Devotion to the Work of God

(Pres't of Southern States Mission) I earnestly pray that the spirit of my remarks may be in harmony with the spirit that has accompanied the remarks of my brethren during this conference. ¶

When the angel Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, to deliver his message to that boy, to reveal the place where the plates were hidden, from which the Book of Mormon was translated, he told Joseph that God had a work for him to do. To that work the Prophet Joseph consecrated his life and all that he had, until his days closed in martyrdom. It was the performance of that duty, his devotion to that work, that made Joseph Smith great ; and it is the Gospel, restored under his administration, that has given this people the commanding position they occupy. We have not made this Church great ; we have not shed any honor or lustre on the Gospel ; the Father hath done that, and we are working to glorify His holy name. It is the Church, the Gospel, that has made us great, and it has magnified us in the eyes of all honorable men and women, and by it we have found favor with God. It is the kind of work we engage in that forms our characters. If we engage in dishonorable work, we shall be dishonorable men; but if we are engaged in a great and glorious work, such as this gospel is, we become great and honored in the sight of God, and in the sight of all good men and good women. We ought to be grateful to the Lord for the marvelous opportunities that He has given unto His people. We are a peculiar people, but. we should be a people peculiarly zealous of good works. Look at the organization of the Church, so complete and perfect. The opportunities it affords to every man, woman, and child, to develop their characters, their spirituality, to make them great in the service of the Almighty, and to be of service to their fellow creatures are many and invaluable. As we realize our loftiest ideals of citizenship through this great government of ours and its institutions, so through the Church organization may our spiritual ideals be realized, and our labors find a profitable and legitimate expression. ¶

One of the good things in the world today, one of the signs which indicates that the Gospel is being favorably received, is the ready sale which the Book of Mormon is finding. Men and women are purchasing that sacred record, and they are prayerfully perusing its pages. In many places in the Southern States mission, where, a few years ago, we could not give it away, we are today selling large numbers ; and that book is the best missionary, the best friend-maker in all the world. Before I left Chattanooga a few days ago, a lady came to me and said, "Brother Callis, I want to be baptized; I am converted to the Gospel." I said to her, "Sister, I haven't seen you at our meetings very much." "No," she replied, "that is true, but I have been reading the Book of Mormon, and I am converted to the truth. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, through reading that book, and I know that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation." I love the Book of Mormon because it contains the fulness of the Gospel as taught by Jesus to the people on the western hemisphere. It contains plain and precious things that have been left out of the Bible, which we love and in which we believe. ¶

Paul, in discoursing on charity, said, "Though I speak, with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal," and the Apostle goes on to say that though he gave his body to be burned, and all his goods to feed the poor, yet if he had not charity it profited him nothing. Then he continued, "Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease ; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." And he closes that remarkable chapter with these words : "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." It is not clearly defined in the foregoing just what the Apostle means by "charity," and to get the definition of the term we appeal to the Book of Mormon. On page 599 of the sacred Nephite record, Moroni, in expressing his admiration and love for the Lord, said: "And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men, is charity;" and the same Prophet said that, "Charity is the pure love of Christ." The Apostle Paul and Moroni spoke and wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost; hence there is harmony and beauty in their teachings. Wherever truth is found, though it be separated by oceans, it agrees ; it is harmonious, because it was given by the same Spirit, by the same Lord who sendeth every good and gracious gift unto the children of men. But how is charity expressed? I hold and firmly believe that of all the people on the face of the earth, the Latter-day Saints, taken as a whole, have more charity than any other people. The love of God is greater than all other gifts, because God is love, and love is eternal. The love of God is expressed in the redemption of His sons and daughters. It is beautifully declared in the Gospel of Saint John : "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is the true love ; that is the true charity which moves us, not to distribute gifts needlessly, not to bring up our children in idleness and pleasure-seeking — not to extend to our children that false kindness that gives them everything they ask for, but to use the love we have for them to persuade them to do right, to teach them the word of God and to keep His commandments. ¶

You know it is said in the same glorious book — the Nephite record — and by the way, I might say that this verse that I am going to quote gives us a glimpse into eternity — it shows us, in a measure, at least, what our future life or course will be; and I want only a glimpse. I believe with Emerson that, "all that I have seen teaches me to trust God for what I have not seen." "For," said the Lord to the faithful Nephi, "my work is not yet finished ; neither shall it be until the end of man ; neither from that time henceforth and forever." What! The Lord God at work? Yes — and I believe that it is this work in which He is engaged that accounts for His greatness, and I do not mean to be sacrilegious in saying that. Oh! that every man who has a desire to withdraw from active duty in the Priesthood would read this verse and ponder it over in his heart. There are too many men who feel that the cares of this life should absolve them from active duty in the ministry. I believe, my brethren and sisters, that when a man asks for retirement, before the authorities of this Church see fit to release him, it smacks too much of a surrender— a surrender to indolence, a surrender to the wrong influence. I believe we should stand as firm as these granite mountains in the defense of truth. When the United States was at war with a certain nation one of her war vessels was commanded by a young man, and his name was Joseph. His father worked in the navy department. One day the message was flashed to the seat of government that Joe's vessel had struck its colors to the enemy. But the old man knew what his son was made of ; he had confidence in his integrity, and he bowed his head and wept, and in a voice broken with grief, he said: "Joe's dead, then." Sure enough, when the details of the battle were received the fact was disclosed that Joe had met his death in the discharge of his duties, before his ship was surrendered to the enemy. ¶

Now, what is this work in which God is engaged ? Let Deity himself answer. He said to Moses, as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price, "And this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality, and the eternal life of man." Oh! it is enough to make our hearts burst with joy, to think that the great Creator is doing work to elevate you and me, to exalt us in his kingdom, by persuading us, in loving kindness, to do our duty. Then, too, He has chosen his obedient children to do this glorious work, to work with Him as it were — for be it known unto all of us that God does use humanity to further His purposes in the earth. He uses men and women to preach the Gospel, and in the preaching of the Gospel we can exercise this charity and show the love of God, that is in our hearts. Who will look at that glorious temple, and the other temples in the valleys of the mountains, and say that this people have not charity or the love of God in their hearts. Only a few weeks ago, an old man, a Latter-day Saint, living in Mississippi, donated a thousand dollars for temple work. He is living in the shadow of death, in the evening of life, but so filled is his heart with the love of God that he is willing to sacrifice for the good of those who will come after him. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I desire to say unto you, for I believe it with all my heart, that the road to exaltation and eternal progression lies through sacrifice and work. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." He did not limit the attainment of perfection to time, degree, or state. Eternal progression will be along the lines of orderly knowledge, and of law, because the Gospel will be in force in eternity as it is here. It is impossible for a being, mortal or immortal, to progress without a due regard for law and without obeying the mandates of the Almighty. "The heavens declare the glory of God." So does the history of His Church the marvelous work it has accomplished and is accomplishing demonstrate and declare that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. In the early days of the Church, in the midnight of its history, when the prophet Joseph declared that all the powers of the evil one were combined to overthrow the Church, God revealed to him, in Kirtland, that something must be done for the salvation of His Church. Did that mean for Joseph to sit down in idleness, or to lose heart ? No, never ! He organized that great missionary expedition to Great Britain. He sent Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and others to preach the Gospel to the people in England and in Europe. As a result of that expedition, countless thousands have been converted to the truth. I am one individual among those countless thousands who bless God that Joseph the Prophet was inspired to send those missionaries over there — for they and the men who came after them converted my mother. My mother taught the Gospel to me, and she received it from the servants of God. I would like to mention one incident here. I like to acknowledge the goodness of the Lord. When President Joseph F. Smith was presiding over the European mission, I was a little child. I was very sick, so sick that the doctors had given me up; they had told mother there was no hope for me; but she was filled with faith ; she sent for President Smith. He came and laid his hands upon my head and blessed me, and promised mother that I should live, and by the goodness of God I am here today — the desires of my heart being that I may be of some little use in the kingdom of God. ¶

I bear you my testimony, my brethren and sisters, that President Smith is a prophet of God. Strong and convincing are the testimonies that people receive when they embrace the work of God. Their hearts are turned to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers are turned to the children. The gift of healing, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues are manifested among those who believe; and these gifts, and blessings, these testimonies could not come, through a counterfeit ministry. The Elders go forth, and by the power of the Holy Ghost declare the word of God, and that power carries their words to the hearts of the children of men. I testify unto you that the authorities of this Church are men of God, the right men in the right places; and when we build them up we build ourselves up. No wonder the devil is striking at them. It is no new thing. The infamous Clark at Far West said to the Latter-day Saints, "Do away with your presidents, do away with your apostles; do away with your bishops, and be like other people." But we cannot do that, brethren and sisters. The man who declares he has no faith in the Priesthood has no faith in the Gospel— because they are inseparable. I believe in the priesthood; I have faith in the servants of God ; and if the Saints will uphold their hands, they will have more influence for good in their homes. The man or the woman who maligns the Church authorities, who finds fault with the president of their stake, or the bishop of their ward, that man and woman have not the influence with their children that they would have if they were loyal to their leaders, and thus please God. ¶

I bear testimony to the truth of the Gospel. It is my testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the leaders of the Church are men of God, and that our prophet and leader today is a prophet of God; and I bear this testimony in the fear of the Lord, and in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶