Indifference in the World Contrasted with the Gospel

In contrasting the sermons that I have heard during this conference with the spirit of the world, I am strongly reminded of the statement in the scriptures wherein it says that it shall be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man as it was in the days of Noah, that the people shall be indifferent, not knowing the way of life,- not certain of anything, and not particularly interested. Noah was unable, after 120 years' teaching, to induce more than his own family to go into the ark. In this day it seems to be the same. The members of sectarian churches of the world do not know they are right, neither do they know that they are not right. The people belonging to each church are willing to go on in their way, generally speaking, and willing to let all other churches do the same. The Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists and all others concede that ministers of all the so-called Christian churches have the right to make their living by preaching. In doing this they feel that they ¶

are doing some good, and, in a general way, the Christian world certainly has been benefited, for we know that all Christians are elevated much above those who have not accepted Christianity. The Christian sects have not accepted all the truth, but they have accepted a great deal of it, and we know that those who have accepted a part have been made better and elevated to a higher standard. ¶

In my short experience, I can remember when sectarian ministers preached the awful doctrine of damnation of infants, and that if people did not accept Christ in this life they were lost forever, and many other similar doctrines. But, today they have grown more liberal as they call it, and more broadminded, even willing to leave the hereafter to the Lord, while they now preach that men should repent and live a holy life, and walk the straight and narrow path. I believe that the Christian world has done a great work for the uplifting of the human family. They have fought the restored gospel, and been unwilling to accept it as a whole, but they are now accepting it little by little, and it is marvelous how much of the revealed gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the Christian world now believes, compared to a few years ago. I have been told, in the last year, by a number of ministers, that they believe in the restoration of the gospel ; that is, since the days of Luther, Calvin, Knox and other great religious reformers, there has been a restoration of the light of the primitve gospel of Jesus Christ, not a restoration of it as taught by the Latter-day Saints, but a restoration of it little by little, or as fast as they are prepared for the same. I rejoice in the knowledge my brethren and sisters, that they are beginning to believe in the restoration. I rejoice to see them accepting principles which were revealed by the Lord of heaven to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have rejoiced in the spirit of the testimonies that have been borne by the speakers during this conference, in their positiveness, and in their assurance that they know what the Church and people are doing, and where they are going. People of the world are growing tired of having leaders that are not certain of their path. Therein is the beauty of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, for in it is revealed to us the true character of our Father and His earth-born Son. We are not in doubt as to who they are, what they look like, the purpose of Christ's mission in the world, and their supervision over the human family. This restored gospel has heen leavening the whole lump, and the world is being prepared to accept it, not in part, as at present, but as it was revealed from heaven, as to doctrine as well as to authority and organization. ¶

Last spring I heard two sermons on the resurrection which were almost a counterpart of the teaching on this subject found in the Book of Mormon. When I think that, in the United States, in the last eight years, the seven missions have distributed nearly 200,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, it is no wonder that the truths in the book are spreading among the people. The simplicity and beauty of its teachings, like the revelation of the Father and the Son, are affecting the world. People are beginning to believe in the restoration of the gospel. They are beginning to believe that the God of heaven is our Father, and that He loves His children. Still they are lukewarm, they are not positive in the way that they are going. They are too easy in their religion. They are like some that we have among us — they are Christians, but are not doing much at their religion. And so in the Christian world, there are millions that are not doing much at it. In fact, the men folks of the world, in a very large measure, have withdrawn themselves from churches and are taking part in lodges, because the lodges give them something to do, if it is no more than to sit in a special chair, carry banners, march in line, and in turn be the head of the organization for a little time. But the women still attend the churches, and are doing the greater part of the family religion. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at home, we find some men that are not taking very much part. As Brother David H. Cannon said, they have never been called upon, because they have never been in the way of work. If there are any at home that feel sorry they have not been called, I wish to state that I hope they will be called upon to come into my mission field. We are at least fifty short in our field of the number we have had, and one hundred short of what we would like to have. There is plenty of work for them to do. If they will come out and do it, trusting in the Lord, the Spirit and power of God will come upon them, and they will be able to come home, as thousands have done, saying it is the happiest time of their lives, and the sweetest work they have ever performed. A testimony will grow in their hearts that the revelations ¶

of God through the Prophet Joseph Smith are true. The heavens will open to them, and they will rejoice in bearing testimony of the truth upon the public streets and in public and private meetings. I have heard hundreds of them bear that testimony, and none who heard them doubted what they said. There is joy in the. service of the Lord. The world has grown hike warm because of the nature of the doctrines taught to them, and the uncertainty of the self-appointed leaders. There has been no positiveness in their preachers, no certainty in their declarations, no knowledge concerning the true character of God ; and, as was said in the Tabernacle this morning, how can they impart more than they have received ? On the other hand, the positive testimony of the elders is sweet to the hearts of the honest people of the earth, for they bear witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that He has restored the gospel to the earth, the gospel of faith, repentance and baptism. All men and women who will repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins shall know of the doctrine, and know that it is of God. That kind of preaching stirs the hearts of those who love God and would like to know the way to go. Hundreds of them are touched in their hearts, and some day they will bear witness of it by being baptized in water for the remission of their sins. ¶

The world has not yet, by their .own wisdom, found the way, neither have they found any one who can tell them the way. I wonder sometimes that there should be any Latter-day Saints not doing anything at the religion that has been given to us in this day. The gold ¶

and silver of the world is nothing compared to the great gift that God our Father has given to us. We are not destined by our own efforts and tact, nor by our own intelligence to win the wealth of the world, but we have been promised the riches of the world, after we have sought and found the kingdom of God. The Lord gave the elders of this Church positive instructions that we should not seek the riches of this world, but seek to bring to pass the righteousness of God, and to bring about the salvation of the souls of men, and if we do that, and continue faithful all our days, we shall be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of our Father. ¶

Two of our elders in the Minnesota conference, about three weeks ago, were accosted by a lady at her door, who said: "flow is it you come to my door? Why, I entertained two of your elders a year ago. Won't any of my neighbors keep you?" They were two young men who had not been there very long, and one of them, who was the spokesman, said: "My good woman, we were turned away about ten times in this neighborhood after holding street meetings, so we knelt down and asked the Lord if there was an honest heart in this neighborhood or within our reach that He would lead us to such. We arose and have come straight to your door." She was so touched, because the Lord had led those two elders to her door, that she took them in ; that statement of a common practice of the elders was sufficient to interest her in the restored gospel. ¶

The work of the Lord is certainly increasing in the earth, and the Spirit of our Father is taking hold of the hearts of the people. I doubt not it will be but a short time till thousands of people will go futher than to manifest only belief. To their belief they will add the works of repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands. They will understand that the Lord of heaven has indeed established His Church, and given men authority to bear witness in His name, and to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Even today some are inquiring: "Who ordained our minister?' "So-and-So." "And who ordained him?" And going further back they discover that no one ordained the first minister of their church, and so they find there is a broken link in the history of their authority. They wonder why and how it is that the authority has not continued down since the days of Christ upon the earth ; and, if there has been a partial restoration of the gospel, has there been also a restoration of authority? ¶

My brethren and sisters, we should not only sing in our Sabbath services, but in our souls, we ought to rejoice that we are made partakers of the glorious gospel, this gift and power by which we can be saved in the kingdom of our Father, and that will bring eternal life to each one of us, if we continue faithful to the end. The early elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were given a commandment to seek after righteousness and to bring to pass the glory of God. So also are the elders of today under the same admonition from our Father, to seek first the kingdom of God, and the promise is that, afterward, the riches of heaven will be given unto us, that is, in the end, if faithful, we will be given the greatest of all blessings that can be bestowed upon the human family, the gift of salvation. It is worth our most earnest effort, my brethren and sisters, and no Latter-day Saint who has received the testimony of the gospel ought to be lukewarm in that testimony. To be a "Mormon" and not doing much at it, is beyond my comprehension, T can not understand such inactivity on the part of any young man or woman in whose heart burns the testimony of Jesus. ¶

Let us go forth among our neighbors clothed upon with the armor of truth, depending upon the Spirit of God, and teach them the gospel. I think there will be as much joy in a convert at home as one abroad. If you convert a man at home, you are able to live together in the pure love of a missionary and a convert. You have heard the elders say it was the saddest day of their lives to leave the mission field, not that they did not wish to come home to their loved ones, but, under the influence of the Spirit of God, they have seen men and women yield to their teachings. They have gathered around them friends and converts that are very near to them, because they have taken part in their salvation ; they have taken part in bringing light and truth into their lives, and learned to love them dearly. If we could bring light and truth to the hundreds of people who have gathered to the valleys of the mountains, to acquire gold and silver we would give them something greater than they came for, and in doing so feel the joy of a missionary with no parting sorrows, as they would always be near us. I am firmly convinced that the ¶

same effort, together with the same love and consideration, given at home as in the mission field would convert many. For such a work they would love us, and we would love them, and with them we would rejoice in the work of God when we finish our labors upon the earth. May it not be in Zion like it was in the days of Noah. ¶

Let us not be lukewarm. Let us go forth in the spirit and power of the Lord, and the spirit of the counsel given us by the Prophets and apostles of the latter days, and work for the salvation of our fellow men. May God bless us and raise us up as ensigns to the world, that the honest among men shall see the light and come to Zion, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶