Every Man Will Know the Lord

Yesterday, as I left this building at the close of the morning meeting I overheard a conversation between two brethren, and one of them said : ¶

"If any one has been in doubt as1 to what he ought to do he should know it now." ¶

I have been thinking of that. It seems to me that any member of this Church who is doing his duty, who loves the Lord, and who endeavors to keep his commandments, who has the spirit of prayer and faith and in humility is seeking to know the truth, ought not to be in doubt, especially in regard to questions that have constantly been before us. ¶

EVERY MAN WILL KNOW THE LORD ¶

I hope and pray for the time to come speedily, the time which has been spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah, when every man will know the Lord, when it will not be necessary for a man to teach his neighbor, saying, "Know the Lord," for they will know him from the least of them to the greatest of them. That time will come, but it seems from conditions today that it is a long way off. It may not be, but when it does come it will be because the love of truth is in the hearts of the people, because they seek righteousness and have the inspiration which they are entitled to receive through obedience, for the guidance of the Holy Ghost is promised unto all those who will be faithful and true. ¶

THE MEANING OF INTELLIGENCE ¶

We very frequently quote from one of the revelations the words of the Lord to this effect, that "The glory of God is intelligence," and I wonder if we ourselves really comprehend what it means. We stop in the middle of a sentence. That is not the end of the sentence, for the Lord says, "The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words light and truth." And then he adds that "light and truth forsaketh that evil one." ¶

When we have the Spirit of the Lord we have intelligence — light and truth — as we have been singing, "O say, what is truth ?" It is pure intelligence, if you please, and he who has it has the power to discern between right and wrong, truth and error, and he will follow righteousness. ¶

DUTY TO RAISE THE WARNING VOICE ¶

I rejoice in what has been said in this conference. I regret that any man if he claims membership in this Church would presume to close the mouth of the President of the Church. I feel that it is our duty to warn when we see dangers, and when we discover that there are members of the Church who do not seem to understand what course they should take. We have a perfect right to direct them. That is our duty. We would not be doing our duty at this conference if we did not do it. ¶

Let me read these words from the Lord to the prophet Ezekiel : ¶

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel : therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ¶

"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his1 iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine hand. ¶

"Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. ¶

"Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his1 sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered ; but his blood will I require at thine hand. ¶

"Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned ; also thou hast delivered thy soul." ¶

That is our duty. When we see evil lurking, when we see dangers confronting the people, and especially the Latter-day Saints, it is our duty to raise the warning voice, and not only in behalf of the Latter-day Saints, but to warn all people, for our mission is one that is world-wide, and we should warn all men and give them the opportunity of repentance, of serving the Lord and keeping his commandments if they will. If they will not, then we have saved our souls. We are clear from the blood of this generation. That is our duty. ¶

THE WORDS OF ISAIAH ¶

Now I would like to read a few more words, from the prophet Isaiah, but I am going to read them as we find them in the Book of Mormon. First let me say that the verses that I have just read are in the third chapter of Ezekiel. That is easy to remember. President Grant said yesterday that if you put the sixth of April and the sixth of October together, you have 66. This that I have read is found in the third chapter of Ezekiel. If you put three and three together you have thirty-three, and there you find it again, in the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel. I want to read these words also given by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah which have a bearing upon the very day in which we live : ¶

"Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, and wine inflame them ! ¶

"And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts ; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. ¶

"Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge ; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. ¶

"Therefore, hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure ; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth shall descend into it. ¶

"And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. ¶

"But the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. ¶

"Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. ¶

"Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope; ¶

"That say : Let him make speed, hasten his work, that we may see it ; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it. ¶

"Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ! ¶

"Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight ! ¶

"Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and the men of strength to mingle strong drink ; ¶

"Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him ! ¶

"Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up as dust ; because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." ¶

THE CONDITION OF THE WORLD TODAY ¶

I say that has reference to our day. It has reference to any day. We may apply it in our lives and in our times. This is the condition of the world today. They have turned from the Lord of Hosts, they have despised his law, they have turned unto iniquity. He has spoken unto them. He would, if they would listen, direct them in righteousness and in truth. He would give unto them his judgment, his statutes, his guidance, and lead them in paths of truth, but they will not. Men love darkness today rather than light, just as they did in the days of our Redeemer. They are blinded against truth and righteousness. They seek it not. Our mission is to proclaim it. ¶

SUCCESS DEPENDENT UPON ATTITUDE OF SAINTS ¶

What a wonderful thing it would be, what a power, if the members of this Church would stand unitedly as one man for the truth ! What a glorious thing it would be if we could say, it is not necessary for a man to teach his neighbor to know God, because every one among us, from the greatest unto the least, knows him ! If we could say that even as members of this Church, what a power it would be. I am as satisfied as I am that I am here that there is an influence that radiates not only from the individual but from the Church. I believe that our success in the world depends largely upon the attitude of the Saints. If we were united wholly, in thought, in deed, in our actions ; if we loved the word of truth, if we walked in it as the Lord would have us do, then there would radiate from this community, from the bodies of the Latter-day Saints in all of these communities, out into all the world, an influence that would be irresistible. More honest men and women would be converted, for the Spirit of the Lord would go before us to prepare the way. As it is when we find those among us who do not keep the commandments of the Lord — there is a thread, if you please, that has been running through this conference — if they, this people, would keep the commandments of the Lord it would be a force and a power and influence that would break down opposition and would prepare people to receive the light of the everlasting Gospel; and when we fail to do it we take upon ourselves a responsibility that is dreadful in its consequences. ¶

OUR RESPONSIBILITY ¶

How will I feel, or you, when called before the judgment seat if someone shall point his finger at me or you and say that "if it had not been for the actions of this man or this group I would have received the truth, but I was blinded because they, professing to have the light, did not live it." ¶

May the Lord lead and direct us in righteousness, and help us to walk before him as he would have us walk in the light. Let us uphold and sustain the man who has the right to speak in the name of the Lord, not only to the Church but to the whole world, is my prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶