Resurrection Testimony

(President of the Duchesne Stake of Zion) ¶

My brethren and sisters, I have a great prayer in my heart this morning. It is that those of us who occupy the time may do so under the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord, and those who listen may have that same inspiration, that each one of us may be able to gather from the speakers such encouragement or such exhortation or advice as may be best fitted to our present needs. ¶

I am very grateful that my parents received the gospel, many years ago, in the Old world, and that I was permitted to be their son. I have great sympathy with the boys and the girls who have been reared in the land of Zion. I have a great appreciation of the temptations the evil one places in their way. I have a great appreciation of the responsibility that rests upon them to set examples of righteousness before the world, and take advantage of the opportunities that the Lord has given ; and I beg of these my brethren and sisters who have ¶

been so situated as I have, whose parents have left the old world and have come here for the sake of the gospel, that their sons and daughters might be properly trained, and that they might be the means of giving the light of the gospel to the world ; I hope that our heavenly Father will give them a sense of responsibility that rests Jupon them through this great privilege they have. Those who are present who have received the gospel themselves in the Old world have been under great responsibility, and they have come to this land of Zion. They have come because of the testimony that perhaps many of their former associates in the Old countries did not have and perhaps a testimony that their children have not had and sometimes they will be turned aside somewhat by the actions of their sons and daughters. I hope they will realize that the evil one works in Zion as well as out of Zion. For myself, I have a great sympathy, and a great understanding for the Scandinavian gentleman who said : "If there is anything that is not good for me, that is what I would like; if there is anything that I ought not to do, that is what I want to do." The evil one works upon those in responsibility to such an extent that we ought to have charity for them. I have had in my mind these men. I have had in my mind the responsibility that rests upon the young people, and I would like to say to the fathers and mothers present, it seems to me that we leave too much responsibility of training our young people aright to our heavenly Father, or to the circumstances around them. We fail to realize sufficiently that our heavenly Father does work through us, that it is our responsibility to take care of all these boys and girls ; that because we know that the gospel is true, it does not follow that they know it. It is just as necessary that the spirit of that gospel should come to them as it was that it should come to usw They have to know for themselves that the gospel is true just as we have to, and just as our' grand-parents have to, and just as our grand-children will have to know it. ¶

We sometimes fail to realize that the temptation of the evil one come to our children and grand-children as well as they come to us, and it is our responsibility to care for and look after them. It is our responsibility to see that from the time of their baptism they are trained in righteousness, truth, and charity. The mother who teaches the little ones to pray must take care to see them grow up in the truth, that they may follow in the path in which they have been started. ¶

I want to testify to you that it is time half wasted, if we stop there. Even though there comes a time in the lives of the young people when they are not just what we would have them to be, when the right thing comes they will exhibit the influence of the early training they have received, and it is a responsibility that devolves upon us, fathers and mothers, to give them that teaching. What can religion class teachers do if there is no foundation laid in the boy or girl of fourteen years of age brought to them? The familiarity of the ¶

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teachings of the Sunday School leaders and the leaders of the religion classes and other organizations are such that the responsibility of religious training rests upon us. I noticed that President Widtsoe used the word "entertainment," and corrected himself. I would like to say that there is too much of an idea among the Latter-day Saints that we have to be entertained at all times. Our religion is not a matter of entertainment. I have heard men and women complain that they cannot get their boys and girls to go to meeting, because it is not entertaining. You know what the Catholics claim, that if they have the child until it is nine years old they have it afterwards, for the rest of its life. Their religion is not entertaining. I have seen young men and women and old men and women, count beads, because of the training they had when they were children, before they were nine years old. ¶

It is my testimony that the Lord knew what he was talking about when he said the Latter-day Saints should teach their children the gospel before they are eight years old, and when he says that our young boys should become deacons and teachers at a certain age, that is the time that the Priesthood should be given unto them. The same time and the same opportunity comes but once in a life time. ¶

It is my testimony that the gospel is true, that while we may fail, the Lord never fails in his promises. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord may be with us, that we may live our religion one day after another. That is all that is required. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

A solo and chorus, "Calvary," was sung by Lily Bennion and ¶