Spanish-American Mission Report

I am indeed happy, my brethren and sisters, to be with you on this wonderful occasion. I pray for the Spirit of the Lord to be with me, that I may say something of profit to all of us. I believe that the prayer that was offered at the beginning of this meeting was offered in my behalf, as I had been praying very fervently for many days that I would have strength and guidance on this occasion. ¶

As I have sat through the sessions oLthis Conference I have thrilled to the inspiration that has come through our leaders, to the instructions ¶

and the voice of warning that has been raised here to the people of Zion. It is my prayer that we as a people will heed this counsel, that we will take this advice, and that we will accept this voice of warning to the people, that we may escape in a measure the judgments that are to come upon the nations of the earth. ¶

It is a pleasure to represent this Church and people in the world, to declare the Gospel of peace, a Gospel whose principles will save the human race and to whose shelter those who are world-worn and weary with the cares and burdens of this life can come for peace and for rest. We can say to them with assurance that if they will accept the principles of this Gospel and adhere to them they will find rest and peace from the calamities that may come upon this world, because when a man or a woman is at peace with himself or herself, it matters little what goes on about them. They know in their own souls and their own hearts that they are like a ship in a safe and sheltered harbor and that they will be able to weather the storms that rage in the open seas all about them. I pray that this will be the lot of the Latter-day Saints. ¶

Running through my mind during part of the sessions of this Conference has been the admonition given to this people at the commencement of the work by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and in connection with that the statement of the Lord to ancient Israel wherein he said, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." My brethren and sisters, we have been warned in this Conference. That prophecy has been fulfilled to us, and we will be protected if we accept that warning. ¶

In connection with what has been said regarding opposition within the Church itself, and some of its membership opposing the things that are said and done by our leaders, I would like to raise the warning voice by means of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith himself on this subject. We read in Church history from the sayings of the Prophet regarding this thing, when he charged the Saints not to follow the example of the adversary in accusing the brethren, and said : ¶

If you do not accuse each other God will not accuse you. If you have no accusers you will enter heaven, and if you follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back-load. If you will not accuse me I will not accuse you. If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours — for charity covereth a multitude of sins. ¶

Following this same line of thought, on apostasy and the judgments, he gives us the following : ¶

I will give you one of the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom . It is an eternal principle that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy ; and if he does not repent, will apostatize as God lives. The principle is as correct as the one that Jesus put forth in saying that he who seeketh a sign is an adulterous man, and that principle is eternal, undeviating; and firm as the pillars of heaven; for whenever you see a man seeking after a sign you may set it down that he is an adulterous man. ¶

My brethren and sisters, the Savior set forth the same principle many years ago when he was upon the earth, as recorded in Matthew, 7th chapter, wherein he said : "Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged," and he followed it up with the sermon on the beam that was in our own eye. I shall read it to give it to you correctly : ¶

Judge not, that ye be not judged. ¶

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. ¶

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ¶

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? ¶

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. ¶

I thought of this in connection with the statement of President Grant to us, that the thing that needs to concern the Latter-day Saints is that they condemn their own selves for their faults and their failings, and that if they do this, humbling themselves before the Lord, they would find no time to accuse the brethren or to find fault with them. I can testify that this is a true principle. I have prayed throughout my life that the Lord would magnify within my own eyes my faults and my failings, that they would be made large enough to me that it would take my time and my attention to correct them and to humble myself before the Lord, and I have also prayed while being in positions of trust in the Church, that he would clothe my own faults and failings with mercy, that they would not be magnified in the eyes of my brethren, that they would not take from me my opportunity to do good among my brethren and sisters. ¶

I wish to thank my Father in heaven for this Gospel, for the leadership we have in this Church, for the opportunity that I have to serve, and for the opportunity that is yours. I am assured that within this Church there are opportunities for every member to serve according to their capacity and their ability, and that in time the Lord will give unto us these opportunities. Our Church is not of the world, and they cannot conceive of the ways of the Lord. I am reminded of the verse in the song which says we should not judge the Lord by feeble sense. It seems rather absurd to the world that we as a people so willingly accept responsibility and yet seek for none. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I thank the Lord for this opportunity, and I pray for his blessings upon you, and I do it in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶