Prosperity in Utah and the Time for General Observance of the Word of Wisdom

The people of Utah prosperous. — Temperance a fundamental principle of the Church. — Time has arrived for general observance of the Word of Wisdom. — Reformation necessary to prepare for the Lord's coming. — America the land of Zion, its inhabitants should be righteous. — Evidences of divinity of latter-day work. ¶

I am sure that we all rejoiced, this morning, in listening to the opening remarks of President Smith and his counselors. We are favored with splendid weather, and a generous attendance of the people. ¶

I have no doubt that the Lord is pleased to see His Saints come together to worship, to receive instructions, to renew their faith, and to listen to the word and will of the Lord through His servants. I trust that the same good spirit may abide with the brethren who speak this afternoon. Throughout our conference I anticipate a feast, for the Saints have been wonderfully blessed during the past year. They have manifested by their works that they are thoroughly established in the faith. Improvement is discovered, I believe, on every hand. Although we have passed through financial stringency, during the last six months, I believe that the people of this state have weathered the storm as well as the people of any state in the Union. The institutions of our state have stood the pressure. We have been well prepared to meet the shock, and I believe that the situation of the people of this state is such that they will continue to prosper and grow stronger from this time. As a result our state will become remarkable among the states of the Union in many ways. ¶

The key-note was given this morning by the President. Our attention was drawn to the fact that the Latter-day Saints are a temperate people. The principle of temperance is a strong point in the faith of the Latter-day Saints. We have not always lived up to it as perfectly as we should have done, but that doctrine, with many other doctrines that have been made known by the Lord, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, seems to have taken hold of the people of our nation. There is a wave in favor of temperance, passing over the nation, growing and increasing steadily. No people in the Union should be as well prepared and as ready to take part in this movement as the Latter-day Saints ought to be, for it is quite in harmony with the fundamental principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe the time is ripe for Latter-day Saints, particularly, to place themselves in accord with this revelation, the Word of Wisdom, which was given in the beginning by the Prophet Joseph as a Word of Wisdom with promises which are very precious. In the beginning, it was not laid down as a strict commandment. I do not know whether or not the Lord took into account the fact that our forefathers, and our fathers, had been so used to many things forbidden in the Word of Wisdom that it might be difficult for them to order their lives in harmony with those requirements : so we were given perhaps thirty or forty years of training and experience before the Lord announced, through His servant the Prophet Brigham Young, that the Word of Wisdom has now become a commandment of the Lord. President Young laid it down very strictly and exactly from this stand that from that time henceforth the Word of Wisdom is a commandment from the Lord, and all Latter-day Saints are required to observe it. My acquaintance with the Latter-day Saints in Zion, as well as abroad gives me to understand that presiding brethren throughout the Church and our leading brethren and sisters in the associations and organizations are taking a stand strongly in favor of temperance, not only in regard to strong drinks but in regard to the use of tea, coffee, and tobacco. This will be a very remarkable people when visitors can come to us from the world and discover that throughout Zion, the home of the Latter-day Saints, there are none who indulge in the use of strong drinks, nor in the use of tea, coffee and tobacco. However, I want to draw your attention to the fact that there are people in the world who are not only abstaining from the use of strong drinks, but they are just as abstemious in regard to the use of tobacco, tea and coffee as are the Latter-day Saints. They have come to understand that those things are injurious, and they are refraining from their use. I have met quite a number of people who are just as careful .in regard to these matters as Latter-day Saints can be. It was not on account of the Word of Wisdom that these people in the world have been avoiding these things, for they knew nothing of that revelation that has been given to the Latter-day Saints. It appears that this spirit is not only moving upon the Latter-day Saints but it is among the peoples of the world as well. ¶

I believe that the time has now come when not only the leading brethren in the Church, the presiding brethren in the stakes of Zion. in the wards, and in the quorums should be very careful and faithful in the observance of this law, but I believe the time has come when all Latter-day Saints should be held to a little stricter account. I believe that every man who bears the Priesthood, every man who has entered into covenant with the Lord as we have done at the waters of baptism, to keep the commandments of the Lord, to observe them faithfully so far as we know them, and as fast as they shall be revealed unto us, I say I believe the time has come when they should observe the Word of Wisdom, as well as to pay their tithing, as well as to attend to their prayers and the worship of the Lord. I believe it is a time now for reformation — extended and increased reformation — over the conditions that have prevailed among us in the past. I appeal to my brethren who bear the Priesthood, the Lesser as well as the Melchisedek Priesthood, that we engage in this work, first laboring with ourselves regulating and setting in order our own lives, and when we have accomplished this, that we shall labor to set in order the lives of our friends. I believe that we will find many people, who are our neighbors in the land of Zion, who will go hand in hand with us thus far in our religion. May be they will not receive it all, some of them will not but many of them' will, and this is an opportunity to show to the people of the world as well as those with whom we associate, that we are in earnest, that we are sincere, and that we are not hypocritical. ¶

I believe the time is here, my dear brethren and sisters, that we ought to make whatever reformation is really necessary in order that the power of this Gospel may be felt in the earth. The coming of the Lord is near, even the coming of the Lord Jesus to reign on the earth, and you and I and our children, should we live until that day, would be happy, and it would be very desirable, I am sure, that we should find ourselves in the possession of faith and in the accomplishment of good works for the building up of the kingdom. If it is our good fortune to live, certainly we want to be worthy to meet the Lord. If we don't live to meet Him here, we will meet Him all the sooner on the other side, and hence our preparation will not be in vain. We want to be prepared for His coming, we should be ready, and we will then be in splendid condition if we depart before He comes, but His coming is near at hand. We see it in the signs of the times., among the nations of the earth. The Lord is befriending His people. He is caring for His Saints — a little handful of people, a small percentage of all His children, of course, but a chosen people. He has selected us; He has poured out His Spirit upon us; and we have been prepared, exercising our agency, to receive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. We have a belief in God. We know that God lives, for He has revealed Himself unto us. He revealed Himself to the Prophet Joseph, as an introduction to this work, so that Joseph knew the Father, and the Son was introduced by the Father. The Holy Ghost has been given to all Latter-day Saints, that Spirit which has established the people, made them strong, made them stable, and given them success. It has inspired them with a desire to gather to Zion, and has strengthened them in their efforts to do the will of God on the earth; yet, we are a small minority. Although we are but a little handful of people, we have gained a splendid footing in a splendid country, under a splendid government; and, thank the Lord, it is His business to care for His Saints, and He will do so. There is no question. You and I can't take care of this work. Men have not been able to do it. The Prophet Joseph could not take care of the work in his day, when he stood alone, when he was but a boy, almost, for at the organization of this Church he was only twenty-five years old. What can we expect today of a young man twenty-five years old? But the Lord was with the Prophet Joseph, and the Lord raised up men about him, — men of intelligence, men of judgment, a strong class of men who stood by the Prophet, although some of them fell away. Some of them were not faithful ; they could not endure, for the seed sown in their hearts fell upon stony ground; there was lack of strength and vitality in the ground where the seed was sown. Many of those who were with the Prophet fell away, so that, so far as men are concerned, he stood almost alone ; but a few such men as Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and others of that class were brought to the work and stood by the Prophet so that the work was established. It started with just a few poor people— poor people, so far as this world's goods are concerned — but the Church has grown from the very beginning. It has advanced, it has been sustained; the Lord has taken care of it, and there has never been an enemy that could overcome the work of the Lord. This work has been maintained and it will endure to the end. It will not be broken to pieces. It will not be given to other people. The earth will never be left again without the Church of Christ established upon it. This Church will remain, for the Father is at the helm. I would bear my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, that God lives and is the author of this work. He it is Who sustains it; and He it is, through His Son, that has guided and controlled and cared for it all the time. They have selected the men, and, they have known the men that have endured and carried forward the work to the present time — not only the chiefs, not only those that have been called to responsible positions but He has chosen you, this body of people here today, and all Israel, the hosts of Israel that are gathered in these valleys of the mountains. The Lord has had you in reserve. He has brought you here and has planted your feet here to remain. You cannot go anywhere else, for this is the land of Zion. The Lord has saved this land ; He has prepared the way and laid the foundation. Some of us have struggles, but the work will arise and triumph and prosper, in the future, more gloriously than ever before. ¶

How lovely it is, when we discover, as we travel and labor among the Latter-day Saints, the improvement that is being made on every hand, careful attention being given to every individual — not a soul, not a child in Zion that does not receive particular attention, and this is necessary in order that our children may be properly trained and reared in the ways of truth and righteousness, and when they get old they will not depart from it. ¶

At this time special efforts are being made to establish temperance in the country, and we have received encouragement from the outside and everywhere in order that we may be a more temperate people. Why should not the people of the United States set that kind of example for the rest of the world. This is the land of Zion, the land upon which men must serve God or they are in danger. It is a choice land the land of the Lord, kept hidden for many centuries, for this country was not known. For very many centuries the learned men of the world did not know that there was any such country as these North and South Americas. They thought they had everything in the east, and they did not know there was any west. It is only a few centuries, four or five, since the discovery was made that there were two sides to the world ; that there were people on this side of the world; and all the evidences of a remarkable and refined civilization is found today upon these lands. The people are just beginning to open up and discover the stories that these lands have to tell. This is the land of Zion, and why should not the people of this country lead in these matters. We as Latter-day Saints are under the law of the Lord. We are prohibited from the use of strong drink and tobacco. We are prohibited from profanity and all kinds of wickedness. We have been living under prohibition in this line, under the law of the Gospel, for the law is: thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not lie ; thou shalt not commit adultery ; thou shalt not rob or trespass, but serve the Lord and do what is right. We are taught to love our neighbors as ourselves ; we must do as we would be done by. These are some of the laws we have been living, and according to these laws we have been trying to order our lives. Prohibition is not a new departure with us. I know so far as I am concerned, I have been under the law of prohibition for very many years. I obeyed it as a law of the Gospel and it is a good thing. I discover that it is a good thing to be sober a good thing to be temperate. It is a good thing to do what is right among men — not only among Latter-day Saints, but in the world. Why, a man is absolutely safe in this world if he will only do what is right. This is what the law of the Gospel requires : that men should do what is right — work righteousness, for on no other principle can we obtain salvation. ¶

Brethren and sisters, let us go out from this conference to every part of the Church with the determination in our hearts that we will work righteousness, that the spirit of this conference may be felt throughout the Church. We expect to go to every part of the Church; we expect to go into every ward. We would like you to look out for us, because we are coming to see you. We shall visit you in your wards, and when you hear of the brethren coming, we want you to meet them at your homes — that is, at your home places of gathering. We cannot go into all the homes of the people very well; there are too many people, and we are too few. The time was when the Prophet Joseph could go into the home of every Latter-day Saint, visit all the people, shake them by the hand, and give them a blessing; but today President Joseph F. Smith can visit but a very few of the people in their homes. He can see them in general conference, but only a very small percentage of the people can come here to conference. Suppose there will be twenty thousand people gathered here tomorrow, on the Sabbath day — that is a small minority of the half million of Latter-day Saints. In order that we may see all the people and labor among them, get acquainted with them and know their spirit, that we may be able to bless them and take into their neighborhoods instruction counsel and encouragement we must visit the people. In order to look after the affairs of organization and regulation as well as ordinations and the blessings necessary to establish the kingdom and keep it regulated, we must go to every stake, and there are fifty-six stakes — six or seven hundred wards — and we must do that every year, and two, three or four times a year we must visit every stake. We are in that ministry all the time. I want to say to every Latter-day Saint : If you be converted and are true Latter-day Saints, we want you to convert your neighbors — and convert them by your living. No stronger testimony can be borne in regard to the principles of honesty, temperance, justice, mercy, truth and morality, than for a man to live those principles and doctrines. No testimony is stronger. People may question what we say and what testimony we bear, but they cannot question our lives. If a man lives an honest life, meets his obligation if he is a true man and lives a godly and upright life, dealing with his fellow men as he would that men should deal with him, if he is true and faithful in every line, no man can say nay to what that man does, for it is unquestionable, it is the facts as they exist and are eternal. ¶

There are a few things to which we would like to refer which were mentioned in the presence of the First Presidency, in our councils, as we report regularly to them ; we report our labors, just where we have been and what we have accomplished, every week. These men here, the brethren of the Twelve, and these Seventies, as well as the brethren presiding over the stakes of Zion, are all men of God. They are strong, capable men. They are men of worth and integrity. In all these fifty-six stakes, and in all these six or seven hundred wards, and in the quorums of the Priesthood these leading men are men of God. They have been chosen of the Lord; every one of them' has been designated by the finger of the Lord in revelation for their positions of responsibility, and the authority they bear is just as sacred as that given by the Savior Himself to the Prophet Joseph, or the authority conferred upon the Prophet Joseph by Peter, James and John, who were the chief apostles in the days of the Savior, for it was their mission and ministry. They have not come to the earth for eighteen hundred years to give that authority and power to any other men, but after that great length of time, after those centuries of time, these men, bearing the keys of the kingdom, came under the direction of the Son of God and conferred that authority, and priesthood and power, upon the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery. Before them came John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of the Savior ; he, too was the forerunner of the Prophet Joseph, and he came and administered to Joseph and Oliver. He instructed them and authorized them to officiate with the power of the Lesser Priesthood, by which they , had authority to baptize each other. Then came Peter, James and John with the Melchisedek Priesthood, holding the keys and authority to organize and build up the kingdom' of God on the earth. They brought that authority to the earth and conferred it upon these young men, with the promise that it should never be taken from the earth again, and it has remained. Since that time the Latter-day Saints have multiplied, but not phenomenally, not very remarkably, for there have been other peoples that have multiplied much more rapidly, having doctrines, ideas, and fashions that were more popular with the world, and they accepted the easier plan. It is a difficult thing for fallen men to serve the Lord in this life. It is rather difficult for the reason that fallen men incline to do wrong. Their appetites and passions rule them; they are fraught with evil propensities and desires, and the tempter is always before them. Therefore it is difficult for them to overcome and open their hearts to receive the truth. That is the reason we are not more numerous than we are, but we are a remarkable people. No other people in the world gather together; no other people in the world build temples as do the Latter-day Saints — temples erected to the name of God, in which blessings and ordinances are administered for time and eternity. There are no other people who marry for time and eternity, and who are laboring for the salvation of the dead — not another temple on this earth today, except these four temples of the Latter-day Saints, in which ordinances are being performed for the salvation of the living and the dead. These are some of the many evidences that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, for whenever the Lord has a people upon the earth who bear His authority, you will find these same doctrines and principles advocated and established among them— not only for the benefit of those that are here and those that are to come, but for the good of all those who have lived in the past, for it is one great family. From the time of Adam until the winding up scene of the children of men on this earth there is just one family of our Father, and the Lord is just as much interested in the men who came first as those who came at the last, or those who came in the meridian of time. Men were just as valuable in the beginning as they were in the days of the Savior; and they are just as valuable now as they were in the beginning or at the time of the Savior ; it will be so to the end, and the children of God are innumerable. And this is a great work, of populating: the earth, bringing the family of God here to dwell and giving them opportunities. Of course there are plenty of other opportunities, there have been and will be throughout all the ages of eternity. This is not the only work of the Lord — this is only one section, one department of the Lord's work, but it is very important, very remarkable, and those of His family who come here will be very numerous, but there will be plenty more for other worlds like this hereafter without number. There will be no dearth of worlds, no dearth of spirits, no dearth of space, no dearth of light, intelligence and opportunities for the development of human kind who have always been and who always will be. ¶

My brethren and sisters, let us be true to this cause. We Latter-day Saints are few, only a handful of people in a world of many millions, but we have been gathered together and entrusted with this great and remarkable work. Let us be faithful and do our duty well, so that in a few years when we depart and go to the other side, it may be said of us that we have been true and faithful, that we have fought a good fight. ¶

Now in regard to keeping the commandments of the Lord, being temperate and living up to His laws in all things — I want to make this impression upon this body of people, upon these elders and sisters here today: The leading brethren do not want to be lonesome in keeping the commandments of God. We want you to be temperate as we are temperate. It is not any more important that we should keep the commandments of God than that you should keep them. You must be upright, temperate, honest and conscientious. It is not enough for me and my family to do the will of the Lord. You, my brethren and sisters, and your children, your neighbors and kindred, and all who are Latter-day Saints should keep the commandments of the Lord, and then it will not be lonesome for us. We want your help. We want your support. We want you to minister and labor with us. When the President was speaking of the Lesser Priesthood, I was reminded that not long ago there came into my home two Teachers and a Deacon. I think it was the first time I had had a Deacon come to visit me. I would like you to remember that the lesser Priesthood has a ministry. Any man who bears this Priesthood, any part of it, either the lesser Priesthood or the Melchisedek Priesthood, has a ministry, and the Lord requires that that ministry should be magnified and honored. The way should be opened so that these boys may be given a chance, that they may be employed and have their ministry as Teachers, for it is their duty to labor and assist the Teachers in all things. The Priests also should perform their duties in the homes of the people, that the people may be stirred up, not only in regard to temperance, but in regard to the principle of prayer, that men and women shall be taught to pray, that they may know how to pray, and have courage to pray, that in their prayers they may stand committed before the Lord to keep His commandments. Be sure that you live in such a way that when you pray, you can say: Father, I have done Thy will this day. Start out your prayer like that. Live so that you will be able to tell the Lord that you have done exactly right that you have not done anything that is wrong. Tell the Lord that and tell the truth, and I say to you that you can't ask the Lord a thing you ought to have, that is reasonable at all, that He will not give. Keep His commandments, then open your hearts to the Lord and ask Him for what you need, and He will grant it unto you. ¶

God bless you, my brethren and sisters. May His Spirit fill all our hearts, and may we go from this conference strengthened, and established, and fortified so that we shall never fail but that we may be successful in the service of God through Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶