Church Growth and the Gift of Faith

It is a real pleasure to have the opportunity again of assembling with the Saints in general conference. All of us undoubtedly rejoice in the remarkable growth of the Church. ¶

CHURCH GROWTH ¶

I recall that we did not have thirty stakes when, fifty-two years ago, I was made a member of the Council of the Twelve. I recall that when visiting Rexburg, then a branch of a ward in Cache Valley, we had but 1300 people north of Cache Valley; we now have, I am sure, more than 100,000 in that section, counting those that are in Canada. ¶

Just before becoming one of the Apostles I traveled from Tooele to Salt Lake City, then through Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Box Elder stakes to Brigham City, and two days and a fraction west, sleeping on the ground two nights, to visit a branch of the Grantsville ward of the Tooele stake of Zion. We now have half a dozen stakes west of Brigham City. ¶

GRATEFUL FOR CHANGE IN SENTIMENT ¶

I rejoice in the organization of new stakes in California, and of one in New York. When I think of the opposition toward the Church in early days by the people of New York; of the opposition toward our people in Ohio, and in Far West; of their expulsion from Missouri under an exterminating order of the governor of the state; when I think that Joseph Smith and others of his companions were condemned to be shot by order of a court martial, I am grateful for a change in sentiment toward our people. ¶

When I think of Nauvoo, the largest city in Illinois at that time, with 20,000 inhabitants, that the people had to leave that city, and that after Brigham Young and the able-bodied men had left the remnant were driven out by a mob, I am grateful for the change that has taken place. No tongue can tell and no pen can paint the hardships that our people endured in Missouri and Illinois. ¶

During the three long years that I presided over the European and British missions I was unable to get a single, solitary article into any newspaper in any part of the British Isles, refuting some of the vilest and most wicked slanders that were circulated about the Latter-day Saints. Today throughout the entire British Isles reporters attend our meetings and make honorable and straightforward reports regarding them. ¶

At the time of the organization of a stake in New York the leading newspapers of that great city gave us splendid notices, and there were no unfavorable comments. When I think of these things and of the wonderful growth of the Church, from about 200,000 when I was made an apostle to more than 700,000 today, my heart is filled with gratitude. When I realize the good will that was extended to me upon the occasion when I spoke, in 1920, before the Knife and Fork club at Kansas City, at which time I was given the privilege of talking an hour, while the other two men on the program — one of them the president, I think, of a university near Chicago — were each given but half an hour, and I was advertised as the principal speaker, this having taken place ten miles from where our people were located at the time they were driven out by the exterminating order of the governor of the state, my heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving. I believe that today the name "Mormon", if a man is living in accordance with the teachings of the Gospel of Christ, is a certificate of good-will and character, as far as those are concerned who know the Latter-day Saints. ¶

THE GIFT OF FAITH ¶

I am grateful that from the time I was a child until the present I have been blessed with the gift of faith, which is a gift from God. I recall many things as a young man I did not understand, and could not comprehend, yet which I believed and believed firmly. One of the things which I believed, but which seemed to be an impossibility, was the statement that every ear should hear and every eye should see. ¶

SPEAKS TO WORLD ¶

I rejoice that only last Saturday evening — or I should say Sunday morning at 12:30—I had the privilege of broadcasting over Station KSL a message from the Latter-day Saints to the people of the world, and that later in the day a cablegram was received all the way from Tokio, Japan: ¶

"Snowing, thousands enjoying program." ¶

I have been requested by several people to furnish them with a copy of that speech, and I have decided to read it here today in order to get it into our record: ¶

I am delighted to have this opportunity to send my message of love and blessing to the Latter-day Saints throughout the world, and to all others who may be listening in. ¶

If time permitted I am sure my listeners would be interested in 'hearing all of the Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ which I represent tonight, and our "Declaration of Belief regarding Governments and Laws in general." ¶

The fifth Article reads: ¶

We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. ¶

CLAIM OF AUTHORITY ¶

We claim that authority and declare to all the world that John the Baptist, who held the keys of authority to baptize, restored the Aaronic priesthood, and bestowed it upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery; also that Peter, James and John, Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, restored the higher or Melchisedek priesthood, by ordaining these same men to the Apostleship. ¶

The eleventh Article of Faith reads: ¶

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 how where, or what they may. ¶

The thirteenth Article reads in part: ¶

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men . If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. ¶

REGARDING GOVERNMENTS ¶

Quoting from "A Declaration of Belief:" ¶

We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. ¶

We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such) laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life. . . . ¶

We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated' to* secure the public interest; ai the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience. . . . ¶

We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence^ with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied. ¶

OUR MESSAGE TO THE WORLD ¶

What the world needs today more than anything else is an implicit faith in God, our Father, and in Jesus Christ, his Son, as the Redeemer of the world. The message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the world is that God lives, that Jesus Christ is his Son, and that they appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, and promised him that he should be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in restoring the true Gospel to the world. I quote from a Vision given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon: ¶

And this is the Gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us — ¶

That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; ¶

That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him. ¶

Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him. ¶

And again from the same Vision: ¶

And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness; ¶

And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever. ¶

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is, the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! ¶

For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the "Voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father — ¶

That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. ¶

WIDE MINISTRY ¶

It has been my great privilege to bear this testimony in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, in the Hawaiian Islands and in far-off Japan, and to lift up my voice declaring that our Heavenly Father and his beloved Son have again spoken from the heavens, that the Gospel of our Redeemer has been restored to the earth, and to bear witness that I know that God lives, that I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and the Redeemer of mankind, and that I know that Joseph Smith was the instrument in the hands of the Lord in restoring the everlasting Gospel. ¶

My appeal to all members of the Church who possess this same testimony is so to live that other men seeing their good deeds shall be inspired to investigate the Gospel of our Redeemer. ¶

Words fail me in expressing my heartfelt gratitude to God for the radio, which gives me this opportunity of bearing my testimony to all the people of the world of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray the Lord to bless all mankind in these troublous times, that wisdom may be given to men in every land so to live that peace may come to the peoples of the world. ¶

(End of radio address to world.) ¶

GRATEFUL FOR FAITH ¶

I am utterly at a loss to express my gratitude for the faith that I had as a child that the day would come when every ear should hear. I am grateful also for the faith that I had at that same time that every eye should see. Some years ago it was my privilege while in New York, and while in a large building twenty or .thirty stories high, to talk to my daughter and my granddaughter by television, they being three or four miles away at the time, and I saw them perfectly. ¶

READS ARTICLES OF FAITH ¶

I am grateful indeed for every blessing that has come to me because of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the plan of life and salvation, and inasmuch as what, I am saying is being broadcast I am going to read all of the Articles of our Faith, although I suppose that every soul within the sound of my voice in this building and all Latter-day Saints throughout the world are familiar with these Articles, and nearly all our children can repeat them. I remember learning them as a little child in the Sunday school, but as there may be many people in different parts of the world who are hearing what is said here today, as I said in my message to the world, I would like to repeat all of the articles. Time would not permit my doing so then as I only had ten minutes, and kept within the limit given to me. ¶

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

When we say that we believe in God we mean that we believe in him as an individuality, as actually the Father of Jesus Christ— not a congeries of laws floating through the universe without form and void, but we believe him to be the Father of Jesus Christ. He is the God whom we as Latter-day Saints worship; and we believe Jesus Christ to be, not only one of the great moral teachers, the greatest the world has ever known, but the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, that he came to earth with a divinely appointed mission, to die on the cross, in order that you and I and all eventually may have part in the resurrection. ¶

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. ¶

In other words, "as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." ¶

We believe that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. ¶

NEED OF OBEDIENCE ¶

We believe emphatically in what it says, "by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." We have no faith in death-bed repentance. We have no faith that by making a confession just before death we can be saved. ¶

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. ¶

We invite men to read a book entitled "Articles of Faith" which contains the scriptural references to sustain our position. ¶

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. ¶

As I have already stated in my address to the world, we claim that authority. ¶

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. ¶

INDIVIDUAL TESTIMONIES ¶

There would be no need of believing in these various officers unless they have the inspiration of the living God and magnify the offices they hold. Unless Joseph Smith was in fact and in very deed a prophet of the living God, the whole structure called Mormonism falls. But we know, it is not a matter of belief. Latter-day Saints have individually almost without exception been given testimonies of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Hundreds and thousands, yes, hundreds of thousands of people who have never gathered to Zion, who have never lived in a stake of Zion, from the midnight sun country of Scandinavia down to South Africa, have been blessed with individual testimonies in answer to earnest prayer, that God lives and that Jesus Christ is in very deed his Son, also that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. ¶

The statement made by the Angel Moroni before the Church was born, that Joseph Smith's name should be had for good and evil all over the world, has been fulfilled, notwithstanding the fact that the statement at the time was ridiculed and Joseph Smith branded as an ignoramus. ¶

PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS ¶

Unless the evangelist or patriarch is able, under the inspiration of ¶

God, to give blessings which are fulfilled, then there is nothing gained by believing in evangelists. As a little child I received a patriarchal blessing in which I was promised practically the very things that have happened to me all my life. When I was a young man presiding over the Tooele stake of Zion, the patriarch of that stake blessed my little baby, who was then six months old, and promised her that she should live to become a mother; that she should live to become one of the leaders of her sisters. Subsequently when she was in a dying condition from diphtheria, a spiritualistic medium decreed her death. Thank God for the priesthood that is upon the earth and the authority of that priesthood. George Q. Cannon and Hiram B. Clawson being in Washington at the time, I sent for them to come and administer to my little girl, who, as I recall it, was then between twelve and thirteen years of age, and they promised her that she should live and become a mother; and George Q. Cannon said something I had never heard before, neither have I heard it since. ¶

He said: ¶

The adversary, the destroyer, has decreed your death, and made public announcement of it, but by the authority of the priesthood of the living God that we hold we rebuke that decree and promise you life. ¶

THE ADVERSARY'S DECREE REBUKED ¶

I thought time and time again of that remarkable statement. The day that I was to leave Washington, the lady who kept the boarding house where we were staying was away and her husband was in charge. ¶

He said: ¶

Mr. Grant, I cannot resist the temptation to tell you that when your children became sick my wife visited her medium — she believes in spiritualistic mediums — and her medium told, her that she saw in her home two little girls; that the older one was taken sick nigh unto death; that the next little girl was taken sick and was nigh unto death. She finally saw the older girl recover, then she saw the little girl die, and she saw her body taken to a railroad station; she saw it taken on a train through many large cities, and stop in a large city, and change cars. She saw it cross a large river [you all know that one has to cross the Mississippi river to come here] she saw it pass through some more cities and cross another large river, and then travel through a sparsely settled country. ¶

(Forty years ago the country west of the Missouri was rather sparsely settled). ¶

She then saw the train climbing mountains, mountains, mountains, going west all the time. She then saw it go south for a short distance [from Ogden to Salt Lake of course.] She then saw it stop in a valley almost completely surrounded by mountains, and then the body was taken to the hill side and deposited in the grave. ¶

Thank God for the power of the priesthood that rebuked the decree of the adversary, which decree had been made public. ¶

BLESSINGS FULFILLED ¶

As I stated before, the patriarch in Tooele blessed this girl when a babe six months of age and said that she would live and become a mother. ¶

He afterwards said that he would like to give me a blessing, and in that blessing he promised me that I should be chosen as one of the leaders of this people and become a leader of great magnitude, and not until after I became the President of the Church did I ever mention what he said to me, and the impression that came to me at the time. ¶

He said: "Brother Grant, I saw something that I dare not put in your blessing." ¶

And that still small voice that I have heard so many times in my life, making no noise, no sound, said to me, "and you shall live to preside over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." ¶

I was ashamed of myself that I should imagine such a thing. I never breathed it, I never mentioned it to a soul until after, in the providences of the Lord, that position came to me. ¶

We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc. ¶

THE GIFT OF TONGUES ¶

There is no need of believing in these things unless we have them. I was a child playing on the floor in a Relief Society meeting (my mother was president of the Thirteenth ward Relief Society for thirty long years and only resigned because of her hearing having failed) when Eliza R. Snow blessed by the gift of tongues each of the presidents that happened to be in that meeting, and Zina D. Young gave the interpretation. After doing this she turned to the child (myself) playing upon the floor, and gave me a blessing, and Zina D. Young gave the interpretation. ¶

My mother often said to me. "Heber, behave yourself and you will some day be an Apostle." ¶

I laughed and told her I had no ambitions along that line. I said: "Get it out of your head. Every mother thinks that her son will be the President of the United States, or something wonderful. I do not want any Church position, I want to be a business man." ¶

"Never mind," she said, "if you behave yourself you will be an Apostle." ¶

When I was made an Apostle she asked me if I remembered that meeting. I told her I did. ¶

"Do you remember anything that Sister Snow said ?" I said: "No, I did not understand her." ¶

"Of course you did not, because she was speaking in an unknown tongue. Did you understand anything that Aunt Zina said ?" ¶

"Only one thing, mother, I remember that as she was talking she lifted her hand and said that I would grow to be a big man, and since I have grown tall, I have often thought of that remark of hers." ¶

She said: "She did not say anything of the kind. She said you should grow to be a great big man in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and become an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ." ¶

She then said: "Do you remember being in a gathering in Brother ¶

Heber C. Kimball's home where there were a great many people, and after the dinner Brother Kimball picked you up and put you on the table and talked to you ?" ¶

"Yes." ¶

"Do you remember anything he said ?" ¶

"Not a word. All I remember is I thought he had the blackest eyes I ever looked at, and I was frightened." ¶

"Well, he prophesied that you should become one of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, and live to be a greater man in the Church than your own father; and that is the reason that I have told you that if you would behave yourself you would some day be an Apostle. I realized that if you did not behave yourself you never would attain to that position, no matter what you had been promised." What she said conforms to a revelation of the Lord which says: ¶

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. ¶

I could go on relating evidences of the gift of tongues. ¶

OTHER ARTICLES ¶

We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. ¶

A great banker in New York said to me after reading Colonel R. M. Bryce Thomas' pamphlet, "My Reasons for Leaving the Church of England and joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints": "Mr. Grant, I am an agnostic, but a student of the Bible, if I believed the Bible to be the word of God, I do not see how I could be an honest man if after reading this pamphlet I did not join your Church, because the scriptural evidences in support of your position cannot be controverted." ¶

We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God. ¶

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten tribes; that Zion will be built upon this (the American) continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed, and receive its paradisiacal glory. ¶

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 how, where, or what they may. ¶

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law. ¶

god's PLAN ¶

May the Lord help us to sustain the law, and may we obey the law of God and leave alone those things that the Lord has told us are not good for us. I beg of all of you, young and old, to read the Word of Wisdom, and after reading it to get down on your knees and pray to God to help you to observe it. ¶

The nation is in an awful condition today financially. God gave us a revelation for the temporal salvation of the people, and if millions and billions of dollars of money were not expended for the things which God says are not good for man, peace, prosperity, health, vigor of body and of mind would be enjoyed by all the people of these United States. The Word of Wisdom is God's plan for the salvation of the people temporally, and he lias said so. He has said that it is his will, and if we lived up to the will of God, peace, prosperity and happiness would come to this nation and to the whole world, — if there were no tea, coffee, tobacco, or liquor used in the world. ¶

Those who are not keeping the Word of Wisdom will say that they get sick and tired of hearing such talks. They will get it from me as long as I have breath. ¶

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul: We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. ¶

May God bless us one and all, as I said in my address to the world, who have a knowledge of the divinity of this work, to live it, that our lives may teach it, is my humble prayer, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, Amen. ¶