My Dear Brethren And Sisters I Am...

My dear brethren and sisters, I am very happy to have this opportunity of mingling my testimony with yours concerning the truth of this great latter-day work. ¶

I always marvel at conference time to see these great throngs assemble in the Tabernacle, and on the grounds surrounding it. ¶

Yet I have no real reason to marvel. Truth is always alive and vital. We have the truth. God be thanked for the gift of truth! ¶

European Mission Centennial One hundred years ago at this conference, the brethren then in authority, Brigham Young and those who assisted him, sent out a small army of men into the world to preach the gospel. These were scattered far and wide. Some went into the non-English speaking parts of Europe and there founded missions which are celebrating this year the hundredth anniversary of their beginning. ¶

Rich harvests were gathered. Through the years since that time a stream of men and women, lovers of truth, have flowed from those countries to us here. Even today hundreds and thousands come from those countries to share with us in the blessings of this land and our associations. The fruits that came from the work were further illustrated yesterday, when we had the pleasure and enjoyment of listening to the splendid singing of the Swiss-German Choir. The Church maintains in Salt Lake City and beyond the borders of the city organizations which conduct meetings in several languages. In fact there are seven different language organizations in Salt Lake City. They are maintained to assist these newcomers from foreign lands. ¶

It is not easy, brethren and sisters, for men and women, no matter how much they love the gospel, to come at a mature age, and most of them are mature, into a new land, to learn a new language, and to become used to new customs. But it does not take long for them to adapt themselves to conditions here. They become very valuable citizens, both of the Church and of the land which has adopted them. ¶

Our hearts go out to these brethren and sisters. We want to help them all we can. Their response is tremendously generous. ¶

My heart frequently overflows with emotion when I read the letters that come from these newcomers, not only from the foreign speaking countries, but also from England — letters that bear testimony of their gladness in the possession of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and gladness to be with a group of Saints larger than they can find in their native lands. ¶

The Resurrection In this conference we have talked a great deal about Jesus Christ and his resurrection. Jesus the Christ is the central figure of the gospel. His resurrection from the grave is an integral part of the Father's plan for man's eternal progression. ¶

We can never say too much about Jesus the Christ and his work. It is always refreshing to hear the old story told, as it was told this morning by President Clark, and the words of Jesus later repeated to us by President Evans. It is always a delight to hear this old sacred story. It is the most important story upon the face of the earth for the blessing of the children of men. ¶

The resurrection is a certainty, not a delusion. That has been told us time and time again in the last few days. I think as modern knowledge has advanced, as men have learned to look more clearly into the mysteries of things, that more than ever before, the resurrection seems logical, rational, and necessary. There are not so many thinking people today as there were yesterday who question the possibility of a resurrection. Multitudes know, thank heaven, that Christ rose from the grave, yet there are many who need our teaching and our help. ¶

Fear and Uncertainty Despite the fact that this certainty of knowledge gives comfort to us all, there is much fear and uncertainty in the hearts of men today. As far as I can remember, in my lifetime there has never been a time when men and women have been so anxious about the future. There is fear of the future in their hearts. Fear is the devil's first and chief tool. With fear he destroys humanity. Men have learned to let loose the forces that hold together the very ground under our feet. Of course, without the steadying power of faith, men are afraid. Sometimes they say the type of chain reaction talked of by physicists may be set into such motion that the whole earth will vanish in a flash. That, of course, is an idle dream. ¶

That will not happen. Only when the Lord speaks will the end come. ¶

But uncertainty remains. Men are unhappy. Some people, however, declare that we have too much knowledge; that it would be better for us if we had not quite so much; that if we knew a little less, we would be happier and stronger. That, also, we know is a mistake. ¶

Use of Knowledge God has told us that we should secure to the best of our ability all knowledge. The well of truth will never be drained dry. ¶

The problem is not how much knowledge we possess, but how wise we are in using it properly for our own good in accordance with God's commands. Use and misuse lie at the foundation of every good thing that comes to humanity. Therein lies the right of the free agent. ¶

So we can lay aside the doctrine that we have too much knowledge. We do need, however, to secure mastery over ourselves. This lies at the foundation of life in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has been talked about here time and time again. ¶

To conquer an army, it was said in olden days, is a very great achievement, but to conquer oneself is greater still. It is the duty of Latter-day Saints to learn little by little to be conquerers of themselves. Self -conquest is the great desire of all Latter-day Saints who understand the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Under the power of self-conquest knowledge becomes precious to man. The Lord has given us an abundance of truth. ¶

I wonder if in the scriptures given us by the Lord there may not be some fundamental basic solution of the world's difficulties, those that have been discussed so eloquently in this conference. ¶

Visitation of Moroni There is a story in our history, one almost revered, it is so dear to us. Some three years after his first great vision, the Prophet Joseph Smith, a lad about eighteen years of age, lay in his bed pondering upon life and its mysteries, his relationship and duties to God, and also grieving about his mistakes in life. While so meditating, a heavenly, resurrected being appeared before him. His name was Moroni, a well-known name, a well-known figure to Latterday Saints. We Latter-day Saints do not stop with the fact of the resurrection, for we declare solemnly that in our day men have appeared who have tasted of death, have gone down into the grave, and have come out again resurrected through the almighty power of our Father in heaven. One of these beings stood by the bedside of the young man and told Joseph about his calling, the things he was to do, and the consequences to follow. His duties and obligations, the conditions under which he was to labor, were laid before him. ¶

Moroni quoted liberally from the Bible, much as the quotations stand in King James' version of the scriptures, the Bible in common use at that time, except in one instance. When he used the words of Malachi, he changed one verse of Malachi so completely that it is now looked upon as the first great written revelation of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith through the lips of Moroni. It stands in our book, the Doctrine and Covenants, as Section Two: ¶

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. ¶

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. ¶

If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. ¶

The Lord here teaches how the earth may be wasted. It will not be through one of the atom bombs. If I read this revelation correctly (and it is one of our greatest possessions, through the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith), it points out that humanity will win no peace, nor harmony, nor salvation, as we use the word, unless we learn to love one another. ¶

Spirit of Brotherhood It is a message telling us that in the spirit of brotherhood alone lies the safe future of humankind. That places a heavy responsibility upon us. We are not followers; we are leaders, else we are far astray. We are the ones who must develop and inculcate the spirit of brotherhood in the world. Among us must be the spirit of brotherhood which all the world will notice. ¶

All this has been said by previous speakers, but it is well to repeat it. It is well to call attention to this basic revelation of this dispensation. In it lies the doctrine that unless we have the spirit of brotherhood developed within us, if we remain selfish, self-contained, unwilling to help our fellow men, there will be no salvation. ¶

The earth may then be utterly wasted. ¶

The brotherhood of this revelation is more than the brotherhood existing between living people. It is relatively easy to love the living. But there is a higher type of brotherhood enjoined upon us in this revelation, which we must take to heart if the earth is not to be utterly wasted. We must establish a spirit of brotherhood among us and those who have gone before, most of whom we know only as names. The human race is one great family — all children of God. Christ came out of the grave for all of us — those of the past, present, and future. The blessing of the resurrection is for all, not for a handful. There is no aristocracy in heaven except as we obey or disobey the commandments of God. ¶

So the Lord has laid upon us the great duty of universal brotherhood, to save the world, to give to those who have gone before us the opportunities that we enjoy here in life of receiving the blessings that lead to eternal life, and which many failed to receive while on earth. This is one of the greatest responsibilities placed upon man. ¶

Redemption of the Dead The Prophet Joseph Smith before his death concerned himself greatly with this work. He thought and wrote about it, he spoke about it, he urged upon his people that they forget not the redemption of the dead, for in that redemption lies, as I have said, perhaps altogether, the final solution of the things that vex mankind. ¶

In obedience to this obligation, we as a Church have temples. ¶

In the temples alone can work for the dead be done. We are a temple-building and a temple-using people. We began in 1836 and have been building temples ever since. We are a temple-building people for the very purpose of obeying the injunction given to us in Section Two of our Doctrine and Covenants. ¶

My message to you today, following in general the spirit of the resurrection of the Christ, is that we turn our hearts steadily and forcefully towards this duty, the duty of laboring for the dead. We cannot be saved without doing so. The earth cannot continue to its destined end unless we so do. There is much work to be done, for those who have passed on are many. The great number of people that have gone before us who have not heard the gospel have not had the opportunity to partake of the necessary sacraments of the gospel. These we must serve in spirit and in deed. Some will say as I close, "Well, I live far from the temple, I can't do the work required." Well, you can pay someone else to do it. That's not the best way, but it can be done, and I think the Lord will accept it. But there is work we can do at home. There is the field of genealogy; we may keep in correspondence with our genealogical society here in Salt Lake City, one of the greatest and best and finest in the land, in the world, for that matter. Opportunities will come if we seek them. It is marvelous how the troubles of life vanish in the presence of such work, and how the problems of life find their solutions in such work. ¶

The Lord is mighty; he has control of all mysteries. He opens the door whenever it may be needed. ¶

Need of Temple Work I have felt that as one with you this morning I wanted to say this to you, my brethren and sisters, and call to your attention again the need of work in the temples. We haven't enough temples. We are a million strong, we were told two days ago by the President of our Church. The temples of the Church would not accommodate us if we did our duty in behalf of universal salvation. Let us do our duty for ourselves and for the future of this earth upon which we live and which we hold so dear. And let us remember always that the spiritual forces centering in our temples are more powerful than atom rays or any earthly force discovered by man. ¶

I thank the Lord for his many messages of truth to us and for this great fundamental message. May the Lord give us strength to accept it and obey it. May it find lodgment in our hearts as well as in our deeds and bless us all according to our needs. May this Church of God and of his Son Jesus the Christ continue to grow and prosper, as it will do if we do our work, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶