Moroni's Message

I have enjoyed the tremendous inspiration of our heavenly Father that has been poured out upon us during this conference. Nearly every speaker thus far has referred to the visit of Moroni. When the 21st day of September came, very naturally, like the rest of you, I thought of this visit. I read from the Pearl of Great Price that wonderfully concise and convincing story of the life of the boy Joseph Smith. ¶

Moroni's Message.

As Brother John A. Widtsoe has already said, the Angel Moroni repeated his message three times, once, twice, thrice in a single night, .and by that time daylight appeared. Again the following day, September 22, the boy Joseph Smith, but seventeen years of age, found his way, guided by the vision of the night before, to the Hill Cumorah and there discovered the plates. The message was repeated for the fourth time. In this message many passages of scripture were referred to and quoted. I read these references. While but a part of the third chapter of Malachi was quoted, I read it all. ¶

The Law of Tithing.

The part of this chapter which refers to the law of tithing I read with very great interest. It says: ¶

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have-we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. ¶

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."' (Malachi, 3:8, 10.) ¶

This is a wonderful promise. It looks as if the faithful are to be rewarded in the near future. Reports I have heard of late are to the effect that the prices of our crops generally are very good. The price of wool, the price of wheat, the price of potatoes and the price of beets — all these prices are very satisfactory. We are comparatively large producers of alfalfa seed, and it is reported that in all probability we shall receive this year an unusually high price for this product. The prices of the products of our farms are also comparatively high. It looks as if the day of prosperity is coming. The hearts of the people are filled with good cheer. As a rule they are looking forward with fine satisfaction to the future. The Lord has said it. and his words cannot fail: ''Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." ¶

The Word of Wisdom and Its Promises.

The President in his remarks this morning referred in his usual clear-cut and forceful way, to the Word of Wisdom. In this Word of Wisdom, "the letter from the Lord," as President Grant called it this morning, there are four clear-cut and most desirable promises made to all Saints who remember to keep and do the things contained in the Word of Wisdom, "walking in obedience to me commandments." ¶

The first of these choice and desirable promises is health. What more desirable blessing can anybody Wish ? Yet the Lord says very clearly that all Saints who remember to keep and do the sayings in the Word of Wisdom, walking in obedience to the commandments, "shall receive health." Is health not a rich compensation for the effort required to live in accordance with the teachings in this "letter from the Lord"? ¶

After health what would we naturally select as a choice blessing if we were given the right to choose it? In this "letter from the Lord'' it says very clearly that all Saints who remember to keep and do the sayings in this Word of Wisdom, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall have this second choice blessing, which is wisdom. Certainly we all desire to be wise. Few of us see a single day in all the years of our lives in which, if we had wisdom, we could not use it to advantage. The second great promise to those who will keep and do these sayings is wisdom. ¶

After health has been secured and wisdom, what third great gift or blessing would we naturally desire? Would it not be knowledge, the third great promise contained in the Word of Wisdom? The promise, in this "letter from the Lord," is clear-cut and unequivocal, that all Saints who remember to keep and do the sayings, contained in the Word of Wisdom, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall find great treasures of knowledge, yea, even hidden treasures. Can you imagine greater compensation or greater reward for any effort? ¶

If to these three choice blessings or promises a fourth were added, can anyone imagine a blessing more choice or more desirable than the fourth promise in this Word of Wisdom, namely, that the Lord himself gives unto all those who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, "a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them." ¶

These four most choice and desirable blessings, the Lord himself promises to all Saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, and walk in obedience to the commandments. These four are, first health ; secondly, wisdom ; thirdly, knowledge, yea, even hidden treasures of knowledge ; and fourthly, that the destroying angel shall pass by them as the children of Israel and not slay them. ¶

Enforce the Anti-Cigarette Law

Since this Word of Wisdom teaches that tobacco is not good for man ; and, further, since I am a Mutual Improvement worker — one of the General Superintendency — and our Mutual Improvement organization has had a slogan referring to the use and sale of tobacco, I desire to make a few remarks concerning our so-called anti-cigarette legislation. I am glad to be able to say that so far as I know, in the whole State of Utah, there is not one individual who is not satisfied with the legislation upon this subject which we now have on our statute books. Since all the people seem to like the law, and since all the people seem to be in favor of enforcing it, as a Mutual Improvement worker I appeal to you now, stake presidents, high councilors, bishops, and bishops' counselors, and leading men in every part of the Church, and out of it for that matter, to do your utmost to have this splendid law enforced. Since it is unlawful for those under twenty-one years of age to have tobacco in any form in their possession, and further, since it is unlawful for any individual in the State of Utah to sell or give to minors tobacco in any form, we have a splendid opportunity by enforcing this law to keep our young people from using cigarettes. All good citizens too should be interested in seeing to it that only those who are paying a license for the privilege of so doing be permitted to sell cigarettes. A considerable amount of good is being accomplished too by suppressing, under the law, all advertising of tobacco in any form on bill boards. If the citizens generally will see to it that this law is enforced, the number of boys who smoke cigarettes will be rapidly and materially decreased. ¶

Since we are placing such emphasis on this matter of the Word of Wisdom, some may feel as did the man in the mission field when he asked the missionary : "Do you mean to tell me that with this doctrine you call 'Mormonism,' you propose to conquer the whole world?" ¶

The Gospel Will Ultimately Conquer the World

I can reply as did the boy missionary : "Well, I will not say that with 'Mormonism' we expect to conquer the whole world, but I do desire to say to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ will ultimately conquer the whole world, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel we teach." Men may criticize, men may ridicule, men may find fault, but nevertheless this is the Church and Kingdom of God. There is not one before me now in this great audience who cannot testify that he has been made better, he has been made stronger, he has been made happier in proportion to the degree of accuracy with which he has lived in accordance with the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He who has found sorrow, he who has found regret, has found this sorrow and this regret because he has failed to live in accordance with these teachings. ¶

We seek all that is virtuous, all that is lovely, all that is upright, all that is uplifting in all the world. It is our aim to secure all these things, to produce a generation of splendid people the like of which the world has never known. ¶

Another Promise of the Lord

Before closing I desire to refer to one other promise the Lord has made : ¶

"Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:16, 17.) Keep the commandments. Live in accordance with the teachings. Struggle to live in accordance with the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do these things and the promise is to all the people forever, you shall know of the doctrine. There is no uncertainty, there is no question, there is no doubt, positively none. The statement unequivocally is : "He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." ¶

Splendid Leaders in the Church

To be associated with you who are now sitting before me, you splendid men, wonderful men, remarkable men, and glorious women, is the joy and pride of my life. I thought as I sat here this morning when the President began calling some of the stake presidents : "Who can imagine what is contained in the hearts of these excellent men who are in this audience? Who knows what they could say if they were given an opportunity to stand before this audience and speak?" ¶

I was in a stake conference only last Saturday and Sunday. I wanted the Stake President to speak, but he said only a few words. At a later meeting I insisted saying : "speak again," Again he said but a few words. He did not seem to desire to make a real address. When Sunday night came, however, and the building was crowded with the young people of the stake at the Mutual Improvement meeting, I explained that on the regular program for that particular session there were three different topics intended for three different speakers. All the visitors but the two Mutual Improvement workers had returned to Salt Lake City. So I said to the president: "Mr. President, here is a topic upon which I desire you to speak. The subject is prayer." Without warning, without notice, up he stood : and by the Spirit and power of God he testified, and thrilled us, through and through, with his own personal experiences as a result of placing his confidence and trust implicitly in the Almighty. ¶

"We Stand for Divine Guidance"

In free America, in this Christian country, the country of Washington, the country of Lincoln, the country of Franklin, the country of Roosevelt, the country of Harding, can any loyal citizen object to the work that is being done by our great Mutual Improvement organization ! As President Grant has already said, our slogan for this year is on the subject of prayer. Like those great statesmen who devised, who created, who under divine inspiration wrote the Constitution of the United States, we Mutual Improvement workers, one hundred thousand strong, today have for our slogan the following: "We Stand for Divine Guidance." May we have this guidance, may we be able to distinguish the whisperings of the still small voice, may we be able to live in accordance with the teachings of the great Master, thus placing our trust and confidence in divine providence. If we do this, our faith is founded on a rock, it will not, it must not, it cannot fail. God bless you. Amen. ¶