Remarks

I sincerely trust, my brethren and sisters, that I may be able to crowd into the brief ten minutes left, some few of the thoughts that have been in my mind this morning. I have listened very attentively to all that has been said, and bear witness to its truthfulness. I have been charmed by the beautiful singing of this session and particularly by this last rendition, and truly, my brethren and sisters, we might marvel and exclaim, "What manner of man was this that has wrought so much in the world and that we believe is to do so much in the future in shaping the destinies and bringing about the well-being and the salvation of our Father's children, even all that have ever lived upon this earth!"My thoughts have centered upon him and his great mission and the great faith that we should have in him. I will read to you from our Articles of Faith: "We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...." I will leave you, my brethren and sisters, to follow out the quotations and read what the others are, but I wish to dwell particularly this morning upon our belief that underlying all in this Church stands first and foremost faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It has been the moving power to all action -in all ages of the world. ¶

I would like to read to you here what Paul says in regard to faith: ¶

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ¶

"For by it the elders obtained a good report. ¶

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. ¶

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. ¶

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased Qod. ¶

"But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that dili. gently seek him." ¶

I commend to your perusal, my brethren and sisters, Hebrews 11; that shows to us to be a fact what I have asserted, that all the great and mighty works of the prophets and apostles and the great men of old were guided and were wrought by faith. By faith they knew of a surety their status before God, they were able to serve him, they were able to keep his commandments. By faith Daniel was able to live in harmony with the teachings of his Israelitish parentage even in Babylon and become a mighty factor in shaping the destinies of that great nation and of his own people. And Moses was guided by faith. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the old worthies were guided by faith, and they did all they did by faith. It was by faith that Moses smote the Red Sea and its waters rolled back and the Children of Israel passed through dry-shod. It was by faith that they were not consumed by famine in the desert, but God sent them daily that which was necessary to sustain them and see them through their years of pilgrimage. ¶

Brethren and sisters, in this day reference has been made to the origin of this Church and its accomplishments and its privations and sufferings and persecutions that have been heaped upon it. What has been the underlying factor to all this that has been done in this dispensation in which we live? By faith Joseph Smith, a mere boy, was able to bring down to earth the revelations of ¶

Almighty God for the redemption of his people, for the establishment of righteousness. By faith he saw the Father and he saw the Son, and he learned and has proclaimed to the world that we are in very deed in the image of our Maker. By faith he learned his status before the Lord and received further revelation through the angel Moroni. By faith he learned of all the restoration that was to be and was the instrument by which it was consummated in the earth. By faith he found the record of the ancient people who inhabited this land, and by faith he translated it and brought forth a new witness for God in this day and age in which we live. By faith he was able to establish the Church and perfect this wonderful organization of which has been spoken today. And by faith it has continued on down to the very moment of time in which we live. By faith he and his people were able to withstand the trials and persecutions heaped upon them, for they saw, over and above and beyond, Christ; and they knew ihe was a reality. They had faith in him as the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, through whom should be consummated the salvation of men here upon the earth. It was faith that made it possible for Joseph Smith to turn back and go to his certain martyrdom -- for he knew where he was going; he said he was going like a lamb to the slaughter. But by faith he went and sealed his testimony with his blood. ¶

Bringing it down to the present day, my brethren and sisters, it is faith that is taking your boys into the world today to proclaim this same truth to the untold millions of our Father's children who are yet in darkness. It is by faith that the fathers and mothers sustain them with means to pursue their labors in the world. ¶

I marvel, my brethren and sisters, when we contemplate what a wonderful thing this faith is. The point I want to get to is this. We are living in a day and age and hour when all the powers of the adversary are combining to destroy faith in the hearts of men. Within the churches and without the churches, every device and every means that can be brought to bear is being brought to bear to destroy faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, and from the pulpits of the world men who profess to be Christian ministers are doubting and boohooing the belief that Jesus Christ was in very deed the Son of God. They are endeavoring by all means to discredit his origin as the Son of our Almighty Father. And faith is being attacked from every standpoint -- by immortality, by dishonesty, by unchastity -- the young people, one after another, are coming to a point in many instances where they are face to face with the issue, "Is there anything in this or not?"And their faith is being assailed, their faith is being attacked. ¶

There were some O's referred to here today, and the last particularly struck my attention, "Opportunity and obligation"that rests upon us today in Israel. O my brethren and sisters, let us by every means within our power kindle, if needs be, and if it is there, keep alive, the faith of our young men and women. Do not let it ¶

be destroyed; do not let it be overcome by any sort of teaching which may be going around today. Have in your family circles prayer daily together, that they may witness the exercise of faith in prayer, that the blessings of the Lord may be upon your households. Teach your children the simple principles of the gospel as they have been received through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for in nothing else is there safety in the world today. O my brethren and sisters, what the steering gear is to the automobile today, is faith in the life of young men and women. We are going at a headlong pitch. And did it ever occur to you what happens to an automobile when the steering gear is broken or defective and ceases to operate? Always, with that irresponsible speed with which the machine flies, it goes on to certain destruction. Did any of you, my brethren and sisters, ever lie in a trough of the sea, in a little vessel, with both rudder and sail gone? I have, for six hours, when the waves were slopping over everywhere. And I have thought that what the rudder or sail was to that little vessel -- that would have saved us, and did ultimately when we got them into operation -- so would be faith in Jesus Christ in the life of every young man. Did any young man, boy of yours or otherwise, ever come to you and show you with the look in his eye and the anguish in his soul, when he came asking, "Is there anything to this or not?" and you saw that somebody in some insidious, dastardly way had trifled with, and partly destroyed the faith in that young man's life? If you ever did, my brethren, you saw an object of pity, an object of sorrow, and it has been my good fortune and good pleasure to assist to kindle again and keep alive the faith in many young men, that has seemed to have been lost. And in many of them their faith has been attacked in associations here at home. I have been through sorrows in my life; I have laid parents, brothers and sisters and children away, and only God knows how I have loved them! I wonder sometimes if I love more intently than some people. It seems that my love for them makes me suffer, and the more I suffer the more I love them. I would rather they would all go and I could lay them away, with faith in God, than to have one of them become the richest man or the greatest ruler or the greatest intellectual man but without faith; for without faith he is without anchor, and without faith he has nothing to keep him in the path of duty, that makes for happiness, not only in the great hereafter, but makes for happiness and well-being here in this life in which we live. So that now then, when faith is being attacked in all sects and denominations and through all the schools, through the teachings of dubious science, science that after all is only a theory; hold to the faith that our fathers have cherished, I say, hold to the faith in Jesus Christ that is the foundation rock upon which we can surely build for a salvation in our Father's kingdom! The Lord help you to do so, the Lord bless the youth of Zion and keep them in the faith of their fathers, and keep us all, that we may work out ¶

our salvation in his presence, is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶