The Proclamation of the Gospel and the Songs of Zion

The songs of Zion assist in religious training.—Immensity of the labor involved in proclaiming the Gospel. — Missionary success in face of great opposition.— Only imaginary conversions result from revivals.— Many roads do not lead to Heaven.— The narrow way to eternal life is wide enough for all. ¶

I have rejoiced in the testimonies that have been borne by the brethren who have spoken in the sessions of the conference which have already passed. I am very grateful for the words spoken at the opening of the conference by President Smith, in which he said that a period of prosperity, unity and growth characterized the Latter-day Saints during the last six months. I rejoice when I contemplate the great work that is being accomplished in the earth for the salvation of the children of men, for their temporal and spiritual salvation; for the gospel contemplates the saving of men both temporally and spiritually, the advancing of them to higher planes in mortality and immortality. I am thankful for the work that is being done among the children of the Latter-day Saints. The tens of thousands of little ones, born under the covenant, are being instructed in the various organizations of the Church in the ways of the Lord. We had an illustration yesterday of some work which is being done among the children by Brother Stephens — a work that is grand indeed, and the full value of which is not, I suppose, entirely understood. They are learning to sing the songs of Zion, and these songs breathe the spirit of the Gospel, and within them is contained the truth. The principles and doctrines of the Church are very often embodied in the hymns which are sung by both young and old among the Latter-day Saints; and this, together with the instructions they receive in the Religion Classes, the Primary Associations, the Sabbath schools and the Mutual Improvement Associations, will assist to develop them into men and women thoroughly indoctrinated in the principles of the Gospel, and make them familiar with the plan of life and salvation. They are on the way to making their calling and election sure. They are in that path which is narrow, and their faces are directed towards the straight gate which leads unto life eternal. The other organizations among the adults or grown people likewise are doing a good work, and we see in this congregation an evidence of great faith in the hearts of the people concerning the work of the Lord. Our missionaries are laboring earnestly and, as we have heard, most unselfishly, that the people of the world may be taught the truth and be brought to a knowledge of the Gospel, that they may know the truth, that they may know good from evil, that they may instantly determine right from wrong: and it is our prayer that the people may be so moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord that they will receive this word as it is carried to them by the Elders of the Church. Last year nearly 2,400 men and women were added to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by baptism. Now, at first sight that does not appear to be a very great work that has been performed by the Elders; but that is really only a very small part of the work. They have traversed tens of thousands of miles preaching the Gospel to the people in their cities, towns and villages. They have distributed among the people of the world millions of tracts explaining the plan of life and salvation. They have entered the homes of many thousands who, prior to their coming, had never heard about the restoration of the Gospel of Christ, or of the dispensation of the fulness of times; and unto these tens of thousands, aye, and hundreds of thousands of people, the Gospel has been preached, the message has been carried, and the doctrines and principles of the Gospel have been explained, I presume millions of people in the last year have heard the Elders of the Church as they have lifted their voices on the street and market places of the populated districts of the world. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness before the end shall come;" and this work is being done. We cannot help it if many will not accept the Gospel. We acquit ourselves of the obligation and the responsibility God has placed upon us when we cry repentance unto the children of men. They then are left to themselves, to obey or reject as they will, and they will receive the consequence of disobedience or rewards of obedience to the word of divinity thus spoken. Nevertheless, 2,400 intelligent men and women converted by these teachings, and baptized by immersion for the remission of their sins by authorized servants of God is, after all, under the circumstances, a marvelous work. They have not been converted by methods of revivalism. I presume in the majority of cases it has taken weeks and months, and perhaps years, to convert some of those who were baptized. Conversion from a condition of sin and unbelief to one of understanding and faith is not brought about instantaneously. We were told yesterday that upon hearing the Gospel some individuals were convinced of its truth and immediately made application for baptism; but if these cases were examined, we would find they compare very nearly with that instance of the conversion of Cornelius, also mentioned yesterday. They are men and women who have for some time, perhaps years, been dissatisfied with what the world offered them as the Gospel. They are people that have been seeking the truth, looking for light, who have been praying unto God for a knowledge of the truth, and thereby have prepared themselves for the message when they heard it, and are ready to receive it immediately upon hearing it, and desire baptism. Usually we go among the people who are Christians who do believe or profess to believe, and that honestly, in God and in the saving and redeeming powers of the Lord Jesus Christ; and when we go among them, and they hear for the first time that they are after all probably mistaken in the faith they have chosen, and in which they have been reared, it has a tremendous effect, it is a revolution, and it takes time, much time, for them to become convinced. It takes prayer, it takes instruction, and much labor on the part of the teachers of the Gospel to show these individuals that they have been in error, and that their religious advisers have also been in error, and to convince them of the truth which is brought to them by the true shepherds of Jesus Christ. Consequently, the conversion of these people has required much labor, and earnest, prayerful work on the part of the servants of the Lord. When you come to think of it, 2,400 people are more than are contained in some towns and villages in the State of Utah or other states. Again, when you consider that these conversions have been made when the whole kingdom of the devil has been arrayed against the servants of God, it is all the more remarkable. When you consider that from thousands of pulpits throughout the civilized or Christian world so-called ministers of the Gospel have warned the people against the Elders of the Church of Christ and also that the editors of influential newspapers throughout the whole country have filled the world, as it were, with falsehoods and lies, deluging the people with false ideas concerning the "Mormons," and warning all mankind to beware of the "Mormon" Elders, it is marvelous in our eyes. In spite of all this, in spite of regularly organized societies and leagues brought into existence for the purpose of fighting the Elders and putting stumbling blocks in their way, and biasing the minds of the people, filling them with prejudice against the truth — it is a remarkable thing, my brethren and sisters, that the Elders have been able to reach the ears of intelligent men and women to the number of thousands who have been converted, and tens of thousands who are to a greater or less degree investigating the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you think too that governors of states and mayors of cities have joined the enemy and banished the Elders from certain localities; when ministers, as we heard yesterday, have incited the populace to mob violence, whipping of the Elders, burning meeting houses, threatening those who even listen to them with the destruction of their homes and perhaps the sacrifice of their lives, the wonder increases. But it is God's work. The Elders are His servants. They are divinely called. They are also divinely clothed upon by the Holy Ghost. Though the whole nether world, with all the powers of hell and earth, shall oppose, they cannot prevail against God or His servants. It only requires a little thinking, a little prayer, a little charity, the exercise of a little common sense on the part of intelligent men and women, just a moment's pause to consider carefully and thoughtfully the message brought to them, and the lives and conduct of the messengers who bring it, and compare these with the character and conduct of those who are fighting the work of God, to convince them of the truth. ¶

The Lord's work is going on. We read from time to time statistics from the various denominations of Christendom, giving the numbers of thousands who have been converted to Christianity within certain periods; and if one takes the trouble to investigate he may find that year after year the same thousands are converted over and over again and called converts to Christianity. The Christian world hold what they call revival meetings, at which the people gather in large numbers — the Christian people who have wandered away, who are given more or less to sin, and who have been only slightly interested in religion. Their time and attention have been occupied in worldly pursuits. They hear men preach to them the Gospel, with great fervor and eloquence, and they are moved upon, they are touched, they see their sinful lives; and, either with the hope to escape the terrors of everlasting fire in hell, or to receive hereafter the glorious and indolent rest of the "Christian" heaven, they are prone to repent for the time being, and are added to the church. A week after they are where they were before they were "converted," and it requires another revival meeting after awhile to again stir them up to repentance and faith. Not so with those who are converted to the Gospel of Christ. As I have said, the transition from wickedness and from worldly love to that of self-sacrifice, and faith in God, and obedience to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has never been accomplished instantaneously. But these with whom we have labored long and diligently, have prepared themselves, and they are secure. They have a living faith, a faith accompanied with good works, and we can depend upon them— most of them, at least. There may be some even after all that effort in their behalf who will fall away; that is sometimes the case. So likewise, my brethren and sisters, the transition from obedience to truth, from a condition of faith in God, from good, virtuous, honorable, upright lives, to that of sin, apostasy and wickedness, is never instantaneous. No man who today is in full fellowship in the Church, who is receiving the approbation of God, and has the witness of the truth in his heart, who is keeping the commandments of the Lord, who is faithful, pure, virtuous and chaste, will tomorrow be cut off from the Church for adultery, for apostasy, or for wickedness and corruption. I have never known such a case; changes of this kind are brought about gradually, and take time. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, you are acquainted with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, you know the doctrines of the Church, you understand the principles of life and salvation, you know what the Lord has commanded us to do and not to do, therefore, we say unto you, follow this knowledge, and be guided by faith and prayer. Keep yourselves pure, and in the line of duty, in the straight and narrow way which leadeth to life eternal. Avoid that broad way and wide gate which leadeth to destruction. It is all well and good, and I presume enticing to some, to listen to discourses on the forks of the road, and to be told to take either route you please, wander through the sweet scented woods and follow its meanderings along the beautiful streams and pleasant meadows, and you will get to heaven after all in the end. That is all pretty enough to some, but to those who understand the truth it is hideous, because it is not the fact; it is false, and not true. Well enough to talk about some of our winding and "meandering" country roads; but the man who sets his foot on the road that "meanders" towards London will have to right about face absolutely if he wishes to go to Carlisle or Glasgow. There is but one way of life and salvation; and it is nonsense for men to take as text "I am the way, the truth, and the life," and then, before they have finished, declare to the world that they may go their own way, suit their own inclination, follow any road they will, for so great is the love of God and the mercy of Jesus Christ that He will save them in the end. "Broad is the way and wide is the gate which leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat, because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it." And why is it that few find it? It is because men preach these false doctrines of "meandering" roads and give to mankind their choice of a number of paths. They say you may follow the roads which lead through the sweet scented woods of sin; you may follow that road which parallels the enticing streams of vice and corruption; you may walk through the meadows of your own pernicious inclinations, if you will, and after all, the love of God will save you; for, "He so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever should believe on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But they neglect to add, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; and no man cometh to the Father but by me." Because of such teachings as this, men go astray; they imagine to themselves that they are secure in following after their own wills, and they forget that they must do the will of God to be saved. They forget that "he that goeth not in at the door of the sheepfold, but seeketh to climb up some other way, is a thief and a robber." It may be said that this kind of doctrine preached from the pulpits is a broadminded doctrine; it embraces the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. People have made catch phrases of the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. The Apostle John said of the Savior, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not; but to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" — not to those who did not receive Him. The Savior told some of the people at one time that they were children of their father the devil, who was the father of lies. Why? Because they would not receive Christ, but rather received the evil and preferred a refuge of lies. Now then, if that is broadmindedness, it is the broadmindedness of the broad way, and men in that broad way may meander, and circle, and waltz as they please, but they will never find the straight gate, but will enter the wide gates to destruction. If it is narrowminded to say that "straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," it is not my narrowness, but it is the narrowness of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. But what about this narrow way? Why, brethren and sisters, it is wide enough to contain the whole world, if the people of the world would but enter it and march forward with their attention set upon the gate which is straight. They could walk many thousands abreast, too, without difficulty. It is the path of duty, and obedience to the things the Savior taught, for He said: ¶

"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ¶

"And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for, it was founded upon a rock. ¶

"And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ¶

"And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." ¶

It is folly to suppose that you can gain a salvation in the kingdom of God while you are breaking the commandments of God. It is folly to suppose that the broad way, and those roads that meander and curve, and turn away from the straight and narrow path will lead to that gate which entereth into life. You Latter-day Saints understand this. These are the things we are trying to convince the world of. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and must be added to those other sayings of His, viz. that "God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever should believe on Him should have eternal life," etc. We must take all the words of the Savior; live by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God, follow in the paths of truth, and keep the Lord's commandments; then there will be salvation for us. ¶

The condition of the world today is very much like that described by Paul when he wrote the "time would come when they would not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts would they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, who would turn their ears away from the truth and unto fables." Such doctrines as that about many roads may on the face of them appear broadminded and liberal, but they are fables, and their followers will go to destruction unless they repent. ¶

Again Paul wrote: ¶

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ¶

"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, "Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, "Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; "Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. ¶

"For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." ¶

A better description of the present condition of the world could scarcely be written. Whether or not this prediction had reference to a former or a latter day, we see a remarkable fulfillment of it in our own time. There are many who answer well this description, and it is this sort of men who have been prominent in persecuting the Saints, and who, in the last year or two, have crept into houses and led captive several millions of silly women. ¶

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." ¶

My brethren and sisters the kingdom of God will triumph in spite of it all. Therefore, follow in the way of life; follow the directions of the servants of God; keep your feet in the straight way, and you shall be saved, and the world cannot prevent it. At the same time do your best to persuade, by love, kindness, consideration and instruction, all men to enter with you. God bless the Saints, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶