Saints' Obligation to Impress Others With Gospel Truth

I am happy, my brethren and sisters, in the privilege of being with you in attendance upon this conference. The condition of my health prevented me from being present at the April conference, and I have not been able of late to discharge in any great degree the duties and responsibilities of the calling under which I labor. But I am pleased to say to you today that my condition is very much improved, and I trust that my voice will be heard in the various stakes of Zion with the same activity in the immediate future as has characterized my labors in the past. ¶

I have rejoiced in the spirit of the conference. The considerate and thoughtful remarks of the Presidency yesterday, bearing upon our duties and obligations: the practical instructions that were given yesterday afternoon by Elder Lyman; the reports of our brethren who are ministering in that field in which we are so intensely interested -- the work for the dead -- all appealed to me very forcibly. I have also listened with interest to the remarks made by the presidents of stakes this morning, and I trust that their reports may be an inspiration to us who are conversant with the conditions of the people in the various sections where we live. I was more than pleased with the report of President Hinckley. The spirit of it especially struck my heart, when in speaking of the people who lived in his diocese he not only remembered the people of his own faith, but also those who were not of his faith and he spoke of them in a respectful, considerate manner and bore witness to their good character. I believe that a remark of that kind, coming from the lips of a man of his standing, will bear fruit in the future in the overthrow of animosities and the awakening in men's minds of a spirit of fairness and justice to one another. I believe that the souls of the thousands of people who have made their homes in this inter-mountain region are as dear to our Heavenly Father as the souls of the thousands who are scattered abroad and who have not been made conversant with the work that we have to do. I trust that some remarks, made recently in one of the stake conferences by President Lyman, found lodgment in the hearts of those who were in attendance upon that service, wherein he impressed upon the minds of the Saints the sacredness of their obligation to endeavor to impress their neighbors with the truth of the gospel they themselves have received, and thus free themselves from the responsibility of the blood of their fellowmen. That obligation should lie very near our doors, and should be discharged thoughtfully and prudently by us. Not that we should seek to harass our neighbors by trying to force upon them our faith and doctrines; but in our associations with our fellow-men, in our business affairs, and in the discharge of the varied requirements that rest upon us all, we are brought into immediate contact with many men of fairness and of uprightness, some of whom perchance have no religious faith while many may be members of the various religious organizations, and it rests with us to discharge this obligation to these neighbors of ours. When President Lyman sprung the question as to how far we had gone in fulfilling this duty and seeking to impress upon the minds of our fellows the nature of the work so dear to ourselves, I was led to ask myself whether I had fairly, honestly and frankly discharged my duty in this respect. When President Hinckley spoke in such a respectful manner of those not of his faith I was led to think that probably every President of a stake, every Bishop of a ward, conversant with the condition of the people in their midst, could reiterate his statement concerning their neighbors. I trust that we will not be unmindful of the fact that some men and women in our communities have received the Gospel after living in our midst. They have watched the lives of the people, have become impressed with the nature of the work, and have accepted of it. It is probable that sometimes we are too thoughtless in regard to our responsibility to these people. We mingle with them, week in and week out, transact business with them, and yet never presume to seek to bring to their understanding that faith so near to our own hearts. I believe that in these matters the possibilities of accomplishment in the future are very great, if we will but discharge our obligations to these men and women who have come here, without doubt, to better their condition, and to enjoy the privileges and blessings that are vouchsafed to us by the liberal government under which we live. One President of a stake, with his associates, has recently been considering this question and weighing the possibilities of a missionary work that shall be in keeping with the best interests of the Latter-day Saints as well as make its impress upon our brothers and sisters whose faith is not as our own. This can and should be done upon the basis of frankness and fairness, with no desire to crowd upon our fellowmen that which is sacred to us, but in a way and manner that shall appeal to their thoughtful consideration, and cause them, while weighing the doctrines as presented by the religious organizations of the world to also consider and weigh the views and doctrines as presented to the human family in the mission and ministry of the Prophet of God in this last dispensation. I believe that there opens up for us a wonderful work in this direction, to be thoughtfully and prudently done. I know of no reason why my neighbors who are not of my faith and myself should be enemies, so long as I preserve their liberties and my own justly and rightly, and am willing that they should worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, while insisting upon the enjoyment of that right for myself. I know of no reason why the men who are united together in their citizenship and in the upbuilding of a commonwealth should not be able to associate together in friendship, guarding with sacredness that which is dear to us all, respectful of one another's faith, courteous in our treatment of one another's family, and considerate in our regard for everything that tends to the upbuilding and ennobling of man. ¶

The work of the ministry that has been entrusted to us requires the preaching of the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. The brother who preceded me has discharged that obligation in several lands himself; and as another of the speakers remarked, he had been at work in the ministry since 1848. Another brother made the remark that he had labored to extend the work of the Almighty in a foreign land, and had undergone hardship and trial in seeking to secure to himself a knowledge of the language. All this is but a part of the fulfillment of that sacred obligation which was declared necessary in the introduction of this dispensation of the fullness of times, namely, that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus was to be preached in all the world, and that a heavenly messenger would fly through the midst of heaven bearing this decree. To this end the brethren who have spoken this morning have discharged that obligation. In many instances our Elders have gone hungry, have been banished, and have been made outcasts in the countries to which they have gone to discharge that most sacred obligation. They were not enemies of their fellowmen; they were not implanting one theory that would lead a man to perpetrate a wrong; their warning voice was raised only in declaration of the primary principles of the Gospel as enunciated by the Redeemer of the world Himself. Their ministry was to impress upon the minds of men and women who had read the Scriptures, the sacredness of those writings, the character of the work laid down in them, and the necessity of the human family obeying the requirements of heaven, as taught by the Redeemer of the world to the young man who came to him asking what he should do in order to obtain eternal life. His instructions to that young man were clear and explicit: "Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother; and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The burden of the ministry of the servants of God in the day and age in which we live has been the fulfillment of that requirement. They have sought to lay the foundation of the Gospel in the souls of men upon the basis presented by the Redeemer in the case of Nicodemus. He pointed out that the course to pursue was to enter in at the door of the Gospel, be baptized of the water and of the spirit, and walk in harmony with the principles enunciated to the young man. Those who have addressed you during this conference have had part in the accomplishment of that ministry. Not one of these men has ever counseled a man to steal, or to lie, or to bear false witness against his neighbor, or to violate the honor of any man or woman, or to take the life of a fellow creature; but each of them, in the discharge of his sacred duty as a servant of God, has proclaimed the divine mission of the prophet of this dispensation, the visitation of heavenly messengers, and the restoration of the Gospel in its fullness and purity. Christ and Him crucified has been the theme dwelt upon by these Elders, and they have gone forth in the performance of this responsibility without money and without price. Not one living can of a truth say that any of these have counseled them to violate the laws of their country and to trample beneath their feet the institutions of the state; for the articles of faith of the Latter-day Saints lay down the proposition that the members of this Church are to obey the laws of the country in which they live, to maintain the principles of liberty and justice, and to deal rightly and properly with their fellowmen. ¶

Standing before you, my brethren and sisters, as one of the witnesses of the mission of the Redeemer of the world, and of the restored truths of the Gospel given in the day and age in which we live, I bear this record in your presence today. I have grown from childhood to manhood in connection with these leading men of the Church of Christ. I knew Brigham Young as intimately as a boy could know his father. I knew John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, in like manner. I have been as intimate with President Joseph F. Smith as kinsman could be. Standing here as a witness before God today, I solemnly declare that I have never received one item of instruction from these men and from the Council of the Apostles-- those of the old school as well as those of the present school-- that did not breathe words of life, words of encouragement, words of loyalty and devotion to every element of true manhood. Those who have violated the rules of morality have turned back upon the instructions of the authorities of the Church of Christ. Those who have stolen have disobeyed the instructions of their associates. And when I speak of these men as the leaders of this Church, I would speak the same of these Presidents of stakes with whom I have been conversant, and whom God has blessed and made great in the accomplishment of good. The requirement laid at our door is that he who is warned, let him warn his neighbor. It is upon us to fulfill that duty, to discharge that obligation, and to acquit ourselves fully of its responsibilities. I trust that the goodly words spoken by the brethren as affecting you who are Saints shall make its impress upon those who are not united with you in a knowledge of the truth, but to whom the seeds of the truth must be carried and they utilize their agency to accept or reject it. ¶

The Gospel is true. The angel of God spoken of by the Prophet of old has flown through the midst of heaven, "having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people." Upon the head of this man (pointing to President Smith) and his associates today lies the responsibility of seeing to it that every child of our Father within reach shall hear that witness and accept or reject it. My witness before you is that God has spoken, that His truth is established, and that His Church is in the world. God, the Father and His Son Jesus Christ have spoken to man in this dispensation. The key has been turned, and the work is in motion. It lies at our door to see to it that every child of our Father shall hear that warning voice, if within our power. While we discharge this obligation, we want to discharge our obligations of citizenship in justice and right, standing for the principles of liberty, in the interest of every other mortal as well as ourselves; for if we should seek to take away the liberties of any man, it would only result in the destruction of our own liberties. Those who plot and scheme for the overthrow and destruction of your liberty and mine are not alone the enemies of the Latter-day Saints, but they are the enemies of liberty, the enemies of God the Father, the enemies of justice and mercy, and in the due time of the Lord, it will come their turn to pay the penalty of outraged mercy and justice. ¶

May God bless you with His Spirit. May the feelings and sentiments of this conference go forth to the world, showing that here are indeed true Christians, who love Christ and the principles of righteousness, and who propose to devote themselves to the accomplishment of our Father's purpose and to the blessing of His children to the utmost limit. God bless the good and noble among mankind. May He remember the statesmen of our land, that they may fulfill their destinies in righteousness, and that justice may characterize the land. God bless the people in this land who stand by the principles enunciated by the fathers of the republic, so that they may never be overthrown, but that beneath the flag and under the Constitution of the United States the right of conscience shall never be infringed, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶