The Canadian Mission

My brethren and sisters, it is a matter of delight to be able to meet with you in conference. When I look over this congregation I feel comforted by the assurance that I can say: "Brethren and sisters ;" that your spirits are in harmony, that you have come here to worship, that in your hearts there is a prayer for the speaker and for yourselves, that the speaker may be inspired in his utterances, that your hearts may be receptive, and that you may receive strength and benefit from that which is spoken. ¶

I bring you greetings from the Saints, the Elders and sisters laboring in the Canadian mission. We have a glorious day for our conference, and we have had practically this kind of glorious weather during the entire summer in the Canadian mission — only a few hot, sultry days ; nothing like that which our people have experienced in the western part of Canada and here. We rejoice in the delightful climate and the delightful country in which we have to labor. Eastern Canada, to me, is a glorious land, a land of forest, lake and stream. The province of Ontario alone has a hundred and fifty thousand square miles of forest, and as the country is a rolling country it lends itself to a myriad of lakes and streams that are delightful to the eye. It is a paradise to the tourist, one who desires to see nature and to rest himself for a few weeks or months, as the case might be and his time permits, in that land. We rejoice in that glorious country, in the privilege of being there, and of drinking in its beauty and having it enter into our souls. ¶

Recently we have completed our third missionary trip since we went up to Canada in January — my wife and I and the secretary of the mission covering thirty-two hundred miles in making the circuit, which represented the eastern part of the mission, the western having already been covered. We held thirty-five meetings, and mingled with the Saints. We took three weeks for the trip. Brother Ballard visited it in June in shorter time. He visited the same part in twelve days, but it was holding meeting and catching train, holding meeting and catching train ; very little opportunity to get very close to the people themselves ; and for that reason we took a little more time. ¶

In our meetings we have devoted about one-half of the time in defense of the principles of the Gospel, answering attacks upon the doctrines of the Church. The other half we have devoted to the one thing that we think very essential: We feel that we are sent into the world to warn the people and to give them the message of the Gospel. When we have done this we must depend upon the Spirit of the Lord to enter into their hearts, convert them to the Gospel, and bring them into the fold. ¶

We also feel that our duty lies with those who have already accepted the Gospel, and that time must be given to hold them in the faith and to point out to them that which many of them cannot understand. In the world a great many people feel that they are "saved," that by confessing the name of Jesus Christ they have already, at a certain hour, on a certain date, in a certain place, become saved, and therefore they need not investigate the truth anywhere else. Some of our Saints, after having entered into baptism, received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and become members of the Church, feel that by attending only a few meetings they are doing their full duty. To my mind it seems that they have only advanced a step ahead of those who are still outside of the pale of the Church, and their entire journey still lies before them, the straight and the narrow way, the continual repentance from things that are evil in their nature, bringing themselves nearer unto God. We have devoted a great deal of time in an endeavor to convince them that their mission is not finished, that their salvation is not secure, unless they continue faithful in the keeping of the commandments of God. We have told them that blessings come through obedience, that our Father has said: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise." ¶

We call their attention to the necessity of prayer, of living close to God, citing them the fact that in the early days the saints were afflicted because they did not keep the laws of God, did not seek him closely. I remember that the Lord has said, in one of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, that "in the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel ; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me." ¶

We seek to teach them that they should so live that when adversity comes they can go to God with an assurance in their hearts that because they have sought to live his commandments, because they have been in touch with him in the days of their prosperity, he will answer their prayers ; that they may not be like the man who, when in a dangerous position, knelt and prayed to God to save him, and, to make sure of an answer, said : "O Father, I have never troubled you before. Help me now." ¶

Our idea is to be in touch with him continuously, seeking his help and his assistance, and giving unto him our praises, our rejoicing in the many blessings he has given unto us. ¶

I rejoiced here today, while listening to the opening hymn of this afternoon's session : ¶

"Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear, But with joy wend your way." Compare the condition of the Saints some eighty-five years ago, when ' that was written, with the conditions under which we worship here! I think of them plodding over the rain-sodden plains of Iowa, some four hundred miles, in order to reach the Missouri river, half -clad, starved, weary. That song was written to cheer their souls while they surrounded the camp fires, and to give them new courage for their labors of the following day, knowing that when they reached the Missouri river they still had another thousand miles of land travel before them, and that in hostile country. Compare ¶

that with the conditions under which we worship here, and then talk about adversity and depression ! ¶

There are so many things which of late have become necessities that at one time were luxuries, and a few years earlier were not even heard of. If we really thought so, we could dispense with them today, and thereby lessen the depression we now suffer. ¶

Brother McKay, in an earlier meeting, spoke of testing the spirits ; and in our missionary meeting held on Wednesday there were many reports of the wonderful assistance of our Heavenly Father, as manifested in healings, in guidance under difficult circumstances, in providing for the missionaries on the highway, in their meetings, and in other capacities, showing that the Lord was with them and helping them ; that there was power in the Gospel, and that the gifts and blessings follow the believers. ¶

An interesting incident occurred in our mission, in which the blessing of God followed even a non-member, but the blessing did not benefit him. A man studying for the Baptist ministry became interested in the teaching's of the Elders. He listened to them and declared his belief in what was stated as the truth. He learned that they had the gifts and blessings in the Church. He was afflicted with cancer, and his life despaired of. He lost all appetite and was unable to move about or to do anything much for himself. He asked the Elders — two of them — a young brother from Ogden and one from Salt Lake, to come and administer unto him. After questioning him, feeling of his spirit, probing his .sincerity, they decided to administer to him. They did so and he was healed completely. Later on he was able to attend to his work, restored fully to his health, vitality, and the life that had been despaired of. A few weeks later, after having further investigated the principles of the Gospel, he asked for baptism, and was baptized. Several weeks later he fell out over some little money matter with a member of the Church, became possessed of an unforgiving spirit, and absolutely refused to make matters right. From that time until this he has become so possessed of the evil power that he will walk the streets where street meetings are held, and laugh and deride and make fun of the Elders. He has threatened them with violence, telling them that if they came near him he would mark them for life. He says that he does not believe in them and that the members of the Church are all liars and hypocrites. That spirit has so taken possession of him that he is far worse than he was before the time when he received this wonderful manifestation from God, and from what I learned in the conference held two weeks ago the affliction is coming back upon him. That is testing another kind of spirit than that of which we have heard today. ¶

I pray God that he may bless us, that we may be faithful, keep our covenants with God, do everything that he desires, be ready to respond to every call and serve him so faithfully that when we have finished our work here upon the earth we may be counted worthy to dwell in his presence, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶