Remarks

Presiding Bishop of the Church ¶

I rejoice with you, my brethren and sisters, in the testimonies that have been borne, and the instructions given in this great conference. I realize that all of you who have come together have come for the purpose of receiving the word of the Lord and instruction from his servants, and I, with you, have listened with great interest and appreciation to the instructions that have been given to us by the Presidency and those of the authorities who have already spoken. I desire to live in accordance with these instructions, and, so far as I have power, to help with you, to carry them out in our lives for the advancement of this great work in which we are engaged. I appreciate the fact that in endeavoring to speak to you this morning I am under a great responsibility, and that unless I can enjoy the influence of the Spirit of the Lord and your confidence and attention, I shall not be able to speak in such a way as shall be edifying and profitable to you who are present. ¶

I have rejoiced greatly, and have been delighted with the opportunity that has come to me to visit in the various stakes of Zion. It has been a joy to attend the conferences that have been held, and to partake of the fine spirit that is manifest among the presidencies of stakes, the bishoprics of wards, and the sisters -- the women who are engaged in the various activities which are common to them in the various stakes of Zion -- and to feel the spirit generally that is manifested in these stakes. I have been edified, strengthened and encouraged in the appreciation of the fine manhood and womanhood that is in evidence among the officers and members throughout the Church. ¶

I rejoice in the fact that this Church will have been organized ninety-six years tomorrow. I have been led to reflect upon some of the things that have happened on that date. It is believed, I think, that on or about this date, somewhat like nineteen hundred twenty-six years ago, our Savior was born, and that about thirty-three years later, on or about this same date, he was resurrected from the dead; that yesterday, the day that is celebrated by the Christian world generally as the day of his resurrection, conforms very closely to the day which we celebrate as the anniversary of the organization of the Church. There are other events that have occurred on this same date, April 6, that are of importance in addition to this great event which we celebrate -- that of the organization of the Church. I am reminded that on April 6, 1909, Admiral Peary reached the North Pole. What connection that may have with the gospel or with the attitude of the Church, I leave for your consideration. I am reminded also that on April 6, 1917, war was declared by the United States against Germany and Austria, which nations were engaged at that time in a war against the welfare of humanity. This nation entered into that conflict with unselfish purposes, and with the desire in mind to promote liberty and right living. As Latter-day Saints, we surely appreciate the fact that the entry of the United States into that war was in conformity with predictions that have been made in the past with regard to conflicts which should prevail, and also the part which this nation should take in the promotion of liberty among mankind. ¶

I was impressed greatly with statements made by President Grant in his opening remarks yesterday morning with regard to the blessings which have attended the people of the Lord in coming to this land, and I would like to read to you a few of the words of Isaiah relative to this matter. In the 35th chapter of Isaiah we read as follows: ¶

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. * * * ¶

"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. ¶

"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. ¶

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. ¶

"Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. ¶

"And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. * * * ¶

"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. * * * ¶

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." ¶

We are witnesses, my brethren and sisters, to the fulfilment of this prophecy. It has been brought to pass in this generation in the coming of the people of the Lord to this community, and the building up of this land. We are enjoying the blessings that have followed the acceptance of the trials and sacrifice which they made in coming here. What was the cause of their coming, or by what means were they able to endure? They developed the spirit of obedience and willingness to do that which the Lord desired of them, whereby they were prepared to submit their own desires and feelings for the welfare of this work, and the accomplishment of God's purposes, with an appreciation of the fact that his word and his will had been declared unto them by those who were the leaders of his people. ¶

I would like to stress for a moment the importance of this spirit of obedience. The Lord has given to us a knowledge and an appreciation of the responsibilities of the principles and the ordinances which conform to his house, and to the building up of his kingdom. He desires of every one of us who accept of these things that we shall accept of them willingly and that we shall endeavor to observe them. We have heard from our President in regard to the principle of the Word of Wisdom, a principle and a revelation that has been before this people for all these many years, so plain that the wayfaring man need not err with regard to the truth and the divinity of the principle and the assurance of blessings which follow the observance of this principle. Let me call your attention in this connection to the statement made in one of the opening paragraphs of the Word of Wisdom, with regard to the efforts which are being made and which will be made by wicked men conspiring for the purpose of defeating the welfare of the children of men, for which reason, among others, the Lord has made plain this revelation. I am sure that every one of us appreciates the fact, if we will but consider for a moment, that there are influences at work in the world today which are endeavoring to mislead and to deceive the people of the world with regard to those things which the Lord has declared are not good for man, such as tobacco and strong drink, and other things which he has declared are not for our welfare. Many men in the world are endeavoring in a deceitful way to make these harmful things appear attractive. We read the advertisements of these things which are narcotic in their nature, and we can perceive very clearly that such advertisements are worded and designed in order to deceive those who are not familiar with the dangers which attend the use of these drugs and narcotics. The Lord expects of us that we shall observe these things. As he has given this commandment, we should be ready to obey it, and should do so willingly. There should be no trial, as I see it, to the Latter-day Saints to observe the principle of the Word of Wisdom, even though it may mean that we have to resist the temptation or the desire for any of these things. If we will cultivate the spirit of obedience and humility, there is no reason at all why every one of us cannot observe and live in conformity with the principles which the Lord has declared in that revelation, the Word of Wisdom. ¶

In like manner, there is a principle and a law that has been given for our development which will enable us to overcome our selfishness and enable us to cultivate charity and consideration for our fellowmen, for the welfare of mankind everywhere. We heard read yesterday a statement of the expenditures that have been made by the Church from the tithes for the welfare of the people, and I want to say to you that which you know for yourselves, that these tithes are expended solely for the welfare of the people of the Lord, for the advancement of his purposes in the earth, for the promotion of the welfare of mankind, for the bringing of the gospel to all men everywhere, and for these purposes only; and the tithes are expended with the greatest wisdom and judgment, under the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord. ¶

The Lord has given to us this commandment, which we should observe, that one-tenth of all of our increase should be given to him annually. Surely every Latter-day Saint can be taught this principle, and can learn to observe it in conformity with that spirit, that not less than one-tenth of all that we earn, not less than one-tenth of all our increase, shall be given to him for the advancement of his work. When the people of the Lord came to this land, they took it up as their own, and yet I am sure they did it with an appreciation that they were doing so as stewards; that, while they claimed the land, they realized the fact that the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. In like manner, every one of us ought to cultivate that spirit, and the appreciation of the fact that we are only stewards here and we have what we enjoy of material things for the time being only. We cannot take any of the earthly possessions when we go from here. We can only take with us the things that we have developed in the way of faith, righteousness and good works. So we surely ought to use our means and administer our affairs here with the appreciation in our hearts that what we have received is of the Lord, and that he will bless and prosper us in larger measure as we show our appreciation to him for his blessings unto us. ¶

There are, also, other things, my brethren and sisters, that we need to learn to observe and to obey more fully. In the matter of the observance of the Sabbath day, the Lord has declared to us how we should observe that day. Many people question at times how we should observe it, or what it is that might be considered as breaking the Sabbath. Surely anything that interferes with the spirit of peace conformable to the Sabbath is breaking the Sabbath. There should be nothing that interferes with our worship or that causes our minds to be diverted, nor any act of ours that causes our minds to be detracted from the spirit of that day; but in all of our acts upon that day we should exercise and devote our minds and thoughts to those things that shall help us to grow in faith, in righteousness and in good works. ¶

The Latter-day Saints have received the promise of a blessing, that if they will observe the principle of fasting and give for the benefit of those who are in need -- the fast donations -- they shall be prospered and blessed and grow in faith and righteousness. Our fast every month ought to be in the spirit and with the purpose of obtaining some particular blessing that we need, which will enable us to gain spiritual strength and power. As we live and strive in this way we shall cultivate increased strength and capacity, we shall be blessed physically and cultivate more of the spirit of charity and good will for our fellowmen. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I rejoice in the truth of the gospel. I rejoice in the confidence of my brethren and the confidence which you have in me, and pray that I may be worthy of it. I know that this restored gospel is true. It has been an assurance to me all my life. I was brought up in the Church, of goodly parents who trained me in the spirit of the gospel, and I have learned to know for myself the divinity of this work, to know that this Church which is named the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is in very deed and absolutely his Church. Of all the churches of the world, it is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is founded upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. It has been established under his immediate direction and by revelation from him. It will endure and carry out the purposes which the Lord has in view for the accomplishment of righteousness, truth and liberty in the earth, and the preparation for the coming of the Son of man to reign in righteousness here. May we, every one of us, do our part to advance the purposes of God and to help to bring these things to pass, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶