Testimony of Jesus Christ

It seems a long time since I undertook to speak on the gospel, in the open air. I remember doing so some years ago on the streets of London, as well as in Brooklyn. Those undertakings were somewhat different than this. One very great difference is in the matter of furnishing the music. In those exciting experiences, I attempted to do the singing and received no assistance from the listeners. They came to see what was, the occasion for such a strange and distressing noise. I ceased my musical efforts at the first stopping place, and started to preach to them. On this occasion the audience does the singing and, by comparison, I am a very grateful and happy listener. ¶

Another difference was the probability of my being driven from the streets, if things didn't go smoothly. Here there is small probability of mob violence unless, perchance, one speaks unsufferably long, in which case no one can tell what might happen. ¶

In looking over this great throng of people, assembled as they are upon this historical square, one is impressed with the vast area from which representatives composing this audience have come. I see faces that are familiar to me in the remote quarters of the intermountain country. There are also many faces of those who live close in. This might well be called a "General Conference" because every section of the country and every organization of the Church is represented in the Conference proceedings. ¶

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as an organization, is just ninety-one years old this year. Consider the accomplishments during that period of time and pay full attention to the obstacles and handicaps that have all the way beset the Latter-day Saints, and you will recognize a demonstration of the power of faith unsurpassed in history. The achievements of this people in the field of social and industrial, as well as religious, progress are well recognized by men of clear vision and true appreciation for the things of real value to humanity. These men, some of whom stand high in the affairs of the nation, as well as in the world of education and social welfare work, are frankly expressing their admiration for the accomplishments of the Latter-day Saints. This people is looked upon as a very essential element in our national life, and in some respects ¶

as leaders in the most praiseworthy of undertakings. For one, I will admit all these good things which are attributed to us. ¶

We are conspicuously a people who do things. We may have done some things that were peculiar and not understandable to the outsider. We may have done some foolish things in the many vicissitudes through which we have passed. Aside from these trivial and inconsequential things, we have done really big things in the earth during the past one hundred years. The first great accomplishment in our history, in Western America, is that of coming here and making a "go" of it in this once undesirable country. That a mighty empire should arise in the vales of the Rocky mountains, teeming today with their millions of people and bounteous crops and products, where three-quarters of a century ago a desolate wilderness held sway, is an achievement well-nigh bordering on the marvelous. To have been the means of such an accomplishment is glory enough for any people. This is a very great distinction won by the Latter-day Saints. And time will only throw this achievement out in more imposing boldness as distance and opportunity for comparison are given by the improved perspective. ¶

This is another instance of great things being accomplished under the stress and strain of a tragic necessity. Men seldom do very great things voluntarily. Circumstances sometimes compel them to action and the impossible is often accomplished. Had not our neighbors in Missouri and Illinois made life intolerable to us we would have remained among them to this day. Had not the sharp and incisive argument of the bayonet and the musket been resorted to this great western country would have been peopled by others, and in a very different manner than that which has occurred. "We came here willingly because we had to," said one naive pioneer, and I may add, we remained here because there was no other place for us to go to. Our erstwhile "enemies" were rapidly migrating to the Pacific, and settlement along the coast would have meant continued conflict. So we remained here, because we had to. In so doing we worked out our own destiny, and, in my candid judgment, made the greatest single contribution to our national wealth and well-being it will be the destiny of any other people, to make. For an event that compares in importance to humanity and this nation, we shall have to go back to the Pilgrims and the Puritans of three centuries ago. Their motives and service to mankind are in many respects very similar, to those of the "Mormon" pioneers. The latter, however, saw the fruits of their sacrificing efforts because they accomplished more in a shorter period of time. ¶

This morning we heard President Grant express his supreme pleasure over the cordial and hearty reception given him at Kansas City, while there last December, addressing a prominent and influential club of business men who had invited him, as the head of the "Mormon" Church to become their guest at a banquet and recep- ¶

tion. He was asked to speak on the accomplishments of the "Mormon" people. In doing so, he recounted the events which led to the expulsion of our people from the state in which he was then addressing a great business organization. He told of the industrial, social, educational and religious attainments of our people. His remarks were so well and favorably received by the four hundred leading business men who composed the club, that many words of sincere commendation were expressed for him and his people. He was strongly urged to come again and address them on another occasion. ¶

This welcome reception was in such remarkable contrast with the feelings manifest toward the Latter-day Saints some seventy-five years ago that President Grant was profoundly impressed with the change of attitude toward us. While we need not solace ourselves in the comforting thought that the world at large loves us, it is highly gratifying to know that people of dignified positions in the country have the vision to see our good works and the candor to admit it. If they do not glorify God for these things, we do with all our souls. It was the Savior who said to his disciples: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." In the light of these attainments, may we not all be profoundly grateful that the Lord has blessed our efforts and is beginning to magnify us before the world? ¶

Greater than the subduing of the desert and the building of a mighty empire, is the fact that this people has been true to God and has kept his commandments with remarkable fidelity. I wonder if the spirit of optimism is running away with me when I think I see in these events the prophecy, in course of fulfilment, wherein it was foretold that Zion would be as a light set upon a hilltop that could not be hidden. I have in mind the special work of the Lord and his Church, not the great land of America and its mission and glorious destiny. Perhaps the Latter-day Saints are already moving toward their place in the world. Their place is in the front ranks of humanity, or I have mistaken the destiny of this thing called "Mormonism." ¶

It required greater time for the world to arrive at a true appreciation of the Lord and his work in a 'former dispensation than has elapsed since he set up his Church in this dispensation. When Jesus came to earth he was rejected and despised of men. His disciples were put to death with pagan hate and fury. Generations passed and the Lord was more generally understood. Then he became enshrined in the hearts of humanity. His disciples were consumed by the devouring flames of martyrdom, and torn limb from limb by wild beasts in the amphitheatres of ancient Rome and Ephesus. Yet a few centuries run their course, and these same followers of their crucified Lord, are denominated Saints, and shrines and sacred temples are hallowed by their names, History is full of ¶

such anomalies and paradoxical reversals of sentiment. Such things occurred with respect to the Former-day Saints. It will be so with respect to the Latter-day Saints. Did not Josiah Quincy make that very prediction in the year 1844, with respect to the future position of Joseph Smith in History? Read his words: ¶

"It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the Nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the 'Mormon' Prophet. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious common-place to their descendants. History abounds in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this. The man who established a religion in this age of free debate, who was and is accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct emissary of the Most High -- such a rare human being is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets." ¶

Time will work just such changes as here suggested. It was exactly so with respect to the discovery of America. One historian has very cleverly put it thus: "America was never sought, but stumbled upon; that when found it was not wanted; that much of its exploration was due to a persistent effort to find a way around it." Today it is the hope of the world. ¶

History again repeated itself with respect to this Rocky Mountain region. No less authorities than Daniel Webster, and Senator Dickerson of New Jersey, placed so low an appraisement on this whole region of country that the one would not vote one cent from the public treasury to place the Pacific Coast one inch nearer to Boston; and the other said the great northwest would never be admitted into the Union because of its remoteness from the seat of government. To one it was the worthless wilderness of the west, to the other it was damned by distance. Today the world may see what misconceptions men had on the matter. And precisely in the same manner have these two great movements that of the Pilgrims and that of the "Mormon" pioneers been underestimated. When the Pilgrims and the Puritans left the shores of Europe in quest of a land where religious and political freedom might be enjoyed by them and their children after them, a bigotted and stupidly blind and selfsatisfied world said, "good riddance for bad rubbish." So was it in the states of Missouri and Illinois, with respect to the "Mormon" people. About the only difference was that the thumb-screw and the rack were substituted with the violence of mobs and the orders of extermination issued by governors. Now the Pilgrims are held in veneration, and Americans are proud to trace their descent from those European outcasts of three centuries ago. With the steady movement of the "Mormon" people to their place in the world what will be the verdict of, perhaps, the very next generation? My faith ¶

is that vindication will completely come to them if they hold fast to their professions and ideals. ¶

Already the very states that expatriated our first leaders have evinced a desire to have us return to those commonwealths and contribute to their upbuilding. The Latter-day Saints., have proved themselves to be very successful empire builders. That great quality grows out of their belief in the family and the home, the sacred trinity of civilization -- the father, mother and child. They, like the Pilgrims and Puritans, were home-builders. All things come from the home. That was the great factor of success in both colonizations, those of 1620 and those of 1847. ¶

I well remember sitting in the east end of the Tabernacle gallery with the late Elbert Hubbard -- he of the Philistine and East Aurora fame. He said, "Brother Morris, you people beat Denver, didn't you?" A little slow to grasp the philosophy of his observation, I replied, "No, Denver has nearly twice our population." Then came his answer to which I quickly assented: "They borrowed their wealth, you dug it out of the ground." Man, soil, labor -- the agencies of creation. Freedom and the home are the agencies of human progress. A steadfast devotion to these same principles, along with industry, education, and true religion, are certain to lift a people to an exalted place in the world. And on the other hand that nation or people that turns against these things, the home, labor, education, religion, and human liberty, will rapidly sink into an ignominious oblivion. This great truth, affirmed a thousand times in history, is the real philosophy of history, as I see it. Where is Egypt? Babylon? Nineveh? Greece and Rome? Where is ancient Israel? A melancholy whisper from the dust. The winds of time have blown them all away. Because the -agencies of their progress and elevation to splendor and glory were thrown away at the acme of their achievements. What a tragedy is the death of a nation. Yet, that the race might survive, these tottering empires, full ripe to destruction, must crumble into dust. I am reminded of the lines of Byron: ¶

There is the moral of all human tales; ¶

'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past. First Freedom and then Glory -- when that fails, ¶

Wealth, vice, corruption -- barbarism at last. ¶

And History, with all her volumes vast, Hath but one page. ¶

May not a people some day learn these great truths from history and avoid the pit-falls that have completely engulfed and swallowed up all there was of national g'lory in the past? May not some nation ultimately learn the lesson of life and perpetuity in the earth? These questions lie close to the hearts of the Latter-day Sains because of a belief they have in their destiny and enduring mission in the earth. They believe they represent the Kingdom of God on earth, which Kingdom "is never to be thrown down or given to another people." ¶

Other peoples have held similar views with respect to their high destiny. The ancient Jews were fondly looking forward to the coming of their Messiah. They believed that his coming meant the elevation of their race to world supremacy. But when he; did humbly come they knew him not. Even the gentile governor evinced more faith in him than did they. For Pilate pleaded his cause against the Jews themselves. Said he, "Whom will ye that I release unto you, ilarabas or Jesus?'' And they yielded to the demands of the rabble and cried, "Release unto us Barabas! As for Jesus, crucify, him, crucify him:!" Pilate remonstrated with them, saying, "What evil has he done?'" But they cried the more, "Let him be crucified!" Then the Pagan magistrate, or governor, said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just man." And the answer came back, "Let his blood be upon us, and our children after us, release unto us Barabas!" So sealed they their doom. History has but one page for Judah from then till now. "The wandering Jew." A man without a country; a hiss and a by-word among men. Jewish blood has drenched the soil of every European and Asiatic country during the two-thousand intervening years. ¶

The Jews are still in darkness with respect to their.Messiah. His message was turned to the Gentile nations and blindnes was given to Judah for a season. "The last shall be first and the first shall be last." Centuries past, and the Gentle nations perceived the appeal of his message and turned to him. Then as Europe emerged from the darkness of the "night time in history" great churches arose in the earth and built temples for his worship. Empires are overthrown, in his name; continents are reclaimed from; heathenism for his glory; and for generations he has been held in his place as the Savior and Redeemer of men. Time brought about the change. Truth and principle won the inevitable victory. It must always be so-. It will be so in the future. The conquest of truth is eternal. He who was rejected and despised of men becomes the chief corner stone. Ultimately every knee shall bow and every tongue voluntarily confess the Kingship and Messiaship of the Man of Sorrows, who was crucified between two thieves on Golgotha's hill. But before that day shall come the Jews will be gathered in unbelief. In a most remarkable manner that gathering has already commenced, as one of the outcomes of the great war. Jerusalem is being redeemed from the mercilessness of Gentile rule under the unspeakable Turk, whose rule has well-nigh been supreme and continuous for a thousand years. The gates of the Ancient City are now thrown wide open to the children of the patriarchs of old, and a remarkable migration has already set in for that place. The City of David will be restored to beauty, and the country will again flow as with milk and honey. Then will the gospel be taken to them, and a partial conversion, at least, will be brought about as they cry out, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Not until that conversion is ¶

brought about will they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," and ask, "What are these wounds in thine hands?" To which the answer shall be, "These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends; I came to my own, and they received me not." Their poignant anguish will then draw forth his divine compassion and he will be their God and they will be his people. But, O what a price shall they have paid for their perversity and unbelief. ¶

The history of Israel is, in a measure, the history of all other races. But shall there not ultimately he an exception to the rule? In the light of history, there is little ground for basing such a hope, we admit. But the word of the Lord has been spoken concerning his people and his purposes. If the end is attained, it will be by the simple means of virtue, obedience, industry, and human service of the highest order. The Lord has assured the salvation of the earth at his coming, providing the hearts of the children of men shall be turned to the eternal welfare of their fellows, both 'those who have gone before and those who are to come, when men shall seek the well being of their fellows and bury selfishness. But the thing of vital interest to us is, how shall we avert the disasters that have been the fate of other people? The lesson seems to be obvious. Our people were taken through a school of experience that ought to make the lesson a lasting one. It has been written in blood and tears and in sacrifice and patience. The school of experience is calculated to make men strong and powerful to resist. ¶

Emerson set forth this doctrine perfectly in the four lines which opens his essay on Self Trust. They are: ¶

"Cast the bantling on the rocks, ¶

Suckle him with she wolf's teat; Wintered with the hawk and fox, ¶

Power and speed be hands and feet." ¶

Men grow strong and powerful as they learn to do things for themselves. The administration at Washington seemed cold and unsympathetic in its answers to our appeal for help when it said, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you." Yet that is similar to the attitude of the Creator, out on the border of time, when he drove man from the Garden of Eden and set him to work in the spirit of self reliance and conquest. The fiat of Eden, "Go forth and multiply and replenish the earth, conquer it, and subdue it, and have dominion," as well as the sentence which soon followed it, vis: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread," seemed very severe and harsh. Time and accomplishment have taught men that those were kind words, in the light of the blessings which came from the results of their being chosen by the Deity for the training of the human race in the beginning. And that there might be no retreat back into Eden's Elysian bowers, a Cherubim, with flaming sword, was placed at the Gates of Paradise. So, God apparently intended that we should he outside of Paradise. None of us will doubt the ¶

successfulness of the Deity, in that intention, and in a wholesome confession we will also admit that to the healthy, virile man, conditions subsequent to Eden were far better for man than Eden itself. His progress was all attained on this side of Paradise. ¶

These are the things which account for the greatness of the Pioneers. But shall wealth, and luxury, and self-indulgence effeminize their descendants who have, in a large measure, been deprived of that kind of education? Already there are disquieting symptoms manifest in the present generation. To be like the rest of the world would be to the Latter-day Saints a lowering of their standards and a repudiation of their ideals. Young men and young women of "Mormondom" we have been taught the principles of Everlasting Truth. And they will stand for ever. If we wish to stand likewise, we must grapple to our souls these true principles. They are, faith in God, and obedience to the gospel. No amount of learning, or philosophy, can take their place. Constant repentance from sin, and a successful forsaking of sin. Can a man take fire to his bosom and not be burned? The youth of today who takes a compromising view on the matter of chastity is playing with fire. Nothing but the providences of God will save him from the burning. We must cherish virtue as dearer than life, or we are not true to the faith of our fathers. We cannot retain that beautiful, Christian spirit, which is strength unto victory, if we cease to be a praying people -- a people who pray always, in public and in private. "Prayer is the Christian's vital breath." I have heard groups of boys, and girls of our faith confess their abandonment of some of these Christian virtues which are so essential to their happiness here and hereafter. ¶

We should hold to the sanctity of the marriage relationship and not shun the responsibilities of parenthood. In this sacred institution, ordained of God and honorable withal, lies the power of life and death to the individual, as well as to the race. Its preservation, in unsullied purity, is the supreme duty of every generation. Lives of self-restraint, and temperance in all things are not only true as the word of God to us, but the fate of races proclaims them to be everlastingly safe. Service for others is the highest evidence of the love of God. What a fine tribute was paid to our people this morning in the statement by President Grant that we annually contribute by sacrifice, and actual expenditure, two million dollars in carrying the gospel message to the world. There is real altruism. The preaching of the word to the world is a great duty resting upon us, but a still greater duty is to inculcate the principles of the Faith in the lives and characters of our children. I am convinced there is occasion for concern in this regard. It is my strong conviction that the outlines for every class, studying the gospel in the several organizations of the Church, should pay attention to the principles of our faith in every lesson recital. I find that children, at the time of baptism, are in many instances, entirely uninstructed in the mean- ¶

ing and sacredness of that holy ordinance. These are some of the disquieting symptoms that my work in the Church is constantly bringing to my attention. I throw out these suggestions in the hope that the family and the priesthood and the auxiliary organizations of the Church will see to it that the Savior's parting injunction to Peter may be carried out in this dispensation, viz: "Feed my lambs." ¶

May the Lord God of our fathers keep us in his good favor, and may we, through steadfast devotion to him, move steadily on to our place in the world, not that we may glorify ourselves, but do greater service to mankind, and glorify our Father who is in heaven. In Jesus' holy name I ask it. Amen. ¶