Mormonism the gospel of Jesus

If I did not know that the Lord is able and willing to inspire men to teach the truth, when they are called to the work, even when they themselves are fearful, I can assure you I would not stand here this afternoon. ¶

I have experienced great joy in the testimony and instruction of my brethren, and am grateful that I am permitted to be here at this conference to rejoice with you. I know that we are identified with the Church that our heavenly Father has restored in this day and if we will do our part, we will gain exaltation in his celestial kingdom. Observing the lives of my brethren and sisters throughout the Church I see evidence of the divinity of this work in their conduct, and it gives me hope that the leaven of the gospel will leaven the whole lump of humanity. Reference has been made to the fact that this world is in turmoil and that those nations that are at war are among the socalled Christian nations. We realize that their pitiable condition is not because of Christianity, but because the people have departed from the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our heavenly Father knew what was coming when in this latter day he restored the gospel in its purity. He knew of the apostasy in the world among his children, and that they had departed from the plain truth, and in his great mercy, he revealed this latter-day work. From the country he chose a boy from among the people, and inspired him to begin the work that was destined to revolutionize the religious world. He knew that the world was groping in darkness, and in mercy restored the light. There is no other way that happiness may be enjoyed by the children of men but by lives of righteousness, and people cannot live righteous lives and be out of harmony with truth. There was much truth in the world but it was so mixed with error that the Lord himself told the Prophet Joseph Smith that the men who were the teachers and instructors in the churches taught for doctrine the commandments of men, and warned the boy that he was not to he identified with them. He then restored the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, unto all those who will believe and obey it. The fact that our brethren and sisters of other churches believe much that we believe, is a source of satisfaction to me, and I discover that the various denominations are gradually absorbing the truth that has been revealed in our day, that had been forgotten by them. They are beginning to see the necessity of reform in religious organizations. The articles of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ are the same as promulgated when the Church was organized, the same principles are in force today. There has been no change in them, but many of the great churches of the world have changed their creed to conform to ¶

the demands of the members of those churches, and sometimes they have changed their creed repeatedly as new light has come to them. They have perceived the darkness they were in, and they have been groping for something that was more important than what they already had, and in that way they are gradually absorbing the doctrines of "Mormonism." It is a great claim that we make, and we make it without fear of contradiction, because it is the truth, that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We may be few in number compared with the multitudes of the earth, but we have the truth and the authority of the holy priesthood, and this work will spread abroad until the decrees of our Father have been fulfiled. ¶

I feel today that w.e ought to be very grateful that our lot has been cast under such favorable circumstances. When we look around and see the conditions of our kinsfolk in many lands, when we see our brothers and sisters in the various portions of the earth without the truth, we ought indeed to feel that we are willing to dedicate our lives to the service of the Lord in return for the blessings that we enjoy. When we realize that from six members in 1830, this Church has grown to number hundreds of thousands, I see the hand-dealing of our Father with his children. The growth of this Church has not come because it was popular. It has been in spite of the opposition, of the wise men of the world ; it has been in spite of the opposition of religious teachers, and it has continued to gather here 'and there choice spirits who have lived in such a way that they could comprehend the truth. The lack of faith ¶

in the world today would be appalling, but for the fact that the Lord has set his hand to redeem Israel. The condition of humanity today, their lack of knowledge that God lives, is not altogether the result of their desire to do wrong, but it is the result of having done wrong, of disobedience to the commandments of God. Throughout the world, those who have not faith in God have not complied with his teachings, have not listened to the whisperings of the still small voice, have not done their best, else the Lord would not have forsaken them. The Spirit of God continues to strive with men everywhere as long as they make the effort to keep his commandments. When men abandon the truth, refuse to do the right, the Lord of necessity withdraws his Spirit and men are left to the buffetings of the adversary. Today this body of people, this little handful of God's children have the responsibility of proclaiming the truth to the millions who are in darkness. This is a great labor. At present, we are excluded from many of the nations of the earth, but our heavenly Father in his wisdom has located us in a great, free, liberty-loving nation where we have the privilege of proclaiming the truth and teaching his gospel. He has led people from all portions of the earth, one here and another there, they have been pricked in their hearts, have investigated and received the truth and their anxiety has been for those from whom they descended, the people of their own race. Missionaries have traveled throughout the earth as a result, and the truths of the gospel of our Lord have been proclaimed in a convincing manner to many hundreds of thousands of our Father's ¶

children. When I speak of the mission field, I realize the great work that is to be accomplished. I am impressed, my brethren and sisters, with the importance of preparing for the work. It is not sufficient that a boy signify his desire, because of his confidence in his parents, to do what they would have him do, go into the world and preach the gospel ; it is not sufficient that he answer the call that our heavenly Father makes from time to time through his servants for mission service ; but it is also necessary that he qualify for the work, search the scriptures, and learn what the Lord would have him know. It is important that our sons and daughters become established in their faith and know as their parets know, that this is our Father's work. ¶

If I, as a father in Israel, fail to impress my children with the importance of this work and later they are called to go into the world to teach, it seems to me that I will regret that I have not done my full part if I have neglected to properly instruct them. A dozen men qualified for the work are worth more in the mission field than a hundred who are ignorant of the truth and who themselves have to be taught before they are capable of explaining it to others. The opportunity to teach the gospel will increase after the war and preachers of the true gospel will be in demand. I know of no better field in which to qualify than right here at home. ¶

Do you realize, brethren and sisters, that in this city, the headquarters of the Church, there are approximately fifty thousand people, who know very little about the gospel of Jesus Christ? They are our neighbors, they are our Father's children, they are identified with the other churches, or else they do not belong to any church, but I think I am safe in saying that ninety per cent of them have no idea what the gospel of Jesus Christ really is. I believe that the greatest mission field in all the world is in the valleys of these great mountains. If we, as members of the Church, were keeping the commandments of God, if we put upon the truth the value that we ought, if our lives conformed to the beauties of its teachings, so that our neighbors, observing our conduct, would be constrained to seek after the truth, we would be doing splendid missionary work. Within the last year, I have had the privilege of meeting and conversing on the gospel with some men who live in this community, not members of our Church. One man had resided here for twenty years, a man whose life is above reproach, a good citizen, a splendid business man, one who has kindly feeling towards our people. He told me that he had lived here twenty years, and lie had come to the conclusion that we were just as good as our neighbors who are members of other churches ; he could not see any difference in us. I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that is no compliment to me. If the gospel of Jesus Christ does not make me a better man, then I have not developed as I should, and if our neighbors not in this Church can live among us from year to year and see no evidence of the benefits that come from keeping the commandments of God in our lives, then there is need for reform in Israel. What I say of Salt Lake City is true of our other cities. Men and women take for granted that thev know what we believe. ¶

Many of them have come into our midst prejudiced beforehand, and for some reason, we do not seem to think enough of their souls to go out of our way to do a little planning to get into their homes, and to remove that prejudice, and teach them the plain truth. ¶

I might say, with reference to the one man, that after talking to him a couple of hours on the train, "Why," he said to me, "Mr. Smith, that is beautiful to me. I think you ought to send your missionaries to such men as I am, right here in Salt Lake City. There are hundreds of men here who would like to hear what you have told me tonight, and we would be better men for the teaching." He told me he employed members of our Church, some returned missionaries, and none of them had ever spoken to him about the gospel. I said, "You would not expect a man to ask you to give him time in your office to teach you 'Mormonism.' If you were to invite him to come in, he would be glad to explain his views. Then he said, "Do your missionaries who are in the world go only to the homes where they are invited?" That awakened a thought in my mind, are you doing your duty? are we performing the labor that the Lord has entrusted to our care? do we sense the responsibility that is upon us? or are we idly floating down stream, 'going with the tide taking it for granted that in the last day, we will be redeemed? ¶

It is my firm conviction, my brethren and sisters, that unless we stir ourselves more than we are doing, that when we go to the other side of the veil, we will meet there men and women who have been our neighbors, and associates, and lived among us, that will condemn us because we have been so inconsiderate of them in not telling them of the truth of the gospel of our Lord. When a man is sick, if he is our neighbor, we minister to him gladly ; if there is a death in his family, we try to comfort him. But year in and year out we allow him to walk in paths that will destroy his opportunity for eternal life, we pass him by, as if he were a thing of naught. That is, some of us do. I realize that there are many grand men and women among us whose hearts are warm with the desire to do good in the world. I believe that the mission field right here at home, right here among the Latter-day Saints, is the best that we can find anywhere. Many people here, if we will go to them and teach them the truth, will see the beauties of the gospel, because they see some of the fruits of "Mormonism" in the lives of its members, and I feel that we ought to sense the importance of this work. We spend most of our time, many of us, seeking the things of this life that we will be compelled to leave when we go from here, yet there are the immortal souls all around us whom, if we would, we could teach and inspire to investigate the truth, and implant in their hearts a knowledge that God lives. What treasure in all the world could be so precious to us, 'for we woiuld bave their gratitude here and their everlasting and eternal appreciation in the world to come. It is a most important mission. The Lord has prospered the Latter-day Saints. We are abundantly blessed, and now that we have been placed in a position beyond want, it is our duty to cease striving for the things that perish in this life, all the time or even most of the time, and think of ¶

the children of our heavenly Father who are in need of our ministration and who are our neighbors. ¶

One of the very first revelations that was given by our heavenly Father, as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, reads as follows : ¶

"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men; ¶

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." • ¶

Now, I do not understand that we are serving God with all our might if we forsake his children, or if we spend so much of our time selfishly building up ourselves, ac-. cumulating things of this life, and leave his children in darkness, when we could bring them into the light. My understanding is that the most important mission that I have in this life'is: first, to keep the commandments of God, as they have been taught to me ; and next, to teach them to my Father's children who do not understand them. It makes little difference, when I go to the other side, whether I have been a man of wealth in this world or not, unless I have used that wealth to bless my fellow men. Though I be a wanderer in this world, and suffer for the necessities of life, if by reason of the knowledge that my Father has given me, I devote myself to the instruction of his children, to planting faith in their hearts, to dissipating the errors that have come to them by tradition, I believe when I go to the other side that I will find there a bank account that will be beyond compare with what I would have, if I lived for the things of this earth alone. I read a portion of the section 4 and I want to read that last verse again : ¶

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day; ¶

"Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work." ¶

It is not necessary for you to be called to go into the mission field in order to proclaim the truth. Begin on the man who lives next door by inspiring confidence in him, by inspiring love in him for you because of your righteousness, and your missionary work has already begun, ¶

"For behold the field is white already to harvest, and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perish not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; ¶

"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. ¶

"Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. ¶

"Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." ¶

Brethren and sisters, let us do the missionary work that is at our doors, preparing our sons and daughters for the missionary work that will be theirs when this awful war is over. It will not be long until there will be a demand for capable men and women in this Church to teach the truth in portions of the earth where heretofore we have been excluded ; and if we would have eternal joy in the kingdom of our Father with those he has blessed us with here, let us be unselfish in our lives ; let us prepare for the work, and go out into the world and proclaim the truth, when ¶

the opportunity comes, and be the means in the hands of our Father of drawing his children back to him by teaching them the beauties of his gospel. ¶

I pray that his Spirit may be throughout Israel, that the love of our Father's children may be in our hearts, that we may sense the importance of our mission in the world, while we are grasping for the things that are not ours, that are only loaned to us as stewards, that we may not forget the priceless gift, the priceless privilege, within our reach, of teaching the gospel and saving the souls of the children of men. I pray that this blessing may be ours, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶