Duties and Responsibilities of the Saints

My brethren and sisters, I am most happy in the privilege of being with you in this conference, and in listening to the words that have been spoken by our brethren of the Presidency, as well as the reports made by the brethren representing some of the Stakes of Zion. ¶

The duties and responsibilities that rest upon the Latter-day Saints are manifold. But no duty should be more sacred to them than a proper observance in their own lives of the rules and regulations established by the Redeemer of the world to maintain purity, uprightness and consistency in all the walks of life. If the claim we make be true, that the Father and the Son visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and revealed to him the character of the mission designed for His people, and that mission was to call the children of men to repentance; and if we have been made partakers of the truth, and subscribed to the conditions associated with our entrance into the waters of baptism, the consistency of our lives should be such that its impress will be made upon the minds of all with whom it may be our privilege to mingle. No matter how little they esteem the faith we represent; no matter what their prejudices have been, or how they may have been engendered; if it shall be found, in our companionship with them, that our lives are above reproach, and our course is in keeping with the declarations we send forth to the world, that impress will cause men and women to change their views, and to regard with favor and consideration those of us who are obedient to the moral principles and doctrines of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. It may be that many, forming their judgment without an understanding of the purpose and mission of the Latter-day Saints, may fail to appreciate the character of the ministry of the Saints; but it has been my experience, as I have mingled among the children of men, that the more thoughtful and prudent are deeply impressed with that proposition presented in the scriptures, "by their fruits ye shall know them." It is not difficult to lead thoughtful men and women to believe in the man whose life is morally correct, who by his actions and sayings shows himself to be temperate, upright and exemplary, wherever he goes and with whomsoever he mingles. I am led to believe that our mission in the world, as the chosen people of the Almighty, will be more perfectly accomplished by the upright character of the lives we lead in our homes and social gatherings, in the impress made by the discharge of private obligations, and the fulfillment of such public duties as may be required at our hands, with highmindedness, and a determination to uplift and better the moral conditions of those with whom we mingle, than it can be in any other way. The world today presents thousands of openings for men who are strictly sober, who refuse to use intoxicants under any circumstances, and who, in the fulfillment of their duties in life, have displayed a proper regard for the rights and liberties of their fellows, and handled with consistency and honesty the trusts reposed in them. I believe that, in the providences of the Almighty, it is His purpose to equip and prepare His people to become the aids and helps in government, in all parts of the land. But we can never attain the place it is His purpose we should until we have thoroughly indoctrinated ourselves in an understanding of every moral principle, and have a full comprehension of the great responsibility imposed upon us in the handling of obligations and trusts. Our lives must be in harmony with everything that is pure, honest and upright. ¶

The faith we have received covers every principle necessary to the equipment and preparation of men and women for the duties and responsibilities of the temporal as well as the spiritual life. The doctrines of the Redeemer affect not only the spiritual wellbeing, they apply also to the moral and temporal welfare of mankind. He laid upon each one the obligation to observe the moral principles and doctrines of the Gospel, and that it is his duty to conform to the ordinances of God's house, and walk in harmony with the rules laid down by Him. He also pointed the way to the great possibilitiese confronting our Father's children, sought to impress upon them, in such form that there could be no misunderstanding His purpose, His wishes as affecting their conduct in life. "Thou shalt not lie," was the declaration of the Redeemer of the world. Are we obedient to the mandate? Have we followed this rule? Have we written upon our minds the thought that the duty is ours to guard against the possibility of being a liar? "Thou shalt not steal," is the declaration of the same great leader of men. Are we mindful of that declaration? Has it truly found lodgment in our hearts? Is it written in the fibers of our being? Are we applying it as thoroughly in the discharge of the duties that rest upon us as we should do? Let every man and woman ask themselves these questions, and see if the answer can truthfully come from their own lips, These ¶

requirements given by the Redeemer to the world have been accepted by me, and have been applied in my own life to the best of my ability. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." "Thou shalt not kill." "Though shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Are these propositions with us in spirit and in truth? Have they riveted themselves upon our minds in such form that wherever we go, and with whomsoever we mingle, we maintain ourselves free from these grievous errors against which the warning voice of the Redeemer was uttered. I trust we have weighed these propositions rightly, thoroughly comprehend their import, and are striving to comply with them, so that none can question the consistency of our utterances and examples. ¶

President Lund, in his remarks, touched upon the question of the observance of the Word of Wisdom. It is a singular thing that there should exist any necessity, among a people so fully taught in regard to the sacredness of that requirement of the Lord, for repeated admonitions concerning it. It was first given to us as instruction from the Lord, without constraint, and later more fully impressed upon our minds by the declaration of the prophet of God that it was in force upon us as a requirement. But little by little we drift with the stream, and it is difficult to find among the Saints entire families that are truly seeking to be in harmony with that principle. What a work could be accomplished in the world today if every man, woman and child who have been baptized into the Church would truly practise that principle! What an influence in the world for good we would be if ourselves, our children, and our children's children, would follow the good example, in this respect, of the patriarchs of the past! Men and women say, sometimes, they are too old to do it. If the generations who were conversant with the restored work of God, in the early rise of the Church had as fully obeyed the requirements of the Gospel as they should have done, concerning the Word of Wisdom, there would now be found but few of our sons recreant to their responsibilities in the line of temperate and consistent lives; there would more rarely be found among our daughters those whose lives are rendered unhappy because of nervous troubles, superinduced by the use of narcotics forbidden by the law of God; there would more seldom be found boys or old men shattered in their physical structures by the use of tobacco, and in large measure unfit for the duties and responsibilities of life. There would be a still larger number of men and women so fully established in every moral principle, and every temperate thought and idea, that wherever they went in the world their conduct and example would write itself upon the minds of men and impress them most favorably. ¶

Upon one occasion it was my privilege to be in company with a large body of gentlemen, a number of whom were of our own faith. In this assembly was a man quite eminent in the sphere in which he moved. He had been an intense temperance orator and laborer in temperance interests. After studying and watching the character of the people who formed that association, he made this remark to me: "I have not discovered in this company a single man claiming to be of your faith who is a user of intoxicants or tobacco; and while I have been in their companionship I have not heard one of them profane the name of Deity." This had made a wonderful impression upon his mind. If this so impressed one man, what would be the impression upon the world at large if, as a people, we would fully apply these laws in our lives as we mingle among the children of men? ¶

My brothers and my sisters, these are questions for our consideration. They are for us to weigh and study. Before us is the world, to whom the truth of the Gospel we have received is to be preached. It must be carried to every land, to every people. Its extension and spread can be brought about more successfully by the honesty, the truthfulness, the temperance and the industry of those who have received the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, than by all the words that we may speak. The conditions that surround the people, the efforts they make to hold themselves in subjection to the divine will, impress those who come into their companionship. ¶

I say to you that the principles of the Gospel are true; every one that God has revealed is true. He has laid the foundation for the development of His great work upon legitimate lines. He knows the condition of His children in all the world. He has put upon us the responsibility of establishing in our own homes, so far as may lie within our power, the elements of truth in such form that its impress will continue to grow and spread until all shall come to an understanding of the Gospel and receive it. ¶

Standing here before you, I desire to bear witness to the correctness of the views presented by President Smith, in sending forth his warning voice against the tendency to get into debt. The growth of business, the enlargement of our own concerns, the hope of a successful issue as we step into the business world, lead us into further investments, until perchance we find we have completely overreached ourselves. It is these matters that we want to guard against. Not that we should not take advantage of every desirable opportunity for legitimate business. We should seek to secure means as far as we can consistently to aid in the development of our commonwealth, to provide for the needs and necessities of those who are dependent upon us, and to open the door by which they who are in need may be furnished employment. Nor should we forget those who come to us as strangers from strange lands, and are of our own faith. These are matters upon which all of us should reflect. Another thought presents itself to my mind, it is this: I believe there is a degree of negligence upon our part in looking after, as fully as we should, the strangers that come into our midst. Men drop down among us who may be of our faith, and who not being conversant with our language, find themselves in a trying situation. I am fearful that the same thoughtful attention is not now given to this class of people that was extended to them in former days; and that too frequently they pass into the society of persons who embitter their minds against the truth, causing them to regret their alliance with the Latter-day Saints. I hope you will think of these things, my brothers and my sisters, and that, so far as possible, all things will be done upon your part that shall tend to guide these newcomers along the pathway of truth and righteousness. People gather sometimes on their own responsibility, and drop into neighborhoods without realizing the character of their surroundings. Our thoughtlessness, perchance, permits them to pass beyond the pale of our communion into the hands of others who impress them with the thought that what they have come to receive is not here, and that they have been misled. ¶

My brothers and my sisters, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus is indeed the power of God unto salvation. Every one of us should obey its requirements. The souls of our fellowmen should be most sacred to us; and, so far as lies within our power, we should put them in the way of the accomplishment of a life work that shall be creditable to themselves and prove a blessing to us. The Gospel is true. May heaven enable us to obey its commandments, live in harmony with its principles; fulfill the duties and responsibilities that rest upon us, being true to our obligations; guarding the rights and liberties of ourselves and of our fellowmen that the well-being of all our Father's children shall be, indeed, sacred to us; and that we shall not fail in the accomplishment of the proclamation of His word, the establishment of His work, the betterment of the condition of His children; that when we shall march forward to our reward, He may say to us, "Thou hast performed thy part in judgment and mercy, and hast blessed those with whom thou hast mingled, and injured none." May heaven's blessings abound with you; and may the truth extend and spread until righteousness shall prevail among the children of men, and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus ameliorate the condition of the human family, causing them to glorify the name of the Savior of the world, and His truth as it has been revealed in the day and age in which we live, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶