Responsibility of Talents and Use and Abuse of Wealth

My brethren and sisters, I trust that I may enjoy the Spirit of the Lord while I shall stand before you this morning. I feel to rejoice in the privilege that I have in bearing my testimony before so large a congregation, I wish to endorse with all my heart the remarks that have been made by my brethren who have preceded me. I rejoice in the progress that has been made in the work of the Lord, in the growth of Zion, and in the extending of her borders. I rejoice in the advancement that is being made by the people of God. ¶

While the brethren were speaking this morning upon the responsibility of the Seventies in being the special witnesses of our Lord in the nations of the earth, I thought what a great thing it would be if all the people, and particularly all those who 'hold the Priesthood, would only realize the responsibility that rests upon them as individuals, and if each man would feel that he, for one, was determined to discharge himself of that responsibility. When a man is ordained to the Priesthood, it matters not to what office, with that ordination comes a responsibility; and it were better for him that he never had received that ordination, unless he magnifies the calling whereunto he has been called. If a man is blessed with wealth and with the good things of this world, with that comes responsibility; and it were better for him that he had remained in poverty all his days than to possess riches and not give a proper account of his stewardship. Every man who has been endowed with a gift, whether it be the gift of intelligence, the gift of oratory, the gift of song, or any other gift, with that endowment comes responsibility, and he will be held accountable for every gift and talent that has been placed within his reach. And to whom much is given, from him much will be required. While visiting one of the wards not very far from Salt Lake City I heard of a young man who had been appointed a Teacher upon one of the blocks, and he was complaining. He said he could not afford to go out teaching every month, because every time he went it cost him $1.50. I thought then, how little that man appreciated the responsibility that had been placed upon him. He actually begrudged $1.50 worth of his time in magnifying the Priesthood to which he had been ordained by the authority of our Heavenly Father' There should be in every man a 'aiming desire to fulfil the obligations that are placed upon him. Every man should seek to enjoy the spirit of his calling. If he be a Seventy, he should enjoy the missionary spirit. If he be a Teacher, he should enjoy the spirit of going out among the people and teaching them their duties, and seeing that there is no iniquity in the Church. Once a young man was being interrogated as to his being in a position to fulfil a foreign mission, and he told the brethren who were making the investigation that he was in debt, and on that account he was" excused for the time being. As the young man went out, he made the remark, "I get out of that pretty slick. I told the brethren I was in debt; and what is more, I propose to be always in debt." I am happy to say there are only a few cases of this kind, but this was a young man, holding the Priesthood of a Seventy, who did not enjoy the spirit of his calling. I want to say that it were better for him, unless he repents of that feeling, that a millstone were hung around his neck and he were sunk to the bottom of the sea. Every man that has been called as a Seventy should enjoy the spirit of a missionary. He may not be called at the present time to go into the nations. He does not need to go and ask for an appointment in the missionary field. But there should be a desire in his heart to lift up his voice and cry repentance unto this generation. If he does not have that feeling in his heart, he does not enjoy the spirit of his calling. "We ought not to be glad to get out of the opportunity of going into the world to proclaim the Gospel message unto those who know not God. ¶

If I were to be asked what it is that arouses in men and women the greatest amount of energy, and that causes all this activity that we see in the world, my answer would be, it is money. Men and women are struggling after the riches of this world. They will work from early morn until late at night, they will wear out their bodies, in trying to obtain money. Not only will they do that, but they will lie, they will cheat, they will steal, they will kill for money! It is the desire for riches that is calling out the greatest amount of energy from men and women in the world today. But among Latter-day Saints the thing that ought to call out the best life forces that we have, the greatest amount of energy and activity, is to do the will of the Father. Once, a missionary, who was the son of a wealthy man, said to me, "Brother Wells, the Bible says that money is the root of all evil, but give me a little of the root." I talked to the young man for a few moments, and contradicted the statement. I told him that money was not the root of all evil, and that the Bible did not say it was; that money is a great blessing, when people know how to utilize it, and can be made the means of accomplishing great good. Temples can be erected for the worship of the Most High, buildings like this Tabernacle can be constructed, the poor can be fed, and suffering can be alleviated, through the application of money. Money itself, I said, was a blessing in the hands of those who knew how to use it. The Bible did not say that money was the root of all evil, but it did say that the love of money was the root of all evil. When men give their hearts to gold, and worship mammon rather than God, then it is that it becomes the root of all evil, and leads men and women away from the paths of truth and righteousness into the paths of evil. ¶

May the Lord bless the Latter-day Saints; may He fill us with an ambition to magnify our callings and to discharge ourselves of the responsibility that rests upon us. If we are wealthy, may He put it into our hearts to do something for the progress of His work here upon the earth and for the establishment of the kingdom of God. May He fill us with the desire in our hearts that when we leave this sphere of action, we may not leave immense fortunes for our families to apostatize over, but may He put it into the hearts of our well-to-do brethren and sisters to endow the institutions of Zion. May God bless us. Amen. ¶