I have enjoyed all of the

I have enjoyed all of the sessions of this Conference, my brethren and sisters, and the sweet influence that has attended its meetings. I most humbly pray and desire that while we are assembled this afternoon, in this little meeting, the same sweet influence may attend us. ¶

The first article of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads: "We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." It seems to me that all of the Christian world claim to believe in God our Eternal Father and in his Son Jesus Christ; but we, as Latter-day Saints, have a knowledge of God that the world does not have. We believe in the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers. ¶

We read in the 18th chapter of Genesis, that God made himself known to Abraham, on the plains of Mamre. He talked with him and ate with him, and associated with him, as one man talks and eats and associates with another. Abraham had great faith in God, because of his knowledge of God, because he had associated with him, had been near him. At the time of the destination of the cities of the plain, when God came down himself, Abraham had great influence with him concerning those things, because of his knowledge and faith in God the Eternal Father. ¶

Isaac and Jacob were both familiar with God, and therefore, they had great faith in him. ¶

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when upon the earth, said he was the very image of his Father in heaven, and those who had seen him had also seen the Father. They were so much alike in person that whoever looked upon the person of Jesus Christ could see in him the exact image of his Father ; and we know that our Savior had a body the same as the body of a man, and he mingled with men upon the earth, ate with them, conversed with them, and finally laid his body in the tomb as other men are laid away when they pass from this state of existence. ¶

In our dispensation, the Lord has again revealed himself to men upon the earth. In answer to prayer, God the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. They were in appearance similar to men, and they conversed with him, the Father saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." The Savior of the world conversed with the boy prophet, and instructed him concerning his future mission upon this earth. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, there is a great deal of difference between saying that we believe in God, and in Jesus Christ, his Son, and knowing God. We are told that to know God, and Jesus Christ his Son, is eternal life. And I believe that is the only way that we will ever attain to eternal life, to obtain a knowledge of God, our Eternal Father. I do not believe we can successfully worship him unless we know who he is. ¶

I believe that there are a great many people in the world today, who are in the same condition that the people were at Athens when Paul went there, on one occasion. He saw upon an altar this inscription "Unto the unknown God ;" and he said, "Him whom ye ignorantly worship, declare I unto you ;" and then he preached unto them the true and the living God, the Father of our spirits, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the seas, and the fountains of water, and all that in them is. ¶

And that is the God whom we serve, worship, and pray to. We have faith in him, because of our knowledge of him. It seems to me that it is the only way we can have faith in anything. Our belief in anything" is through the knowledge that we have of that in which we believe. When we pray to God our Eternal Father, we expect our prayers to be answered. We pray in sincerity, as Latter-day Saints, and we have all faith and hope that our prayers will be answered. ¶

There are people praying today, in all this world, who never prayed before ; and it is difficult indeed for people to pray to God who have not faith in him. It is evident to me that a great majority of the people of the world today that I have been associated with, outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do not know to whom they are praying ; they do not have a knowledge of God. If they had, they would not profane his name in one breath, and pray to him in the next. We are living in an age of profanity. God has commanded his people, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;" and yet, over all this broad land, we find men and boys, young and old, who ought to know better, profaning the name of God ; and now, when distress, trials and troubles are coming to them through this terrible world war, they are turning to the Lord, endeavoring to pray to him for the protection of their sons, and those who are near and dear to them, who have been called into the war. ¶

The Lord has said, "If you will turn unto me, I will turn unto you." If you will turn unto God, he will turn unto you. If you will resist the devil, he will flee from you. And I believe in that saying. I believe that it is true. If we have profaned the name of Deity, we have not known what we were do- ¶

ing, we have not known the true and the living God. I believe if those who have been guilty of it will repent, draw near unto the Lord in prayer, that he will draw near unto them and they will be forgiven for that which they have done. I believe in the principle of repentance, whether it is of profanity, or the breaking of the Sabbath day, or any other commandment that the Lord has given unto us. After we have attained to a knowledge of these things, and know that we have done wrong, and we repent, the Lord will forgive us ; and so sure as we draw near unto him, so sure also will he draw near unto us, and his Holy Spirit will be with us, and guide and direct us in our lives. But we ought to pray consistently to God. ¶

I remember one little incident that brought this matter to my mind a few days ago. A man with whom I am well acquainted, a member of the Church, who has not done anything in the way of performing his spiritual duty in the Church, had never prayed before in his life with his family. He had an invalid mother who herself had been a praying woman, but his boys had never been taught to pray. When they had gone away from home, they wrote letters home. The influence that surrounded them at home in the organizations of the Church, appealed to them then more than it had at home ; and they wrote to their father and mother that they wanted them to pray for them night and morning. They wanted to be remembered in their prayers. And this man, after that, commenced to pray to the Lord for the preservation of his boys. After a conversation with him regarding it, and he had informed me himself ¶

that he had started to attend to his prayers, the next Sunday on my way to attend meeting in our stake of Zion, I found him and his whole force of men (because he was a rancher ) working upon the Sabbath day, just the same as on any other day of the week, — though doubtless on the evening of that Sabbath day, he knelt down, in his home and called upon the Lord to preserve the lives of his sons who were away. I do not feel that his life was consistent, or that his prayers were consistent. It will be very difficult for him to have faith in God the Eternal Father ; and it is said that without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Therefore, under those conditions, I cannot see how a man could have faith in God, and faith that his prayers would be answered. James the apostle tells us that when we ask anything from the Lord, we must ask in faith, believing, never wavering, for he that wavereth is as the waves of the sea, driven by the winds and tossed ; and we should not think that any man under those conditions will receive the favor of the Lord. When we waver, we are unsettled in our minds as to whom we are praying. When we have never had a knowledge of God the Eternal Father, it is very difficult indeed for us to have faith in him, and have faith that our prayers will be answered. ¶

It seems to me that this present time in the world's history, is a time of repentance, a time when we should repent of our sins. If we have done evil, we will do evil no more ; and we will find grace in the sight of God our heavenly Father, ¶

that our faith in him will be increased that our prayers may be answered. ¶

It seems to me that it is a time that we should turn to the Lord, if we have disregarded his law, broken the Sabbath day, and desecrated that holy day that he has commanded us to keep holy. We should repent of it, and observe the Sabbath day, work six days of the week, and upon the seventh day go to the house of the Lord, partake of the Sacrament there, and renew our covenants with him, promise that we will serve him and keep his commandments through the week that is before us. If we have been in the habit of breaking the commandment which God gave that we should not take the name of the Lord our God in vain, we should repent of that, and not do it any more, but be humble and prayerful, ask forgiveness of God for the desecration of his name, go before him and put ourselves right before the Lord, not only in those two things of which I have spoken, but in everything that we have done that is wrong. It seems to me it is a fitting time, in this particular age of the world's history, for us to put our houses in order, to live the lives of Latter-day Saints, to trust in the true and the living God. ¶

I believe with all my heart that the destinies of men and nations are in the hands of the Lord, and I believe that if the Latter-day Saints would overcome the weaknesses of their natures, and repent of their sins, draw near unto the Lord by prayers and supplications, and make their lives consistent with the same, they would have greater power and influence to bring about the conditions that they are desirous of bringing about. We would thus have power with the Lord. I believe it is within the province of the Lord to save every man and woman and child who will turn to him, serve him and keep his commandments. ¶

I pray the Lord to bless you with his Holy Spirit, to guide and direct you in your lives, that you may draw near unto him, that we all may repent of our sins, overcome the weaknesses of our flesh, and live lives consistent with the teachings that we have received as Latter-day Saints, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶