The Articles of Faith and the Spirit of Testimony

Brethren and sisters, I said this morning to one of the brethren who is yet to speak, "Brace up, brother, brace up." ¶

He said, "Yes, Brother Clawson, I feel a little exercised about it, a little timid. I feel as if I need some stimulant. What shall I take?" ¶

I said : "Take the strongest within your reach." ¶

Of course that would be a glass of cold water. ¶

If any of you brethren think it is a simple matter to stand before a vast assemblage of people like this, I can only wish that you might have the opportunity. It is a great responsibility. I must needs look to the Lord to assist me, and I ask for your faith and prayers. ¶

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH ¶

I have in mind just at this moment the Articles of Faith that were given to the Church by its founder under the Lord, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I submit to you that this is a very wonderful instrument, that these Articles of Faith were set forth in simple language and with great clearness and cannot very well be misunderstood. ¶

The first Article of Faith reads as follows : ¶

We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. ¶

Let me say to you that there is very much of supporting scripture that is placed behind this first article and the twelve articles which follow. I call your attention briefly to article eleven, which reads like this : ¶

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship bow, where or what they' may. ¶

You will notice that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is very liberal in its attitude towards other beliefs. As a Church and as individual members of the Church we do not attack other people, we do not hold their religious views up to ridicule, but since their articles of faith are set forth and published to the world we take that to mean an invitation to investigate them and to investigate their views. That is our attitude in relation to the Gospel that is set forth in our Articles of Faith. ¶

These Articles are published to the world and we invite them to inspect them and carefully consider them, and, if they choose, to offer friendly criticism. So when we observe conditions that obtain in the world and as set forth in the daily papers we take that to mean that we are invited individually and as a community to consider these conditions. ¶

MINISTERS ANSWER QUESTIONS ¶

I remember a few years ago that President Heber J. Grant spoke of a questionnaire that had been sent out by Albert J. Beveridge, a member of Congress, and the results of that questionnaire were quite remarkable. President Grant made comments on it that were enlightening and instructive. ¶

Recently another questionnaire was sent out by the Chicago Northwestern School of Education. The presumption is that the said school was sincere in this matter and sent out this questionnaire for enlightenment and for study. If you will pardon me I will take a few moments to read the results growing out of that particular questionnaire as published in one of the daily papers in February of this year. Answers were given in percentages by the paper that published them, but I have reduced these percentages to actual figures. The questionnaire was submitted to 500 Protestant ministers. 205 of that number did not believe that there is a heaven ; 345 did not believe that hell is a place having existence ; and so far as those two questions were concerned, as you will see, heaven and hell were swept away. 270 did not believe there is a devil, and yet we see the works of the devil on every side and all around us. 195 did not believe there would be a judgment day. I fancy some men perhaps are fearful that there will be a judgment day. 370 did not believe that God keeps a record of an individual's bad deeds, and 130 did not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. ¶

THE BIBLE A PRECIOUS BOOK ¶

Now the Latter-day Saints as a people have regarded the Bible as a sacred volume of scripture, and we look upon it as a holy book — ¶

Holy Bible, book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine. ¶

And furthermore, the Bible is one of the standard works of our Church. We cannot get along without it, we cannot spare it, it is invaluable to the Church. Brother Callis has just been quoting wonderful words from the Bible, words spoken by the prophet Isaiah. Marvelous predictions were given by that holy prophet, and in the New Testament we have a very elaborate and reasonably full account of the life and works of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, one who has atoned by the shedding of his precious blood, for the sins of the world, which sins are to be washed away by repentance and reformation and the application of the blood of Christ. ¶

And yet there are 134 Protestant ministers who have apparently abandoned the Bible. They do not believe in the deity of Christ. Did you notice, brethren and sisters, the remarks that have already been made in this meeting and in the former sessions of this conference in regard to religious matters, in regard to our faith, how direct and to the point these remarks have been and will be throughout this conference ? There will be no uncertain word go from this pulpit, you may depend upon it. We invite the world at large and everywhere to investigate our teachings, to go right to the bottom of them, and if they discover any errors, and can persuade us that they are errors, we will gladly abandon them. Our Articles of Faith have stood the test of one hundred years. ¶

Now briefly let me call your attention to an incident that occurred on Wednesday last. The presidents of the Latter-day Saint missions met with the Council of the Twelve and the First Council of Seventy, thirteen of them, representing the missions in the United States, and one in Canada and one in Mexico. These mission presidents preside over about 537 missionaries at the present time. They came together to make report of their labors and of the labors of the missionaries in the field, and I will say to you we had a glorious time together. And I might add in this connection that seven of the Apostles of the Church have been mission presidents, and six of the First Council of Seventy have been mission presidents. The other member of the First Council of Seventy has filled a mission and presided over a district within the mission. So that in fact it was a gathering of mission presidents throughout. ¶

In making their reports, which were brief and to the point and yet quite comprehensive, we discovered that these mission presidents are attentive to their duties and active and progressive, and are well posted. They reported the activities of the Elders and lady missionaries in the field. These young men and young women under their charge are very much devoted to the work, and most of them, if not all, have a testimony of the Gospel. They could not very well fill their appointments successfully without a testimony of the Gospel. There may be a few among ¶

them who, if they have not yet received a testimony, still say they believe the Gospel is true. In those cases the testimony soon comes to them. ¶

SPIRIT OF TESTIMONY WITH LEADERS AND PEOPLE ¶

Before we closed our meeting and as it progressed these thirteen mission presidents bore their testimonies and each and all of them said that they knew that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world ; that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet sent of God, standing at the head of this great last dispensation. That was their testimony uniformly, no exception to the rule. And be it remembered, brethren and sisters, that that same spirit of testimony rests upon the Presidency of the Church. We will not soon forget the powerful testimony that was given by President Grant at the opening of this conference. The same spirit is with his counselors, I assure you, and this testimony is with the Council of the Twelve Apostles. ¶

I am happy to say that the Twelve are active, diligent and faithful in the performance of their duties. They are a body of men who make quick response. They do not hesitate, there is no shirker in that Council, they are alive to the situation. I think you will agree with me that they are men of wisdom, men of counsel, and I believe I can say as the president of the Twelve that they are as nearly one as a Council of Twelve could be, and that they give to the Presidency of the Church their entire support. They recognize them as their file leaders and are laboring constantly under their jurisdiction. If we go into the stakes of Zion — and we are a traveling high council — we go to represent the Presidency of the Church because we are laboring under their direction. I am veryhappy to bear this testimony to you. So far as I know there is no division of sentiment in the Council of the Apostles. ¶

The same testimony rests not only upon the Twelve, but upon the First Council of Seventy, and not only upon them but upon the quorums of the holy Priesthood — High Priests, Seventies and Elders — and upon the presidencies of stakes and high councils, also bishoprics of wards and lesser officers in the Church. ¶

And may I be permitted to say that this testimony as to the truth of the Gospel is in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, the entire people of this Church, and there is no uncertainty about it either. They know it is the truth. They know it is the pearl of great price. They know it is most precious indeed. ¶

I am speaking now, as perhaps I have a right to, of the Twelve. We know that except we are one we are not Christ's. And further let me add that except the people of the Latter-day Saints are one they are not Christ's, because he is not the author of doubt or disbelief or contention or false doctrine. ¶

I bear testimony to you that this is a glorious work in which we are engaged, and this is a glorious occasion and a glorious time. I know there is a depression and we have suffered and are suffering every day more or less from it, but behind and above it all is the Lord God of Israel ¶

and we are getting experiences that may be profitable to us. If the Lord will sanctify it to our good, we will surely be more careful in the future, will be a little more economical, will not be wasteful and spend our means foolishly, and we will stand by the principles of liberty and by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. ¶

God bless you, my brethren and sisters. May the Lord bless the Presidency of the Church, all of which I humbly pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶