The power of love — Men should be

It is wonderful to stand in the presence of this great gathering of Latter-day Saints. It is wonderful to hear the united voice of the congregation in the songs of Zion, singing as they do with such spirit and power. We are told that the song of the heart is a prayer unto the Lord. The remarks of President Smith, this morning, were indeed impressive. They appealed to me, and every word that he spoke was timely, and appropriate, was wise and prudent, and found an echo in my heart. The remarks 'also of President Penrose and President Grant were quite in harmony with the spirit of this occasion, and I rejoiced in them. ¶

Brethren and sisters, every phase of the character of the Lord shows forth the beauty of perfection, but there is no attribute of deity, it seems to me, that is so attractive and so admirable as the principle of forgiveness or mercy. Moses, in speaking of the Lord upon one occasion— I think you will find it in the thirty-fourth chapter of Exodus — says : "And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed : The Lord God, the Lord, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth." And we are told in one of the psalms that "the Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." If this be a true description of him, what a glorious being he is. He does not act with hastiness, but his is a spirit of peace, a spirit of tranquility, a spirit of calmness. He is slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Now I take it my brethren and sisters, that the Lord expects us, his children and his Church, to become like he is. He said to his disciples, in the meridian of time, "Follow me;" and so I feel that this is the word of the Lord to us, that we should follow him in our daily walk and conversation. I think the admonition of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, is also commendable, when he said : "Ever keep in exercise the principles of mercy, and be willing to forgive your brother, or even your enemy, upon the least intimation of repentance and asking forgiveness, and the Lord will be equally merciful unto you." How beautiful, how appropriate is such counsel to the people of the Lord ! I am sure that no one admires a man, or a woman either, who is stern and unforgiving in nature, but we are naturally drawn toward those who are merciful, because, as I understand it, the principle of mercy is but an expression of the principle of love. There is nothing so desirable, nothing so far-reaching, nothing so powerful in its operation, on earth, or in heaven, as the principle of Love. God is love, and man should become love in his conduct and in his living. ¶

A very great and impressive lesson was conveyed by the Lord to his people in our time, in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Oh, how gracious, brethren and sisters, is the word of the ¶

Lord to us, whether it be by the living oracles or by written revelation, and we would do well to often consult the standard works of the Church, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, which contain the precious words of life, — counsel and admonition that we can depend upon. ¶

The revelation referred to is found in Section 64 of the Doctrine and Covenants, beginning with the eighth verse. In order that I may be able to convey the right impression I would like to read these words to you : ¶

"My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another, and forgave not one another in their hearts, and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened." ¶

Now you see that the spirit of unforgiveness is here designated a great evil, and surely it must be so, and the displeasure of the Lord comes upon those who indulge in that spirit. I think it must be from beneath and not from above. It is a spirit of jealousy, a spirit of envy, a spirit of fault finding. ¶

"Wherefore I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another, for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespass, standeth condemned before the Lord, for there remaineth in him the greater sin." ¶

What a wonderful saying is this. It puts the matter, you might say, in a new light. The offender is less accountable for sin than the unforgiving man who is injured, when his brother comes to him and confesses his sin and is willing to make it right, and wants to be reconciled, and the brother says, "No, I will not forgive you. I hold it against you. I cannot forget it. I will not ¶

forget it, and I will not accept your offering." That man stands condemned before the Lord. ¶

"I the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." ¶

That does not mean, my brethren and sisters, that the principle of justice shall not have its weight, and under proper circumstances shall not be enforced. Justice must have due weight, but at the same time even where justice is administered, as for instance, by a court of jurisdiction in the Church, the verdict, whatever it is, should be made in a spirit of mercy. ¶

"And ye ought to say in your hearts, let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds." ¶

I do not think that any person or any community or any part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints can go very far astray if they will cultivate the spirit of mercy and charity and love. ¶

I stand before you this afternoon as a witness of the truth of the gospel. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that he suffered death in the flesh for the atonement of sin, and by reason of the great sacrifice that he made we will be redeemed, redeemed through his blood, by repentance and the forsaking of sin, and the acceptance of the gospel. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. I know it just as clearly and just as fully as that I am standing before you. And I know, brethren and sisters, I rejoice in the knowledge, that his successors in office have been and are prophets of God, and that the divine authority which he held, fell upon his successors without break, so that all the authority of the Priesthood with which Joseph Smith was ¶

endowed is with the Church today, and is the authority by which the Church is to be established, and the Saints brought together and united heart and soul, and by which also they are led along the path of safety and truth. I rejoice in this knowledge, and I know, as I know that I live, that if I will submit to this authority, if I will abide by the counsels of the Priesthood, if I will honor those whom God has honored, my file leaders, that all will be well with me, and that my redemption and my salvation is sure and certain. This is the feeling of my heart. This is my understanding. This is my testimony. Those who ignore counsel, those who trample upon the word of the Lord, those who turn their backs upon this people and upon this work, will go into darkness ; they will lose the light of truth, and their knowledge and their testimony will go from them. Oh, it is wonderful, it is wonderful, when you think of it, the power that goes with this work. It is the work of the Lord, as President Lund said this morning. The Lord is proceeding to do a wonderful work in the earth, a marvelous work and a wonder, and so it is — it is to me, with my knowledge of it, with my experience, all that I have learned and all that I know about this work, and the spirit of the work, to me it is a constant wonder and a constant marvel. I feel to glorify the name of the Lord. ¶

I rejoice, brethren and sisters, in your fellowship, in your acquaintance, to know that my lot has been cast in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, and I rejoice also in the fellowship of the authorities of the Church. I can testify, as President Smith testified this morning, so far as my knowledge extends — it is not so great as his, of course — but I can testify that the leaders of the Church — those he named and also including himself — were men of God, men of truth, men of sobriety, men of virtue, men of absolute reliability. Their word was as good as their bond, and better. Their word if they spoke it was sufficient. If they made a promise you could depend upon it, and that is the kind of men that we want for leaders, and I am sure that is the kind of men that God will have to lead his Church, for no other class of men could lead this people; it would be impossible. ¶

Now I pray the blessing of the Lord upon you, my brethren and sisters, that you may be profited by the teachings of this conference, that you may carry away with you the spirit of it, and incorporate it in your lives. I ask this blessing for you and for me in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

The choir and congregation sang the hymn : "Do what is right." ¶

The closing prayer was offered by Elder Don B. Colton, president of the Uintah stake of Zion. ¶

Second Day

In the Tabernacle, Saturday, April 7, 1917, 10 a. m. ¶

The large assembly was called to order by President Joseph F. Smith. ¶

The representative choir and congregation sang: "O ye mountains high." ¶

Prayer was pronounced by Elder Willard Young. ¶