return. It is not in glittering generalities that we accomplish much; it is in taking down the details and working at them in such a way as to bring good fruits out of them. I do not remember of attending a conference where I felt that the Spirit of the Lord had more thoroughly and in a more appropriate way actuated the brethren, touching upon those subjects which are especially adapted to our wants. ¶

I have felt impressed with one idea while listening to my brethren, and that is that the whole history of this work has gone to show that we do not need the help of the world to sustain it. I do not mean by this to depreciate any kind assistance, sentiment or support that may be accorded unto us by honest and upright men who, from time to time, defend the rights of the Latter-day Saints, and who have sufficient of the light of truth to see the purity and power of the doctrines that are taught by this people; but I mean to say that it all goes to show that God has established this great work, and that He has sustained it in every sense of the word. When I heard Brother Smoot this morning talking and reading a little about the ideas of men concerning the effect of "Mormonism," as it is termed, more especially in the eastern states, some of them entertaining the idea that it was a great menace to the people, I thought to myself that the world had got the nightmare. I heard Sol Smith Russell once read an essay on the horse. He said that the horse was a noble animal. It would live on oats and sawdust, he said. Then he went on to describe the various kinds of horses there were in existence. He said there was the sawhorse, and there was the horse-radish, and then there was the Colt's revolver, and then there was the night-mare. He said, "the nightmare is a horse that is born in the night, and my Aunt Jane has lots of them." I think sectarianism has the nightmare over this work, and possibly it is all right that they should have. It makes me feel that there are not only prophets among the people of God, but there are some prophets in the world. I heard one of our local politicians a few years ago stand up before a public audience, when the question of dividing on national political lines was agitated among this people, and some doubted the propriety of it. They wanted to hold the old anti-Mormon party together, and more thoroughly crowd us to the wall, and use their power with the great parties of the nation to distress and oppress this people by inimical legislation. One of the speakers that stood up to address that audience made this statement: "The Mormons will come out on top, no matter what you do." He said he did not believe in dividing on political lines; he believed in keeping the hand over the Mormons just as long as possible, because, said he, they will come out on top. To illustrate his prophecy he told an anecdote about Gen. Mahone of Virginia, and one of his negro slaves, and he compared us to the general and themselves to the slave. He said this poor slave had a dream. He dreamed that he died and went to the gates of heaven, and there he met the Apostle Peter. Peter asked him who he was. "Why," said he, "I am the slave of Gen. Mahone of Virginia." "Well," said Peter, "are you mounted, or are you on foot?" "I'm on foot," he replied. "Well," said Peter, "you can't come in here." So the poor nigger started down the steps, and he met his master at the bottom, and he said to him, "General, whar d'ye think you're gwine?" "I'm going to heaven," said the General. "No, you're not," he said; "you can't get in dar, unless you're mounted." At this a happy thought struck the nigger, and he said to the General: "I'll tell you, General, I'll git down on all fours, and you git on my back, and when Peter ask you if you're mounted, say, yes, and we both ride right in." So the General got on his back, and when they got up to the gates of heaven, Peter asked who he was. He replied that he was General Mahone, of Virginia. "Are you mounted or are you on foot?" "I'm mounted," said the General. "Well," said Peter, "tie your horse on the outside, and come in." This great politician that was opposed to the Latter-day Saints being identified with the national political parties said, "They will walk right in whether they are mounted or on foot." And I thought to myself. he has got the key to the whole thing; he understands it just about right. And why is it, my brethren and sisters? It is because God has established this work. I want to read just a little. The brethren have been reading the Scriptures, and I believe it is all right to have a little Scripture reading on these occasions. The Lord says, as recorded in section 1 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that this is "the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the Church collectively and not individually." While God has established this work, and He is pleased with it because it is His work, we ought not to lose sight of the fact that He is not pleased with every individual in it, only to the extent that that individual conforms his life to the principles and spirit of this Gospel. The only safe thing for a Latter-day Saint is to be found in the discharge of every duty, to be found absolutely free from sin and complying with every principle, as far as possible, that the Lord our God has revealed. A great deal has been said at this conference and at our meeting last night respecting evils that creep in among the Latter-day Saints. While we speak of them from this stand and warn the people, while President Smith gives unto us the word of God, it is the bounden duty of the local Priesthood in every stake of Zion and in every ward to see that iniquity is rooted out from among the people of God, that the day may come when the Lord shall say that He is not only pleased with the Church collectively, but individually also, it having been, purified and sanctified from every sin. ¶

I started to tell you the one thought I had in mind, and another thought connected with it: that as the work of God has been established and promoted in the earth without the support of men, without their financial assistance, without the popularity of the world, in a religious sense, so I say that God will sustain this work from a temporal point of view, and make the Latter-day Saints a united people, a people of absolute unity in regard to all things, provided we do just the same in temporal things as we have done in spiritual things — that is, listen to the voice of God, enjoy the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and be guided and controlled by the direction and counsel of the holy Priesthood. By doing so we can become one in all things. "We ought not to consider that there is anything of a carnal nature, or, if you please, of a temporal nature — something that pertains in its effects to this life only; for there is nothing associated with the work of God upon the earth but has its effects, not only here, but throughout the countless ages of eternity. As we live near to God in all respects, so shall we be entitled to the companionship and, according to our faithfulness, a greater measure of the Holy Spirit, that will give us a better understanding of the things of God, qualify us to live nearer unto God, and consequently to secure unto ourselves a greater exaltation in His presence. There is nothing of a temporal or transitory nature connected with the work of God. One of the ancient prophets said, "I know that that which God doeth He doeth forever." What He does, eternal effects are realized therefrom. The Prophet Joseph Smith made this statement: "Whatsoever you do, you ought to do with an eye to futurity." It ought to be done with reference to the effects that will result from our action in the future. ¶

I was very much impressed with a remark made by President Lund affecting our conduct and conversation in the presence of our children, wherein he said that some were in the habit of making remarks that were depreciatory in their nature concerning their brethren, concerning the Bishop of the ward, or the President of the Stake, or the authorities of the Church, and some, perhaps, were given to making remarks that were disrespectful to some of the principles of the Gospel, in the presence of their children. Where this is done, it ought to be repented of and discontinued; for it will have a telling effect in the hearts of the youth of Zion. I remember a most striking illustration of this in the case of one of the leading brethren in the Church. I have heard him stand up time and time again and declare the word of God to the people. I have heard him give counsel to the saints of God, that they should never speak disrespectfully of the authorities of this Church, and especially in the presence of their children. That same man was guilty of that which he warned the Saints against, and today he has lost his standing and posterity, following the example that he practised in private but declared against in public, have fallen into his habits and disrespect the servants of God. My brethren and sisters, it is salvation we are after. It is to establish and ground our children in the faith. We ought to live and labor to this end, that they may not turn aside, and afterwards say they turned aside because their parents set them a bad example. You know, President Kimball once prophesied to this people, and especially to the mothers, that if they spoke disrespectfully of a certain principle of the Gospel and fought against it, the day would come when their daughters would turn aside and lose their virtue, and become objects of immorality upon the streets of Salt Lake City. I want to say that that prediction, sorrowful though it may seem, has had its fulfillment. I want to endorse the instructions of my brethren that we ought to look carefully after the conduct of our children who are running the streets of Salt Lake City, and, for that matter, the streets of all the cities and towns throughout Zion. I know that evil habits creep in among us. I know there is an influence brought to bear upon the minds of the little ones to learn and to practise evil, which goes to destroy their force of body and of mind, and to grieve the Spirit of God from them. Now, the responsibility is especially upon those who bear the Holy Priesthood. The teachers who go out to visit the saints from family to family ought to be men endowed with the spirit of revelation from God. They ought to study the principles of the Gospel, and to so live that they may enjoy the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in their instructions, so that their instructions may be understood and be attractive to the children; that they should not go simply to carry out a routine, to ask certain questions, just to be able to say that they have made their monthly visit. They ought to be men inspired with the spirit of revelation from God, that they may touch the hearts of the families, and especially of the children, where they visit. "While it has been said here that there is a sentiment among the people, to some extent, which does not respect the Priesthood, referring to the authorities of the wards and stakes, and of the Church, I want to say that we do not respect the Lesser Priesthood as much as we ought to do. "We ought to respect every Deacon in the Church, and encourage every Deacon to perform his duty. We ought to respect every teacher, and make him welcome, and sustain him in his administrations in our homes. I know that those who understand the Priesthood best, and who have the greatest respect for it, are the men that will call their families together when the Teachers pay them a visit, and will sit down and listen to what the Teachers have to say. When I was a boy, in the Fourteenth ward, with Brother John W. Taylor' and other young men, I used to visit President John Taylor as a Teacher. I used to visit President Wilford Woodruff in the same capacity. I will admit that I was glad when they were away from home, because I was so frightened; but when I got through and left the house I was glad they were at home, and that they had been there to receive me as a Teacher in his Church of Christ. They treated us with more respect, they made us feel more at home, and they encouraged us more in the discharge of our duty than any families that we had to visit upon the block. This was because they had the spirit of the Gospel and understood the responsibility of the Holy Priesthood. I remember that many beautiful lessons I enjoyed on the principle of faith came from the sweet instructions of President John Taylor when we visited him as a Teacher; for when we would get through with our duties, he would say, "Now, boys, you have been teaching me, I would like to teach you a little;" and he would tell us anecdotes to increase faith in our minds; tell us how he had asked God to open up his way while declaring the Gospel abroad, to give him a little money, just what he needed to pay for pamphlets or something of that kind, and the Lord answered his prayers in a most remarkable manner. He told us many incidents of this character, and they tended to create and encourage the principle of faith in our hearts. ¶

My brethren and sisters, may God enable us to remember the glorious instructions which we have received; remember what President Smith has said, that we are in a better condition, as a whole, than ever before. Let us all see to it that he shall not be disappointed in this sentiment of encouragement concerning this people. Let us remember the instructions of Brother McMurrin and the Seventies In regard to our duties and obligations in the selection of missionaries to send the Gospel abroad to the ends of the earth. Let us remember the admonition concerning our tithing, and our moral deportment, and every obligation that the Gospel of Jesus Christ enjoins upon us. If we do this, all is well with us. Every Latter-day Saint knows that to be found in the discharge of his duty makes him a happy man, and when he is not in the discharge of his duty there is an uneasiness about him which makes him feel that something is wrong. May God bless you, my brethren and sisters; help us to keep the commandments which He has given unto us, and to perform the duties enjoined upon us, to be ready at all times to go abroad and declare the Gospel, or to work in the Gospel of Jesus Christ at home. The best kind of a Latter-day Saint is the man or the woman that is ready for any kind of labor, whether at home or abroad, and has no hobby, no special desire in a certain channel, to the depreciation of everything else. God bless you. in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶