Duties of the Saints and Answers to Prayer

I have listened with a great deal of interest during the meetings of this conference, and I believe it is the largest conference I have ever attended in the Church. Fifty-one years ago the 9th of April I was baptized, when the ice was about three feet thick, and had to be cut away, and I have not lost interest in this work yet. I remember I was quite zealous when I was first baptized. I was soon ordained a Priest and sent out to teach. I acted two years in that capacity. When I came to this valley I was appointed a Teacher in the North Canyon ward, and labored in that capacity for eight years; and then moved to Cache valley, under the counsel of Apostles Orson Hyde and Ezra T. Benson. I was appointed Bishop there, and acted in that capacity 18 years. Subsequently, I was appointed to labor in the stake presidency with Brother W. B. Preston and acted in that capacity for 10 years Since that time I have labored in the quorum of the Apostles. But I want to say that there never was a time when I felt that I was really qualified for the position I was called to occupy. I feel the same way yet. There is no disposition in me to boast. I am thankful to the Lord that I have been preserved in the Church for over 50 years, and I hope to continue in it as long as I am alive. I know this work is from the Lord. I know that Joseph Smith was a great Prophet, raised up to usher in this last dispensation of the Gospel. I had evidence of this even before I was baptized, and it has never departed from me. I want to bear record to my brethren and sisters here that there is no other way of retaining the spirit of this work and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost than through faithfulness and diligence in observing to keep the commandments of the Lord. The individual who will be humble all the day long and strive to keep the commandments of the Lord will never apostatize or become dissatisfied, but he or she will be preserved in the truth, and by and by will sit down in the mansions of the Father, to enjoy the blessings of eternal life. People who are spiritually-minded are devoted to the work. They pay their tithes and their offerings; they go to the ward meetings and to the stake meetings, and they are willing to devote their time, their talents and their all for the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. ¶

We have had credit from the President of the Church during this conference of doing very well in paying our tithing. We have done well, there is no question about that; but let every individual ask himself if he has come up to the standard. I think we shall be led to conclude that we have not quite got there yet. No doubt, a great many brethren and sisters pay their tithing in full, and if they were to sit in judgment upon themselves they would not need to be judged of others; for they would be able to say in all sincerity, "I have done the best I could." But there is another class who, if they were to sit in judgment upon themselves, would be forced to say they had not come up to the standard. The Lord expects us all, as His servants and handmaidens, to come up to the standard. He expects us to pay our tithing and our offerings in full. The giving of offerings is associated with the payment of tithing — offerings for the benefit of those immediately around us who need our help, to obviate the necessity of the Bishop having to make application to the Church for funds to support the poor. If we were to observe this law strictly, we are amply able in all our wards to support the poor. There are many people in the Church, I have discovered, who are willing to support themselves rather than receive offerings, if they could only be given employment. Even the aged can do something, unless they are maimed or disabled; and this is a matter for the Bishops to look after, to see that people have employment, as' far as possible, and to encourage the payment of offerings as well as tithing. ¶

If tithing is never mentioned in a ward from one month's end to another, neither by the Bishop nor the Priests and Teachers, that ward will not come up to the standard. There are lots of people who would come up to the standard if their minds were stirred up by way of remembrance. I am not one who believes that it is proper for the Bishop to be always talking about tithing; but I believe it should be kept before the people. They should be encouraged to pay their tithing when they get it, and not wait till the end of the year. If your salary is paid to you each month, pay your tithing each month. I want to bear testimony that that is the easiest and the best way to pay tithing. Pay it when you get it, and let it be the first thing. . Let us pay our tithing first, and then distribute the rest as far as it will go. If we will do this, we shall find that tithing is easily paid; and when the end of the year comes we shall be glad, and prepared to settle with the Bishop with a cheerful heart. ¶

Take us as a whole people, we are better off than other people, after all, though there are too many of us in debt, with mortgages on our homes. The Lord has blessed us. He has blessed and sanctified our land, and it has brought forth in its strength, in the season thereof. ¶

There is a great deal of faith exhibited among the Latter-day Saints, and that faith, no doubt, will increase as the Saints grow older and get more experience. In the last 50 years I have seen many things that have given me a great deal of joy and increased my faith. I have seen the prayers of the brethren answered. I have seen the prayers of little children answered in the homes of their parents. I remember a few years ago in Cache valley we had a drouth for some years. There was very little snow, and lots of grasshoppers to eat our crops. I remember Apostle Orson Pratt coming to visit us. He went to every settlement in the valley, and he prayed everywhere that the Lord would send moisture upon the mountains and valleys. I traveled with him, and he never forgot this. He always prayed himself in the family circle, and he prayed every time that the snows might come. In fulfillment of his prayers the snows did come, and we had more that year than we had had for years before; the mountains were filled with snow. I have seen evidences of this same thing recently; when prominent Elders of the Church have prayed that the moisture might come, their prayers have been answered and the moisture has come. I do not know of any reason why our prayers should not be answered, if we will pray in faith believing, and not ask amiss or for anything that we ought not to have. Do not let us be discouraged. This is the Lord's work, not ours. We did not place ourselves in position. None of you Presidents of stakes, or Bishops, has ever sought for office or wanted office, so far as I know. ¶

The Lord has called you all. He has opened the eyes of our understanding, that we have been enabled to comprehend the truth in part, and we are supposed to make some progress. I have thought since coming to this conference, that we are making improvement all the time. I do not remember the time when we could see all the presidents of stakes right in front here as we can now, for they have been scattered among the congregation. It is an improvement having the prominent Elders seated where they can hear everything. I have been reminded of the necessity of this in visiting stake conferences and seeing the Bishops and leading Elders scattered among the people. This here is an ensample. Bring your leading Elders to the front, where they can hear and take part in the labors of the conference. This is a grand thing, and a sign of progress and advancement. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I am aware that there are a number of people among us who want to move somewhere, and they are asking about different parts of the country. I have brethren enquire of me frequently, some since I have been here. I want to say this about it; It is all right to go if you are counseled by the authorities of your ward or stake, or by the authorities of the Church. Get good advice, and then, if you go, you will feel that you go with the blessing of the Lord. Do not let any of our people, no matter how desirable a country may be, run off on a tangent, without the advice of the presiding brethren. Go under the direction of the Priesthood, with their consent and good feelings, if you want to go. It' may be all right for you to go just where you want to go, but get counsel from the brethren. Do not let us be running up and down the country simply to better our condition, but let us be satisfied to labor under the advice of the Priesthood, and if we will do so, we will come out all right. ¶

Another subject I want to touch upon, and then I will close; it is with regard to temple work. Brethren and sisters, do not forget your temple work. Do not leave your kindred dead who have slumbered in the grave for years, and perhaps for ages, without going to their rescue and giving them relief, as their Lord has ordained and appointed. Here are the temples of the Lord in this state, wherein you may go and administer for your kindred that have passed away. Do not be so swallowed up in the cares of the world that you will neglect your kindred dead, because we will meet them by and by, and we will have remorse and sorrow if we have not done what we could for them. Remember this, and talk of it in your homes. Let us prepare our records and labor in the interest of our friends who have passed away. Of course, the people are doing very nicely in this matter; but there are many that have not given it consideration yet. ¶

God bless you. Let us be true, faithful, and humble; let us attend to our prayers in the morning and evening, invoking the blessings of the Lord upon us and upon our brethren. Pray for your Bishops and Presidents of Stakes; pray for the authorities of the Church, that they may be guided by the inspiration that comes from God, so that all may be well and prosperous with Israel. God bless you. Amen. ¶