A Remarkable Organization

My brethren and sisters : For a number of years it has been my privilege to appear before you in these conference meetings as a mission president of the Church. In that assignment, and the fulfilment of the duties and obligations in connection therewith, I found exceeding great joy. I love the missionary work of the Church and the privilege it affords of bearing testimony of the restoration of the Gospel, and of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the accomplishments of this great organization. ¶

A year ago I was sustained as the Presiding Bishop of the Church ; and the duties and responsibilities of this office, during the past year, have also brought great joy to me and evidence that in every branch of the work the inspiration and revelation of the Lord are guiding and directing the destinies of this Church. ¶

The Principle of Giving

In this position my duties are more or less temporal, and I find satisfaction therein. I should like to call your attention to one principle the Latter-day Saints have learned to understand. They have learned to know the meaning of the word "give." We give of our time; we give of our talents; we give of our means. Our fathers and mothers give their boys and girls to the missionary service of the Church, and wives give their husbands. As I have often said in the mission field, if one is looking for an easy religion he had better not bother with Mormonism. Most of us know that we are at the call of the Church all the time. In fact, my wife has always said the children belong to her and I belong to the Church ; and I presume there are many brethren here, and sisters too, who feel the same way about it. ¶

We know the history of the Saints ; we know the great sacrifices that have been made. Those of us who have filled missions in foreign lands have seen the Saints leave all that was dear to them. We know the history of the pioneers as they left their homes behind and came to these valleys of the mountains. ¶

During the past year, traveling throughout the Church, my heart has been moved because of the faith of the Latter-day Saints. It seemed to make no difference whether they were to travel ten miles, a hundred miles, or two hundred miles, they were always there when the call came. They do not ask for compensation ; they do not ask for expense money. They know that they are to bear the burden of their missionary boys and girls, and the expense. They have learned how to give, and as I study the scriptures and read the words of the prophets and of the Master himself, it seems to me that the one thing above all others in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that men should be willing to give their all. ¶

The Gospel Requires Service

We are commanded to love God first above all other things, and our f ellowmen like unto ourselves. One good man who came to the Master said : "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." As though he would say to all coming generations : "If ye follow me, ye need expect no compensation," He replied : "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." ¶

And to another he said : "Follow me." But he said : "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father." There are very few obligations in life more important than burying one's father, but the Lord wanted to impress upon his servants the importance of a call from him, and so he said : "Let the dead bury their dead ; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." ¶

Thursday. April 6 First Oay ¶

And another said: "Lord, I will follow Thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house." Jesus answered : "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." He expects real service but offers no monetary compensation. ¶

Then he sent the Seventy out. He gave them nothing, but he gave them of his power, and said : "He that heareth you heareth me ; and he that despiseth you despiseth me." And they returned again with joy saying : "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." ¶

Speaking again of service, he said : "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and f olloweth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." ¶

More Than Service Required

In addition to giving ourselves, and giving our services, the Lord has asked us to give of our means and our substance. We have men in the Church who give their time, they will go when they are asked to preach, they will perform a public duty, but it is hard to do the little duty that is seen in secret by them and God alone and their presiding officers. And so we are asked to contribute our tithes and offerings, not only because the Church needs money to build itself, for before there was an organization of the Church, God introduced the principle of sacrifice in order that his servants and his children might be tested, that they should bring the best of their lands and of their herds ; and, because the Church did not need these things, and there were no poor to feed, they were burned upon the altar of sacrifice ; but the giving sanctified the souls of those who gave. ¶

The Lord apparently realized that some men can give service easier than money or goods. We have the lesson of the rich young man who came to the Master inquiring what he might do to inherit eternal life. He was told that he should "keep the commandments," to which he replied : "All these things I have kept from my youth up, what lack I yet ?" We are told in Mark's account: "Then Jesus beholding him loved him." He loved him for the good things he had done and sought to show him the way to perfection, so he answered : "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ; and come and follow me." But the young man turned away sorrowful : "for he had great possessions." ¶

The prophet Malachi declared that in the last days the Lord should send his messenger to prepare the way before him, and he called upon Israel, and I interpret that to mean latter-day Israel, to return unto him and promised that he would return unto them, and they said : "Wherein shall we return unto Thee ?" And he said : "In your tithes and offerings, * * * * for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house." ¶

And I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that we need the ¶

tithes of the Saints in order that the kingdom might go on, for it shall be builded just as rapidly as the faith of the Saints can build it, and it is retarded when there is a lack of faith. ¶

Promises of the Lord

And so the Lord proceeded to promise those who would bring their tithes and their offerings together, that he would rebuke the devourer for their sakes, and that a book of remembrance should be written before him for them that feared the Lord, "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels. * * * * then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." ¶

Now) as a member of the Presiding Bishopric, I feel that the storehouse of the Lord should be replenished. We have heard the report today. Much has been accomplished ; the faith of the Saints is not lacking, because our receipts have been equal to any year of the past ; but there are still many who lack the faith to do their part in rolling on the kingdom of God in the earth. ¶

Employment Should Be Provided

In our office we contact many of our brethren who are out of employment. Some of them are choice men of the Church, men who. have labored diligently and made great sacrifices, have sent their boys and girls on missions, and my soul has been moved with compassion. I believe if my greatest desire were fulfilled it would be that I could provide employment for all these fine men who are worthy servants of God. We can help to feed and clothe them, and we will do that ; but we must also, as bishops and as quorum officers and ward work directors, put forth every effort to provide employment for them. In this connection, I thank the Lord for this great Welfare Program of the Church, which is assisting in such a marvelous manner. But I believe we should have a little more consideration as bishops and quorum officers to sit down with our brethren and study their needs and see if there is not enough genius in the leadership of the wards and stakes and priesthood quorums to be able to provide activities for these fine men. ¶

Now, the Master tells us that when he shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, and before him shall be gathered all nations, that as the shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats he shall separate them one from another, and to them on his right hand he shall say : "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger and ye took me in ; naked and ye clothed me ; I was sick and ye visited me ; I was in prison and ye came unto me." ¶

Then shall the righteous answer him saying, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee ? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ?" ¶

Then shall he say unto them : "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." ¶

In closing, may I say unto you, my brethren and sisters, that I think it is a grand and glorious thing that the Lord has re-established his Church, that so efficiently, and without cost of administration, is able to do so much to care for the unfortunate of its members. I feel that the bishops and the presidents of stakes and those who preside with them in the wards and stakes of Zion should realize the great responsibility that is theirs and should not regard it lightly, but should do all they can do to care for their brethren. ¶

God grant that his Spirit, and inspiration and revelation, may ever guide the destiny of this Church. Of all men who are examples to the Church in this spirit of giving is our worthy president. I remember, as many of you do, when he was sustained as the President of the Church, he said he would never ask any man to give more, in proportion to his ability to give, than he, or to be more faithful in observing the commandments of the Lord than he ; and we all love him for his noble example. ¶

God bless the Latter-day Saints, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶