Bears Testimony

I shall read four verses from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah : ¶

Surely'he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ¶

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. ¶

All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ¶

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth ; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. ¶

I shall depart from this text for a moment to say that I am happy in the fact that my faith, my feelings, and spirit have been in complete accord with all that has gone before, in the various sessions of this Conference, particularly in the selection of Brother Albert E. Bowen to fill the vacancy in the Council of the Twelve Apostles. ¶

BEARS TESTIMONY ¶

I am very thankful to the Lord for the Gospel and its blessings which I have received. I am thankful for the knowledge I have of this great plan of life and salvation; thankful for the evidences that God has provided by which to prove its truth, and for the testimony which I have received. ¶

I know that this work in which we are engaged is the work of the Lord, the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ ; that which was instituted in the councils of heaven before the world was. It is the power of God unto salvation to all those who are obedient unto its laws and ordinances, and through the atonement wrought out by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which makes effective all the ordinances of the Gospel administered in his name and by his authority for the salvation of the souls of men. ¶

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, I know that those who have succeeded him in the presidency of this Church have been prophets of God to this Church and to the world, including the present president of the Church. I know that those who shall come after will be called of God, and that this work will ultimately triumph, and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of his Son, and Christ our Lord will reign upon the earth. ¶

LIVING FOR OUR FAITH ¶

Now I feel to quote to you, brethren and sisters, a little poem which I think is germane to the text I have chosen. I do not remember the name of the author but it reads as follows: ¶

So he died for his faith. That is fine — ¶

More than most of us do. But say, can you add to that line ¶

That he lived for it too? ¶

In his death he bore witness at last ¶

As a martyr to truth. Did his life do the same in the past ¶

From the days of his youth? ¶

It is easy to die. Men have died ¶

For a wish or a whim — For bravado or passion or pride, ¶

Was it harder for him ? ¶

But to live; every day to live out ¶

All the truth that he dreamt, While his friends met his conduct with doubt. ¶

And the world with contempt. ¶

Was it thus that he plodded ahead ¶

Never turning aside? Then we'll talk of the life that he led— ¶

Never mind how he died. ¶

A LIFE OF INTENSE SUFFERING ¶

In the songs that, have been composed, as far as my memory serves me, there has been but very little said about the suffering of our Lord during his life up to the time of his betrayal into the hands of his enemies prior to his crucifixion. But as I understand it, brethren and sisters, his whole life, particularly from the time he began his ministry, was one of suffering, intense mental suffering. The bearing of the sins of the world must have been a tremendous load. I think that no mortal man can comprehend it fully, or write it or speak it. We may never know in this life. ¶

Mosiah, in the Book of Mormon, tells us that the angel of the Lord talked with King Benjamin and showed him certain things that would take place centuries later, pertaining to the coming forth of our Redeemer, and the atonement. I shall read two or three verses from the third chapter of Mosiah which tells a wonderful story: ¶

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. ¶

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. ¶

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death ; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. ¶

Christ's mental anguish ¶

This was fulfilled in the Savior's life as recorded in Luke 22:44, which reads as follows: ¶

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly : and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ¶

Jesus not only died for his faith and for us but he lived for it too, and for us he endured mental and bodily pain and anguish of soul beyond the power of mortal man to understand or to endure. The angel told King Benjamin that the suffering of our Lord as experienced in Gethsemane was due to the wickedness and abominations of the people. This was because he loved them so, his love being perfect. ¶

Elder James E. Talmage, in his book, "Jesus The Christ," tells us that it was his belief that our Savior died from a broken heart. If the wickedness of those for whom he suffered and died was the cause of his extreme suffering, we might ask, how far are we responsible, and what is the measure of our guilt? ¶

HE DIED FOR REDEMPTION OF ALL ¶

Jesus Christ, our Savior, suffered and died for the sins of the world, for those who lived contemporary with him, for those who lived before, and for those who come after, that all men might be redeemed unconditionally from the effects of the Fall of Adam and Eve, from death, through the resurrection. ¶

For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Cor. 15:21, 22.) ¶

Also that all mankind might be saved from the effects of their individual sins by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. ¶

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him : We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; ¶

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. (Abraham 3 :24-2S.) ¶

TO AVOID THE JUDGMENTS ¶

If this people are to be delivered from the judgments which are to be poured out upon the earth, by keeping all the commandments ; and if we are not to be delivered from the judgments unless we do, as we have been told in a former session of this Conference would be the case, is it right that those who do keep the commandments should be made to suffer because of the unworthiness, or lack of keeping the commandments on the part of some of us ? We owe it to others, to the Church and to the Lord that we keep all the commandments, and that we avoid sin and evil of every form. May the Lord give us strength and power so to do, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶