The Gathering, Temple Work, and Faithfulness

I pray that while I occupy a portion of your time that I may say something that will be of benefit. I consider it a very important position to stand before the Saints in conference assembled, to feed them the bread of life. ¶

This gospel with which you and I have become identified is the power of God unto salvation, to every man and woman who will render strict obedience to its requirements. There is no position in which mankind may be found but what the gospel is applicable to that condition. Hence we gather ourselves together from the places where the gospel sound greets our ears to the places the Lord has appointed for the gathering of His people. The prime object in this assembling and gathering is that we may be taught in the ways of the Lord, that we may walk in His paths and become intelligent followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. When we get through with mortality, the only thing we can take with us is our intelligence. That which we have done which has been praiseworthy before the Lord and that meets with His approval will be to our credit upon the other side of the vail; but as to our earthly possessions, and those things that we esteem to be things of great value in this world, we cannot take them with us when we are called to lay this earthly tenement down. The elders of the Church go forth to the nations of the earth, calling upon mankind everywhere to repent of their sins, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and go down into the waters and be baptized by one having authority, for the remission of sins, and receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. And the elders of the Church, no matter where they travel or go, say to the people everywhere when calling upon them to repent, If you will do the will of the Father, you shall know of the doctrine: it is the privilege of every individual who is obedient to this gospel, and is endeavoring to carry out its requirements, to know of the doctrine. ¶

It is not a person who says "Lord, Lord," or who is baptized and stops at that, or who receives a portion of priesthood and stops at that, that is going to be saved with a fulness of glory, but he who knoweth the will of the Father and then goes forth diligently to carry it out in his life. In all conditions of life men are called upon, without exception, to conform to these requirements. The promises, the blessings, are to follow those that believe and obey the gospel. It is not confined to those that are living, or who were living at the time that the Savior and His apostles were upon the earth. The Savior told the apostles to preach the gospel to every creature—not just a few—and he that believed and was baptized should be saved and he that believed not should be damned. And the signs were to follow them that believed. That proclamation is still binding upon the people, and the elders go forth and call upon people everywhere to repent of their sins. It is to greet the ears of every individual, no matter whether he lived in the ages past or at the present time, it is his duty to repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins, and if he does render himself obedient to these ordinances, the signs will follow him. ¶

The question often arises, what are we going to do with those that have died during the dark ages, during the time that the gospel was not upon the earth? We have the answer exemplified in what is being done today in the midst of the people. We find that not only people who have become identified with the Church, but the people of the world, especially of this American nation, are diligently looking for information concerning their progenitors. Men are searching after their genealogical records, becoming familiar with pedigrees pertaining to their ancestors, who do not ask the question, What is it that prompts me to act thus, to spend my money, and time to gather together what constitutes my family tree? But when they become familiar with the gospel of the Son of God, they learn the reason. They are doing it because by this gospel, in its earliest inception, the hearts of the fathers were turned to the children and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers, as prophesied by Malachi. At the time of this turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, there was not a genealogical society upon the face of the earth. But men who became familiar with the Church afterwards, have said that they were moved upon about that time to search for their ancestors. My father said that soon after the organization of the Church, he had began gathering genealogical data, for what he could not tell, but as soon as the gospel came to him he knew the reason why he had been doing this. ¶

Another thing that came upon the people at the same time was the spirit of gathering. Think of what this work has come to the earth to accomplish: how could its members have accomplished it in a scattered condition? As soon as the gospel began to be preached, that moment the spirit of gathering took possession of the people. I remember hearing about President John Taylor, when he was in England on his mission, about 1838 or 1840. A sister said to him one morning, "I dreamed last night that the Saints were going down into ships, and singing the songs of Zion. What does it mean?" "It means," said he, "that the spirit of gathering has taken possession of you. The time will come when the Saints will have the privilege of gathering to the places that God has appointed, that they may go into holy places to receive those blessings that pertain to them and to their kindred dead." The spirit of gathering was coming upon the people at the earliest period of the Church's history. Since then the Saints have spent their money and time in the erection of temples, that they may go in and do the work for the dead, and the world has been paving the way for them to do that sacred work. We had a temple in Kirtland, and we had one in Nauvoo. I did not see the Kirtland Temple, but the Nauvoo Temple I remember very well; and I observed the anxiety of the people, and the willingness with which they gave up their substance for the completion of that building. The object that the Saints had in view was to go into the Temple and do the work necessary for the redemption of their dead, because of the spirit having manifested to them that they without their dead could not be made perfect. They went into the font of the temple and were baptized for thousands of their progenitors, but before they had the privilege of doing much of the other work for the dead for which the Temple was built, they were driven from their homes. ¶

When we first came here, President Young marked the place where there would be a temple, before they had thought much about a city, schoolhouses, meetinghouses, or other things. The Saints felt they could not be saved without their dead, nor the dead be saved without this people, and temples have been erected. While there has been comparatively little work done in the temples for the redemption of the dead, yet a good beginning has been made. Thousands have gone into the temples and have received blessings in their own behalf, and performed baptisms and other ordinances that pertain to the salvation of their dead. ¶

But it is not temple work alone that this gospel comprehends in its vastness; the gospel is applicable to all mankind, and to each individual in every condition. We are required to conform strictly to every law of God. It is not just the redemption of the dead, it is not just to be baptized and receive the imposition of hands of the servants of God for the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is not sufficient for us to receive the holy priesthood and then magnify it to a limited extent. It is required of us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, no matter what it pertains to, the education of the children of the Latter-day Saints, the gathering from the nations of the earth, the building of meetinghouses and temples, or anything else that is necessary. These things are parts of the gospel of Jesus, and must be conformed to, if we would know of the doctrine. ¶

There are other things in connection with this. People say to me, "How is it that you dwell so much upon the law of tithing? You hardly ever speak to the people but you say something about tithing, it looks as though you were always thinking about money matters, or that the Church is wanting money." Why do I dwell upon it? It is another of the laws that the Lord has required His people to observe. Is it because the Church is in such a condition that it has to have the tithes of the people in order to conduct the work? Not essentially, because the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. He could turn everything to yield to the accomplishment of His purposes. But He has given the law of tithing to the people, as a school-master to prepare us for the future that is before us; and there is a promise connected with the observance of this law, that it shall be as a mark upon the door-post. You know, at the time when the children of Israel were about to flee from Egypt, they marked the door-post with blood, that when the destroying angel came he should pass by, and that house should be spared. It is promised that those who render strict conformity to the law of tithing, at the time destruction comes upon the earth, will be spared and preserved; at the time of the burning they shall not be burned, but shall be protected. Another thing, when they hear of any good thing that has been accomplished in the Church, or that is to be accomplished, they feel that they are identified with that purpose, because they rendered assistance to its accomplishment by paying their tithing. ¶

Then there are free-will offerings. We hear some people say, "Well, what I am going to give, if it is for charitable purposes, I prefer to give myself, and then I know to whom it is given, and for what purpose it is used." But I feel, and the gospel has taught me that if I would be blessed of the Lord, I must conform to this law that we shall observe a day of fast, and place in the hands of the bishop the value of what we would have eaten on that day, for the poor. This help is not given to the poor to make them feel that they are paupers, or dependent upon the charity of the people; they should be made to feel that they are entitled to this assistance, because of their fidelity to the work of God. Having paid their tithing, and done the things that God has required of them, and being now poor, and not able to toil and labor for their sustenance, God has established a principle by which they shall be provided for, that the bishop, the father of the ward, will look after them and see that their needs are supplied. ¶

When we have lived until our hair is white, and are ready to lay our body down in the grave, we feel in our hearts that time has been too short to accomplish all that God has designed. In order to know the doctrine, we must do the will of the Father, and in order to do the will of the Father, we must conform to every law that God has revealed for the redemption of His people. When we kneel down at night, as I trust all who are Saints do, and pour out our hearts in gratitude to our Father, in whose image we are created, we ask him among other things to grant that we may be eternally exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory. That is the burden of our prayer, that we may have the privilege of returning to the Father. Though we offer our prayers in that faith that brooks no denial, yet our lives do not always conform to the requirements of the gospel. But, my brethren and sisters, if you will put yourselves in such condition that God will see your sincerity not by your words alone, but by your life, walk, and conversation before Him, you need have no fear about being exalted in His presence with a fulness of glory, for it is sure to come to you. How are you to know that it is coming to you, and that you are approved of God? Not simply sitting down and being inactive in regard to these matters. The way to know is to live so that the hope of eternal life that was implanted at the time the servants of God impressed you with its importance grows brighter every day in your hearts; and as you do, you will be better satisfied with your life's labors. A person begins to doubt when he neglects his life's duties, and spends his time criticizing his brethren and sisters. If you will devote your time to the service of God, and keep bright within your heart the feeling that brings you in fellowship with the Spirit of God, it will be as a well of knowledge springing up into eternal life. That is my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters. ¶

You know there are many people connected with this Church that spiritually died in the days of Joseph Smith. I remember one time coming across a man of that kind who had nothing remaining of the spirit or genius of the gospel in his disposition or makeup, and yet he was expecting, because of Joseph Smith's promises to him, to reap eternal life and celestial glory in the presence of the Father—and he was back in the states waiting for something to turn up, waiting for the people to go, he said, out west and then back, in the form of a horseshoe. But there was something connected with that promise, that he should be saved in the presence of the Father, that you know, you people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The promise was predicated on condition of his faithfulness. Did you ever receive the promise of a blessing in your life that you did not think was predicated upon your faithfulness? You have heard among other things being said to people being married, "All these blessings, together with all the blessings pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, I seal upon you by virtue of the holy priesthood, through your faithfulness." A man who has been promised by the Prophet Joseph, or the other prophets, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, or Joseph F. Smith—any of these worthy servants of God—has had the blessing conferred upon condition of his faithfulness. ¶

What made Abraham what he was? How came Abraham to be considered the father of the faithful? God said that He knew that Abraham would teach his seed after him to keep His commandments. What caused Abraham to have this blessing? The Lord had tried him to the very utmost, and found him worthy of eternal life. That was what caused Abraham to become the friend of God, a man upon whom God could rely. Abraham had been told that his seed would be like the sands upon the seashore, or the stars, as they are innumerable so would his posterity be. Abraham knew that his hands must not be imbued with the blood of his fellows. Yet, when the Lord said to Abraham, "Take your son and offer him as a sacrifice," Abraham took him, nothing doubting. When they got to the foot of the hill and commenced its ascent, the boy said, "Here is the wood, but where is the sacrifice?" And that father turned to that son, through whom the blessings had been promised, in whom the hope of the future was concentrated, and he said, "My son, thou art the offering." What a terrible thing for a father to tell a son! Yet it was in obedience to the requirements of God. When the time came and the knife was finally raised to strike the fatal blow, Abraham was told, "Hold, look in yonder thicket, and find a ram." And Abraham, because of his fidelity to that which God had revealed, came to be the Father of the faithful, and the friend of God. ¶

May His blessings be upon you. May we, in contemplating the future, remember that it is necessary for us to do the will of the Father before we will know of the doctrine, then will it be truly accomplished through Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶