God's Promise to the Teacher

I hope that you are enjoying this Conference as much as I am. I sat here yesterday and rejoiced in the good things we listened to. This morning, the same spirit is present, and I sincerely desire that I may be blessed of the Lord to say something that will be helpful. ¶

GODS PROMISE TO THE TEACHER ¶

The responsibility of standing in the presence of a congregation like this, about ten thousand people, is great, and yesterday Dr. Thomas Nixon Carver, of Harvard, so expressed himself. President Walter E. Clark, of the Nevada University, and President Charles A. Lory, of the Colorado Agricultural College, felt the responsibility of standing here without preparation when they were suddenly called to speak. The Latter-day Saints have been admonished to put their trust in the Lord when they arc called to advocate the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in the year 1832, elders were advised not to take thought beforehand what they should say, but to treasure up in their minds continually (be words of life with the assurance that they would be inspired to mete out what was needed to every man. I take it for granted that applies to all Israel ; so you men who are presidents of stakes and bishops of wards — when you stand in the presence of your flock, if you have stored your mind, as our heavenly Father indicated should, be done, you have the promise from Him that He will give to you and to the congregation, what is necessary for that particular occasion. ¶

COMPLIMENTS FROM PROMINENT VISITORS ¶

Yesterday we received compliments from our visiting educators, previously named,, that were surely gratifying. It was very interesting to me to see how1 they partook of the spirit of our gathering. I have often observed, and I think most of you who have had missionary experience, will bear me out, that no good man or woman can come under the influence of the faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and withhold their commendations of what they observe while with us. When they leave us, sometimes it is different, but while they are under that influence that comes from the Lord, possessed by His servants, who are serving Him, they are usually pleased to commend what they have seen and felt. That was a wonderful compliment that was paid us yesterday by Dr. Carver, who is a student of political economy and national history. He said (I am not going to try to quote him but I am going to quote the impression he gave me) that if he were looking for information as lo how to build a real commonwealth or# empire, he would come to the Latter-day Saints in this part of America. If he and other great men would learn that it was not man's wisdom that planned what he saw here, but that it was inspired by our heavenly Father, they would realize, as we do, that it is not only the best plan by which to build an empire in this world, but a sure foundation for eternal happiness in the world to come, ¶

MF^T ARE REACHING OUT FOR THE SPIRITUAL ¶

President Grant read, yesterday, an extract from the annual report of President Nicholas Murray Butler, of Columbia University, for 1920, that calls our attention to the fact that men are thinking seriously, and they are looking out for something different from what the world already has. I believe I will read a paragraph cr two from the same report : ¶

"There can be no cure for the world's ills and no abatement of the world's discontents until faith and the rule of everlasting princip'e are again restored and made supreme in the life of men and of nations. These millions of manmade gods, these myriads of personal idols, must be broken up and destroyed, and the heart and mind of man brought back to a comprehension of the real meaning of faith and its place in life. This cannot be done by exhortation or by preaching alone. It must be done also by teaching ; careful, systematic, rational teaching, that will show in a simple language which the uninstructed can understand what are the essentials of a permanent and lofty morality, of a stable and just social order, and of a secure and sublime religious faith. ¶

"Here we come upon the whole great problem of national education, its successes and its disappointments, its achievements and its problems yet unsolved. Education is not merely instruction — far from it. It is the leading of the youth out into a comprehension of his environment, that, comprehending, he may so act and so conduct himself as to leave the world better and happier for his having lived in it. This environment is not by any means a material thing alone. It is material, of course, but, in addition, it is intellectual, it is ¶

spiritual. The youth who is led to an understanding of nature and of economics and left blind and deaf to the appeals of literature, of art, of morals and of religion, has been shown but a part of that great environment which is his inheritance as a human being. The school and the college do much, but the school and the college cannot do all. Since Protestantism broke up the solidarity of the ecclesiastical organization in the western world, and since democracy made intermingling of state and church impossib'e, it has been necessary, if religion is to be saved for men, that the family and the church do their vital cooperative part in a national organization of educational effort. The school, the family and the Church are three cooperative educational agencies, each of which has its weight of responsibility to bear. If the family be weakened in respect to its moral and spiritual basis, or if the Church be neglectful of its obligation to offer systematic, continuous and convincing relig'ious instruction to the young who are within its sphere of influence, there can be no hope for a Christian education or for the powerful perpetuation of the Christianfaith in the minds and lives of the next generation and those immediately to follow. We are trustees of a great inheritance. If we abuse or neglect that trust wc are responsible before Almighty God for the infinite damage that wi'l be done in the life of individuals and of nations." ¶

THE DANGER T! I T CONFRONTS THE WORLD ¶

I rejoice to find mc who are thinking, as that man thinks, of the necessity of spiritual education. The danger that confronts this world today is similar to that of the ages past. Calamity has overtaken the nations where men and women have departed from the teaching of the true and living God and have accepted the philosophies of uninspired men ihstead. Having turned away from those glorious truths that emanate from the source of all knowledge, they have been led captive by the fallacies of those who have set themselves up as wiser than their Creator. ¶

History repeats itself. We read in the Old Testament the circumstances that surrounded the people at the time of the flood. We are informed that they were not destroyed tmtil they had been fully warned. For one hundred and twenty years Noah, a prophet of God, went to and fro among the people, calling on them to abandon their wickedness. He warned them that unless they repented of their sins and turned to the Lord, destruction would overtake them. One hundred and twenty years of pleading to do right was followed by the flood that destroyed all flesh not preserved in the ark. Bcause Noah was indeed a prophet of God, and had only told the people what the Lord had directed, his promise was fulfilled, he was vindicated, and the earth received its baptism of water. Only the little handful that believed in the prophet of God and listened to his wise counsels, were saved. ¶

WARNING MESSENGERS ¶

Yesterday President Ivins informed us that we have had 60,- 080 missionaries go out from this Church into the world, since 1830. Think of it, more than sixty thousand men, possessing divine authority, imbued with a desire to save humanity from the calamity that threatened ; men who have paid their own expenses, and ¶

with a burning desire in their souls to uplift mankind, have gone to the ends of the earth calling attention to the fact that there is only one true and living God, proclaiming the divine mission of the risen Redeemer, giving of their time and their talents and all that God has given to them, to the end that the world might be spared the distresses that have overtaken it in the ages that are past. Now the average mission is about two years, that means more than one hundred twenty thousand years of individual service, instead of one hundred twenty years; and if the Lord, after one hundred twenty years teaching the truth through His servant Noah, found it necessary, because of the wickedness of men, to destroy all but eight, it is not surprising to me that, after one hundred twenty thousand years of preaching the gospel among the children of men, and their refusal to accept the truth as it has been delivered in this latter day, the sorrows of the world are multiplying. Think of the condition of humanity today. On every hand men are suspicious of one another; nation is jealous of nation, the pursuit of wealth and popularity occupy much of the attention of the majority. Immorality, murder, robbery and suicide appear to increase, and unless the people of the earth reform their lives, destruction is sure to follow, for the Lord has declared it. Where, in the world, will you go to find a people such as the one that you are a part of, most of whom have placed their all upon the altar, where nearly all of those who have been called into service have said, in substance: "Here, Lord, am I, what would you have me do?" ¶

At the present time the world is in distress, not because of shortage of food, nor for lack of money, not because there is not clothing enough ; but because of the suspicion that is in the hearts of men; the distrust that everywhere prevails and the determination on the part of the few to possess more than they can possibly enjoy. Fortunately for us the gospel of Jesus Christ has taught us a better way, and in His great mercy our Lord continues to teach us and bless us. My soul rejoices as I look over these great mountains and valleys, and I realize that this is the heritage of the sons and daughters of God, gathered from (he nations of the earth. They have heard the warning voice- — "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" has been the cry that has rung in the ears of modern Israel, and because they have received a witness that the gospel has been restored again ; because they have learned for themselves that God really does speak to his children upon the earth, men and women by thousands have been willing to part company with those with whom they have associated and loved, and leave the homes of their ancestors to cast their lot with this much misrepresented and despised people. And they have lived to realize the remainder of the promise, "And all these things shall be added," for surely the material blessings of life have been bestowed upon us. ¶

OUR BLESSINGS AND OBLIGATIONS ¶

When we look back over the record of the past and think that since the year 1830, with a little organization of six members, unpopular then as it is now and opposed by the adversary in every possible way, glorious truths of the eternal gospel have been disseminated and accepted by men and women anxious to serve God, the teaching of the humble elders has appealed to their reason, with the result that from that nucleus of six has developed a Church of hundreds of thousands of our Father's children, created in His image, whose spirits were created by Him, who have earned the right to come into the world to work out their eternal exaltation. These have joined the Church and have been willing to in cur the unkind feelings of former friends and the hatred of the world, in order that they might please their heavenly Father and obtain eternal happiness in His celestial kingdom. It is true that you will not find in any place else in the world so perfect a form of government as has been given to the Church with which we are identified. This is the Lord's way ; Joseph Smith did not, of his own wisdom, lay the foundation for this Church; Brigham Young, of his own wisdom did not plan what we behold in these valleys ; those men were inspired by the same power that directed Moses when he led ancient Israel into the wilderness. The same Father in heaven lives today, His power prevails and the evidence of it is seen in the development of His children. While we enjoy all these wonderful blessings, we do not feel to criticise those who do not comprehend the truth, we do not feel to find fault with the men and women of other churches or out of the churches who cannot understand ; but, on the contrary, the gospel teaches us to have charity for all and to love our fellows. The Savior said: ¶

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, this is the first and great commandment. ¶

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments" hang all the law and the prophets." ¶

Brethren and sisters, if the gospel of Jesus Christ, as delivered to you, has not planted that feeling of love in your hearts for your fellow men, then I want to say that you have not enjoyed the full fruition of that wonderful gift that came to earth when this Church was organized. As I go to and fro in the earth and find opportunity to mingle with our Father's children in various lands and climes, many of them honored because of their intellect ¶

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and because of their virtues, I rejoice to realize that these are our brothers and sisters. It is to them that the gospel has been sent, a,nd upon us, as elders of this Church, has been laid the obligation to go into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature. We have received a wonderful gift, but with that gift comes a great responsibility. We have been blessed of the Lord with a knowledge beyond our fellows, and with that knowledge comes the requirement that we divide it with His children wherever they may be. So, while we are here comfortably situated in the1 valleys of these great mountains — as communities by ourselves, in many cases, we must not forget that wherever the sun shines our Father's children are there. We must not forget that wherever His children are, He is seeking after them. He is desirous that they should know Him. He is anxious that they should have taken from their minds the delusions that have been placed there by the adversary of all righteousness. For that reason, He has bestowed upon men in this latter day, a knowledge of the old gospel, and has required us to disseminate His truth among His children wherever opportunity offers. It is not an easy task; it is not a pleasant thing, perhaps, to be called out into the world, to leave our dear ones, but I say to you that it will purchase for those who are faithful, for those who discharge that obligation as they may be required, peace and happiness beyond all understanding, and will prepare them that, in due time, when life's labor is complete, they will stand in the presence of their Maker, accepted of Him because of what they have done. ¶

THE WORLD IN NEED OF OUR MINISTRY ¶

We must not be idle. This world is in need of our ministry. Our Father's children everywhere are anxious to know what they should do, but, by reason of the evil influences that have pervaded the earth, they have been deceived ; honorable men of the earth are blinded to the truth ; and the adversary continues with his work, destroying, not individuals alone, but, as in the great war that recently filled all nations with alarm, millions of God's children are wiped out and millions more are made miserable. The adversary is at work, and the only power that can neutralize his influence is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The churches of the world are trying, in their way, to bring peace into the hearts of men. They are possessed of many virtues and many truths, and accomplish much good, but they are not divinely authorized. Neither have their priests been divinely commissioned. ¶

ADVICE TO THE HEARERS OF OUR MESSAGE ¶

I want to call your attention to the fact that when the boy Prophet knelt in the woods and when he asked the Father of us all which of the churches he should join, .he was warned that ¶

GENERAL CONEERENCE. ¶

he should join none of them, "For,'' said the Lord, "they worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They teach for doctrine the commandments of men. They have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." When the Lord said that, he was not condemning all his children, but he was stating the truth that has been manifested since the gospel was restored. When He organized His Church, it was not intended that men should be discouraged or disappointed, who had joined other churches, but it was desired that all the virtues, all the blessings that were worth while, all the truth that they had acquired in their church organizations might remain with them and that they might take it with them when they embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ- — verily the power of God unto salvation. We have never asked any good Catholic:, Methodist or Presbyterian to give up any virtue or truth that has been possessed by him in the organization with which he has been identified, but with all the power that a numerically weak organization could exert we have said to the men and women of this world : Keep all the good that you have acquired, and go to the Lord in mighty prayer and learn from Him and that His gospel has again been restored upon the earth. Learn from Him that His truth is here and that there are men living who possess divine authority conferred by Him. Go to Him. Go to the Lord, and ask Him that you may know the proper course to pursue. Surely intelligent men can see that all these various deviating paths cannot lead back into the presence of our Lord, but there is a path and He who marked it out has all power in heaven and earth. He has ordained that His gospel should be proclaimed to His children not in unkindness, not in harshness but with love unfeigned, that they may, before it is too late, investigate His truth and turn from the error of their ways and be wor;hy to be received by Him when the time comes for Him to establish Hio kingdom. ¶

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS ¶

My brothers and sisters, I rejoice in the opportunity that has come to me. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am thankful for the companionship of my brothers and sisters in this Church. I appreciate the opportunity to meet, from time to time, intelligent men in the world, who, like the president of Columbia University, see that this great nation must reform, that there is need for the people of this world to retrace their steps and get back to the foundation that was laid by the Master of heaven and earth, the foundation of faith, repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost under the hands of those possessing divine authority. That is what the world needs. I am grateful indeed that many are looking that way. They have been going blindly along a pathway that ¶

has led to sorrow and distress, but there has been placed within reach a remedy for all ills — the gospel of Jesus Christ. There has been mapped out for all a path that, while it is narrow, and difficult to follow, leads back to the Father of us all ; and there is no other path that leads there. Knowing that, how grateful we should be that there has come to us in these latter days, a knowledge of this truth, and oh, how happy we ought to be that we are permitted to partake of itL ¶

That the Lord may add His blessing; that the knowledge of this glorious truth may burn in our hearts : that we may jnot be led to the right nor to the left, by the cunning craftiness of the adversary, but day by day, with faith planted in our souls, that we may go forward, with a desire to be worthy of Him, in whose likeness we are, desirous of leading back to Him, all His children wherever they may be; and in the end. as a result of our faith and devotion, we may find many of His sons and daughters gathered into His glorious kingdom, to be our companions throughout the ages of eternity, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶