Great outlay for Temples, etc. — General spirit

It is a great satisfaction to mingle and associate with the Latter-day Saints. I rejoice very much in our meetings of this conference. I am sure the hearts of the Latter-day Saints were made glad at the opening of our conference, in receiving the information that was given by President Smith, more particularly with respect to the growth of the Church and in receiving the news that a temple was to be built on the Sandwich Islands. With two temples being constructed at this time, and other work of the Church that is going on in the erection of Church offices, and in the assistance rendered in building meetinghouses, stake tabernacles and amusement halls, in the different wards and stakes, the brethren can readily understand that a great amount of means is called for in all of these expenditures. So far as mv knowledge goes, we are in a better shape to entertain these expenditures today than the Church has ever been before, and I am sure that this information must be gratifying to the Latter-day Saints. Nevertheless, it is expected of us that we will keep the commandments of the Lord, and that we will assist with our tithes and our offerings in building up the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. ¶

What a splendid organization this is. What a spirit of helpfulness there is in every one of the different societies, and associations, and quorums of priesthood that constitute this great Church. Where is the like of it to be found? May we not, with truth and with pride, say to all the world, Where can you find so much of the spirit of helpfulness, the spirit of brotherly love, the sincere desire of being of assistance and blessing, benefit and help to one another, as you will find in this organization ? Can we not say to our brethren of other churches. Protestants, Catholics, Christian Scientists, and all other organizations, We have all that you have that goes to make right living and good citizenship, good order and peace, good government and the well-being of mankind ; we have all of that. There isn't anything that any one of those organizations can point to that makes for the betterment of mankind and the uplift of humanity that we do not have. Indeed, one of the articles of our faith is that "if there is anything lovely or of good report, or praiseworthy" in the world, that belongs to us, we have it, we incorporate it, it is part of our system. ¶

And now, in addition to all that these have, and they have the best that man has been able to devise, we have much more. I have no criticism or complaint on that score, the best that such men as John Knox or Martin Luther, or Wesley or any man has ever devised, it is the best they could devise, but it is not as good as we have. Why? Because the Lord has devised this system; this is the Lord's way. We ought not to be blamed or censured by our brethren of the outside because our system is better than theirs. Neither ought we to be praised particularly because it is so much better, but we should give praise to the Lord because it is so much more efficient, so much more helpful, so much more strong in doing things, in accomplishing results. We put it before all the world as the most excellent in the world in producing the results of peace on earth and good will to all men, and the blessings and comforts that are included in all that. ¶

We have in this organization a different spirit. We are not to be given the credit for having that especially: we did not devise it or send it here. Neither are our neighbors to be blamed because they do not have it: a spirit, an impelling spirit, a spirit that constrains always to righteousness, and to the wellbeing of humanity and to the uplifting and upbuilding of righteousness in the earth. We are not entitled to the credit for that particularly, any more than we are entitled to credit if we follow it, but it is the Lord that has given it, that makes it different from all other organizations. ¶

We have our organizations of the quorums of the priesthood, which is that much more than any other organization in the world has. They don't have them; they are not to be blamed for not having them because they didn't know about them. Man could not devise it and man has not devised it. Neither ought we to be so much praised because we have it, because it is the Lord, I say again, that has given it to us, and it is His way of working things out. In addition we have our auxiliary organizations, like the Relief Society. What a splendid organization that is, how magnificent in its activity, how beautiful in its service and work among the poor, and ¶

among the sick ! The Lord gave it to us. Others have tried to copy after what the Lord has given and that is good, we are glad to see that, but the spirit that goes with this work, the world cannot give and the world cannot take away. The Lord has given it and so it makes the organization better than anything the world has to offer. ¶

And so with our revenue system, our system of collecting revenue for the Church, the old way the Lord had ages ago, the same way, it is not anything new, but it is the Lord's way and we did not know about it, but the Lord revealed it to His servant the Prophet, and gave unto us a system of collecting the revenue for the sustenance of the Church, for the building of these temples that we hear about, for the spread of the Gospel, for the building of meeting houses, for the maintaining of all the activities of the Church, and the Lord gave us that system different from anything else in all the world. Some of our neighbors are trying to copy after it and we are glad of that, but they don't seem to quite get it as we have, because, of course, the spirit of the thing in this organization is different from the spirit of any other organization in the world. It is easy, perhaps, for a sculptor to make a clay model of a man, to make it perfect in form, but it is another thing altogether to breathe into its nostrils the breath of life, the life-giving spirit. That is a very different proposition, and the Lord has empowered and given to this organization, to this Church, that living spirit, that living force of power and potency that impels and constrains me and you to works of righteousness and to impart of our substance. ¶

We cannot call it sacrifice because it isn't any sacrifice. It is a law general in its nature, it applies to all. Not like the laws we have enacted in our government and in other governments, too, that apply to special individuals, individuals who have means, and does not apply to others who have not any means to speak of, but the Lord's law, the just law, is that all who receive the benefits of the Gospel shall sustain the Gospel by their means, shall sustain the Church. The widow at the wash tub, yes. She has the blessing of the temple, she has the blessing of the meeting house, she has the blessings of the Church in all that it can give ; the widow's mite is acceptable, and she may do more proportionately than we all ; yet she is expected to do, that is the Lord's law. Not so with man-made laws. They say one-half of one percent of the community shall pay to support the blessings of good government, and the other 99½ percent shall be exempt. The Lord's law is different from that. It applies to all alike, and so the rich pay according to their means and so the poor give according to their means, and all receive equally the blessings of the house of the Lord. So it is a little different, don't you see, from anything else in the world. ¶

Another thing different from any of the organizations of our brethren on the outside is this, that if a man is doing the works of unrighteousness, although he may claim membership in the Church, if he persists in his unrighteousness, no matter how rich he is or how powerful, or how great, or how much some may think the Church depends upon him, that man will be dealt with and dealt with quickly; he must cease ¶

his wickedness or his unrighteousness, and repent, and repentance means to stop it, quit doing the evil thing, or he will be dealt with, excommunicated from the Church. Now I don't find that in many other organizations. I find men in good membership in other organizations who are known to be not living correct lives, and they are not dealt with, they are let go. Now in this, we are a little different. This is the Lord's way of doing it, to bring me or you upstanding, so to speak, to demand of us that we keep the commandments of God and work the works of righteousness. ¶

Another thing that makes us distinctive and a little different from any others — and I am not finding' fault with any others, I am only trying to show you what the Lord has done, to count our many blessings, and show what the Lord has done for you and for me, and for this organization — another thing, this organization, in its spirit of helpfulness, tries to get the people to own their own homes, to get out of debt, and to stay out of debt, and so in consequence, in our community 73% of all the Latter-day Saints own their own homes. Now isn't that a good thing? Are not all of these activities that I have mentioned good things? Are they hurtful, do they make for anything that is wrong and unrighteous? No, no, they are all good, they are all blessings. ¶

We heard here from President Smith, in his opening remarks, of the work of the teachers of the ward, different from anything in the world. I challenge the attention of every one with respect to this matter, that here, in this things that I have called attention to, in this ¶

special thing also of the work of the teachers, in this special thing of the work of our Relief Society, and in our revenue matters pertaining to the Church, in all these there is nothing like it in all the world. How beautiful the work of those teachers that the President so well explained to us yesterday morning ! Could anything be better? Could anything be more beautiful in giving assistance, the spirit of the helping hand and brotherly, and sisterly affection and love, to the brother or sister who needs it? Could there be anything better devised? Is there any other way, has anybody in the world got anything like it to offer? No, no, of course not, and I say again, no one is to blame for that, because they have the best, the very best that man could devise through all the ages, and I don't decry these churches of Protestantism. I take off my hat to Protestantism. I recall, with gratitude and praise in my heart, how that the Protestants fought and suffered, and were persecuted and worried, and contended with down through all the time of Knox and Luther, Cromwell and Wesley, Blake and Drake and all those firm Protestant people, warring against tyranny, against oppression, and against that which would be subversive of liberty and of the rights of man, and I am here today and you are here, in the enjoyment of liberty, because of the Protestant world that accomplished these results for us. Otherwise, we probably would not have been enjoying these liberties ; so all honor and praise to Protestantism. ¶

But when it comes to matters of religion, and organization of churches and so on, I repeat again they have the very best that man ¶

could devise, but here is something better, and I have shown you a few of the things that the Lord has added, which they have not got. In addition we have the spirit of the thing, the life-giving power, the Holy Ghost, they have not that, that has not been given to them. We see an elder of the Church taking a person down in the water to be baptized and, raising his right hand before God, he says "having been commissioned of Jesus Christ," — just let that sink in, — "having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you," etc. Who else has been commissioned, what other organization? You cannot blame an organization that has not got it, we cannot take praise to ourselves because we have got it. It is the Lord that has given it to you and to me, and to this organization, and all praise and glory and honor be to Him. So in all the organizations of the Church, I find, notwithstanding our weaknesses, and they are many, I find this spirit of helpfulness, this spirit or desire to be of service and of benefit to mankind. I do not believe that, as a people, our hearts are set altogether upon the things of the world. I believe that in the main our hearts are for the Church and Kingdom of God and His righteousness, that it may be established in the earth, and that His work may spread. ¶

Now in assisting people, bishops of the different wards sometimes assist people to get a piece of land. Assisting people, poor people who don't know so much, trying to teach them in the way that they should improve their stock, for example. ¶

In every way to try and help and be a benefit and a blessing. Can any one say that there is a single thing connected with all this that ¶

is bad, that ought to be uprooted and extirpated? I thought this morning when some of the brethren were saying, Brother Austin, from Bingham Stake, how well their neighbors and they got along together, that they loved one another, they got along peaceably ; and why not, why shouldn't they? It is different from a while ago, it is different even now where we are not known and understood, but the time is fast coming my brethren and sisters, when we are apt to get a little heady because of the things that the Lord has done for us, and take credit to ourselves, and outrank our neighbors so far that we will feel perhaps a little above them. We ought to be careful of that feeling if we have anything, and we have so much that is different and so much better than all the world, we ought to always remember that it is the Lord that is giving it, that it is the Lord that is continuing it. This is not President Smith's work, or Joseph Smith the Prophet's work alone, that is to say, it is their work, of course, as it is your work and mine, but they didn't devise it, they didn't breathe into its nostrils the breath of life, and give it that living, potent, powerful, helpful spirit. They didn't do it. They could not do it but the Lord has done it. ¶

Now of all these good things, and many more that I could mention if I only had time, can anyone say that any of these are bad? Can anyone in the world stand up and say that they have anything to compare with it in the organizations of the world, or all of them put together? No, no they haven't. Well then, when Joseph Smith the prophet stated to those few people in Palmyra, in 1820, that he had had a heavenly visitation, the Father and the Son, and that these results now have been brought about in consequence of that small or that great beginning, did he tell the truth or was it a lie? when he stated that the Book of Mormon and those golden plates had been delivered to him, and the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon stated that fact and published it to the world, was it true or was it false? Can it be possible that an evil tree of falsehood, built upon falsehood and lies can produce such good and excellent fruit? If that is so, then the Savior of the world's words are false, because His word is that an evil tree can not bring forth good fruit, and by their fruits ye shall know them. Men do not gather grapes of thorns nor figs from thistles; they do not come that way. So with all these good results, and so many more that I could stand here and point to you, I bear testimony that Joseph Smith the prophet, that the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, that everything connected with the work of the Lord is true and not false. It is God's way of doing it. He is in the earth by the power of His Priesthood to accomplish these results and greater results than these, for the time shall come as one of our brethren said this morning, when all will believe, when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ, — they will bow down and confess to this fact that Jesus is the Christ to the honor and glory of God the Father, which I humbly pray may speedily come to pass for the blessing of mankind everywhere, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶