Attainment of Excellence Possible Only Through Earnest Effort

This is a very remarkable conference. The hosts of Israel have come up to wait upon the Lord. By actual count, the congregation assembled in this building yesterday afternoon numbered ten thousand and fiftyfive souls, and at the same time there was a gathering in the assembly hall and an open-air meeting upon the grounds. The counsel, the testimony, the instructions delivered to us have been varied and choice, and I am sure will be sanctified to the good of the Latter-day Saints. ¶

I take it, brethren and sisters, that anything in life worth having and keeping can only be obtained by effort, and the greater the value of the object desired, the greater the effort required in its attainment. For example, here is a young man who desires an education, full and complete. His father cannot give it to him, his mother cannot give it to him, the instructors in the school cannot give it to him; but the way is open, it depends on his own individual efforts. Now, the question is, will he pay the price? It means days and weeks and months of concentration, of devotion and attention to his studies, but if he will give the proper efforts to his ambition he will succeed. And again, our friend there is seeking a profession, perhaps it is that of the law or medicine, or dentistry in which he desires to excel. Will he pay the price? It means the avoidance of riotous living, it means the renunciation of light and unnecessary amusements, it means very close, careful and strict attention to his business. It may be necessary for him occasionally to burn the midnight oil, but as in the other instance, the way, the opportunity, is open to him. Will he pay the price ? Will he reach up to that point where he may receive recognition, where he may obtain a diploma that will be the foundation upon which he can build for the future ? ¶

Here is a young man who is ambitious to be an efficient, thorough and successful missionary. Will he pay the price ? He cannot become so by wishing. The desire, itself, will not make him such. It means sacrifice, it means that he must lay down his secular affairs, it means that he must part with his parents and with his sweetheart, if he has one, (and he ought to have one), it means that he must leave all that is near and dear to him and go forth into the world. It means that he must be prepared to suffer every conceivable inconvenience, that he must meet the scorn and ridicule of the world, that if need be, he must endure persecution. He will be reminded of what the Savior said, "Blessed are ye when all men shall hate you and persecute you and separate you from their company, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy: for great shall be your reward in heaven." ¶

He must be prepared for these things. I remember one instance. I cite it as an example. A young missionary went forth in the spirit of faith and humility, with a determination to succeed in his work. He was not a preacher in the common acceptance of the term. If he stood before a congregation he halted and stumbled in his speech. He had difficulty in finding words to ' express himself, but he was a determined and incessant worker. He was going from morning until night, in distributing tracts, in making friends, in visiting and re-visiting investigators, in going from family to family, until his companion could hardly keep up with him. But this young missionary was unwearying in his labors. He succeeded, he was a success in this important activity, and before he withdrew from the mission field, he was able, under the providences of the Lord, to bring some thirty or forty people into the Church. He was willing to pay the price. ¶

We have here, upon this block, the temple of God, a most wonderful edifice. Now, within this building priceless blessings are dispensed. They are within the reach of the poorest of the poor and they may be denied to the richest of the rich. When a man or a woman desires the blessings of the House of God, the question arises, is he or is she willing to pay the price, and, mark you, it is not a monetary consideration. Strangers have offered considerable sums of money from time to time to get admission into the temple. They wanted to see the interior, they wanted to examine it closely, but the door was closed against them. A thousand, five thousand, ten thousand dollars would not bring this privilege to them, but yet the temple is of easy access to the Latter-day Saints, if they will but pay the price. What is the price? It is a consistent, faithful life, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, one who observes the commandments of God, one who is humble, faithful and diligent. He can pass through and obtain for himself and perhaps for others, those who are dead and passed away, the blessings of the Holy Temple, and he can secure to himself the benefits of the new and everlasting covenant. ¶

Last of all, I take it, that we are all ambitious to secure a celestial glory in the presence of the Father. There is no Latter-day Saint in the congregation today, who would be satisfied with less. He wants the very highest and best that the Lord has to give. Will he pay the price? And what is the price ? It means, if need be, the sacrifice of all earthly things, even to our lives, should that be required, whether in the mission field, or at home, or under any other circumstances. If our lives are demanded for the testimony of Jesus, then we must be ready and prepared to give them. The price of this inestimable blessing is also beautifully defined in the seventy-sixth section of the book of Covenants : ¶

"And again, we . bear record, for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the Gospel of Christ, concerning them who come forth in the resurrection of the just; ¶

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on His name and were baptized after the manner of His burial, being buried in the water in His name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, ¶

"That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power, ¶

"And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. ¶

"They are they who are the church of the first born. ¶

"They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things — - ¶

"They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory, ¶

"And are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son." ¶

Now, we see from this that it is only possible to attain to so great a degree of glory in the presence of God by keeping His commandments, yielding obedience to the ordinances of the Gospel and walking in the light continually and being just and true. This is the price we have to pay for it, but if we are willing to make the sacrifice, if it can be called a sacrifice, our highest ambition, our fondest hopes,'our most earnest desires will be realized to the very fullest extent. We learn from this, that is to say, we learn from the manner in which the Lord deals with His children, that we cannot obtain something for nothing. If we secure the blessings then we must give the service ; these matters will be determined upon merit. We are told in the Scriptures that when the dead come forth, they will be judged according to the deeds done in the body ; and again, as bearing upon this subject, the Prophet Joseph Smith laid down this great principle ; he said : "There is a law irrevocably decreed in the heavens upon which all blessings are predicated, and when we receive a blessing from God it is by obedience to the law upon, which it is predicated." ¶

May the Lord bless us and help us to appreciate His goodness, and may He put upon us the spirit not only to worship Him in prayer and song and praise, but also, to labor with our might while the day lasts for the salvation of souls. I ask it in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶