Truth Needs No Bolstering

My dear brethren and sisters, I am very happy to be able to bear testimony to the inspiration of the addresses made this forenoon. I was deeply impressed by the opening address of President Grant, and, as to one of the stake presidents, to me. it seemed that seldom had we had such an opportunity to recognize the nearness of the prophet of the Lord who stands at the head of the Church to that divine power which we know guides this Church. I noted also with great rejoicing the constant reference to the great event that occurred in New York state just a little over one hundred years ago — one of the very great events in the history of the world. ¶

Truth Needs No Bolstering

I was reminded by a remark made by President Penrose of a statement made to me by one of my young friends not very long ago, who had been studying the Book of Mormon. Me said: ''I have been devoting some time to the study of the pre-historic remains in South and North America and they are a wonderful confirmation of the truth of the Book of Mormon." "But," he added, and he added it impressively, "as I have read and studied the Book of Mormon I have come to the conclusion that I have no need of confirmation of the truthfulness of that wonderful book by the remains of pre-historic peoples found anywhere on the face of the earth, because I have discovered that the book, within itself, carries its own witness of its truthfulness." T was glad to have this young friend bear this testimony, for I knew ¶

thereby that he learned the chief lesson that comes to every member of this Church who discovers for himself, by the testimony of the Spirit, that this is indeed the work of God. It is almost a truism, that if we deal with high truth, a great truth, such a truth carries within itself evidence of its correctness. That is, one does not need go outside the truth for evidence to sustain that truth. This is one of the characteristics of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for within it are all the evidences that man may need to establish the conviction that lies at the foundation of a living, perfect and continuous testimony of the truth of this work. ¶

As we read the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, or the Pearl of Great Price, or any of the works produced through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we observe this wonderful characteristic — that each revelation, within itself, carries to those who read, study, and live it, a witness of its truth. One does not need to search the world for evidence of the truth of this work. The evidence lies within the work itself. ¶

Truth Always Comes in Light

In the remarkable visitation of the Angel Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, it seems to me, we have an illustration of the fact that truth carries with it the evidence of its authenticity. It may seem unnecessary to say this to Latter-day Saints, yet young" people especially, and sometimes older people think that they must go far afield to secure evidences of the truth of the revelations to Joseph Smith. I have been impressed deeply in reading, as I have done time and time again, the simple, direct story of the Prophet Joseph Smith concerning the visitations of Moroni, with the internal evidence of the truthfulness of that account. Note for instance, as remarked by President Penrose this morning, that the angel came in light, not in darkness. Truth always comes in light, it can not come in darkness; It does not come hooded and covered and formless ; it does not come as do initiations into the secret societies of the world ; but it comes in open daylight, or in a light above that of daylight; which makes it clear and understandable to the human mind. It has always been to me an evidence of the truthfulness of Joseph's simple story, that the Prophet declares in all sincerity that Moroni came in a burst of light ; that out of the light, as pictured by President Penrose this morning, came the figure and form of Moroni, as the Prophet's eyes, through the power resting upon him, were able to recognize the happenings in that room. ¶

The story itself, direct and simple, is a splendid piece of literature which carries with it conviction that here is a man who is telling the simple truth, just the thing he saw, just the thing that he believed to have happened, the thing that he knew, in fact, had happened. Those who tell falsehoods and attempt to deceive the generations of men, seldom speak with that lucid clearness, with that simplicity of style which characterize the wonderful story of Moroni's visitation, found ¶

in the Pearl of Great Price, which President Penrose recommended us to read. ¶

The Wonderful Pedagogy of Moroni's Teaching

President Penrose also called attention to the wonderful pedagogy of Moroni's teaching. The angel came to impress upon the boy Prophet the message that he had been sent to deliver. Three times! he rehearsed the message, and the night had passed by the time the third telling had been completed. The boy, worn with the night's vigil— because his spirit dwelt in a mortal body — went out to labor in the field, when for the fourth time the angel came to him, and there in full daylight, to make certain to the boy's mind char this ching was not a delusion of the night, in' the full glare of the sun, the angel came again and repeated the same message to the boy. ¶

I am an old teacher of boys and girls, and I stand in admiration before the wise method of teaching employed by the Angel Moroni in impressing upon the mind of the boy the tremendous story that he was to initiate in this last period in the history of the world. This is another evidence of the truthfulness of this remarkable vision. This seventeen-year-old boy had no background of experience or training, beyond that which belonged to the back woods of New York, to enable him to manufacture and lay before the world such a truly wonderful system: of pedagogy as lies in the simple story of Joseph's communication with the Angel Moroni. ¶

It has been said, and I believe properly, that if any person will read with care the account of the first vision referred to this morning by President Grant, when the Almighty Father of us all, and his Son Jesus Christ, appeared to the boy in the grove in Palmyra, and will read in that connection the full story of the visitation of Moroni, in those two episodes in the history of the Church, lie the germs of everything that happened later in the history of the Prophet Joseph Smith. At the very beginning of the career of the Prophet, before the Church was founded, at the initial time, the whole future was reviewed; as a seed is planted which produces a complete plant. Thus, in the seeds sown in the Prophet's mind and placed before his understanding in the first two great visitations lie the germs of all that the Prophet was to develop throughout his life, or that we are developing today. This, also, is a convincing evidence to me of the simple truthfulness of all that pertains to the work of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Wherever we turn, whatever we touch of the work he did. to those who care to read and think properly, comes the conviction, that here was a boy who saw, who knew, who told the truth, who was not capable of falsehood, who made no attempt to garnish or change or enlarge that which had come to him. ¶

The Divine Nature of the Manifestation

Not only are all these things wonderful, and many more, with respect to the great anniversary which we are practically celebrating at ¶

this conference, but one thing, almost above all others, makes us feel the divine nature of the whole manifestation. As the visit continued throughout the night, upon each occasion the Angel Moroni, at a certain time, not clearly described to us in the story as given us by the boy, quoted from the Bible. Certain quotations were quoted just as they stand in the Bible. Some few were changed. One in particular was changed and to such a degree that it is found among the latterday revelations, as Section 2 of the Doctrine and Covenants: "Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the Prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." Moroni had shown the boy a picture of the past, of the present and of the future, of something that had happened, that existed, that should happen. Then this seventeen-year-old boy was taught that to accomplish that which was pictured, the authority of the Priesthood of Almighty God would be necessary. The plan of a railroad may easily be projected, but it takes power to build the railroad. The boy was told that it would require the authority of the Priesthood to accomplish the coming work that had been revealed to him, laid bare to him, during that long night and on the following day, and that that authority would extend into the past, to save those who had died without obeying the law. Elijah was to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children. By this doctrine, all time is made one, all events are made parts of a great progressive plan : all things and time are united, with God at their head. As this principle is elaborated, it becomes perhaps the most tremendous of all the principles restored in these latter-days through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Need I say that the fact that the need of this principle to cement all the other principles and teachings of Moroni is a great evidence of the truth of the Prophet's story of Moroni's visitations? ¶

Truth Ever Shapes the Destiny of Humanity

Has the sword, the cannon, or the implements of warfare shaped human destiny? No. A truth; a true idea, presented to the earth has ever shaped the destinies of humanity. Men had forgotten the Gospel of Christ. Then the Christ came, laid down his life for our redemption and among other truths restored the one that man shall not sleep forever in the grave. This glad truth of eternal life, as it bursts upon the earth, has changed the field of human activity for nearly two thousand years. It has made wars and stopped wars, but the effect of the wars of the nations has been small in comparison with the influence of that tremendous truth that man after death shall live again. Similarly the boy Joseph Smith sent out over the earth the mighty truth that under the priesthood there is a coherence of all time ; ¶

and that the dead shall not only live again, but may gain that which they failed to win on earth, that the power of the priesthood transcends the limitations of time, and is endless. Therefore we build temples. Already this truth is beginning to reshape the views of men, and in time it will help remodel our warring world. Truths guide humanity whether recognized or not. Let me paraphrase two lines from the Irish poet: ¶

"One man with a dream, at pleasure, May go out to conquer a crown; And two. with a new truth's measure, May trample a kingdom down." ¶

That is the power of great truths. ¶

We Are Made Fearless and Unafraid by Truth

Those who have truth are not afraid, they are fearless and unafraid. Latter-day Saints have truth ; therefore, there is no fear in their hearts. Every page of the history of this Church proclaims its truth. Every line in holy writ proclaims the truth of this great latterday work. Every chapter in the history of this Church from the Prophet Joseph to the Prophet Heber J. Grant, proclaims the same truth. With the sword of truth we shall win the battle in which God has enlisted us. ¶

I remember reading, when a boy, a helpful passage from the Doctrine and Covenants. Let me read it here in conclusion. As a lad I felt fear, sometimes of men. but more often of the dark outside forces. I often wondered if this persecuted people after all would be able to accomplish all that was pictured in its destiny. Then I found in my reading of the Doctrine and Covenants this passage which has been a joy and a help and a strength to me all my life, for the Lord said to his people in Llarmony, Pennsylvania, before the Church was organized : ¶

"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. ¶

"Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more: perform with soberness the work which T have commanded you. ¶

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. ¶

"Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven." ¶

What do we care for the slanderer or the liar ; what do we care for the enemy who arises to defeat our holy purposes? We have the truth, the mightiest weapon God has given to his' people, and we shall win, in the end, if we do the things that God requires us to do. May we be strong in God's service and in that sendee may we be fearless and unafraid, I pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶