The Old Paths and the Good Way

The Old Paths and the Good Way

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. ¶

"Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. ¶

"Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. ¶

"Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it."— Jer. 6:16-19. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I stand before you this morning as Elder Stephen L. Richards said that he did, yesterday, awed in the presence of this great congregation of Latter-day Saints, and in the presence of God, our Father who, I know is here by his Spirit. I feel dependent upon him, dependent upon you, and the exercise of your faith in my behalf, to help me during the few moments of time which I expect to occupy. ¶

The Paths of the Lord

The way, or path, to which the scripture which I have read refers, is the path, or road, in which the Lord desires, and has always desired, that his people shall walk. ¶

The Trails and Paths of Men

Roads made by men thread the world. They have many beginnings, and some of them intricate and devious windings before the end is reached. Some of them are broad and easy to follow, and converge into other like roads, along which, multitudes constantly travel, multitudes who appear to be striving for the same objective, a destination which the history of the past shows but few reach. In the beginning these roads were mere trails. Men knew the direction in which they wished to travel, the destination which they desired to reach, but no one had traveled the road before them, no trail had been blazed, there were no markers to follow, and they went blindly on, often to disaster, and sometimes to death. ¶

In their effort to reach the Pacific coast, less than one hundred years ago, people perished from thirst, when there was water in abundance near. No one had been over the road before them, and they perished in the deserts of sand, because there was no track to follow. ¶

Today no man would attempt to reach Utah from Santa Fe by the route traveled by Cardenas more than three hundred years ago, we have learned that the Grand Canyon of the Colorado interposes an insurmountable barrier, a barrier which cannot be crossed, but know that there are other trails which make the passage of the great canyon and river possible. No party of travelers would attempt to reach the Pacific Coast by the route followed by the company of emigrants who perished in Death Valley, in 1849. ¶

The impassable barriers, and relentless death traps have become known, the roads and trails have been charted, and the wayfarer, knowing his danger, avoids them. ¶

The roads built by man are constructed to satisfy the demands of his environment. Over them he carries his commerce, they bring into close relationship remote communities and add greatly to his pleasure, convenience and comfort. They have become so well defined that they may be traveled with perfect safety and confidence, for from the starting point to our destination the way is plainly marked, though it take us to the other side of the world. ¶

One Road Which Men Have Not Desired to Follow

There is one road which the great majority of mankind have never, as yet, cared to follow, notwithstanding the fact that the destination to which it leads is more desirable than any other. Since the earliest period of the existence of man, so far as we have record of his existence, the way has been plainly marked, and the destination to which the road leads well understood, but men have said, we will not walk therein. ¶

Since the beginning of time, as we count it, men have shown by their works, that from the influences and teachings of the remote past, the conviction has prevailed that birth into this life is not the beginning of the existence of man, nor is death the end of it. The people of the world, whether civilized or savage, so far as my personal observation and study enable me to judge, have always found some outward means of expression, by which their faith in the invisible is shown. It may be by worship of the forces of nature, the sun, the moon or stars, or they may bow down to images of wood, or stone or gold. In whatever form, this worship is but the expression of faith in the intangible forces in which man believes, and to which he acknowledges his debt of allegiance and service. ¶

Perpetuity of Peoples and Government Dependent on Religious Faith

I know of no great nation of antiquity which did not have, in connection with its system of civil government, a code of ethics which embraced in its doctrines, and had for its purpose, the ends which we moderns seek in the. various forms of religion which we believe in and practice. The perpetuity of the various forms of government which prevailed was dependent, as all governments are, entirely upon the ethical, or religious faith and practice of the people, for, if we are to judge by the history of the past, without the higher ideals of ethical life, applied in the administration of civil affairs, no nation can long survive. ¶

The earth on which we dwell was designed by the Creator to be the home of man; and, for the benefit and blessing of his children, the Lord plainly marked the path, or way in which they should travel. He taught them that, being the Former of the universe, and Father of the spirits of all men, holding dominion over the earth, and all that ¶

pertains to it, that we, in appreciation of the blessings which we enjoy, should acknowledge our obligation to the Giver, by obedience to bis will and reverence to his laws. ¶

We know that our sojourn in this life is but transitory, that we must pass from mortality, and the Lord has taught us that by observance of certain simple laws which he has given, or by traveling in the road which he has marked out we may find our way back into his presence, where, if our conduct in mortality justifies, we will be crowned with glory, immortality, and eternal life. ¶

We have but limited knowledge of the hand-dealing of the Lord with the ante-diluvian people, but sufficient is preserved to show that, notwithstanding the fact that he sent prophets among them, who warned them of the judgments to come, because of their transgression, they refused to listen, the result being that when the flood came they perished in their sins. ¶

One would suppose that the dreadful experience through which these people passed would have been sufficient to have impressed the sons of Noah, who were among the survivors, that they never would have forgotten, but it was but a short time after they became established on the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris when they had so far forgotten their obligation to the Lord, their Father and deliverer, that in his anger he confounded their language and scattered them abroad on the face of the earth. ¶

A Great Event, and a Mighty Purpose Foretold

It was at this time that an event occurred which was of great importance to us, we people who are permitted to live in this, the greatest dispensation of the history of the world, in this land which is choice above all other lands. Foreseeing that the people of Babylon and Nineveh would not repent of their wickedness, and return to his service, the Lord took a small company from the great tower which was in course of construction, and under the leadership of inspired men brought them to this land which we now occupy. ¶

That knowledge of the redemption which was to come to the human family through the infinite atonement which would be made by Jesus Christ was possessed from the beginning by the people of the world is plainly shown by the scripture, and is particularly emphasized in the revelations which have come to the Church in our day. In order that this great truth might not be lost sight of, the Lord has, at various times, and in divers places, manifested to his servants, either by dream or vision, or by personal appearance the importance and indispensable necessity of faith in it. It naturally followed that with the renewal of the old covenant, with the small body of people, whom he designed to bring to a new world, he should again make clear to them this great truth, by which their lives were to be governed, either ¶

for their blessing or condemnation, and this he did to the brother of Jared, under the following circumstances: ¶

The Great Truth Made Clear by Revelation

While engaged in prayer the voice of the Lord came to him, as follows: ¶

"Believest thou the words which I shall speak? ¶

"And he answered; Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not he. ¶

"And when he had spoken these words, behold the Lord showed himself to him, and said: Because thou knowest these things thou art redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. In me shall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and daughters. ¶

"And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. ¶

"Behold, this body, which you now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear to thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh." ¶

Results of an Ancient Warning Unheeded

By this we see, my brethren and sisters, that more than two thousand years before he manifested himself in the flesh Christ showed himself to this man, that a witness might be had among the people of his existence and future ministry among men. Before this people reached the American continent the Lord warned them of the consequence of disobedience, and made known the conditions upon which they were dependent, either for success or failure, after their arrival here. Let me read: ¶

"And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth, even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. ¶

"And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. ¶

"And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them.- And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. ¶

"For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that does possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. ¶

"And this cometh to you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the ¶

fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. ¶

"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ." ¶

It is sufficient at this time to state that, notwithstanding this admonition, and the many manifestations of the power and mercy of the Lord, which were had among them, the Jaredites refused to walk in the way that the Lord had marked out, went into transgression, and finally, through war and contention, ceased to exist as a nation. ¶

More than one thousand years after the Jaredites were led away from, the tower of Babel, the Lord again brought a small colony of people from the old world, this time from Jerusalem, and established them in America, a people known, and referred to in the records which they kept, as the Nephites. ¶

To them the Lord repeated the promise which he had made to the Jaredites: He would lead them to a choice land, which should be their inheritance, and great prosperity would attend them on one condition, namely, that they should be devoted to the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ. The doctrine of the atonement was revealed to them, and after his resurrection the Redeemer appeared, and organized his Church among them. For two hundred years after the organization of the Church the Nephite people enjoyed a great degree of peace, prosperity and happiness, but like the Jaredites before them, they refused to walk in the old paths, and when the prophets whom the Lord raised up warned them that the road in which they were traveling would lead to' disaster, and that the way of the Lord was so plainly marked that a wayfarer, though a fool, need not err, they said, We will not walk therein. When the watchmen said, Hear the sound of the trumpet, which calls you back to the old way, they said, We will not listen. Disobedience resulted, as it always has, in loss of the birthright which the Lord had given them, and the destruction of another nation which might, if obedient, have continued until the present. ¶

Modern Discovery of America

This brings us to another epoch, or dispensation, of greater importance to us, to the world at large, than any which has preceded it. Another period of one thousand years had elapsed. When the Lord inspired Columbus to sail away from Spain, and directed him to the shores of the New World, the first step had been taken in the opening of the greatest gospel dispensation which the world has ever known, a dispensation looked forward to by the prophets of old, in which the Lord said that he would consummate his work, and prune his vineyard for the last time, when the wheat was to be garnered, and the tares bound in bundles, and burned. ¶

By natural means, as the Lord always operates for the accomplishment of his purposes, means so simple that the thoughtless and un- ¶

believing do not see the manifestation of his power, he brought the Puritans from the old world to New England, the Dutch to New York, the English Cavaliers to Virginia and the French to New Orleans, a combination of races which, paradoxical as it may appear, was just calculated to give us the composite America who made the United States of America what it is, the greatest nation of the world today. ¶

Inspired men have been raised up, who have given us our form of government, and the code of laws by which we are controlled, the best ever evolved by man, so far as we are able to judge. The Lord has strengthened the arms of the patriots who have defended us against the assults of all those who have come up against us, and delivered us until today, from those who would have torn us asunder. Against all opposition, I sometimes think almost against ourselves, the Lord has brought us to our present condition, until this nation, like a city set on a hill, has become the light of the world. ¶

Are We to Profit by Past Experiences?

I have gone hastily over the history of the past, which brings us to the present, to us the most important period of the world's history, because it is our day, the day in which the conduct of world affairs, with which we are directly associated has been entrusted to us, when we are to prove whether or not we are to benefit by the experiences of the past, avoiding the pitfalls into which our predecessors have fallen, and profiting by the markers which they have placed along the road which leads to happiness and success, while we avoid those which the experience of the past teach us inevitably lead to disappointment and failure. ¶

All Institutions and Interests Dependent on the Stability of Government

The welfare of the Church, and every other interest and institution of our country is dependent upon the stability of our civil government, by which our every interest is controled. There is nothing which we call our own, not even our lives, which is not subject to its demands. However much we may resist or say we will not, it compels submission. ¶

Our government can be no better than its citizenship, since the men who frame and execute the laws are chosen from among the body of the people, and consequently reflect the character of the majority of the electorate. ¶

It Is Time We Take Note of the Signboards of History

Has the time come when it is worth while that we pause and carefully examine ourselves, when we should take note of the sign boards which history has placed along the road which we are traveling? Is it worth while to inquire whither this road leads? To listen to the ¶

pleadings of those who have gone over it before, and know the death traps which are scattered all along the way, or shall we go blindly on ignoring the experiences of the past, until chaos shall come to us as it has come to those who have occupied this choice land before? ¶

I have gone back over the road which leads to Babylon and Nineveh, to Thebes and Memphis, to Tyre and Sidon, to Greece and Rome, and all along the way have seen these words of warning blazed in the tree-trunks, and cut into the face of the rocks — Beware of lack of faith in a living God. Beware of selfishness, of personal ambition, of pride, of love of power and dominion, of disregard for the honor of men, and the virtue of women, for the end of this road is disappointment and death. ¶

I believe that every soul present desires the perpetuity of our government. It would be a source of sorrow to know that there is a person here who is not willing to give his all that this desired end may be achieved. If this is to be accomplished we must avoid the road which those who have gone before have followed. I fear, as I contemplate our present condition, that some of the paths in which we are walking, if we continue to follow them, will lead us into the broad road from which few turn back, once they have entered into it. ¶

Our Neglects and Serious Transgressions

Our reverence toward our Father and God is not manifested in our lives as it should be. Instead of honoring his holy name, as we should, we openly and unblushingly profane it, notwithstanding the fact that he has told us that we should not take his name in vain, and that he who does so will not be found guiltless. ¶

We are told that only the simple minded and uninformed believe in or practice the doctrine of prayer, and this world-old command of the Lord, this principle which opens the gates of heaven, and brings us into communion with the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, has been almost entirely eliminated from the American home, and is no longer regarded as a necessary, or even proper part of our public school system. ¶

We loudly acclaim our devotion to, and love for American ideals, and pose as patriotic, law-abiding citizens, while the very men who enact our laws, and are appointed to enforce them, too often violate the law, and the trust reposed in them, as if they were exempt from that which they require others to obey. Our trusted agents who have the management of our public affairs, too often prove themselves to be rouges and swindlers by uniting with the men whom they profess to detect and prosecute, to rob us of that which, they are employed to protect. ¶

Men, profound in their knowledge of the law, too often use their great learning, not to uphold and magnify the law, but to pervert it, and find means by which we may avoid its just requirements. Self ¶

confessed criminals, guilty of the most heinous crimes, premeditated in their execution, are turned loose upon defenseless, law-abiding communities, to continue their criminal practices upon those whom the law is designed to protect. ¶

In These Transgressions We Are Traveling the Blazed Trails to Death

We are rapidly converting the Sabbath day, which should be observed as a day of rest and devotion, into one of pleasure, rather than worship. Are we becoming lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God? If so, we are traveling in one of those blazed trails which lead to death, rather than life. ¶

God Has Revealed His Way; Will We Walk Therein?

I bear this witness: That in the age in which we live the Lord has again revealed himself to man. He has again marked the road in which we should walk. It is the old way, and the voice of the prophets of the Lord has been heard calling upon the people to walk in it for nearly one hundred years. The sound of the trumpet has been heard, but men have said, We will not walk in the road marked out, neither will we listen to the sound of the trumpet which calls us back from the broad road which we are following. ¶

God's Path, Decree and Will Revealed. Will the People Hearken?

The decree of the Almighty regarding this land is in force today, as it was in the days of the Jaredites, and the Nephites. It is an everlasting decree, and we, as other peoples who have occupied this choice land, must be governed by it or suffer the consequence. Let me conclude my remarks by reading briefly from the Book of Mormon. This is the scripture of the American continent, the destiny of this land is outlined in it as in no other book. The road, or way, is plainly marked, no one need err who will follow the blazed trail. It is a straight and narrow way, but easy to follow, notwithstanding the many cross roads which intercept it. All of the danger points have been charted, and the way of safety plainly shown. ¶

The man who sealed up this record, and through whom it came to us, said: ¶

"And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth — that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. ¶

"And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case. * * * 1 exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I he not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; And the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? * * * And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true. ¶

"And again I would exhort you that you would come unto Christ, and ¶

lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. * * * ¶

"And now I bid you all farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen. ¶