The Mexican Mission

I very greatly rejoice, my brethren and sisters, that the Lord has permitted me to be in attendance at this wonderful Conference. But I think that most of all I am thankful for the fact that I find myself in every way in harmony and agreeing with the admonitions, counsels and teachings of this splendid Conference. It has certainly been an inspiration to see the wonderful attendance yesterday and the day before. It is not so large today, due, I feel sure, to the fact that many of our brethren and sisters from this city and nearby settlements are under the necessity of returning home and taking up their labors in the pursuit of a livelihood. ¶

But as I have meditated upon the matter the thought has come to me, surely there have been great multitudes who have listened to the teachings of this Conference, for through the instrumentality of the radio, many thousands have been brought in touch with the advice, counsel and admonitions that have come to us from the Lord through his chosen servants. ¶

As my mind has gone back over the history of the Lord's people from the remote past to the present, I have reflected that it has been the disposition of men to stray away from the paths marked out by the Lord and of some to prefer to walk in bypaths. It has always been necessary for the servants of the Lord, through him inspired, to admonish the people, to counsel them, to reprove them and bring them back, if possible, into the right road, where they would walk in the ways of the Lord and seek after him and keep his commandments. ¶

It is true, my brethren and sisters, that the Lord has given us our free agency. We are not forced, but we are admonished and taught. So it seems to me there is no excuse for us if we stray away. ¶

The Lord, in speaking to his prophet, Ezekiel, reminded him that when the people set up a watchman to watch over their interests — and the Lord admonished him that he had been called as a watchman over Israel — and that watchman saw the enemy coming and danger threaten the people, it was his duty to sound a warning and blow his trumpet and advise the people of the impending danger. Then he goes on to say that if he does so and warns the people, if danger comes and they are overtaken in their sins and perish, the responsibility shall be upon their own heads. But if the watchman discharges not his duty and warns not the people, and danger comes and they are destroyed, and even if they die in their sins, yet will the Lord hold responsible the watchman that he has placed over them. ¶

Truly, my brethren and sisters, as a people we have reason to rejoice that the Lord has placed watchmen over us who, in times past, and particularly during this Conference, have advised the people of impending danger, and in no uncertain terms. Surely, with no equivocation, we have been told where we might walk with safety and wherein danger lies; so that the responsibility of our actions in regard to the things spoken of during this Conference, I take it, now rests upon the people, upon each of us individually, and my hope and prayer is that we may walk in the way of the Lord. ¶

It has been my experience throughout my life until now that the Holy Spirit, if left to operate freely in our lives, will most surely make known to us what is true and what is false; and it is only by quenching that Spirit that man can be led away. I admonish the people to seek for the Spirit of the Lord, to stir up, as Paul says, the gifts of God that are in you through the laying on of hands of the Elders who have confirmed you members of the Church and who have bestowed upon you, after your water baptism, the Holy Ghost. It is the witness of the Father and the Son. It is the witness of all truth, and its mission is to reveal unto us all truth as pertaining to things past and present, and it will make known and reveal to us that which we should know pertaining to things that are yet to come. ¶

All true things might be duplicated. In the history of the Lord's people we have found that miracles wrought by his servants and by his power have been so closely duplicated by the evil one that they are hard to detect from the genuine. And in the last days, as a sign of the coming of the Savior of the world, we are admonished by him that there should be false teachers, that there should be false prophets, that there should even be false Christs; and they shall work wonderful and mighty miracles, even to the extent that they shall be able to call down fire from heaven and deceive if possible the very elect. So that it is not safe, brethren and sisters, for us to tie our faith to miracles. But I believe sincerely and firmly that there is one thing that Satan cannot duplicate, and that is the witness of the Holy Ghost, the witness that burns within us and makes us know when a thing is true. That witness is yours to have if you will live in harmony with the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

As I said in the beginning, I am happy to find myself in harmony and in accord with the teachings of the Church, in accord with the Gospel as it has been restored through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith. I have not one word or thought of criticism to offer as to the policy of the Church now or in times past. I feel perfectly secure, my brethren and sisters, in following the teachings of those whom I bear witness to you are prophets, seers and revelators unto this people. And it is a serious and a dangerous thing for us to set up our desires or our judgment contrary to that which comes through the servants of the Lord, particularly when spoken, as have been the admonitions of President Grant during this Conference. ¶

I bear you my witness that the Gospel is true. I am happy in my ministry. I shall be delighted to continue as long as the Lord sees fit to use me as an instrument in the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, and I am particularly happy to be laboring among the Lamanite people. I rejoice to bring to you greetings from them, particularly from our people in the far-off land of Mexico, where for nearly six years now they have not been permitted to have the association and the ministrations of the Elders from Zion. But they are happy and are growing and progressing in the work. The local priesthood have risen to the occasion, and our district presidents, our branch presidents and our missionaries from among the people of that land, who are actively engaged in the land of Mexico, are doing a wonderful work, and their ministry I am sure is acceptable to the Lord. They are building meeting houses. Since this crisis has come in the affairs of Mexico that has kept us from sending our Elders there and made it impossible for us to hire halls freely in which to hold services, due to the fact that the law requires that services must be held in a building dedicated exclusively as a Church building, our Saints have erected four meeting houses near the vicinity of Mexico City and are endeavoring to provide themselves with places in which they can worship the Lord freely and not be handicapped in any way. ¶

There is no disposition on the part of the Mexican government to prohibit our work as long as we comply with the law of the land. There is no disposition to try to prevent the spread of Mormonism, or for that matter the free exercise of any religion in the land. They do require, however, that those who minister in churches in Mexico be citizens of the country and that they register with the government, also that all places of worship be dedicated as such and be registered with the government. ¶

I pray that the blessings of the Lord may continue with his people everywhere, that the Gospel may spread, and that the Church may grow until ultimately the cause of right shall triumph in the earth. This is my prayer, which I ask humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶