The Greatest Gift

I have been very happy during this Conference, barring the anxiety that I have felt and feel, knowing that I would be expected to speak and to lead in intelligent, profitable thought the many people assembled and those who are on the air listening. The thought of it is almost appalling. If it were not for the faith that I have in the Lord through His Spirit coming to my assistance, I feel that I would wilt. ¶

A Manifestation of Interest

I can say that my feelings have been in perfect accord with the business that has been transacted in this Conference, and with all that has gone before. I rejoice exceedingly in the blessing of the Lord that has been upon us in these various meetings. The attendance at each session, including the Priesthood meeting held in this building last evening, has far exceeded the seating capacity. Many hundreds of people have had to stand. One of the Mission Presidents told me last evening after the meeting that he had to stand all through the Priesthood meeting, that he could not find an unoccupied seat. ¶

This is a glorious condition. It gives great satisfaction to the Presidency of this Church, the General Authorities, and I am sure it is pleasing to the Lord, -- a manifestation of interest in the work of the Lord, in which we are engaged. ¶

Joy in the Ministry

I have enjoyed my labors as much during the last six months in the ministry as at any other period of my life and experience. I rejoice in going out into the Stakes of Zion and the Missions and meeting leaders of the people, and the faithful of the people who attend our conference meetings. I find as I get better acquainted with members of the Church and leaders of the Church, that my love for them increases, and my appreciation for them and for the Gospel, increases also. The only difference between the love that I have for these leaders and the other part of the Church membership is that I do not know the others so well. There are just as good men and women, they are numbered by the thousands in this Church, whose acquaintance I do not have, who are just as good and faithful as those with whom I am acquainted. ¶

I love the Latter-day Saints, and I hope that they can give me their love and support in return. I believe I have the confidence of the people. I am trying to live my religion as a teacher, to set a good example, and to encourage others to live their religion, and to faithfully serve the Lord. ¶

Revelation Brought True Knowledge of God

In speaking of the Gospel I have in mind now what the Lord said of ancient Israel: ¶

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¶

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. ¶

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ¶

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, or serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. ¶

I am sure that it is displeasing to our Heavenly Father that His sons and daughters should worship anything else, or in any other way than that which He has designed and taught. The scriptures are replete with information pertaining to God the eternal Father, His existence, His attributes, His personality and qualities, so that there should be no question in the minds of intelligent men and women as to what kind of a being the God of this world is, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob. Yet the world has been in darkness for ages, with respect to the knowledge of God. In His loving mercy, in the opening of this Gospel dispensation of the fulness of times He revealed Himself anew to the world of mankind, He and His Son Jesus Christ, our Savior, appearing to the boy Joseph Smith, whom He raised up to be a mighty prophet of the last days, for the restoration of the Gospel and the establishment anew of His Church and kingdom here upon the earth, in preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. ¶

One Father of the Spirits of Men

There is a responsibility on the membership of this Church to make known to the people of the world this wonderful revelation of the Father and the Son, as a part of the restored Gospel. We are told by scripture that a belief in God the eternal Father is vitally necessary to all intelligent beings. Their faith is centered in Him, and of necessity they must have a correct understanding of Him, and know Him as He is, a glorified and exalted being in whose image and likeness we are in very deed born sons and daughters of God. ¶

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¶

Many fathers of the flesh, but one Father of the spirits of all men, the eternal Father of us all. So every man and every woman under the sound of my voice is either a son of God or a daughter of God. He is our eternal Father. And as things earthly are typical of things heavenly, when we think of Father we naturally think of Mother. We think of being born. So we have been born of our heavenly parents in the spirit, and in our spirit birth have inherited attributes and qualities of a God-like character. What a noble parentage! What a noble ancestry we are of! What manner of men and women ought we to be? In the language of the scripture we might say: ¶

Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. ¶

The love which our Father in heaven bears for us is divine love, a perfect love. Jesus said: ¶

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¶

He gave His Son to a life of sorrow and to a death upon the cross. What that meant of sorrow to the Son and to the Father we shall never fully know while we are in mortality. We read how that in the Garden of Gethsemane He sweat great drops of blood, so great was the anguish of His soul because of the wickedness and abominations of the people. ¶

The Greatest Gift

Then we read about His death upon the cross. His was the greatest gift that ever was given. It is a proof of love, divine, the Father for His children, a sacrifice, the greatest ever made; a service, the greatest ever rendered. And as He has loved us and done so much for us in providing for our salvation, He has asked us, in return, to love Him, even with all our heart, soul and mind, and then to love one another, our neighbor as ourselves. If we could obey those two commandments, what peace there would be in the earth. If all mankind could live up to those two principles there would be no more bloodshed, no widows and orphans caused through wars rampant in the nations of the earth. There would be no hatred in our souls, but love would abound. ¶

That is what our Father in heaven would like of us above all other things, that we love Him first, and that we love one another. In our home in heaven there was peace, there was love. After Lucifer was cast out, and those with him, there was no more contention. When we come to earth, though our recollection of the past is withheld, why should we not love one another here? ¶

Do we hate those men in high places responsible for war and bloodshed, killing and maiming and making widows and orphans? If we love them as we should we would not hate them. The mother doesn't hate the wayward son or the wayward daughter. A mother's love, next to the love that our Father in heaven bears for us, is the kind of love that should actuate us, one toward another. Whether we are in the Church or out of the Church, we are our Father's children, all of us, and the Lord loves us, and no doubt sorrows over the sins and the wickedness of some, and rejoices over the righteousness of others. ¶

Sacrifice Rewarded

I trust and pray, brethren and sisters, that we may live up to the light of the Gospel which has come to us, for it is a glorious truth. It is appealing. There is no question but what the reward in this life and the life to come will amply pay for every sacrifice that we make. And brethren and sisters, if we ever lose out in the end, and meet with disappointment, it will be because we have not done the things which we know that we ought to do, and that we have done things that we know we ought not to do. In other words, if we live up to the light which we have we will not meet with condemnation, but with the favor of heaven. ¶

May the Lord help us to so live and to labor, in return for the love which is extended unto us by our Father in Heaven, and His Son Jesus Christ. May we return love and show by our actions that we do love the Lord, and let us show by our actions that we do love our fellowmen, and that we are going to keep the commandments of God. ¶

May the Lord bless us and help us to this end, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶