I very much desire that the few moments

I very much desire that the few moments I occupy may be profitable to you, and to that end I ask an interest in your faith and prayers, that my mind may be touched by the power of the Lord to say those things that he would have you hear. ¶

We have had much in the way of instruction. Many delightful discourses have been delivered here. We have been edified under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord. I feel grateful to be here. I rejoice with you that we are permitted to meet under such favorable conditions and to enjoy those things which our heavenly Father would have us hear. ¶

GREAT PRIVILEGES ENJOYED ¶

Today throughout the world there are millions of our Father's children who would give all they possess if they could be present to hear the instructions that we have received here. There are millions who have no conception of the purposes of our heavenly Father in placing them here upon the earth, yet we have been so favored that we not only have the instructions that were given to ancient Israel, but we have information that was given to us in this latter day in addition. There is no doubt in the mind of a Latter-day Saint who has received a testimony of the divinity of the mission of Christ our Lord. That is fundamental to us in building our hope for eternal life. We believe in God the Eternal Father and we believe that Jesus Christ was the manifestation of God in the flesh, his Only Begotten Son; and we believe in the Holy Ghost and the power that it manifests unto those who seek to do the will of our Father in heaven. This belief is fundamental with us, and it leaves us in the position of children of God. We are the children of our heavenly Father. He is the Father of our spirits. ¶

OUR PRE-EXISTENCE ¶

We lived before we came here and our birth into this world was the reward of having kept our first estate. When we were born we received a physical tabernacle without which we could not be exalted in the presence of our heavenly Father. It was necessary for his Son Jesus Christ to be born into the world in order that he, too, might have a tabernacle like unto the one that his Father has. We dwell here upon this earth realizing that we are indeed the children of God, knowing that he prepared this earth particularly for those who dwell upon it, that he has placed upon it those things that are necessary to sustain life and make all men and women happy, as far as the creature comforts of life are concerned. We should take advantage of the opportunities he has given us so abundantly. ¶

PURPOSE OF OUR EARTH LIFE ¶

We are placed here and instruction has been given us. We are informed that we will not be held responsible for the sin of Adam, but that we will be held responsible for our own sins. The atonement of Jesus Christ removed from us the responsibility of atoning for the sin of father Adam, and he has made it possible for us to live here upon the earth, and in due time, if we take advantage of our opportunities, we will be prepared to be resurrected from the dead when that time shall come. There is no doubt in the mind of a Latter-day Saint as to the purpose of our earth life. We are here to prepare ourselves and develop ourselves and qualify ourselves to be worthy to dwell in the presence of our heavenly Father. We must learn to overcome our passions, our evil tendencies. We must learn to resist temptations- That is why we are here, and in order that we may more perfectly do that the gospel has been restored to the earth, and we have been made partakers of it, and we have the strength that comes to us as a result of the power of the Holy Ghost. We not only have the resistance of an ordinary individual, with the limitations that such an individual has who has not a knowledge of the truth — we have equal resistance with him, and in addition the resistance which comes from knowing the truth and knowing the purpose of our being. ¶

SCRIPTURE STUDY IMPORTANT ¶

Now how important it is, with that understanding, that we should study the scriptures, that we should search the word of the Lord. The Savior said, "Search the scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." With that understanding we are not left as the world, but we have been warned by the Redeemer of mankind and we have been told just what we must do. We must have faith in God, we must repent of our sins, because while we are in a sinful condition we are in no way prepared to enter into the celestial kingdom, and we are informed that if we cannot keep the celestial law we cannot abide a celestial glory. The gospel has been restored in these latter days to prepare men for the celestial kingdom. This gospel has not been given to qualify men for any other kingdom, but has been given to us to prepare us that we may dwell upon this earth when it has been celestialized, when our Redeemer will dwell here and he will be our lawgiver and our king. ¶

CARE TO BE EXERCISED IN EVERY-DAY LIVING ¶

Knowing these truths, how careful we as Latter-day Saints ought to be to live every day of our lives that we may be influenced by the power of the Lord, and that we may be able to turn aside from those things that have a tendency to break down our power to earn the celestial kingdom. The fact that we have been baptized into the Church is not sufficient. The fact that our names are on the Church records is not sufficient. The Redeemer himself has said that "not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." That is well defined, therefore we cannot drink with the drunken, we cannot debauch our lives, we cannot be dishonorable in our dealings with our fellowmen and gain celestial glory. We must keep the commandments of our heavenly Father. We are told in other scripture that those who do not keep the commandments of God will forfeit their right to the blessings of the celestial kingdom. If we had been left to speculate on these matters, if we had been left without suitable information to prepare us for this life and to make preparations for the life to come, perhaps we might be indifferent and excuse ourselves as the world does. They do not understand, but for those who have been made partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days there is no excuse if we are not living a righteous life. We have been fully taught, we have observed the effects of righteousness upon the lives of others. We have had the assurance that by living the commandments of God happiness will be our portion here, and that this will be the foundation upon which we will build for eternal happiness. ¶

DUTIES OF TEACHERS IN THE CHURCH ¶

Throughout the stakes and wards of this great Church there are men whose duty it is to teach these principles. We send into the world missionaries by thousands to proclaim this gospel. There is no charge made for this service, it is offered to the world, to the whole human family without money and without price. It is so important that people shall understand this gospel that our heavenly Father sent his Only Begotten Son into the world to teach it, and he died that we might live, that we might be resurrected from the dead. And in order that there might be a well defined pathway to the celestial kingdom he organized his Church and set in it the officers that were necessary — apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. These were the officers that were to be maintained in the Church. One of his disciples is recorded as having said that these are to remain in the Church until all shall come to a unity of the faith. Why is it necessary that we come to a unity of the faith? It is because there is only one true faith, there is only one true gospel, and if we partake of some other gospel, if we devote our lives to work for some other god, then has the adversary taken advantage of his opportunities and destroyed for us the benefits that our heavenly Father intended that we should have. So the gospel was restored, and we are informed what we are required to do. Not only must we be identified with this Church by faith, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands, for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but we must live every day of our lives in such a way that we will be earning the reward of celestial glory. The man who violates the Sabbath day loses the Spirit of the Lord, and forfeits this companionship. The man who violates the rules and regulations that govern the Church forfeits that sweet influence that would lead him eventually into the presence of our heavenly Father. Knowing that, how careful we ought to be to teach our boys and girls, and to teach our neighbors the things that God has intended that they should know. And not only teach by word of mouth but exemplify our teachings in the lives that we lead. ¶

MESSAGE OF THE CHURCH MUST BE PROCLAIMED TO ALL ¶

There is a wonderful group of men and women in this Church, each one of whom has come out of the world, or has been born to those who have come out of the world. It is not a popular thing to be identified with this Church, but in various parts of this earth, in various nations of the earth, where the gospel has been taught, it has been preached by men possessing the same authority as that possessed by the disciples of old, men who had the right to declare in the name of the Lord that this is the latter day, that our heavenly Father is preparing for the second coming of his Son Jesus Christ. That message must be proclaimed in all the world before the end comes, and that duty has been laid upon the membership of this Church, and to that end, in order that men might do it properly and under proper direction, the authority of the Holy priesthood has been conferred. Men have been ordained and set apart to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they leave their homes and their loved ones and they travel for years among the children of men and divide with them that glorious truth that leads to eternal life in the celestial kingdom of our heavenly Father. ¶

A GREAT OBLIGATION IS OURS ¶

What manner of men ought we to be in the darkness that surrounds this earth, in the uncertainty that exists everywhere, as to why we live and where we are going? Our heavenly Father has taught this gospel to us in great plainness in this day, and we are told by one who lived centuries ago, and it is recorded in the scriptures, that "a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein." We have that information that they possessed, and in this latter day there have been added to it the testimony of the Book of Mormon, the testimony of Joseph Smith and the revelations that the Lord gave to him, supplementing the things that we already possessed, adding to the information that God had given to the children of men, to the end that we might be prepared when our Redeemer shall come to dwell here upon this earth. ¶

Therefore, my brethren and sisters, a great obligation rests upon us. We have received this knowledge and we may possess it only on condition that we keep the commandments of God. A man may know as he knows that he lives that Jesus is the Christ. He may know that this is the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation ; but if he transgresses the laws of God, if he becomes evil in his life, his mind may become darkened and he may turn away from that faith that points directly to the celestial kingdom, and spend his time along by-ways that will only lead him eventually into sorrow and distress, and that will mean that he has failed of his opportunities. ¶

THE GREAT NEED OF FAITH AND GOOD WORKS ¶

With that obligation resting upon us, what a wonderful thing it is that we are able to declare that we know the truth. It is not that we reason it out by the power of intellect alone- A man of his own thinking cannot find out God. We must keep the commandments of the Lord, we must follow the teachings of our heavenly Father, we must live in such a way that the whispering of that still, small voice will come to us and will indicate to us the truth. ¶

Today as I realize the need of faith, when I think of the multitude of our Father's sons and daughters who are in darkness, I realize that each of us ought to be putting forth every possible effort to carry this message forward if possible here at home and abroad. To that end we have been given divine authority, so that when an elder of this Church goes into the world he does not go to be instructed of those who have been educated in the seminaries of learning necessarily, but he goes with the information he may possess. He may have a trained mind, he may possess the learning that he has obtained in our great universities, but the thing that he possesses that is important to the world when he goes out to teach is a knowledge that God lives, a testimony of the divine mission of Jesus Christ; and to that end we have been called and chosen and set apart. And as a result of that wonderful gift from our Father in heaven, he expects us not only to say to others : Keep the commandments of the Lord, but he expects us to keep all of his commandments and live according to the laws that he has given to govern his Church. For that purpose we are called together upon the Sabbath day, in our quarterly conferences, and our general conferences. All these meetings are intended to keep us in touch with that intelligent Spirit that will interpret for us the things that are necessary for us to know. ¶

OUR DUTY TO RAISE A WARNING VOICE ¶

Now today, assembled as we are, if we were like all other denominations, we might seek the Lord and receive his blessings, because every man that does good in the world receives a blessing; we might have all the cardinal virtues and make them our own, but without the power of God and the authority of the holy Priesthood it is not possible for men to attain to the celestial kingdom. And, knowing that, how gladly we ought to give of our time and our means and of the power that the Lord has bestowed upon us to raise not only a warning voice, but a teaching voice, a voice of love, a voice of kindness, a voice of instruction to the children of men, and deliver our message in such a way that they will be constrained to listen, and that they will be anxious to know whereof we speak. Our heavenly Father has made it possible for all normal people in this world to know the truth if they will. He has made it possible for every man and every woman to receive the gospel if they will. We have our agency. Herein is the condemnation of man, because that which is the truth has been plainly manifested from the beginning. Knowing the truth how anxious we should be to disseminate that truth, how gladly we should give of the powers that we possess to do the good that our heavenly Father would have us do. We strive for the things of this earth that perish and by and by we leave those things behind, but if there has been burned into our souls a desire to serve God and keep his commandments by living our religion and teaching it to his children, then we are laying up for ourselves eternal riches of which no one can rob us. ¶

This testimony has come to me. I know that God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and I know that this is the latter day. He loved the world, he restored the gospel and he sent divine personages here upon this earth to renew the gospel and confer the divine authority that was necessary in order that the mission that we had given to us here in the world might be rounded out and properly fulfilled. ¶

OUR SERVICE SHOULD BE FAITHFUL ¶

Now, brethren and sisters, these are the facts. This is our mission, this is our opportunity, and the Lord has promised us in return for availing ourselves of this opportunity that we shall have eternal life in the celestial kingdom, honor and glory throughout the ages of eternity. When we go to our various homes how anxious we should be that our houses be in order ; how pleased we should be to lead our families along the pathway to eternal life ; how grateful we should be to the Lord that he has given us this information, and as a result of it we ought surely to be an example to all the world. I pray that that Spirit which will enable us to serve faithfully may be with us, that that desire to do good may overcome the temptations that are placed in our way, and that, wherever we go, others observing our good works may be constrained to glorify our Father who is in heaven. This is our Father's work. It is not a militant work, but it is a work of love, and with the help of our heavenly Father let us make it what he intends it should be— the glory of the earth and the means, for that is what it is, for the salvation of millions of his children who have not yet heard it, by reason of the faithfulness of our lives. ¶

That peace may abide in our hearts, that the testimonies that we have already received may remain with -us and be added to by reason of righteous lives, and that in the end, when we have finished our mortal lives, we may be found worthy to receive the reward of a permanent home in the celestial kingdom of our heavenly Father, in company with those we love, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶