among men between three and four hundred years afterwards. When in
consequence of transgressions, apostasy from the true order of the
priesthood and Church of Christ, the innovations of priestcraft and
paganism, the true order of God was lost, the holy priesthood was taken
from the earth, and the Church of Christ ceased to be among men, so far
as we have any knowledge by revelation or from the history and records
of the past.
Then were fulfilled many predictions of the prophets and apostles,
contained in the word of God. Among them the word of God spoken by
John, in the 12th chapter of Revelations, and the prophecy of Amos:
"Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in
the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing
the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from
the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the
word of the Lord, and shall not find it." (Amos {240} 8:11, 12.) The
proclamation of the word of the Lord is, and always has been dependent
upon the authority of the holy priesthood.
How could they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach
except they be sent?
The Gentiles among whom the priesthood had been established and the
gospel preached, fell away also after the example of unbelief and the
manner of the Jews, or children of Israel. God who spared not the
natural branches, also cut off engrafted ones, and "Mystery, Babylon
the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth," was
set up as foretold by the Prophet Daniel and the Apostle John. This
power made war with the Saints, and overcame them, changed time and
laws, "wore out the Saints of the Most High," was drunken with their
blood and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and destroyed the
holy people. But this mystical power, in turn, is to be overcome and,
in the due time of the Lord, utterly destroyed.
Before this great event shall occur must come to pass the restoration
of the gospel of Christ, and the establishment of the kingdom of God
again on the earth, with all the powers and blessings of the Holy
priesthood, concerning which we have the most positive assurances.
The declarations of the sacred writers of the Bible and the Book of
Mormon not only affirm the restoration of all things spoken of by holy
prophets relative to this great event, but also that this kingdom shall
no more be thrown down nor be left to another people, nor cease until
the whole earth shall be filled with the brightness of its glory,
with its truths, its power, might, majesty and dominion, and that
the kingdom and the greatness thereof under the whole heaven will be
given unto the Saints of the Most High God, and they shall possess it
forever. The declaration of this truth is even now very galling to the
unbelieving world, and to those who reject the truth; nevertheless the
Saints will inherit the blessings, and the {241} word of God will come
to pass, however much the wicked object to it or whether we as the
beginners in the great cause endure faithful to the end and realize the
promise or not. This great and glorious redemption will be consummated
through the power and agencies of the Holy Spirit. God has ever dealt,
and will always deal, with the children of men; for this priesthood
"administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of
the kingdom, even the key of the kingdom of God; therefore, in the
ordinances thereof, the of godliness is manifest; and without the
ordinance thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of
God is not manifest unto men in the flesh; for without this no man can
see the face of God, even the Father and live."
The lesser priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and
the preparatory gospel; which gospel is the gospel of repentance and
of baptism, and the remission of sins, which continued "with the house
of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up,
being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb." He, John,
"was baptized while he was yet in his childhood and was ordained by
the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to
overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the
Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of
the Lord in whose hand is given all power." (Doc. and Cov. 84:26-28.)
It was the same John who appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,
on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, and conferred upon them the Aaronic
priesthood with all its keys and power. The ordination was in the
following words:
"Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels,
and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the
remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth,
until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in
righteousness." {242} There is nothing said here about the offices of
this priesthood. They were an after consideration. I will remark here
that the priesthood is greater than the offices which grew out of it,
and are mere appendages to it, "all other authorities or offices in
the Church are appendages to this priesthood"--meaning the Melchizedek
Priesthood. But there are two divisions or grand heads (not three, nor
many); one is the Melchizedek priesthood and the other is the Aaronic
or Levitical priesthood. The offices in the priesthood are necessary
appendages thereof--for the purposes of order and government, and the
duties of these several offices are defined in the revelations and laws
and commandments of God.
This most sacred and important event, above quoted, occurred at or
near a place called Harmony, in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania,
while Joseph Smith was living there, engaged in the translation of the
Book of Mormon, and Oliver Cowdery was writing for him. We have not,
unfortunately, any account so definite, of the reception by Joseph and
Oliver, of the Melchizedek priesthood as we have the confirmation of
the Aaronic priesthood. But we have positive information and knowledge
that they did receive this priesthood at the hands of Peter, James and
John, to whom the keys and power thereof were committed by the Lord
Jesus Christ, and who were commissioned to restore it to the earth in
the dispensation of the fulness of times. We cannot fix the exact date
when this priesthood was restored, but it occurred some time between
the 15th of May, 1829, and the 6th of April, 1830. We can approximate
to within a few months of the exact time, but no further, from any of
the records of the Church, Joseph, the Prophet, designates the place
where their ordination took place, in his address to the Saints (Sec.
128:20) written in 1842, as follows:
"Again what do we hear? * * * the voice of Peter, James, and John,
in the wilderness between Harmony, {243} Susquehanna, county, and
Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring
themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom of the dispensation
of the fulness of times." And in a revelation given September, 1830,
referring to Joseph and Oliver, the Lord said in reference to partaking
again of the Sacrament on the earth, that "the hour cometh that I will
drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni,
* * * and also with Elias, * * * and also John the son of Zacharias, *
* * which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun.,
and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto this first priesthood which you
have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron;
and also Elijah, * * * and also with Joseph and Jacob, and Isaac, and
Abraham, your fathers, by whom the promises remain; and also with
Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of
days. And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto
you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and
especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry,
and of the same things which I revealed unto them; unto whom I have
committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel
for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in the which I will
gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven and which
are on earth." (Doc. and Cov. 27:5-13.)
A revelation given April, 1830, Sec. 20:2, 3, says: "Which commandments
were given to Joseph Smith, Jun., who was called of God and ordained an
apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first elder of this Church; and to
Oliver Cowdery, who was also called of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to be the second elder of this Church, and ordained under his hand."
After the Melchizedek priesthood was conferred upon Joseph and Oliver,
by the ancient apostles, they were commanded to ordain each the other,
as we see by {244} the above quotation, and the 10th and 11th verses of
Section 21, Doctrine and Covenants.
It would appear from the instructions given in the revelations, dated
June, 1829, that the apostleship had been then conferred on Joseph
Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer. If this supposition is
correct, it reduces the period of uncertainty when this glorious event
actually took place to a few weeks, or from the middle of May to the
end of June. It is also asserted that David Whitmer supposed the event
to have taken place about this time. It is evident, however, that David
received the apostleship under the hands of Joseph and Oliver, and was
not present when they received it under the ministration of the ancient
apostles.
In the first edition of the _Compendium_ under the heading of
"Chronology of the most important events which have transpired in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from A. D. 1820,
to 1856," we find the following brief statement: "June 6, 1831, the
Melchizedek priesthood was first given." This detached sentence conveys
the idea that the Melchizedek priesthood was not given until fourteen
months after the Church was established. Many have been misled and
others greatly puzzled over this statement, knowing that "elders
were ordained" on the 6th day of April, 1830, a year and two months
before, and that "the office of an elder comes under the priesthood of
Melchizedek."
It is a pity that greater attention is not paid to matters of history,
for then such mistakes would not occur. Several errors of this
character have crept into history through neglect or want of proper
attention to the subjects. The passage of history from which this brief
and misleading extract was taken reads as follows: "On the sixth of
June (1831) the elders from the various parts of the country where they
were laboring, came in; and the conference before appointed, {245}
convened in Kirtland; and the Lord displayed his power in a manner that
could not be mistaken. The man of sin was revealed, and the authority
of the Melchizedek priesthood was manifested, and conferred for the
first time upon several of the elders." Now, if this does not mean
that on this occasion several elders received their first ordination,
then it must mean that these several elders who had previously been
ordained, then, for the first time, received the power or authority
of their ordinations. The words "conferred for the first time upon
several of the elders," would seem at first glance to mean that several
were then ordained elders, but taking the complete sentence together,
namely, "The man of sin was revealed, and the authority of the
Melchizedek priesthood was manifested, and conferred for the first time
upon several of the elders," we naturally conclude that several who had
previously been ordained elders, had not yet received the spirit, or
power, or authority of their ordinations, but that now for the first
time, the authority of the priesthood having been manifested, it fell
upon them. It is evident from the context that the word authority
as used in this quotation means power. It reads as follows: "It was
clearly evident that the Lord gave us power in proportion to the work
to be done, and strength according to the race before us, and grace
and help as our needs required." That several persons were ordained
on that occasion is directly stated, as follows: "Great harmony
prevailed; several were ordained; faith was strengthened; and humility
so necessary for the blessing of God to follow prayer, characterized
the Saints." One thing is perfectly clear, and that is, no reference
whatever is here made to the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood
by Peter, James and John, which great event occurred, without doubt,
between May and July, 1829. However until about the time this
conference was held, the term Melchizedek priesthood was seldom or
never used. {246} The High priesthood, or the Holy priesthood, were the
terms generally applied until then.
Thus this glorious priesthood, which "is after the holiest order of
God," has been restored to man in its plenitude and power in the
present age for the "last times," and no part of it will be "taken from
the earth again until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto
the Lord in righteousness," or "until God shall gather together in
one all things, both which are in heaven and which are on earth." In
conclusion I will call the attention of the readers of this to Sections
5, 13, 27, 84, 107, 110 and 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants for
further reflection on the subject.--_Contributor,_ Vol. 10, 1889, pp.
307-311.
TRIBUTE TO HEBER C. KIMBALL. My first remembrance of President Heber
C. Kimball goes back to the days of my childhood. He was a familiar
and prominent figure in my mind in Nauvoo, Illinois, as the father of
his sons, William, Heber, and David, with whom, as a little boy, I was
more intimate although the two former were several years my seniors.
I also recall him in those early days as the possessor of one of the
best homes in the City of Nauvoo, and as the husband of "Aunt" Vilate
Kimball, one of the dearest, kindest, most motherly souls who ever came
within the range of my memory or acquaintance; and also as the father
of Helen M. Kimball, a beautiful young woman, very much resembling her
mother in appearance, and who was somewhat noted in the Smith family as
being in some way related to it and who, after the death of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, was married to Horace K. Whitney, and became the mother
of our present poet and historian, Orson F. Whitney.
One of my most distinct recollections of President Kimball was in the
winter of 1845-6, in the Nauvoo temple. My mother, and her sister,
Mercy R. Thompson, were much engaged in the work going on in the temple
that winter, and {247} President Kimball was also associated with the
work being done there. It was there that my father's children were
sealed to their parents and President Kimball officiated.
In February, 1846, President Kimball took up the line of march, with
the Twelve and the Saints who were driven out of Nauvoo, for their long
journey into the wilderness, which eventually led to the occupancy
of the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the settlement of Utah, by the
Saints, and the fulfilment of the prophecy by Joseph Smith, that the
Saints should gather to the Rocky Mountains.
The incident which more particularly specialized this departure of
President Kimball to my mind, was the fact that my brother John, now
the patriarch, and then a boy of about twelve years, accompanied
President Kimball and family on their pilgrimage into the unknown
wilderness, leaving us in Nauvoo in great fear and doubt as to whether
we should ever see them again or not. This made an indelible impression
upon my mind, and ever since there seemed to be inseverable ties
connecting us with President Kimball and his family.
In 1848 we crossed the plains in a subdivision of President Kimball's
company. He baptized me in City Creek, in 1850, where the junction of
East and North Temple streets now is.
In July, 1852, while attending a meeting which was held in Salt Lake
City, my mother was taken sick and went to the home of President
Kimball, where she remained during her last illness; under the care of
Aunt Vilate. This brought me almost constantly for months directly in
contact with President Kimball and family.
It was here I became more familiar with his home life and habits. I was
greatly impressed and moved by his manner of praying in his family. I
have never heard any other man pray as he did. He did not speak to the
Lord as one afar off, but as if conversing with him face to face. Time
{248} and again I have been so impressed with the idea of the actual
presence of God, while he was conversing with him in prayer, that I
could not refrain from looking up to see if he were actually present
and visible. While President Kimball was very strict in his family, he
was ever kind and tender towards them.
I sometimes thought he was even kinder to me than to his own boys. I
have heard him reprove them, but no word of reproof ever fell from his
lips upon me. Later, through him, I was sent on my first mission. No
better or kinder thing was ever done for me. It gave me four years of
experience and seasoning which fixed my whole course of life, and it
came just at the right time to the boy that I was.
Later I was associated with him in the Endowment House, where I served
with him and under his direction for years. This brought me into the
most intimate relation with him, and gave to each of us the most
complete and perfect opportunity of becoming thoroughly acquainted with
each other. I learned to love him with the truest love, and the many
evidences of his love and confidences in me are beyond all question.
My latest recollections of him are associated with a most unusual call
made upon a number of brethren in 1861, by President Brigham Young, to
accompany him on a mission to Provo. Among these were Heber C. Kimball,
Wilford Woodruff, Abraham O. Smoot, Elijah F. Sheets, George G.
Bywater and myself. These brethren all located in Provo with President
Young, and those of the number possessed of means (Presidents Young
and Kimball, and Elders Smoot and Sheets) proceeded at once to build
themselves homes there.
It was while President Kimball was engaged in building and preparing
a place for a portion of his family in Provo, that he met with an
accident from which he did not recover, and soon after, Monday, June
22, 1868, came his {249} final summons to meet the actual presence of
the gracious Father, with whom he had, in prayer, so long and truly
counseled, as if face to face with him, and whom he had devotedly
served to the last moment.
President Heber C. Kimball was one of God's noblemen. True as steel to
every trust. Pure as refined gold. Fearless of foes or of death. Keen
of perception, full of the spirit of the prophets. Inspired of God.
Valiant in the testimony of Christ; a lifelong, undeviating friend
and witness of the divine calling and mission of Joseph Smith. He was
called by the grace of God, ordained by living authority, and lived and
died an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.--_Young Woman's Journal,_
Vol. 20, 1909, pp. 251-252.
TRIBUTE TO ERASTUS SNOW. My earliest vivid recollection of Elder
Erastus Snow was in the fall of 1848, just after my arrival in Salt
Lake Valley. I had the privilege of listening to a most excellent
discourse by him in the bowery at the north side of the old Pioneer
fort. This discourse so impressed itself and the speaker, upon my mind,
that it and he ever after held a most distinguished place in my memory.
As an orator and profound reasoner, I always felt impressed that he had
no superior, especially when he warmed up to his subject, and entered
into his discourse with the full force and energy of his active and
vigorous mind.
As a counselor, his wisdom was manifest from every point of view.
As a colonizer and builder, from the pioneer days to the completion of
his work, he was equal to the foremost of his associates. In point of
endurance and perseverance in whatever he engaged, he was untiring and
almost inexhaustible.
As a legislator or statesman, he was the peer of any of his associates,
among whom were builders of this commonwealth. One of the marked
peculiarities of his character {250} was continuity and perseverance
in whatever he undertook to do, until his object was attained and
his purpose accomplished. Nothing could turn him aside from the
discharge of his duty. He was, without doubt, a chosen and an effective
instrument in the hand of God for the accomplishment of the mission
assigned him, in which he always concentrated his mind, and threw the
whole force of his vigorous and noble spirit.
As the head of a numerous family, he was an example to all mankind. His
friendship was always true and boundless. I esteem him as one of the
great men, not only of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
but of the world.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 14, Feb., 1911, p. 280.
PURPOSE OF VISITS OF CHURCH LEADERS. We have come to see the condition
and the spirit of the Latter-day Saints, and to present ourselves
before them; that they may judge us by what we say and by the spirit
we bring, as to whether we are in fellowship with them and with the
Lord; and that they may see whether we measure up to the standards that
they expect in those who stand at the head of the Church.--_Improvement
Era,_ Vol. 21, December, 1917, p. 98.
{251}
CHAPTER X
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
THE GIFT OF TONGUES. The devil himself can appear like an angel of
light. False prophets and false teachers have arisen in the world.
There is perhaps no gift of the Spirit of God more easily imitated by
the devil than the gift of tongues. Where two men or women exercise
the gift of tongues by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, there
are a dozen perhaps who do it by the inspiration of the devil. Bless
your souls, apostates speak in tongues, apostates prophesy, apostates
claim to have marvelous manifestations. And what is that to us? The
trouble is, we know so little of the truth ourselves, and we live by it
so poorly, that almost any little jackanapes in the country may rise
up and claim he has had a vision or some marvelous dream, and however
absurd or untrue it may be, he may find believers and followers among
those who profess to be Latter-day Saints.
I believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit unto men, but I do not want
the gift of tongues, except when I need it. I needed the gift of
tongues once, and the Lord gave it to me. I was in a foreign land, sent
to preach the gospel to a people whose language I could not understand.
Then I sought earnestly for the gift of tongues, and by this gift and
by study, in a hundred days after landing upon those islands I could
talk to the people in their language as I now talk to you in my native
tongue. This was a gift that was worthy of the gospel. There was a
purpose in it. There was something in it to strengthen my faith, to
encourage me and to help me in my ministry. If you have need of this
gift of tongues, seek for it and God will help you in it. But I do not
ask you to be very hungry for the gift of tongues, {252} for if you
are not careful the devil will deceive you in it. He can talk by the
gift of tongues as well as the Lord can. Paul did not seem to care much
about the gift of tongues either. He said to the Corinthians:
"I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice
I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown
tongue."--1 Cor. 14:19.
So far as I am concerned, if the Lord will give me ability to teach
the people in my native tongue, or in their own language to the
understanding of those who hear me, that will be sufficient gift of
tongues to me. Yet if the Lord gives you the gift of tongues, do not
despise it, do not reject it. For if it comes from the Spirit of God,
it will come to those who are worthy to receive it, and it is all
right. But this idea of seeking it, desiring it, when you don't pay
your tithing, when you don't pray in your families, when you don't pay
your debts, when you desecrate the Sabbath day, and when you neglect
other duties in the Church; I tell you the devil will take advantage of
you by and by, if he does not at first.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1900, p. 41.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
is a very important and sacred ordinance; however simple it may appear
to our minds, it is one which will add to our acceptance before God, or
to our condemnation.
It was instituted by the Savior in the place of the law of sacrifice
which was given to Adam, and which continued with his children down to
the days of Christ, but which was fulfilled in his death, he being the
great sacrifice for sin, of which the sacrifices enjoined in the law
given to Adam were a similitude.
The Lord designed in the beginning to place before man the knowledge of
good and evil, and gave him a commandment to cleave to good and abstain
from evil. But if he {253} should fail, he would give to him the law
of sacrifice and provide a Savior for him, that he might be brought
back again into the presence and favor of God and partake of eternal
life with him. This was the plan of redemption chosen and instituted
by the Almighty before man was placed on the earth. And when man did
fall by transgressing the law which was given him, the Lord gave to him
the law of sacrifice, and made it clear to his understanding, that it
was for the purpose of reminding him of that great event that should
transpire in the meridian of time, whereby he and all his posterity
might be brought forth by the power of redemption and resurrection from
the dead, and partake of eternal life with God in his kingdom. For this
reason Adam and his posterity, from generation to generation, observed
this law, and continually looked forward to a time when there should be
provided for them a means of redemption from the fall and restoration
from death to life, for death was the penalty of the law transgressed,
which man was powerless to avert, that fiat of God being, "In the day
that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die," and this penalty
was to follow upon all flesh, all being as helpless and dependent as
he was in this matter. Their only hope of redemption from the grave
and the power of death was in the Savior whom God had promised, who
should suffer death, but being without sin, having himself never
transgressed any law, being without blemish, pure and holy, he should
have power to break the bands of death and from the grave rise to
immortal life, thereby opening the way for all who should follow him
in the regeneration, to come forth to life again, redeemed from the
penalty of the law, and from the sin of transgression to eternal life.
In anticipation, therefore, of this great sacrifice which was to be
offered for Adam and his seed, they offered sacrifices more or less
acceptable, and in conformity to the pattern given, in proportion to
the knowledge of {254} God and of the gospel which they had, in their
faithfulness from generation to generation, to the days of Jesus.
They would take the firstlings of their flocks, the best fruits of
their fields, and those things which were emblematic of purity,
innocence, and perfection, symbolical of him who was without sin,
and as "a lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and offer
sacrifices unto God in memory of him, and the matchless and wonderful
deliverance to be wrought out for them by him.
Undoubtedly the knowledge of this law and of other rites and ceremonies
was carried by the posterity of Adam into all lands, and continued
with them, more or less pure, to the flood, and through Noah, who was
a "preacher of righteousness," to those who succeeded him, spreading
out in all nations and countries, Adam and Noah being the first of
their dispensations to receive them from God. What wonder, then, that
we should find relics of Christianity so to speak among the heathens,
and nations who know not Christ, and whose histories date back beyond
the days of Moses, and even beyond the flood, independent of and apart
from the records of the Bible. The ground taken by infidels, that
"Christianity" sprang from the heathen, it being found that they have
many rites similar to those recorded in the Bible, etc., is only a
vain and foolish attempt to blind the eyes of men and dissuade them
from their faith in the Redeemer of the world, and from their belief
in the Scriptures of divine truth, for if the heathen have doctrines
and ceremonies resembling to some extent those which are recorded in
the Scriptures, it only proves, what is plain to the Saints, that
these are the traditions of the fathers handed down from generation to
generation, from Adam, through Noah, and that they will cleave to the
children to the latest generation, though they may wander into darkness
and perversion, until but a slight resemblance to their origin, which
was divine, can be seen. * * *
{255} The ordinances of the gospel have been restored in their purity.
We know why the law of sacrifice was given to Adam, and how it is that
relics of the gospel are found among the heathen.
When Jesus came and suffered, "the just for the unjust," he that was
without sin for him that had sinned, and was subjected to the penalty
of the law which the sinner had transgressed, the law of sacrifice was
fulfilled, and instead thereof he gave another law, which we call the
"Sacrament of the Lord's Supper," by which his life and mission, his
death and resurrection, the great sacrifice he had offered for the
redemption of man, should be kept in everlasting remembrance, for, said
he, "this do ye * * * in remembrance of me, for as often as ye eat this
bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come."
Therefore this law is to us what the law of sacrifice was to those who
lived prior to the first coming of the Son of Man, until he shall come
again. Therefore, we must honor and keep it sacredly, for there is a
penalty attached to its violation, as we shall see by reading the words
of Paul (1 Cor. 11:27-30):
"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the
Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup.
"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
And it is even more plainly given in the Book of Mormon, which I will
read (III Nephi 18:26-29):
"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he
turned his eyes again upon the disciples whom he had chosen, and said
unto them, behold verily, {256} verily I say unto you, I give unto you
another commandment, and then I must go unto my Father, that I may
fulfil other commandments which he hath given me. And now behold, this
is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any
one knowingly, to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye
shall minister it; for whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye
know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood, ye
shall forbid him."
These are some of the injunctions and commandments that are given
in relation to the partaking of the Lord's Supper. Now let us be
careful what we do, that we may not incur the penalty affixed to the
transgression of this law, remembering that the ordinances which
God has given are sacred and binding, that his laws are in force,
especially upon all that have covenanted with him in baptism, and upon
all unto whom they come, whether they embrace them or not, as Jesus
said, "This is the condemnation of the world, that light has come into
the world, but ye love darkness rather than light." Therefore all men
will be held accountable for the use they make of the light which they
possess. For this reason we are commanded to preach the gospel unto
every creature, that those who obey and are baptized may be saved, and
those who reject it may be condemned.
I bear my testimony to these things. I know that Joseph Smith was and
is a prophet of the living God, and President Young is also a prophet
of God, and that by inspiration and revelation, and not of man. God
bless you, and help us to be faithful, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.--Discourse delivered in the Thirteenth Ward Assembly
Rooms, Salt Lake City, February 9, 1873. _Journal of Discourses,_
Vol. 15, pp. 324-328.
ORDER OF ADMINISTERING TO THE SICK. In the matter of administering to
the sick, according to the order and practice {257} established in the
Church, care should be taken to avoid unwarranted repetitions. When
an administration is made, and when the blessing pronounced upon the
afflicted one has been received, the ordinance should not be repeated,
rather let the time be given to prayer and thanksgiving for the
manifestation of divine power already granted and realized. No limit
should be or can be set to the offering of prayer and the rendering
of praise to the Giver of Good, for we are specially told to pray
without ceasing, and no special authority of the priesthood or standing
in the Church is essential to the offering of prayer; but the actual
administration by anointing with oil and by the imposition of hands by
those who hold the proper office in the priesthood is an authoritative
ordinance, too sacred in its nature to be performed lightly, or to
be repeated loosely when the blessing has been gained.--_Juvenile
Instructor,_ Vol. 38, January, 1902, p. 18.
THE USE OF A TESTIMONY. The sanctity of a true testimony should
inspire a thoughtful care as to its use. That testimony is not to be
forced upon everybody, nor is it to be proclaimed at large from the
housetop. It is not to be voiced merely to "fill up the time" in a
public meeting; far less to excuse or disguise the speaker's poverty of
thought or ignorance of the truth he is called to expound.
The individual testimony is a personal possession. One cannot give
his testimony to another, yet he is able to aid his earnest brother
in gaining a true testimony for himself. The over-zealous missionary
may be influenced by the misleading thought that the bearing of his
testimony to those who have not before heard the gospel message, is to
convince or condemn, as the hearers accept or reject. The elder is sent
into the field to preach the gospel--the good news of its restoration
to earth, showing by scriptural evidence the harmony of the new message
with the predictions of earlier times; expounding the truths embodied
in the first principles of the gospel; then if he bears his testimony
under divine {258} inspiration, such a testimony is as a seal attesting
the genuineness of the truths he has declared, and so appealing to the
receptive soul whose ears have been saluted by the heaven-sent message.
But the voicing of one's testimony, however eloquently phrased or
beautifully expressed, is no fit or acceptable substitute for the
needed discourse of instruction and counsel expected in a general
gathering of the people. The man who professes a testimony as herein
described, and who assumes that his testimony embraces all the
knowledge he needs, and who therefore lives in indolence and ignorance
shall surely discover his error to his own cost and loss. A gift from
God, if neglected, or unworthily used, is in time withdrawn; the
testimony of the truth will not remain with one who, having received,
uses not the sacred gift in the cause of individual and general
advancement.
Search out the truth of the written word; listen for and receive the
truth declared by living prophets and teachers; enrich your minds with
the best of knowledge and facts. Of those who speak in his name, the
Lord requires humility, not ignorance. Intelligence is the glory of
God; and no man can be saved in ignorance.
Study and strive to acquire the knowledge that leads toward, and the
wisdom that shall reach, the goal of life eternal. Your testimony as
to the truth of the restored gospel may operate toward salvation or
condemnation as it is used or misused.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 41,
August, 1906, p. 465.
PURPOSE AND PRACTICE OF TESTIMONY BEARING. The practice of bearing
testimonies once a month in the Sabbath schools has become so general,
and is of such far-reaching importance to the faith and happiness of
our young people, that a word of caution and of encouragement may be
helpful at this time. It is not the chief purpose of testimony bearing
to accumulate physical evidences of the truth of the {259} gospel. It
is not so much argument and physical demonstration that are wanted as
it is the cultivation of the Spirit of God within the hearts of the
children.
Many of the children live in homes where there is comparatively little
or no sickness, and perhaps have no opportunity whatever to witness
manifestations of divine power in the healing of the sick. At testimony
meetings, these children would perhaps have little to say if the
idea prevailed that the testimonies of the children were to consist
chiefly, if not wholly, in recounting instances of healing through the
administrations of the elders.
The healing of the sick is but one of those spiritual blessings that
follow those who have faith, and the blessing belongs peculiarly to the
Church, but is not confined exclusively to those who are members of the
Church. In Christ's day, many were healed who were strangers to his
great mission, simply through their faith in him, or that the glory of
God might be made manifest.
Now, the healing of the sick is simply one of the evidences; but if
it were the only evidence of the divinity of this work it would be
insufficient, because in the organization of the Church, the existence
of apostles, the gathering, the payment of tithes and offerings, the
laying on of hands, baptism, and other laws and ordinances of the
gospel are equally evidence of its divine origin, and the importance of
one ought not to be emphasized to the neglect of any other. The fact
that all these ordinances and principles are taught and practiced by
the Saints constitutes a convincing argument that the Church is now the
same as it was in the days of the Master.
Testimony-bearing should have a strong educational influence upon the
feelings and lives of the children, and it is intended to cultivate
within them feelings of thankfulness and appreciation for the blessings
they enjoy. The Spirit of God may work within the life of a child and
make the {260} child realize and know that this is the work of God.
The child knows it rather because of the Spirit than because of some
physical manifestation which he may have witnessed. Our testimony
meetings, then, should have as one of their aims the cultivation of
the children's feelings of gratitude not only toward God, but toward
their parents, teachers and neighbors. It is advisable, therefore, to
cultivate as far as possible their appreciation for the blessings that
they enjoy.
Testimony bearing is chiefly for the benefit of those who bear the
testimony, in that their gratitude and appreciation are deepened.
Testimony bearing is not the accumulation of arguments or evidences
solely for the satisfaction and testimony of others. Let the
testimonies, then, of the young people include the training of their
feelings by way of making them more appreciative and more thankful for
the blessings they enjoy, and the children should be made to understand
what these blessings are and how they come to them. It is an excellent
way to make people helpful and thankful to others, by first making them
thankful to God.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 38, April, 1903, p. 246.
THE TEMPORAL AND THE SPIRITUAL NOT SEPARATE. You Must continue to
bear in mind that the temporal and the spiritual are blended. They
are not separate. One cannot be carried on without the other, so long
as we are here in mortality. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints on the earth is a physical organization as well as a spiritual
organization. We need practical faith--that is, we need to practice the
principles of our faith. Without the practice of the principles of the
gospel, we can never realize our hopes and expectations concerning the
results of this great latter-day work.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1900, p. 46.
SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL SALVATION. The Latter-day Saints believe not
only in the gospel of spiritual salvation, but also in the gospel of
temporal salvation. We have to look after the cattle and the sheep and
the horses, the gardens {261} and the farms, the irrigation canals and
ditches, and other necessary things for the maintenance of ourselves
and our families in the earth. In this respect this Church is different
from many other denominations. We do not feel that it is possible for
men to be really good and faithful Christian people unless they can
also be good, faithful, honest and industrious people. Therefore, we
preach the gospel of industry, the gospel of economy, the gospel of
sobriety. We preach that the idler shall not eat the bread of the
laborer, and that the idler is not entitled to an inheritance in Zion.
We preach that those who are industrious, those who work, those who
through their integrity and industry are good citizens of the kingdom
of God, are better citizens of the country in which they live than
those who are not so diligent in this regard.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1904, p.
74.
THE GOSPEL DESIGNED FOR TEMPORAL BENEFITS, ALSO. The work that we are
engaged in is not designed to be limited by the spiritual necessities
of the people alone. It is the purpose of God in restoring the gospel
and the holy priesthood not only to benefit mankind spiritually,
but also to benefit them temporally. The Lord has expressed this
many times, in the word that he gave to his servant Joseph Smith,
the prophet; he designed that his people should become the richest
of all people. And this not only means the richest of all people
in heavenly gifts--in spiritual blessings and riches, but it also
means that the people of God shall be the richest of all people with
regard to temporal matters. If faithful, we have a right to claim
the blessings of the Lord upon the labor of our hands, our temporal
labors. The farmer has a right to ask the Lord for blessings upon his
farm, upon the labor that he bestows upon it. He has a right to claim
the blessings of the Lord upon the animals that are necessary to the
cultivation of his farm. He has a right to ask God to bless the grain
that he sows and the seeds of the fruit that he plants in the soil.
It is his privilege, {262} not only to ask and claim these blessings
at the hand of the Lord, but it is his right and privilege to receive
blessings from God upon his labor, upon his farm, and upon all that he
puts his hand unto in righteousness. It is our privilege to ask God
to remove the curse from the earth, and to make it fruitful. If we
will live so that we shall be entitled to his favor, and so that we
may justly and righteously claim the blessings and gifts that he has
promised unto his Saints, then that which we ask will be given, and
we shall receive and enjoy them more abundantly. It is our privilege
to ask God to bless the elements that surround us and to temper them
for our good, and we know he will hear and answer the prayers of his
people, according to their faith.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1898, pp. 9-10.
THE SPIRIT NEEDS FOOD. Many people are inconsistent in that they study
concerning the needs of the body, and observe strictly the laws of
health, yet they disregard the equally urgent needs of the spirit. For
the spirit, as well as the body, needs food. Some people are either
ignorant or thoughtless concerning the great blessings promised to
those who observe the Word of Wisdom.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21,
December, 1917, p. 103.
{263}
CHAPTER XI
OBEDIENCE
OBEDIENCE AN ETERNAL PRINCIPLE. We have entered into the bond of
that new and everlasting covenant agreeing that we would obey the
commandments of God in all things whatsoever he shall command us. This
is an everlasting covenant even unto the end of our days. And when
is the end of our days? We may think it has reference to the end of
our mortal lives; that a time will come after we have finished this
probation when we can live without obedience to the commandments of
God. This is a great error. We shall never see the day in time nor in
eternity, when it will not be obligatory, and when it will not be a
pleasure as well as a duty for us, as his children, to obey all the
commandments of the Lord throughout the endless ages of eternity. It
is upon this principle that we keep in touch with God, and remain
in harmony with his purposes. It is only in this way that we can
consummate our mission, and obtain our crown and the gift of eternal
lives, which is the greatest gift of God. Can you imagine any other way?
God has established all things in their order. The house of God is
a house of order, and not a house of confusion. In this house God
himself is the Supreme Head, and he must be obeyed. Christ is in the
image and likeness of his being, his Only Begotten Son, and he stands
as our Savior and our God. We must walk in his paths, and observe
his precepts to do them, or we will be cut off. Next unto God and
Christ, on the earth is placed one unto whom the keys of power and
the authority of the holy priesthood are conferred, and unto whom the
right of presidency is given. He is God's mouthpiece to his people, in
all things pertaining to the building up of Zion and to the spiritual
and {264} temporal salvation of the people. He is as God's vicegerent;
I do not hesitate to announce this truth; for it is his word, and
therefore it is true. The people who have entered into covenant to keep
the commandments of the Lord must hearken unto the voice of him who is
placed to preside over them; and, secondarily, to those who are called
to act with him as his counselors in the holy priesthood. It takes this
council of three to constitute the presiding and governing authority of
the priesthood on the earth. God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Ghost, constitute the Godhead and the matchless governing quorum
over all the creations of the Father. Three men stand at the head of
the Church on the earth. Yet there are those who call themselves Saints
who hesitate not to rise up in condemnation of, and to express words of
hatred and malice toward these men who stand at the head of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1898, pp. 68-69.
HOW TO RISE ABOVE THE WEAKNESS OF MORTALITY. I would like all the
Latter-day Saints to feel in their hearts that the work in which they
are engaged is not only the work that God has instituted in the latter
days, but that it is a work in which each individual member of the
Church is deeply and vitally interested. Every man and every woman
should feel a deep and abiding interest in the work of the Lord, in
the growth and development of the great latter-day cause, which cause
is intended for the redemption of all men from the powers of sin, from
all its contaminating effects, for the redemption of man from his own
weakness and ignorance, and from the grasp that Satan holds upon the
world, that men may be made free; for no man is or can be made free
without possessing a knowledge of the truth and obeying the same. It is
only the possession and observance of the truth that can make men free,
and all those who do not possess and obey it are slaves and not free
men.
{265} It is only by obedience to the laws of God that men can rise
above the petty weaknesses of mortality and exercise that breadth of
affection, that charity and love, that should actuate the hearts and
the motives of the children of men. The gospel as it has been restored
is intended to make free indeed, free to choose the good and forsake
the evil, free to exercise that boldness in their choice of that which
is good, by which they are convinced of right, notwithstanding the
great majority of the people of the world may point at them the finger
of scorn and ridicule. It requires no especial bravery on the part
of men to swim with the currents of the world. When a man makes up
his mind to forsake the world and its follies and sins, and identify
himself with God's people, who are everywhere spoken evil of, it takes
courage, manhood, independence of character, superior intelligence and
a determination that is not common among men; for men shrink from that
which is unpopular, from that which will not bring them praise and
adulation, from that which will in any degree tarnish that which they
call honor or a good name.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1903, pp. 1, 2.
OBEDIENCE TO CHURCH ORDINANCES INDISPENSABLE. From remarks that
sometimes fall from members of the Church one is led to believe that
they regard the gospel of Jesus Christ simply from the standpoint of a
code of morals; that if one lives an honest, upright life, that is all
that the gospel requires of him; that it is not necessary to observe
the rites, ceremonies and ordinances of the Church; that the latter
constitute a sort of religious trapping that has no substantial value
in the plan of life and salvation. Such a position does not harmonize
with the word of God given to this people nor with the teachings of
Christ in his day, nor is it in harmony with the universal instinct of
man to worship God.
Jesus himself attended to the ordinance of baptism; he instituted the
sacrament of the Lord's supper, and ordained {266} its observance; and
performed other rites which he thought essential to man's salvation. In
the case of Nicodemus, he so emphasized baptism that he made the birth
of water and the Spirit essential to man's salvation.
Besides the rites and ceremonies and the moral effect they and other
means of worshiping God have upon the moral life of man, the gospel
is also a power in itself. It is a creative power which gives man not
alone dominion in the world, but the power, if he can attain it by
his faith, to ordain and create other worlds. On one occasion Jesus
commended to the disciples the value of faith as a power when he told
them that if they had faith as a grain of mustard, they could say
unto the mountain, be thou removed, and it should be done. It is true
that our faith would be greatly weakened by acts of immorality, and
it might be wholly destroyed by such acts; but faith and morality are
not convertible terms. A moral life is one of the means by which we
cultivate faith, but it is not the only means. We may not see any moral
virtue in the ordinance of baptism, in the laying on of bands, or in
any other rite or ceremony of the Church, but our obedience to these
rites and ordinances may be quite as helpful in developing our faith
as any act of charity we may perform. Faith is always a gift of God to
man, which is obtained by obedience, as all other blessings are.
The man or woman in this Church who desires to enrich his or her faith
to the highest possible degree will desire to observe every rite
and ordinance in the Church in conformity to the law of obedience
to the will of God. In these things, and through them, man gains a
more perfect knowledge of God's purposes in the world. An enriched
faith means an enlarged power, and though man may not have in this
life an occasion to exercise all the powers that come to him through
the enrichment of his faith, those powers may be exercised in
their fulness in eternity, if not in time. The {267} man or woman,
therefore, among the Latter-day Saints, who does not see the necessity
for the ordinances of the House of God, who does not respond to the
requirements of the gospel in all its rites and ordinances, can have no
proper conception of the great work which the Latter-day Saints have
been called upon to perform in this age, nor can he or she enjoy the
blessing that comes from the virtue of obedience to a law higher than
that of man.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 38, November 1, 1903, p. 656.
OBEDIENCE BRINGS LIGHT AND FREEDOM. The gospel is very simple when
we understand it properly. It is plain and easily understood. It is
always right, good, uplifting, comforting and enlightening. It prompts
men and women to do that which is acceptable before God, who is just,
righteous, allwise, allgood, and allmerciful.
The gospel teaches us to forgive, to overcome selfishness,
covetousness; to abjure anger, wrath, faultfinding, complaining and the
spirit of contention and strife. The gospel warns and forewarns the
children of men against the evils which bring disunion and contention
and shut out honesty and love from among the children of men; which
mislead people to acts of injustice, selfishness, covetousness,
wickedness and sin, things which the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us
to eschew and avoid as we would the gates of hell. There is nothing
intricate or incomprehensible in the gospel of Jesus Christ to those
who possess the Spirit of the Lord.
There is nothing mysterious and unaccountable in the dealings of God
with his children if we can only see and understand by the spirit
of truth. Jesus has given us in this life the example, the type of
that which exists in greater perfection, in a purer, higher and more
glorious excellence where he dwells himself. The gospel teaches us to
do here just what we would be required to do in the heavens, with God
and the angels, if we would listen to its teachings, and {268} obey it,
and put it into practice. There would be no covetousness in the hearts
of the children of men, if they possessed the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
and understood the precepts of the gospel as he taught and admonished
all men to observe them.
There would be no strife, no anger, nothing of the spirit of
unforgiveness, unchastity and injustice, in the hearts of the children
of men, if we loved the truth and obeyed it as it was taught by the Son
of Man. With this spirit we could advance to the extreme position that
we would pray for those who despitefully use us, who speak all manner
of evil against us falsely, accuse us of wrongdoing, and lay plans and
plots to bring us into disrepute. There would be no such desires in the
hearts of the children of men, if they possessed the Spirit of the Lord
Jesus Christ. There would be no contention, dishonor, nor dishonesty
among neighbors nor in the communities of the people. None would take
advantage of the unwary, the weak or unsuspecting; no one would seek to
wrong another; but, on the contrary, we would feel like Jesus himself
expressed it, "he that is greatest among you, let him be the servant
of all." If we would be great among the children of men, let us show
that we are willing to serve and to do good to our fellowmen, set them
a right example, shield them from wrong, show them the right way, help
them to avoid error and sin, and to walk in the light, as God is in the
light, that they may have fellowship with him and with one another, and
that the blood of Christ may indeed cleanse them from all sin.
The spirit of the gospel should teach us that if men sue us at the law,
and take away our coat wrongfully and wickedly, intending to injure
or degrade us, that we would rise above the spirit of contention and
retribution in our own souls, and speak as Jesus spoke: "Forgive them,
for they know not what they do."
My brethren and sisters, if we would build up ourselves, {269} or
ever become worthy to inherit the kingdom of God, we will do so on
the principle of eternal truth. The truth is what will make us free;
free from error, prejudice, selfishness, ignorance, contention, the
power of the adversary of our souls, free from the power of death and
hell; free to inherit the fulness of the everlasting gospel; free to
have joy in our hearts for all things good and for the welfare of
mankind; free to forgive those who err because of lack of judgment and
understanding. But the Spirit of truth, mark you, will not tolerate and
will not forgive determined, premeditated and deliberate wrong in man
or woman, in the world--truth will not tolerate it. We can not forgive
that kind or class of crime and wickedness. We can not, or if we do,
we transgress the laws of God, for he has no sympathy with Satan, nor
with him who knoweth to do good and doeth evil; who knoweth to do right
but is determined to do wrong. There is no forgiveness to such without
humble and most contrite repentance of sin. When one gets far enough
along in the crime of wickedness and disobedience to the principles
of the gospel, and in the abandonment of love for his fellowmen and
for the Church of Jesus Christ, so that he will fight and lie about
the Church and the truth, and seek by every power within his reach to
injure and wrong them, there is no forgiveness for that man, and if he
goes just far enough, there is no repentance for him either.
And how do you pray? To be heard because of many words? No; but because
the Lord has said it is your duty to inquire of him; I will be inquired
of, by my people; I will be asked for blessings, for my gifts, and the
door will be opened to those who knock, and those who seek after the
truth shall find it.
Fathers, pray with your families; bow down with them morning and at
night; pray to the Lord, thank him for his goodness, mercy and Fatherly
kindness, just as our earthly {270} fathers and mothers have been
extremely kind to us poor, disobedient and wayward children.
Do you pray? What do you pray for? You pray that God may recognize
you, that he may hear your prayers, and that he may bless you with his
Spirit, and that he may lead you into all truth and show you the right
way; that he will warn you against wrong and guide you into the right
path; that you may not fall astray, that you may not veer into the
wrong way unto death, but that you may keep in the narrow way. You pray
for your wives to have health and strength, blessed to be happy and
contented, true to their children, true to their homes, true to you.
The wives pray that they may also have power to overcome the weaknesses
of fallen human nature, and rise to teach their children the beauty
and glory of a righteous life, and that the children may be blessed to
carry out in their lives the wish and desire of their parents; that
they may perfect their lives here by living up to the wise teachings of
the gospel. So we pray for what we need.
While in my boyhood days, when I was like some of these little boys,
I used to wonder--how could the Lord hear me when I was in secret, or
wherever I might be? I wondered at it! Do you wonder at it now, when
you have learned something of the late discoveries made by human wisdom
and human intelligence?
They have discovered that there is a principle by which communication
between distant points, thousands of miles away, may take place, and
one man may communicate with another through the air, his words and
voice being distinctly and clearly heard. If in the midst of the
Pacific ocean, a thousand or more miles from shore, I could send a
message inland a thousand or more miles, and could send it without the
medium of wire, merely by the power or force of electricity, to my
home thousands of miles away, how easy, is it not, for God to bear our
prayers, who understands, and knows all things, long before we ever
thought of such wonderful {271} inventions and who has power over all
things!
Is it any wonder that the Lord can hear you when you whisper, even in
your secret closet? Is there any doubt in your minds about it? If man
can communicate across the continent by means of a telephone without
wires--by means of human invention, by reason of the wisdom of man, is
there any one who doubts the ability of God to hear the earnest, honest
supplication of the soul? Do not doubt any more that the Lord can hear
your prayers, when, with a small instrument, sensitive to the electric
spark, you can distinctly hear the human voice in your home received
from the ocean thousands of miles away. When you can communicate to
some one in the midst of the ocean from your home, far inland from
the ocean--do not for a moment doubt that the Lord understands all
these means of communication and that he has means of hearing and
understanding your innermost, exact thoughts. "Prayer is the soul's
sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed." It does not take many words
to ask the Lord for what we need; but we must ask in faith, confidence
and trust. It will not do to have doubts in our minds when we call upon
the Lord for a blessing. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall
be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord."
(James 1:5-7.)
When a little child bows down in its perfect simplicity and asks the
Father for a blessing, the Father hears the voice, and will answer in
blessings upon his head, because the child is innocent and asks in full
trust and confidence.
These are simple principles that I have sought to impress upon your
minds. They are simple, but necessary, and essential. There is no
mystery about them, there is no mystery in the birth of man into the
world, when you understand {272} the laws of nature, which are the
laws of God--no mystery about it. There will be no more mystery in the
resurrection from the dead to life and everlasting light, than there is
in the birth of man into the world, when we understand the truth, as we
will some day, as the Lord of glory instituted it. There is no mystery
in the birth or begetting of the Son of God, nor regarding his birth
into the world. It was just as natural, and as strictly in accordance
with the laws of nature and of God, as the birth of any one of his
children, the birth of any one of us. It was simply in accordance with
truth, and law and order. Will the men of the world receive the gospel?
Will they hearken to the truth? Or will they mystify the truth and seek
to becloud the children of men over simple truths when they should
understand them? From the middle-aged to the gray-haired man, as well
as the youth, all should understand the principles of the gospel, the
simple truths given for the redemption and exaltation of man.--_Granite
Stake Conference,_ Sunday, Nov. 25, 1917.
BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE. Every good and perfect gift comes from the
Father of Light, who is no respecter of persons and in whom there is
no variableness, nor shadow of turning. To please him we must not only
worship him with thanksgiving and praise, but render willing obedience
to his commandments. By so doing he is bound to bestow his blessings;
for it is upon this principle (obedience to law) that all blessings are
predicated.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21, December, 1917.
{273}
CHAPTER XII
PRAYER
PRAY EVERY DAY. Observe that great commandment given of the Master,
always to remember the Lord, to pray in the morning, and in the
evening, and always remember to thank him for the blessings that you
receive day by day.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1914, p. 6.
PRAY IN WISDOM. My brethren and sisters, let us remember and call
upon God and implore his blessings and his favor upon us. Let us do
it, nevertheless, in wisdom and in righteousness, and when we pray we
should call upon him in a consistent and reasonable way. We should
not ask the Lord for that which is unnecessary or which would not be
beneficial to us. We should ask for that which we need, and we should
ask in faith, "nothing wavering, for he that wavereth," as the apostle
said, "is like the wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For
let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." But
when we ask of God for blessings let us ask in the faith of the gospel,
in that faith that he has promised to give to those who believe in him
and obey his commandments.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1914, p. 7.
KEEP THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. We should carry with us the spirit of prayer
throughout every duty that we have to perform in life. Why should we?
One of the simple reasons that appeals to my mind with great force
is that man is so utterly dependent upon God! How helpless we are
without him; how little can we do without his merciful providence in
our behalf! I have often been led to make the remark, that not one of
us, not a human being in all the world can make even a single spear of
grass grow without the help of God. We have to use his earth, we must
avail ourselves of the benefit of his soil, his air and his sunshine,
and the moisture that God provides, and gives to the earth, to enable
us to produce {274} even a single blade of grass; and the same applies
to everything that ministers to our existence in the world. You can't
raise an ear of corn or grain of wheat without God's help. You cannot
produce a single thing essential to the existence of man or beast
without the help of God. Then, why should we not feel dependent upon
the Lord? Why should we not call upon his name? Why should we not
remember him in our prayers? Why should we not love him with all our
heart and mind, and strength, since he has given us life, since he has
formed us in his own likeness and image, since he has placed us here
that we may become like unto his Only Begotten Son and to inherit the
glory, exaltation and reward provided for God's own children?--_Oct. C.
R.,_ 1914, p. 6.
TRUE PRAYER. I pray you, my young brethren who are present in this vast
congregation, and who are liable to be called to preach the gospel to
the world, when you are called to go out, I pray that you will know how
to approach God in prayer. It is not such a difficult thing to learn
how to pray. It is not the words we use particularly that constitute
prayer. Prayer does not consist of words, altogether. True, faithful,
earnest prayer consists more in the feeling that rises from the heart
and from the inward desire of our spirits to supplicate the Lord in
humility and in faith, that we may receive his blessings. It matters
not how simple the words may be, if our desires are genuine and we come
before the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit to ask him for
that which we need. I would like to know if there is a young man in
this congregation, or anywhere else, who does not need something of the
Lord. Where is there a soul upon the earth that does not need something
that the Almighty can give? In the first place, all that we have comes
from him. It is by his providence that we exist on the earth. It is
by his kind mercy that we see and hear, that we have the power of
speech, and that we possess intelligence, for as the sage of old said,
"There is a spirit in man; and {275} the inspiration of the Almighty
giveth them understanding." Therefore, the very power of understanding
that we possess is the gift of God. In and of ourselves we are but a
lifeless lump of clay. Life, intelligence, wisdom, judgment, power to
reason, all are the gifts of God to the children of men. He gives us
our physical strength as well as our mental powers. Every young man
should feel from the depth of his heart that he is indebted to Almighty
God for his being and for every attribute that he possesses which is
in likeness of the attributes of God. We should seek to magnify the
attributes that we possess. We should honor God with our intelligence,
with our strength, with our understanding, with our wisdom, and with
all the power that we possess. We should seek to do good in the world.
This is our duty; and if a young man can only feel as all men should
feel, he will find that it is an easy matter for him to bow down before
the Lord in humble prayer and seek unto God for the aid, comfort, and
inspiration of his Holy Spirit, that he may not be left entirely to
himself, nor to the wisdom and ways of the world. But as a rule, where
young men have good parents to provide for them, where they have good
homes and their food and raiment are sure, they feel that they are
not dependent upon anybody, unless perchance they should be afflicted
in some way, and then begin to realize their weakness and dependence.
But I want to say to you, my young friends, that in the hour of your
independence, at the moment when you feel the strongest, you should
bear in mind that you are but human, the breath of life is in your
nostrils, and you are destined to pass from this world through the
portals of death.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1899, pp. 69, 70.
HOW TO PRAY. My brethren and sisters, do not learn to pray with your
lips only. Do not learn a prayer by heart, and say it every morning and
evening. That is something I dislike very much. It is true that a great
many people fall into the rut of saying over a ceremonious prayer. They
{276} begin at a certain point, and they touch at all the points along
the road until they get to the winding up scene; and when they have
done, I do not know whether the prayer has ascended beyond the ceiling
of the room or not.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1899, pp. 71, 72.
AN ADDRESS ON PRAYER--PRACTICAL PRAYER AND HEALING. I thought that a
few words from the Book of Mormon might be appropriate as concluding
advice and counsel, written by the prophet Moroni:
"And now, my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your
peaceable walk with the children of men;
"For I remember the word of God, which saith by their works ye shall
know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.
"For behold, God bath said, A man being evil cannot do that which is
good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall
do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
"For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
"For behold, if a man being evil, giveth a gift, he doeth it
grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had
retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
"And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray, and
not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing; for
God receiveth none such." (Moroni 7:4-9.)
Here, indeed, is a text that would give an opportunity to one moved by
the proper spirit, to make a telling discourse among the Latter-day
Saints--not applicable to all, but applicable to far too many. It is
not good for us to pray by rote, to kneel down and repeat the Lord's
prayer continually. I think that one of the greatest follies I have
ever witnessed is the foolish custom of men repeating the Lord's prayer
continually without considering its meaning. The Lord gave {277} this
as a pattern to his disciples who were going out into the world to
preach the gospel. It was to show them that they were not to use many
words, but were to come directly to the Lord, and ask him for the
things they might need, consequently one of the specific provisions
in that prayer, and the example set was: "Give us this day our daily
bread;" and we see people clothed with plenty, possessed of millions,
perhaps, and yet, if they pray at all, they repeat simply the Lord's
prayer. It thus becomes only a form; there is no power in it; neither
is it acceptable, because it is not offered from the heart, nor with
the understanding; and I think that it is desirable for us to look well
to our words when we call upon the Lord. He hears us in secret, and can
reward us openly. We do not have to cry unto him with many words. We do
not have to weary him with long prayers. What we do need, and what we
should do as Latter-day Saints, for our own good, is to go before him
often, to witness unto him that we remember him and that we are willing
to take upon us his name, keep his commandments, work righteousness;
and that we desire his Spirit to help us. Then, if we are in trouble,
let us go to the Lord and ask him directly and specifically to help us
out of the trouble that we are in; and let the prayer come from the
heart, let it not be in words that are worn into ruts in the beaten
tracks of common use, without thought or feeling in the use of those
words. Let us speak the simple words, expressing our need, that will
appeal most truly to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. He can
hear in secret; and he knows the desires of our hearts before we ask,
but he has made it obligatory, and a duty that we shall call upon his
name--that we shall ask that we may receive; and knock that it may be
opened to us; and seek that we may find. Hence, the Lord has made it a
loving duty that we should remember him, that we should witness unto
him morning, noon, and night, that we do not forget the Giver of every
good gift unto us.
{278} "Wherefore, a man being evil, cannot do that which is good;
neither will he give a good gift.
"For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither
can a good fountain bring forth bitter water, wherefore a man being a
servant of the devil, cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ, he
cannot be a servant of the devil.
"Wherefore, all things which are good, cometh of God; and that which
is evil, cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and
fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and
to do that which is evil continually.
"But behold, that which is of God, inviteth and enticeth to do good
continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do
good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
"Wherefore take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that
which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God, to be of
the devil.
"For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may
know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know
with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that they may
know good from evil; wherefore I show unto you the way to judge; for
everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in
Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may
know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
"But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in
Christ and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect
knowledge it is of the devil, for after this manner doth the devil
work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither doth
his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
{279} "And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye
may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge
wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge, ye shall also
be judged.
"Wherefore I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently
in the light of Christ, that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will
lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will
be a child of Christ." (Moroni 7:10-19.)
I think that here, in the words that I have read, are some plain
fingerboards, some plain, simple guideposts; and if we, as Latter-day
Saints, believing as we do in the divinity of this book which was
translated by the gift and power of God, through the inspiration that
came to the Prophet Joseph Smith, would read these words as believing
children should read, with understanding, in faith, being sure that God
inspired them, and then put them into practice, I think it would not
be long before we could do away with appeals to bishops' courts, and
high councils, and with the present necessity for teachers' visits, to
try to settle difficulties among Latter-day Saints. I believe every
man would be his own judge, for he would judge righteously, because
he would judge in the light of truth, in the light and justice--not
selfishly, not covetously, but in the light that has come from the
heavens in the latter days, through revelations from God.--_Improvement
Era,_ Vol. 11, August, 1908, pp. 729-732.
PRAY FOR THE AUTHORITIES. We have met together this afternoon in the
capacity of a conference of this stake of Zion. We have had presented
before us the stake authorities, together with the home missionaries,
that we might sustain them by our vote, which means also by our faith
and prayers, and to stand by them in the discharge of all the duties
that devolve upon them. It is an important duty resting upon the Saints
who vote to sustain the authorities of the Church, to do so not only
by the lifting of the hand, the mere form, {280} but in deed and in
truth. There never should be a day pass but all the people composing
the Church should lift up their voices in prayer to the Lord to sustain
his servants who are placed to preside over them. Not only should they
do this in behalf of the president of the stake and his counselors,
but they should do it in behalf of the high council, before whom, in
connection with the presidency of the stake, matters of vast importance
to the members of the Church are brought from time to time for their
judgment and counsel. These men should have the faith of the people to
sustain them in discharge of their duties, in order that they may be
strong in the Lord. These authorities are also presented before the
people, so that if there is any fault in them, worthy of objection, to
their acting in the positions to which they are called, the Saints who
know of these objections may make them manifest, in order that such
inquiry may be instituted as may be necessary to ascertain the truth,
that those who are not worthy may be dropped, and only such as are
worthy and faithful in the performance of their duties be sustained in
these exalted positions in the Church.
We should not permit ourselves to go about from day to day with a
spirit of murmuring and fault-finding in our hearts against those who
are presented before us to be sustained in responsible positions. If we
have anything in our hearts against any of these brethren, it is our
duty, as conscientious members of the Church, first, as the Spirit may
direct, to go to them alone and make known to them our feeling toward
them and show them the cause of such feeling; not with a desire in our
hearts to widen or increase the difficulty, but we should go to them in
the spirit of reconciliation and brotherly love, in a true Christian
spirit, so that if any feeling of bitterness exists within us it may
be absolutely removed; and if we have cause against our brother, that
we may be in a position to remedy the evil. We should seek to love one
another and to sustain one another {281} as children of God and as
brothers and sisters in the cause.
The presentation of the authorities of the Church before a conference
is made obligatory upon the Church. It is the command of the Lord that
we shall meet together to transact the business of the Church, an
important part of which is to sustain the authorities of the Church,
thus renewing our covenant to uphold God's authority which he has
instituted in the earth for the government of his Church. And I cannot
emphasize too strongly the importance of Latter-day Saints honoring and
sustaining in truth and in deed the authority of the holy priesthood
which is called to preside. The moment a spirit enters the heart of a
member to refrain from sustaining the constituted authorities of the
Church, that moment he becomes possessed of a spirit which inclines
to rebellion or dissension; and if he permits that spirit to take a
firm root in his mind, it will eventually lead him into darkness and
apostasy. It makes no difference how much we may profess to love the
gospel and prize our standing in the Church, if we allow the spirit of
darkness to take possession of our minds, the light and love within
us will go out, and bitterness and enmity will take possession of our
souls. Then, oh how dark, how bitter and wicked we may become!--_Salt
Lake Stake, C. R.,_ June 12, 1898.
BLESSINGS FOLLOW PRAYERS. Family and secret prayers should be observed,
not alone to comply with the commandment of the Lord, but because of
the wonderful blessings to be gained. The Lord has said we should
inquire of him.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21, December, 1917, p. 104.
CORRECT OUR NEGLECTS. What shall we do if we have neglected our
prayers? Let us begin to pray. If we have neglected any other duty,
let us seek unto the Lord for his Spirit, that we may know wherein
we have erred and lost our opportunities, or let them pass by us
unimproved.--_Deseret Weekly News,_ Vol. 24, p. 708.
{282}
CHAPTER XIII
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY
WHY THE LAW OF TITHING WAS INSTITUTED. The Lord revealed to his people
in the incipiency of his work a law which was more perfect than the
law of tithing. It comprehended larger things, greater power, and a
more speedy accomplishment of the purposes of the Lord. But the people
were unprepared to live by it, and the Lord, out of mercy to the
people, suspended the more perfect law, and gave the law of tithing,
in order that there might be means in the storehouse of the Lord for
the carrying out of the purposes he had in view; for the gathering of
the poor, for the spreading of the gospel to the nations of the earth,
for the maintenance of those who were required to give their constant
attention, day in and day out, to the work of the Lord, and for whom
it was necessary to make some provision. Without this law these things
could not be done, neither could temples be built and maintained, nor
the poor fed and clothed. Therefore the law of tithing is necessary
for the Church, so much so that the Lord has laid great stress upon
it.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1900, p. 47.
ESSENTIAL NATURE OF THE LAW OF TITHING. By this principle (tithing) the
loyalty of the people of this Church shall be put to the test. By this
principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is
against it. By this principle it shall be seen whose hearts are set on
doing the will of God and keeping his commandments, thereby sanctifying
the land of Zion unto God, and who are opposed to this principle and
have cut themselves off from the blessings of Zion. There is a great
deal of importance connected with this principle, for by it it shall
be known whether we are faithful or unfaithful. In this respect it is
as essential {283} as faith in God, as repentance of sin, as baptism
for the remission of sin, or as the laying on of hands for the gift of
the Holy Ghost. For if a man keep all the law save one point, and he
offend in that, he is a transgressor of the law, and he is not entitled
to the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But when
a man keeps all the law that is revealed, according to his strength,
his substance, and his ability, though what he does may be little, it
is just as acceptable in the sight of God as if he were able to do a
thousand times more.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1900, pp. 47, 48.
THE LAW OF TITHING A TEST. The law of tithing is a test by which the
people as individuals shall be proved. Any man who fails to observe
this principle shall be known as a man who is indifferent to the
welfare of Zion, who neglects his duty as a member of the Church and
who does nothing toward the accomplishment of the temporal advancement
of the kingdom of God. He contributes nothing, either, toward spreading
the gospel to the nations of the earth, and he neglects to do that
which would entitle him to receive the blessings and ordinances of the
gospel.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1900, p. 47.
THE LAW OF TITHING, THE LAW OF REVENUE. The purpose of the law of
tithing is similar to that of the law of revenue which is enacted
by every state, every country, and every municipality in the world,
I suppose. There is no such thing as an organization of men for any
purpose of importance, without provisions for carrying out its designs.
The law of tithing is the law of revenue for the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. Without it, it would be impossible to carry on
the purposes of the Lord.
TITHING. No doubt, a good deal more could be read from the scriptures
in relation to this principle of tithing, which God has revealed to
us in this dispensation, and which he requires at our hands, that we
may sanctify, by obedience to his law, this land that it may become
indeed a land {284} of Zion unto us; and the promise is, that if we
will obey the laws of God, if we will put our trust in him, if we will
draw near unto him he will draw near unto us, and he will reward us
with his favor and his blessing. He will rebuke the devourer, and he
will cause that the earth shall be fruitful, that it shall yield in its
strength to the husbandman, the tiller of the soil, and to the herder
of flocks. He will increase his kine, and will prosper him upon the
right hand and upon the left, and he shall have an abundance, because
he puts his trust in God; he draws near unto him, and he is willing
to prove him, to see whether he will not open the windows of heaven
and pour out blessings upon him that he shall not have room to contain
them. Let every man who has received the gospel of Jesus Christ receive
this saying, and hearken to these words, for all they are worth. Some
men may esteem them lightly, and those who do, will, without doubt,
fail to draw near, they will neglect to prove the Lord, they will not
fulfil the commandments that he has given, and they will never know
that God tells the truth, and that he is able to fulfil his word and
promise unto his people when they are willing to obey and keep his law.
While they who appreciate these promises, who obey these laws that were
given anciently, and have been renewed again in the dispensation of the
fulness of times, for the blessing of the people, for the building up
of Zion, for the feeding of the widow and the orphan, or the spreading
of the gospel of Christ to the nations of the earth, and for the
gathering of the people from the four quarters of the earth, those who
hearken to these words, prize them as the truth, and apply them in
their practice throughout their lives, will come to know that God is
a rewarder of those who diligently serve him, and that he is able to
fulfil his promises unto them.
A short time ago I met a brother--I need not call his name, for he is
but one among thousands who can bear the same testimony, not only by
the word of mouth but by {285} the evidences of thrift, of prosperity,
of progress and of improvement which surround him in the midst of
the deserts. This season he has gathered in rich harvests, his farms
having produced in abundance, while the farms of many of his neighbors
are clogged with weeds, and their harvests have been only one-half or
one-third what his has been. How do you account for it? I account for
it in the fact that God has blessed him; and so does he, for he is an
intelligent man, a man that not only labors wisely and prudently, but
in the fear of God, and in the desire of his heart to obey his laws.
He said to me and my companion with whom we were traveling: "God has
blessed me because I have striven to keep his laws, and because I have
been true to my family." He went out there upon the desert seven or
eight years ago, impoverished by persecution and exile, being driven
from his home and from his affairs, compelled to wander in exile for
years, part of the time preaching the gospel. He returned seven or
eight years ago, and settled down upon the desert. Today, out of the
earth, the burning sands, he has produced beautiful homes, he has
fruitful fields, which are spread out before the eyes of any man who
wishes to go and look upon them. He pays his tithing, he remembers his
offerings, he is obedient to the laws of God, and he is not afraid
to bear testimony to his friends and neighbors that it is through
obedience that God has blessed and prospered him, and made him what he
is today. He is not the only one; there are others who are prospered in
like manner. And I testify that it is because God has blessed him, and
his soil, and his labors, that he obtained the increase, and secured
the blessings for which he sought and labored. He has acted in good
faith with the Lord; the Lord has known his heart, and has blessed him
accordingly, and he is prosperous today in that desert, while as to
many of his neighbors--go and look for yourselves at their broad acres.
They tell the story for themselves. His lands are clear from noxious
weeds, {286} because he has labored, and taken care of his lands, and
because God has inspired him, and enlightened his mind. The Lord has
blessed him in his basket and in his store, in his labors and in the
thoughts of his mind, he has been inspired and enabled to accomplish
the work that he has done: I testify that it is because of man's faith
in the promise of the Lord, and his desire to obey his laws, that he is
blessed and prospered of him.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1897, pp. 35, 36.
THE WIDOW AND HER TITHING. Will you then deny the widow, because she
has only a mite to bestow? Because the tenth which she proposes to give
in obedience to the commandment of God is but a penny, are you going to
deprive her of the privilege of having her name enrolled on the book
of the law of the Lord, and of having her genealogy acknowledged and
recorded in the archives of the Church? And because her name is not
found there, are you going to deny her the privileges of the house of
God and of the ordinances of the gospel? I think it is time the bishops
understood this principle. The bishop should encourage every man, woman
and child, who earns and receives a return for labor, to honor the Lord
and to prove obedient to the law of God by giving the one-tenth of that
which he or she receives, as the Lord requires, so that they may have
their names enrolled on the book of the law of the Lord, that their
genealogies may be had in the archives of the Church, and that they may
be entitled to the privileges and blessings of the house of God.
I recollect most vividly a circumstance that occurred in the days of
my childhood. My mother was a widow, with a large family to provide
for. One spring when we opened our potato pits, she had her boys get
a load of the best potatoes and she took them to the tithing office;
potatoes were scarce that season. I was a little boy at the time, and
drove the team. When we drove up to the steps of the tithing {287}
office, ready to unload the potatoes, one of the clerks came out and
said to my mother, "Widow Smith, it's a shame that you should have to
pay tithing." He said a number of other things that I remember well,
but they are not necessary for me to repeat here. The first two letters
of the name of that tithing clerk were William Thompson, and he chided
my mother for paying her tithing, called her anything but wise or
prudent; and said there were others who were strong and able to work
that were supported from the tithing office. My mother turned upon him
and said: "William, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Would you deny
me a blessing? If I did not pay my tithing, I should expect the Lord
to withhold his blessings from me. I pay my tithing, not only because
it is a law of God, but because I expect a blessing by doing it. By
keeping this and other laws, I expect to prosper, and to be able to
provide for my family." Though she was a widow, you may turn to the
records of the Church from the beginning unto the day of her death, and
you will find that she never received a farthing from the Church to
help her support herself and her family; but she paid in thousands of
dollars in wheat, potatoes, corn, vegetables, meat, etc. The tithes of
her sheep and cattle, the tenth pound of her butter, her tenth chicken,
the tenth of her eggs, the tenth pig, the tenth calf, the tenth colt--a
tenth of everything she raised was paid. Here sits my brother who can
bear testimony to the truth of what I say, as can others who knew her.
She prospered because she obeyed the laws of God. She had abundance to
sustain her family. We never lacked as much as many others did; for
while we found nettle greens most acceptable when we first came to the
valley; and while we enjoyed thistle roots, segoes and all that kind of
thing, we were no worse off than thousands of others, and not as poor
as many, for we were never without corn-meal and milk or butter, to my
knowledge. Then that widow had her name recorded in the book of the
{288} law of the Lord. That widow was entitled to the privileges of the
house of God. No ordinance of the gospel could be denied her, for she
was obedient to the laws of God, and she would not fail in her duty,
though discouraged from observing a commandment of God by one who was
in an official position.
This may be said to be personal. By some it may be considered
egotistical. But I do not speak of it in that light. When William
Thompson told my mother that she ought not to pay tithing, I thought
he was one of the finest fellows in the world. I believed every word
he said. I had to work and dig and toil myself. I had to help plow the
ground, plant the potatoes, hoe the potatoes, dig the potatoes, and
all like duties, and then to load up a big wagon-box full of the very
best we had, leaving out the poor ones, and bringing the load to the
tithing office, I thought in my childish way that it looked a little
hard, specially when I saw certain of my playmates and early associates
of childhood, playing round, riding horses and having good times, and
who scarcely ever did a lick of work in their lives, and yet were being
fed from the public crib. Where are those boys today? Are they known
in the Church? Are they prominent among the people of God? Are they or
were they ever valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ? Have they a
clear testimony of the truth in their hearts? Are they diligent members
of the Church? No; and never have been, as a rule, and most of them are
dead or vanished out of sight. Well, after I received a few years of
experience, I was converted, I found that my mother was right and that
William Thompson was wrong. He denied the faith, apostatized, left the
country, and led away as many of his family as would go with him. I do
not want you to deny me the privilege of being numbered with those who
have the interests of Zion at heart, and who desire to contribute their
proportion to the upbuilding of Zion, and for the maintenance {289} of
the work of the Lord in the earth. It is a blessing that I enjoy, and I
do not propose that anybody shall deprive me of that pleasure.--_Apr.
C. R.,_ 1900, pp. 48, 49.
THE WIDOW AND TITHING. I preach that which I believe and that which
I do know to be true, and I do know that if men will obey the laws
of God, God will honor and bless them. I have proven it all my life
through. I saw it manifested in circumstances which occurred in my
childhood, and I know that God has blessed the widow and the fatherless
when they have been obedient to his laws and have kept his commandments.
I can tell you the history of a widow woman, with a large family, who
was more particular, if possible, to pay the Lord what belonged to him
than she was to pay to her neighbors to whom she might be indebted,
and she never was indebted to her neighbors, thank God, for anything
that she did not pay to the last cent, because the Lord blessed her
with plenty, and in her latter years she did not have to borrow of
her neighbors, nor did she have to call upon the Church for support,
either, but she paid thousands of dollars in products and money into
the storehouse of the Lord, although she was a widow with a large
family to support. I know this. I can testify of this, and that the
Lord Almighty blessed her, not only in the products of her fields,
but in her flocks and herds. They were not devoured. They were not
destroyed. They did not lie down and die. They increased. They did
not stray away; and thieves did not steal them. One reason for that
was, she had a little boy that watched them very carefully under
her direction, and prompting. Her eye was upon everything, she had
supervision over everything, she directed those whom she employed,
and her children; and I am a witness--and here sits another witness
(Patriarch John Smith)--that God, the eternal Father, blessed her and
prospered her while she {290} lived, and she was not only enabled to
maintain herself and children that were left to her in poverty, in a
day of trial, and when she was driven out into the wilderness, but she
was able to feed scores of the poor, and to pay her tithes besides.
Verily the Lord prospered her, and she was blessed.--_Oct. C. R.,_
1897, pp. 35-37.
WHO RECEIVES CHURCH HELP SHOULD BE TITHE PAYERS. When one comes to
a bishop and asks for assistance because of his or her straitened
circumstances, the first thing the bishop should do is to inquire if
he or she is a tithe-payer. He should know whether the name is on the
book of the law of the Lord, and if not on the book, if he or she has
been derelict and negligent in relation to this principle of tithing,
he or she has no claim upon the bishop, neither have their children;
and if, under those circumstances, the bishop assists him, it will
simply be out of pure charity and not because such have any claim upon
the Church. That is why the widow who receives assistance from the
Church should pay her tithing, so that her name may be on the records
of the Church. It is not a law that is applicable to one and not to
another. If the rich may not receive blessings because their names are
not on the record, then neither shall the poor receive blessings in
the house of God, if their names are not recorded. So long as a poor
person receives his or her support through the tithings of the people,
they should be willing to observe the law themselves in order that
they may be entitled to what they receive. They should show by their
observance of the law that they are law-keepers and not law-breakers.
Our children, as soon as they become old enough to earn means, should
be taught to pay their tithing, that their names may be written in the
book of the law of the Lord, so that if perchance their father die
and they are left orphans, their names as well as the names of their
parents, will be found upon the records and they will, as God lives, be
entitled to {291} their support and to their education. It is our duty
to look after these children and see that they have an equal chance
with those who are most favored with parents to look after them.--_Oct.
C. R.,_ 1899, pp. 44, 45.
USE OF TITHING. I mention this simply to show that these men, whose
whole time is occupied in the ministry, are only drawing their
necessary support from the Church. They must have that. You would
not begrudge them that. Men who are faithful, valiant, instant in
season and out of season, and consequently engaged in the work of the
ministry, you surely would not say that they should not have food to
eat, raiment to wear, and where to lay their heads; and that is all
these men get from the Church. The laborer is certainly worthy of
his hire. So that your tithing is not enriching your brethren of the
ministry. It is being used to keep up the ordinances of the house of
God in these four temples. Thousands and thousands of dollars of it are
being used in educating the youth of Zion and in maintaining the Church
schools. Thousands of dollars are being expended to feed and clothe
the poor, and to take care of those who are dependent upon the Church.
They look to their "mother" for succor and support, and it is right and
proper that the Church should provide for its own poor and indigent,
feeble and helpless, so far as possible._--Apr. C. R.,_ 1901, p. 71.
COMMERCIALISM AND TITHING. The Church is charged with commercialism.
There is not the least resemblance of it, in truth. The Church is
neither buying nor selling goods or chattels. It is not engaged in
merchandising of any description, and never has been; and there could
not well be a more false and groundless statement made against the
Church than to charge it with commercialism. It is true that, unlike
other churches or religious organizations, the people of this Church
observe the law of tithing, which is the law of revenue of the Church.
We do not pass around {292} the hat to you, nor the collection box, for
means to defray the expenses incident to carrying on of the work of the
Church. You give it voluntarily. This reminds me of another falsehood
that is spread abroad by our enemies, namely: That the "Mormon" people
are compelled to pay tithing, that the authorities of the Church demand
it of them, that it is made obligatory upon them, and is tyrannically
exacted from them all the time, which is an infamous falsehood, a
slander, for there is not a word or syllable of truth in it. The
observance of the law of tithing is voluntary. I can pay my tithing
or not, as I choose. It is a matter of choice with me, whether I will
do it or not do it; but, feeling as I do, loyal to the Church, loyal
to its interests, believing that it is right and just to observe the
law of tithing I do observe it--on the same principle that I think it
is right for me to observe the law of repentance, and of baptism, for
the remission of sins. It is my pleasure to do my duty with reference
to the observance of these principles, and to pay my tithing. The Lord
has revealed how this means shall be cared for, and managed; namely,
by the Presidency of the Church and the High Council of the Church
(that is, the Twelve Apostles), and the Presiding Bishopric of the
Church. I think there is wisdom in this. It is not left for one man to
dispose of it, or to handle it alone, not by any means. It devolves
upon at least eighteen men, men of wisdom, of faith, of ability, as
these eighteen men are. I say it devolves upon them to dispose of the
tithes of the people and to use them for whatever purpose in their
judgment and wisdom will accomplish the most good for the Church; and
because this fund of tithing is disposed of by these men whom the Lord
has designated as having authority to do it, for the necessities and
benefit of the Church, they call it "commercialism." What absurdity!
You may just as well call their practices in passing around their
contribution boxes, for collecting means with which to build their
{293} churches, with which to pay their ministers, and with which to
carry on the monetary affairs of their churches, "commercialism," as
for them to charge us with "commercialism," because we handle the
tithing of the Church, and appropriate and use it for the benefit of
the Church.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1912, pp. 5, 6.
TITHING USED CAREFULLY AND FULL ACCOUNTS KEPT. I defy any man on earth
to point his finger to a dollar that is wilfully wasted or stolen by
the servants of God. The tithing books are kept as accurately and as
perfectly as any books are kept in any bank. Every man who pays a
dollar tithing gets his credit on the books; and if he wants to see
that his credit is there he can go and see for himself. But we do not
propose to open our books and show your accounts to every Tom, Dick
and Harry in the land who never did pay any tithing. We do not propose
to do that, if we can help it. But you Latter-day Saints who pay your
tithes and your offerings, if you want to see for yourselves that you
may be eye and ear witnesses, the books are open to you, and you can
come and examine your accounts any business day you want.--_Oct. C.
R.,_ 1905, p. 5.
BOOKS OPEN TO TITHE-PAYERS. The man who complains about not knowing
what is done with the tithing, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred,
is the man who has no credit on the books of the Church for paying
tithing. We do not care to exhibit the books of the Church to such
carpers, and to that class of people. But there is not a tithe-payer
in the Church who cannot go to the Presiding Bishop's office, or
to the office of the Trustee-in-Trust, if he desires, and find his
account, and see to it that every dollar he has given to the Lord for
tithing is credited to him. Then, if he wants to be more searching as
a tithe-payer, and find out what is done with the tithing, we will set
before him the whole thing, and if he has any good counsel to give us
we will take it from him. But we will not--because we do {294} not have
to, and it is not the business of the world to require it--open our
books to the world, unless we wish to. We are not ashamed of them. We
are not afraid for them to be inspected. They are honest and straight;
and there is not a man in the world who will look at them, but will say
so, if he is honest himself.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1906, pp. 6, 7.
WE SHOULD SYMPATHIZE WITH THE UNFORTUNATE. We too frequently see a
disposition on the part of our children to make fun of the unfortunate.
A poor cripple, or a poor, weak-minded person comes along, and the boys
will poke fun at him, and make unbecoming remarks about him. This is
entirely wrong, and such a spirit as this should never be witnessed
among the children of the Latter-day Saints.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904, pp.
87, 88.
CHARITY TO BE ACCEPTED ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. There is such a thing as
encouraging idleness and fostering pauperism among men. Men and women
ought not to be willing to receive charity unless they are compelled to
do so to keep them from suffering. Every man and woman ought to possess
the spirit of independence, a self-sustaining spirit, that would
prompt him or her to say, when they are in need, "I am willing to give
my labor in exchange for that which you give me." No man ought to be
satisfied to receive, and to do nothing for it. After a man is brought
down to poverty and is under the necessity of receiving aid, and his
friends give it to him, he should feel that it is an obligation under
which he is placed, and when the Lord should open his way he would
return the gift. That is the feeling we should cultivate in our hearts,
to make us a free and independent people. The cultivation of any other
feeling or spirit than this is calculated to make paupers, to degrade
and bring mankind down to beggary, which is a most wretched condition
for men to be in. It is a bad thing for men to think the world owes
them a living, and all they have to do is to beg or steal to get it. *
* * I don't refer to the {295} cripple, or to those who are enfeebled
by age, because I look at them in an entirely different light; there is
a necessity for them to live, and there is a necessity for us to assist
such, but there is no great need in this world for men and women who
are able to work and will not work.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1898, pp. 46-48.
CEASE TO WASTE TIME; CEASE TO BE IDLE. I desire to say to this
congregation at this time that I have felt very strongly of late a
desire, a responsibility, I may say, resting upon me, to admonish the
Latter-day Saints everywhere to cease loitering away their precious
time, to cease from all idleness. It is said in the revelations that
the idler in Zion shall not eat the bread of the laborer, and there is
vastly too much, in some parts--not universally, but there is far too
much precious time wasted by the youth of Zion, and perhaps by some
that are older and more experienced and who ought to know better, in
the foolish, vain and unprofitable practice of card-playing. We hear of
card parties here and card parties there, and entertainments where the
playing of cards is the principal amusement; and the whole evening is
thus wasted. The whole precious time of those who are gathered together
on occasions of this kind, aggregating many hours, absolutely wasted.
If there was nothing else to be said against this practice, that alone
should be sufficient to induce Latter-day Saints not to indulge in this
foolish and unprofitable pastime.
Read good books. Learn to sing and to recite, and to converse upon
subjects that will be of interest to your associates, and at your
social gatherings, instead of wasting the time in senseless practices
that lead only to mischief and sometimes to serious evil and
wrongdoing; instead of doing this, seek out of the best books knowledge
and understanding. Read history. Read philosophy, if you wish. Read
anything that is good, that will elevate the mind and will add to your
stock of knowledge, that those who associate {296} with you may feel
an interest in your pursuit of knowledge and of wisdom.--_Oct. C. R.,_
1903, p. 98.
GOSPEL BLESSING OBTAINED BY LABOR. We can never attain to the blessings
of the gospel by merely becoming acquainted with it and then sitting
down and doing nothing ourselves to stem the current of evil that is
preying upon us and upon the world.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1900, p. 40.
IDLERS HAVE NO PLACE IN ZION. There should be no idlers in Zion. Even
the poor who have to be assisted should be willing to do all in their
power to earn their own living. Not one man or woman should be content
to sit down and be fed, clothed, or housed without any exertion on
his or her part to compensate for these privileges. All men and women
should feel a degree of independence of character that would stimulate
them to do something for a living, and not be idle; for it is written
that the idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer of Zion, and
he shall not have place among us. Therefore, it is necessary that we
should be industrious, that we should intelligently apply our labor to
something that is productive and conducive to the welfare of the human
family. God help us to do this, is my prayer. Amen.--_Apr. C. R.,_
1899, p. 42; Doc. and Cov. 42:42; 68:30; 75:29.
A MESSAGE OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS ON BEHALF OF THE POOR. The position
of the Latter-day Saints in regard to the poor is perhaps well
understood by most readers of the _Era_. But there are some points
which are not quite clear to a number of our friends.
God has commanded this people to remember the poor, and to give means
for their support. No other community, perhaps, has proved more
willing than the Latter-day Saints to obey this command. They have
demonstrated this in the past and have been very willing to impart of
their properties to aid the poor and unfortunate, not only in their own
midst, but also those who live in other nations and other {297} places
in our own country. No call for help has ever been heard in vain by
them. And this is true, notwithstanding the fact that they have often
suffered from unjust oppression and great poverty, in which they have
received little, if any, sympathy and no help. They have always taken
care of themselves and besides have helped others.
A leading mission of the Church is to teach the gospel of Christ in
the world. It has an important message to deliver, which not only
includes the spiritual salvation of men, but also their temporal
welfare. It not only teaches that faith is necessary, but also that
works are required. Belief in Jesus is well and good, but it must
be of a living 'kind which induces the believer to work out his own
salvation, and to aid others to do the same. We do not believe in
charity as a business; but rather we depend on mutual helpfulness.
While the gospel message requires faith and repentance, it requires
also that temporal necessities must be met. So the Lord has revealed
plans for the temporal salvation of the people. For the benefit of the
poor we have the fast instituted, a leading object of which among other
things is to provide the poor with food and other necessities until
they may help themselves. For it is clear that plans which contemplate
only relieving present distress are deficient. The Church has always
sought to place its members in a way to help themselves, rather than
adopting the method of so many charitable institutions of providing
for only present needs. When the help is withdrawn or used up, more
must be provided from the same source, thus making paupers of the poor
and teaching them the incorrect principle of relying upon others'
help, instead of depending upon their own exertions. This plan has
made the Latter-day Saints independent wherever they have settled. It
has prevented a constant recurring of calls for help and established
permanent conditions by which the people help themselves. Our idea of
charity, therefore, is to relieve present wants and then to {298} put
the poor in a way to help themselves so that in turn they may help
others. The funds are committed for distribution to wise men, generally
to bishops of the Church, whose duty it is to look after the poor.
We submit the equitable fast-day plan of the Lord to the churches of
the world as a wise and systematic way of providing for the poor. I
say equitable because it gives an opportunity for the contribution of
much or little, according to the position and standing of those who
contribute; and besides, it helps both the giver and the receiver. If
the churches would adopt the universal monthly fast-day, as observed
by the Latter-day Saints, and devote the means saved during the day to
the alleviation, blessing and benefit of the poor, and with a view to
helping them to help themselves, there would soon be no poor in the
land.
It would be a simple matter for people to comply with this requirement
to abstain from food and drink one day each month, and to dedicate what
would be consumed during that day to the poor, and as much more as they
pleased. The Lord has instituted this law; it is simple and perfect,
based on reason and intelligence, and would not only prove a solution
to the question of providing for the poor, but it would result in good
to those who observe the law. It would call attention to the sin of
over-eating, place the body in subjection to the spirit, and so promote
communion with the Holy Ghost, and insure a spiritual strength and
power which the people of the nation so greatly need. As fasting should
always be accompanied by prayer, this law would bring the people nearer
to God, and divert their minds once a month at least, from the mad rush
of worldly affairs and cause them to be brought into immediate contact
with practical, pure and undefiled religion--to visit the fatherless
and the widow, and keep themselves unspotted from the sins of the
world. For religion is not in believing the commandments {299} only, it
is in doing them. I would to God that men would not only believe Jesus
Christ and his teachings, but would broaden their belief to the extent
of doing the things that are taught by him, and doing them in spirit.