Truth Never Changes Volume 13, Number 6, Preparing for the United Order; Women and the Priesthood; The Secret of Unity; Editorial

TRUTH NEVER CHANGES

A PUBLICATION IN THE SPIRIT AND TRADITON OF TRUTH MAGAZINE

Y          VOLUME 13            MAY ISSUE  2010            NUMBER 06          Y

PREPARING FOR THE UNITED ORDER

President George Q. Cannon

General Conference, Salt Lake City Tabernacle,
Sunday, April 8, 1894

               

This is an immense congregation, and in order to edify those assembled it will require the presence and assistance of the Spirit of God.  It would seem presumptuous for any man to arise to address such an audience of intelligent human beings if he were depending upon himself for that which he should say.  I sincerely trust that in the remarks I shall make I may be assisted by the faith and prayers of those who are present.

IN THIS ISSUE: PREPARING FOR THE UNITED ORDER…………………………………...176 WOMEN AND THE PRIESTHOOD………………………………………..…186 THE SECRET OF UNITY…………………………………………………………..191 EDITORIAL…………………………………………………………………………...198 ANNOUNCEMENT………………………………………………………………...202 RECOMMENDED SITES………………………………………………………….203

I look upon this as one of the most interesting conferences that have been held for a long time.  It must be gratifying to the Latter-day Saints to receive, as they do, the continued evidences that God is with the people, that He has not forgotten His promises, and that He has the oversight of the affairs of His Church, and regulates and conducts those affairs according to the counsel of His own will.  I never attend a meeting where the Spirit of God is manifested in power without feeling profoundly grateful in the reflection that God is with us, and that He condescends to honor us and to testify to the people by giving His Holy Spirit.  This, also, brethren and sisters, is a consolation and a comfort that no human tongue can describe:  to know by testimony from the Lord that we are in the path that He has marked out for our salvation; to know that we have a standing among the people whom He acknowledges to be His, and that through His condescension we have the communion of the Holy Spirit.  It is a consolation to know, when light is needed, when questions arise which require more than human wisdom for their solution, that we have access unto our Great Creator, and that through the spirit of revelation which He has promised to bestow, we can know and understand for ourselves.  What mighty importance attaches to that which was explained to us this morning by President Woodruff!  How wide-spread and far-reaching is the ordinance to which allusion was made, by which children will be sealed to their parents, one generation connected with another, and the whole human family be brought within the family of God, to be his recognized and acknowledged sons and daughters, bound together by the power of the everlasting Priesthood and in the new and everlasting covenant which he has given to man.  What a glorious system of salvation spreads out before us in the contemplation of that which the Lord has revealed!  What a feeling of tenderness and love wells up in our hearts in thinking that we are the children of God, and that we are and shall be bound together by ties that never can be broken!  How this draws us together and makes us feel interested in one another!  How it causes our souls to expand as wide as eternity; not confining our hopes and our labors to any individual, or to any one family, but embracing in our feelings the entire brotherhood of man.

                Certainly the Latter-day Saints should be the most thankful of any people upon the face of the earth.  You travel throughout the earth and ask the wisest and the most learned what object our Creator had in placing man on the earth, in surrounding him with the circumstances with which he is environed, and what He has in view for him in the future, and who could answer you?  I know that religious denominations have their explanations concerning the future; but how unsatisfactory they are!  How little there is in them to comfort and cheer, to create hopes and anticipations that are bright!  Even the Indian, when he talks about his happy hunting grounds, probably expresses a more cheerful view.  In the sectarian world there is vagueness.  In the pictures they present as to the future life there is nothing that is really satisfactory.  Very few of them believe that these ties which make our human lives so delightful will be perpetuated in the eternity to come.  The great majority believe that husbands and wives, parents and children will be nothing to each other in the eternal world; that is, their relations to each other within the family circle will be no more close or definite than their relations to beings without these holy ties.  Now, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has taught us that ties are formed here which are eternal in their character; that family associations are created that never can be dissolved; that men and women are bound together for eternity; that man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord; that they have their children; and that the greatest blessing they can enjoy is to have confirmed unto them forever the privileges which they possess in this life.  There is something grand in the contemplation of this glorious principle.  It gives certainty unto every man and woman who will seek for it.  The woman is not lost, the man is not lost.  However obscure and insignificant we may be, we cannot be lost sight of.  We will be felt after and brought out, unless we have committed unpardonable sins, and somebody will take interest in us.  There is no one in the whole family that will be so insignificant as to be forgotten.  This creates peculiar feelings in our hearts, and it ought to make the Latter-day Saints a broad and expansive people in their minds, and I have no doubt it will have that effect.

                I look for the communication that was made to-day by our President to have a great effect upon this people.  It will stimulate our love for our families.  At the same time it will check any feeling of building up anything like tribes among us.  It will attach us to our own kindred and race.  It will promote the love of race in our hearts, and it will give our children something to live for; for when a man comes of a family that is an honorable family, there is something that appeals to his pride to do nothing that will bring discredit or disgrace upon his name.  Our lineage is not known to all of us.  We may not know our origin; but this we may be assured of:  that we who have received the truth are choice spirits.  The Latter-day Saints have shown their integrity, their valor, and their independence of character in the midst of contumely and reproach, of persecution and hatred, and the threatened loss, in many instances, of employment, property and life.  They have come out from the world and have been indifferent to its popularity.  They have espoused the principles of truth and righteousness, and valued them more than any other earthly consideration.  Where do you think this nobility of character has come from?  It has come from ancestors who obtained promises from God, through their faithfulness, in regard to their posterity.  Our ancestors may have come through poverty and obscure channels; and some of them may not have possessed any noted characteristics; but when our ancestry is known it will be found that the noblest men and women of God have been the progenitors of this people.  God has chosen us for a great purpose.  He has brought us out of the world, has shaped our lives and the lives of our parents, and has thrown around them His providences, for the purpose of bringing a people forward in the last days that would help lay the foundation of His kingdom and be willing to bear every persecution and trial connected with it.  Of this I feel assured.  I can testify of it, and know it to be so.  As was said this morning, the communication which the Lord has designed to give to us through His servant enables us to see how we can honor the ancestry through which we have come, and also prevent the breaking of the ties that should connect us with them, and avoid confusion and disorder in regard to these matters.

                There are many things that the Lord will give us revelations about from time to time.  He has done this in a marvelous manner thus far.  There has been nothing that we have needed for the progress of the Church that has not been given.  We have built these temples, and we are doing a very important work connected with them; and it is necessary that that which we do should be done aright.  It is necessary that adoptions should be correctly made.  Think how important this is!  It affects the whole human family.  How important it is that we should know the plan that the Lord wants carried out, and not the plan that man wants!  And there will be many things revealed from time to time.  You will see difficulties probably in carrying this out, and it will require the wisdom of heaven and the word of the Lord to settle points connected with it; but the Lord is able to give the necessary light.  His hand will be manifest, and we shall see how good and kind He is to us in making communications upon every point that is necessary for the progress of His work.

                There are other matters that I would like to mention this afternoon, if I can get the Spirit to do so.  We have heard from President Joseph F. Smith a little concerning secret organizations.  I do not know any subject that needs to be spoken upon with greater plainness to the Latter-day Saints than this.

                Of course, there are many other things that we need to be warned about.  We need to be warned about these false spirits that are going abroad.  I do not suppose there ever was a time when there were so many delusive spirits going abroad among the people as at the present time--false Christs, false prophets, and all sorts of things to lead away the people of God.  Everything, it is said, will be shaken that can be shaken.  God is going to have a pure people.  Those who commit sin and persist in it will lose the Spirit of God and be removed from among the people of God.  We may expect that sinners will leave us, and that we shall have men and women falling into the dark because of transgression; but it is our duty, as watchmen upon the walls of Zion, and as the shepherds of the flock of Christ, to lift up our voices and warn the people of the dangers there are around them, and to point out the path of safety, that they may not stray away from the flock and be devoured.  We therefore feel to warn the Latter-day Saints in regard to these delusive spirits.  We warn you to be on your guard, to watch carefully, to pray earnestly, to live in purity, so that you shall have constantly the light of the Spirit of God to be with you.  Do not be carried away by every wind of doctrine, nor by deceivers; but listen to the voice of the Spirit of God, which bears testimony to you in your hearts concerning the truths which you hear.  You ought to be able to tell the voice of the true Shepherd from all other voices, so that no one assuming sheep's clothing and professing to be what he is not can deceive you.  It is your privilege to recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, and to know by the testimony of Jesus whether that which you are taught is true or not.

                There are now many societies being formed that make great professions.  They claim to be benevolent societies and to do great good to the people.  I have not the least objection to this.  I would not say one word to cast any reproach upon any organization, by whatever name it may be called, that has objects of this character in view.  It is not my purpose to decry them.  It is not my purpose to belittle philanthropic efforts by individuals or by societies for the welfare of their fellow creatures.  The Lord forbid that I should ever do anything of this kind!  It is not in that spirit that I allude to these things.  But I want to say to the Latter-day Saints that the Lord has organized a system which is perfect in all its details.  There is no need to have it supplemented by anything of man's device.  It is that thought which I desire to impress upon the Latter-day Saints.  God has founded Zion, and the poor of His people will put their trust in it.  There is nothing lacking in this organization.  There is no benevolent society that exists, or that can be formed by human beings, that will reach the wants of the children of men as effectively as the organization which the Lord has given to us, and of which we now are a part.  I know that there are men who have very plausible and attractive ideas concerning the evils that exist in society and the manner of correcting them.  Attempts to correct them have been made for years and years; but they have not resulted successfully.  I can state, without the least fear of successful contradiction, that the Latter-day Saints have done more as an organized society towards redeeming the people and correcting the evils that exist in society, and under which society groans, than any other organization on the face of the earth.  I make that statement with a full understanding on my part of its meaning and extent.  And that which we have done is only the beginning of that which we propose to do in the Lord's good time.  The Lord has not left us in ignorance concerning these matters.  This doctrine of equality that the anarchists, nihilists, socialists and such people dwell upon (some of them are resorting to the most dreadful violence to carry out their schemes), is understood by us, for the Lord has revealed to us how and to what extent it shall be fulfilled.  He has given us the law with a great deal of plainness.  But we are not prepared to carry it out.  The leaders of the people are doing their best in teaching the people the primary principles of equality; but it will take time, it will take the power of God, it will take circumstances that will almost compel us to adopt that which God has revealed, in order to carry out that which He has laid before us as a duty that we must perform.  I want to say to you that the day will come--and it will be brought about by the Latter-day Saints--when there will be such an equality in all things among us that there will be no want, no deficiency of any element necessary for man's happiness, no monopoly; when one man will not have more than he can use and another man be destitute.  We are aiming at that, my brethren and sisters, and we are the only people, I am free to say, that can entertain the least hope that they will ever accomplish it.  These secret organizations may throw down thrones; they may destroy dynasties; they may cause blood to flow in torrents; but they will never accomplish this reform that we shall achieve, and that, too, by peaceful methods--by the operation of the laws which God has made plain, so plain that, as the Bible says, a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein.

                The Lord has given enough to the earth to make all its inhabitants happy.  There is no element that is not in sufficient abundance for all.  And it is contrary to the will of God, so He has revealed to us, that one man shall possess so much above another--one wallow in luxury while his neighbor goes destitute.  He has taught us the way by which this shall be corrected.  This being the case, shall we turn our eyes from the Zion of God in this or in the other direction, looking for something better?  If we do, we despise the wisdom and counsel of God; we throw aside that which He has revealed in the greatest plainness, and we turn our backs upon the history and experience of this people.

                Let me say to you that it is in vain for men to endeavor to patch up systems to remedy the existing evils.  They have not the wisdom to do it.  You can see the condition of the world in consequence of man's wisdom being exercised.  On every hand there is confusion, turmoil, strife.  There is poverty and misery on one hand and luxury and a superabundance on the other hand.  This is not right, and it will be corrected.  How?  Well, the Lord attempted it in the early days of this Church; but the people did not have faith.  He is now schooling us.  We shall have faith sooner or later, and we shall be chastened probably till we do it.  I do not want to prophesy any evil concerning Zion.  I do not want to threaten.  I have none of the spirit of gloom about me connected with Zion.  I feel to prophesy good always about Zion.  But the Lord will bring us through circumstances that will open our eyes, and cause us to see the value of the counsel that He has given to us.  We should teach it to our children.  We must unlearn the traditions that we have received from our fathers.  Those traditions teach us that it is the duty of each one to look out for himself and to care but little for his neighbor.  We have got to unlearn that lesson.  We have got to live for the benefit of all.  But, like all benefactors, in doing so we shall very likely be misjudged.  Did you ever see a man that was a benefactor, from the Lord Jesus down, that was not loaded with opprobrium and misunderstood?  Jesus set us the example of self-sacrifice. What a life His was!  The Redeemer of the world, coming down from the mansions of glory, taking upon himself mortality, living in humility, and doing all that He could for man's redemption; yet He was hung upon the cross, crucified between two thieves!  So it has been, to a greater or less extent, with every man that has attempted to benefit his fellow-man.  He must expect to be misunderstood, to be misrepresented, and to have his motives traduced.  He must not expect to have the love of those he is trying to save.  He may have a little of it; but men are so ungrateful by nature that they do not recognize their true benefactors.  It requires the Spirit of God to enlighten the mind.  You Bishops who have labored incessantly; you Presidents of Stakes, you Apostles, and all who have labored among the people, you know by experience that your labors are not appreciated as they ought to be, that your motives are frequently misunderstood and traduced, and you have to labor with the expectation of getting reward from the Lord and with the satisfaction of having the approval of your conscience.

So it is in relation to this whole people.  We are the benefactors of mankind; but we do not get credit for that which we are doing.  We need not expect to get the praise of the world, or even ordinary credit.  Nevertheless, the labor devolves upon us.  We shall, doubtless, see evidences of selfishness in carrying it out, and advantage will be taken by one and another before this system can be fairly introduced among the children of men.

                In these remarks I refer to what is known among us as the United Order.  I know that many have thought that this has passed off; that it is a fantasy, an idea that cannot be carried out; that it is impossible, as human nature is constituted, to make it practical.  Probably many among us entertain that idea.  But I can assure you that this is not the case.  It is the plan that God has devised, and I want to hold it up before you if I can, so that you will see it and understand that God has devised a plan that is far superior to that which men have concocted.  And it can be and will be carried out.  By what means has Satan power to-day over the hearts of the children of men?  It is by the misuse of this world's goods.  Would there be any thieving if men did not have property as it is now?  Here is what the Lord said sixty years ago:--

                It is wisdom in me; therefore, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall organize yourselves and appoint every man his stewardship,        That every man may give an account unto me of his stewardship which is appointed unto him; For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as stewards over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.

                I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth as a very handy work, and all things therein are mine: And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine;

                But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low; For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.

                Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell,  being in torment.

                He will go with the rich man under whose table Lazarus would pick the crumbs that fell, and whose dogs licked the sores of the poor man.  Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom; but the rich man, as this says, lifted up his eyes in torment, being in hell.

                In another part of the revelation the Lord says:--

                And again, a commandment I give unto you concerning your stewardship which I have appointed unto you. Behold, all these properties are mine, or else your faith is vain, and ye are found hypocrites, and the covenants which ye have made unto me are broken; And if the properties are mine, then ye are stewards, otherwise ye are not stewards.

                But, verily I say unto you, I have appointed unto you to be stewards over mine house, even stewards indeed; And all moneys that you receive in your stewardships, by improving upon the properties which I have appointed unto you, in houses, or in lands, or in cattle, or in all things save it be the holy and sacred writings, which I have reserved unto myself for holy and sacred purposes, shall be cast into the treasury as fast as you receive moneys, by hundreds, or by fifties, or by twenties, or by tens, or by fives;

                Or in other words, if any man among you obtain five talents (dollars), let him cast them into the treasury; or if he obtain ten, or twenty, or fifty, or an hundred let him do likewise; And let not any man among you say that it is his own, for it shall not be called his, nor any part of it; And there shall not any part of it be used, or taken out of the treasury, only by the voice and common consent of the order,

                And this shall be the voice and common consent of the order; that any man among you say unto the treasurer, I have need of this to help me in my stewardship;             If it be five talents (dollars), or if it be ten talents (dollars), or twenty, or fifty, or an hundred, the treasurer shall give unto him the sum which he requires, to help him in his stewardship.

                Until he be found a transgressor, and it is manifest before the council of the order plainly, that he is an unfaithful and an unwise steward;

                But so long as he is in full fellowship, and is faithful, and wise in his stewardship, this shall be his token unto the treasurer, that the treasurer shall not withhold.

                This is the plan that the Lord has devised.  Will this be abused?  Some men say, "Yes; the men that are wise and prudent, and good managers will work for the rest, and the idle man and the poor manager will derive the benefit."  That is the argument used.  But the Lord who has devised this plan will be able to provide means to carry it out successfully.  On what principle can you make men equal in earthly things, in order that they may be equal in heavenly things, unless it is upon some such principle as this?  Here are men who have labored their entire life for the benefit of this people.  Are they any poorer for it?  Here is the oldest man among us, the people's leader, the longest in the service of God--Wilford Woodruff--who for years and years worked in his Apostleship and never drew a dollar to support himself or his family.  Here is Lorenzo Snow, eighty years of age who did likewise.  Ask these two veterans in the cause of God if they have not worked incessantly and without thought about themselves for the work of God, supporting their families as best they could; and ask them if God has not blessed them abundantly for all they have done.  Do they begrudge the labor they have bestowed upon this people?  And when I allude to them I also allude to their predecessors, from Joseph down, who labored night and day, in season and out of season, for the benefit of the people.  Have they lost anything by it?  No, they have not.  God has been with them, and has rewarded them.  So it will be whenever we carry out this Order.  There will be men, doubtless, that will labor harder and to greater profit than others; but God will reward them, because they are carrying out His purposes and seeking to elevate their fellow-beings, laboring with an eye single to the glory of God and the salvation of the human family.

                I do not know that you understand how this will be done.  Suppose that we have our stewardships appointed to us, each according to his family.  That was the order.  Edward Partridge as the Bishop of the Church, was instructed in very early days to assign to the people property, each according to his family.  Now, a man takes his stewardship.  He has his land, his cattle, his horses, or whatever his vocation requires.  It is assigned to him.  He manages it, and makes a profit on it.  Is that profit his?  No; that goes into the treasury, for the benefit of others who may need.  But suppose he is a wise steward.  He manages his affairs in a way to bring profit.  He wants more capital.  When this is brought before the council of the Order, and it is allowed to him, if the circumstances are such as to admit of it, he makes increase with that also.  But he does not build himself up.  He does not take all the profits of that business and consume it upon his own family.  He does not take it and build fine houses, or spend it on horses and carriages, or on elaborate furnishings.  He does not do this, only so far as will be compatible with the general weal.  All will be built up together.  But will all, under these circumstances, have the same?  If this Order were established, would every man have the same sized house, the same sized garden or field, the same number of fruit trees, or the same number of cows?  Why, no.  That is not the equality that the Lord means.  The Lord will give to us according to our circumstances and our wants.  Some families will be larger than others.  Some men will need more cows than others.  Some men's business will require more horses than other men's business will.  In this way there will be differences.  Then there will also be diversified circumstances.  Every man will have the opportunity of exercising all his talents.  There will be no restriction.  He will have the opportunity for the exercise of the most commanding talents.  The field will be before him, and he will have means to carry out His purposes and plans, if they be wise and such as his brethren will think prudent and judicious.  Thus the poor will have their wants supplied, and there will be no want in the land.  The equality which the Lord teaches us to look for is this:

                And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties, or the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just;

                And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church.

                So that each man in his stewardship will not be laboring for himself; he will be laboring for the whole, every man and woman being looked after, having a common interest, through inheritance, from our Great Creator, who created this earth for us.  He did not create it for a few, not for a class, not for an aristocracy, not for monopolists; but for every one of us, each of us having an equal claim on the  elements, and all laboring for the whole human family.  Every want supplied, every proper desire of the heart gratified, until misery will flee from the face of this fair earth, until want will be unknown, until the cry of the widow and the fatherless and the distressed will not be heard in the land.  The heavens will not be pierced with the cries of suffering humanity, and neither man nor beast will be destitute of that which is good for him.  This is the plan which God has devised.  It may require what many trained as we have been under the old and existing conditions may look upon as sacrifices to bring it about; but it will come; for God has devised it, and it is the only plan by which we can ever get into the celestial kingdom and become joint heirs with Jesus Christ.  He has set us the example of deserting all things in the heavens, leaving His power and high estate to come down here and suffer for his brethren and sisters.  We must look to Him and follow Him.

                The lesson that I would like to impress upon our hearts--for in speaking to you I speak to myself--is, let us teach our children these principles; let us teach them that they are in the earth, not to labor for their own gratification, and to accumulate wealth for themselves, but to benefit humanity, to be a blessing to their race, to fill the earth as far as they can with gladness by their presence, that we may raise an unselfish race of men, men that will have higher aspirations and aims than the mere gratification of their personal wants, passions and appetites.  Teach the children self-denial.  It is a thing that is much needed among us.  Brethren and sisters, I want to say to you that as sure as God lives this Order will be brought about; and it will be with us as it was with the children of Israel who came out of Egypt--if we do not do it we will be removed, and a generation will be raised up that will do it; for God is going to carry out His purposes, and no power can prevent it.  Remember the condition of the children of Israel and what befell them.  Their carcasses fell by the roadside in the wilderness, because they would not come up to the standard that God had revealed.  They not only perished, but the Melchizedek Priesthood was taken from their midst, and everyone over twenty years of age that came out of Egypt, except two, of all the hosts of Israel, laid down his life in the wilderness.  We do not want to be in this condition.  We want to live, and our children to live, and to be the heirs of all the ages.  We want to lay the foundation of this great work in this manner; for it is the great reform that cries aloud to be carried out among mankind at the present time.

                Our circumstances at present do not admit of our entering upon these things.  There are many changes that will have to occur in order to make that which I have said unto you practical.  Laws perhaps will have to be changed, because they might interfere with this now; and it might not be wisdom for us under the present circumstances.  I do not speak of this because I think it ought to be carried out immediately.  I do not want you to go away from this Conference with the idea that I, as one of the First Presidency, am giving counsel to you to carry out the United Order.  What I have desired to do is to draw your attention to the fact that God has revealed a plan, and that you need not go after every will-o'-the wisp, every false guide, every deceptive light that may appear, and think, "Oh! if I join this, we shall have the millennium right off."  I speak on this to warn you; to put you on your guard; to show you that the Lord's plan is broad enough to cover the whole subject and to furnish all the relief that could ever be desired by human beings.  I trust that we will be a stable people.  We have the credit in the world for being united; and I would say to you, do not act unwisely and foolishly.  When you hear any new doctrines, political as well as religious, do not be deluded by them and run after them; but maintain your steadfastness.  You have divided on party lines.  Do not split up into fragments because you have done this. Do not think you are manifesting your independence by cutting loose from everything; but be a stable and a conservative people, and act up to your convictions.  Maintain the influence that God has given you, and by your wise course cause it to increase in the land, so that men from all parts of our nation will look towards this community and say, "There in the Rocky Mountains the Mormon people live; they are a reliable people; they mind their own business, pay their debts, are punctual in their engagements, are an honest people, are not all the time running after office, but are content to maintain good government."  Let us get a character of this kind.  We have it to some extent, and let us maintain it.  I want to say that whenever you see men aspiring for office and planning to get office, do not encourage them.  Let the office seek the man, and let us not be plotting and resorting to all sorts of dodges to secure success to our party, in order that some of us may get into office.  Such arts are despicable.  They are the arts of the low politician.  We want to stand on a higher plane, and look at these things as men who have been enlightened by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and try to maintain our credit; for I say to you, that the people in Washington or in Kane County in the south, or in Cache or Rich County in the north, or anywhere else in the Territory, cannot be guilty of folly without its reflecting on the entire people of God.  We are a part of a great whole in that respect; and the Saints in Idaho or Arizona can do foolish things and entail a great deal of trouble upon the Church in this country because of their want of wisdom.   Therefore, be wise.  Why do I say this?  If you get into trouble, to whom do you come?  You know how it has been in our troubles that commenced nine years ago.  We looked all around and where could we see friends?  To whom could we appeal?  Why, the eyes of this people turned to the men who were their leaders, who had planted these settlements in these mountains, and who had made everything successful that they had put their hands to.  The people appealed to them to know what they should do.  So it will be always when there is trouble.  Therefore, it is the duty of leading men to counsel the people in wisdom--not to take away the people's agency--to avoid snares and to pursue a course that will avert trouble, so that we will not have burdens to bear.  I do not say this because of any desire to interfere in the least with political matters, but to give you a little counsel on these points.

                I pray God to bless you and to fill you with His Holy Spirit, and to help you to remember the excellent instructions you have heard during this Conference, in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

W  O  M  E  N
 A N D     T H E
 P  R  I  E  S  T  H  O  O D

President Franklin D. Richards, Relief Society Memorial Meeting, Ogden Tabernacle, July 19, 1888

               

Being called upon by the sisters to address you for a short time this afternoon, I wish to introduce my remarks by first saying, that Sister Herrick, who has just addressed you, is the Stake President of the Y.L.M.I.A. for Weber County, which, perhaps, I should have stated at the opening of her remarks.  She, therefore, spoke in behalf of the Young Ladies of this Stake.

                One day this week, it was my privilege to be in company with our beloved President Woodruff, and with some other of the brethren who are associated with him in a state of obscurity, and who do not make their appearance in public assemblies.  I made mention of this occasion, with an invitation, if it had been reasonable and consistent for them, to meet with us.  And inasmuch as they felt that they could not, he bid me express his love and good wishes to the sisters of the Relief Society and the Young Ladies' Associations, and any and all who might be present who love the work in which we are engaged, and said it would be impossible to attend, though he would like to have done so exceeding much.  He referred to a very interesting party he attended here some years ago, given on the anniversary of Sister Eliza R. Snow Smith's birthday, which many of the Saints present, no doubt, remember.  He thought it was the best sister's party he had ever attended.

                Our brethren, who are hidden from our society for the present, are always solicitous and anxious for the prosperity of the Church in all its various departments; and they watch over every part of the work of which God has made them overseers, with the deepest solicitude, prayerfulness of heart and with earnestness for its prosperity.

                I realize that I am addressing representative ladies of the Weber Stake of Zion, presidents of the Relief Society and associations generally, and many others as well.  I always feel anxious when I address my sisters to say something that shall encourage them in their work; because they naturally feel timid and backward and have a reluctance to assume public positions, or public duties, because some think they are making themselves too officious in public, and that ladies have no rights in public duties.

                Some of the sisters feel intimidated in their meetings when the brethren are present; while others believe that if the brethren would attend and give them counsel and encouragement, they would be stronger and more able to launch out in the liberty of the spirit and discharge the duties incumbent upon them with a consciousness and heavenly assurance, that would result in the blessings of God upon their labors.  It has been so from the beginning of this work that has been laid upon the sisters; it has been looked upon by some of them as being something out of their line and place.  Every now and again we hear men speak tauntingly of the sisters and lightly of their public duties, instead of supporting and encouraging them.  There are also some who look with jealousy upon the moves of the sisters as though they might come to possess some of the gifts, and are afraid they will get away with some of the blessings of the Gospel, which only men ought to possess.  That is the way some look upon woman and her work.  They don't like to accord to them anything that will raise them up and make their talents to shine forth as the daughters of Eve and of Sarah, but have feelings of envy and jealousy; and instead of dealing open handedly with them, tell them to go forward and do all the good they can, it seems as though they would like to keep them back and not let them do anything,--more than is really necessary.

                I am sorry to see this feeling.  The brethren should understand and see that in so doing they are opposing themselves.  Inasmuch as the sisters do not arrogate authority to themselves I think the brethren, by hindering them, withhold blessings from themselves; if they would work with the sisters they would be more abundantly blessed.  The Presidents and Bishops would realize multiplied blessings upon their own heads.  Is it not more honorable for a king to rule over a wealthy and noble race, than one reduced to poverty, ignorance and serfdom?  Is it not more honorable to preside over a nation that is enlightened, intelligent and enterprising?  Is it not much more glorious and honorable to preside over those who are full of faith, who are active in good works, and who are filled with the power of God?  Certainly it is.  When the sisters have the spirit of their work upon them, they will labor with an honest zeal in the midst of their societies, and it adds blessings thereto.  There is no Bishop that encourages and supports an institution of this kind, but who realizes and must acknowledge that these sisters in their different callings, lessen his labors, make easy his calling and add to the efficiency of his Stake or ward.  The Bishops who do this will be blessed and are blessed at all times.

                When I arise to teach the sisters, I am benefitting the teachers and the authorities of the Church in Zion.  I do not feel at any time to withhold or be reluctant in instructing or speaking well of them and their labors in the Church.  I know that many are afraid to go ahead and do anything without instructions, for fear they may do wrong.  And they thus are prevented from doing many things that would materially assist the cause, for fear they may do wrong.

                Sisters, do right.  Where you desire to launch out and do right, do so, and God will sanctify your labors to the good of your sisters, and also the good of the brethren; and you will make your husbands far more useful wives.  You will have more obedient daughters, more dutiful children; children that are more affectionate, true, honorable, faithful, and who, in their turn, will make more honorable husbands and more dutiful wives.

                I wish to say to you this afternoon, sisters of the Relief Society and of the Young Ladies' Associations, that while it is expected of you that you will visit the sick, that you shall see to it that none of the brethren and sisters suffer from poverty or for the want of the necessaries of life, while it is your duty and privilege to minister to each other and those around you, and even when life has departed, you are to look after them and see that they have proper clothing and burial--I say, while you have these duties continually upon you, you have other privileges and rights, which are known to us and the people in general.  It is pleasing to hear the Bishops report to the quarterly conferences the faithfulness of the  Relief Society, and the aid they have derived from them, the relief they find by having them to call upon them for aid, and the efficient manner in which they respond to every need.

                The Relief Society of Weber Stake raised between $500 and $600, and gave it as a donation to help finish the Logan Temple--a nice little item, which the building committee acknowledged with gratitude, and every name of those who donated was written in the records of the Temple.

                In looking over the lists, I find that there is considerable over $500 donated by the Weber societies towards finishing the Manti Temple.  The donations from this Stake on the Manti Records, cover eighty pages, and over forty lines to a page, and has on each line the name of the person and the amount paid.

                Sisters, tell it to your children at home, that in these records is contained over $100, paid by the little ones of the Primaries; and each boy or girl has their name written there, credited to a nickel, dime or quarter, as the case may be, and it shows who have contributed anything to assist in the completion of that beautiful building.  These records will be placed in the Temple at Manti, and will be kept as a perpetual remembrance.

                Besides this, the Relief Society of Weber Stake, during the past six years, or there about, since the Desert Hospital was organized into an association, has contributed, as near as I can recollect, something over one thousand dollars to help maintain and conduct that charitable institution.  Some months ago we made application to the Secretary to give us a statement of the number of cases, the kind of affliction, what number got well, what number died, the amount expended, the amount received, etc., etc., in order that it may be known how it stands, what good it has done, and the status of the association at the present time, in order that it may receive the attention and encouragement it should have.  I have been told repeatedly what you have a right to know, that Weber County has been second to none, or only one among the Stakes, who have donated for its support.

                In all these lists there is contained in the records concerning the Manti Temple and other things, no less than 3,400 names from this Stake of Zion.

                The sisters of the Relief Society at the present time, feel very much the loss of their President Sister Eliza R. Snow Smith.  Sister Eliza having passed away, after an illness of more than a year, during which she was unable to attend public meetings.  Sister Zina D. Young, her successor, is absent for a short time, but is expected home soon, when she will visit the different branches of the Society, attend to her duties and give advice, as Sister Eliza used to do.

                This is a great work.  It is a vast auxiliary.  It is one of those things spoken of in the Scriptures as "helps" to the government of the kingdom of God.  Sisters, be diligent in all things, no matter how the brethren may look upon you.  Your organization is just as important as any other in the Church, outside of the priesthood.  It has been instituted by the highest authority on earth in this dispensation.  It was appointed and established by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in Nauvoo.  I am glad that there are some here today who were there at that meeting, and who listened to the instructions of the Prophet of God.  Sister Eliza was Secretary at the time of the organization.  Sister Emma Smith was the presiding officer of that institution, and she was blessed under the hands of Presidents Joseph Smith and John Taylor, to expound the Scriptures and administer to the Saints in this holy office and presidency.

                I wish to make a few remarks concerning it and its significance, as it appears to me, for the encouragement of the sisters; and in doing so, I shall refer to some of the sayings of the Prophet Joseph in instituting it.  In April, 1842, he made an appointment with the Relief Society in the city of Nauvoo.  He attended that meeting and lectured to the sisters himself.  There are several present here to-day, who were there and heard him speak, as did also myself.  Here are Presendia L. Kimball, Bathsheba W. Smith, Jane S. Richards, and if I could mention them all, there would be quite a number here who were members of that Society.

                The Prophet Joseph treated upon the gifts and blessings of the priesthood to be enjoyed by all those who believed, and also upon the character of the work devolved upon its members.  And he read, concerning the blessings which he wanted them to understand, were theirs if they would live for them.  He read a portion of the 16th chapter of St. Mark, where it says:

Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  And these signs shall follow them that believe:  In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

                He said, in relation to the females administering to the sick, that there could be no more wrong in it, than in performing any other ordinance of the Church if the Lord gave His sanction by healing the sick under the hands of the sisters.

                I will read from the minutes which were taken on that occasion by Sister Eliza:

                He continued to read the chapter, and give instructions respecting the different offices, and the necessity of every individual acting in the sphere allotted him or her, and filling the several offices to which they were appointed.

                He said the reason of these remarks being made was, that some little foolish things were circulating in the society, against some sisters not doing right in laying hands on the sick.  Said if the people had common sympathies they would rejoice that the sick could be healed; that the time had not been before that these things could be in their proper order; that the Church is not fully organized, in its proper order, and cannot be, until the Temple is completed, where places will be provided for the administration of the ordinances of the Priesthood.

                This was just before he commenced giving endowments, and was hastening the work of the Temple to get ready for it; and he says, that "as he had this opportunity, he was going to instruct the ladies of this Society, and point out the way for them to conduct themselves, that they might act according to the will of God; that he did not know that he should have many opportunities of teaching them, as they were going to be left to themselves; they would not long have him to instruct them; that the Church would not have his instructions long, and the world would not be troubled with him a great while, and would not have his teachings.

                He spoke of delivering the keys of the Priesthood to the Church, and said that the faithful members of the Relief Society should receive them in connection with their husbands, that Saints whose integrity has been tried and proved faithful, might know how to ask the Lord and receive an answer; for according to his prayers, God had appointed him elsewhere.

                He exhorted the sisters always to concentrate their faith and prayers for, and place confidence in their husbands, whom God had appointed for them to honor, and in those faithful men whom God has placed at the head of the Church to lead His people; that we should arm and sustain them with our prayers; for the keys of the kingdom are about to be given to them, that they may be able to detect everything false; as well as to all the Elders who shall prove their integrity in due season.

                President Smith then gave instruction respecting the propriety of females administering to the sick by the prayer of faith, and laying on of hands, or the anointing with oil; and said it was according to revelation that the sick should be nursed with herbs and mild food, and not by the hand of an enemy.  Who are better qualified to administer than our faithful and zealous sisters whose hearts are full of faith, tenderness, sympathy, and compassion.  No one.  Said he was never placed in similar circumstances before, and never had given the same instruction; and closed his instructions by expressing his heartfelt satisfaction in improving this opportunity.

                The Spirit of the Lord was poured out in a very powerful manner, never to be forgotten by those present on this interesting occasion.  I ask any and everybody present who have received their endowments, whether he be a brother Apostle, Bishop, High Priest, Elder, or whatever office he may hold in the Church, "What blessings did you receive, what ordinance, what power, intelligence, sanctification or grace did you receive that your wife did not partake of with you?"  I will answer, that there was one thing that our wives were not made special partakers of, and that was the ordination to the various orders of the priesthood which were conferred upon us.  Aside from that, our sisters share with us any and all of the ordinances of the holy anointing, endowments, sealings, sanctifications and blessings that we have been made partakers of.

                Now, I ask you: Is it possible that we have the holy priesthood and our wives have none of it?  Do you not see, by what I have read, that Joseph desired to confer these keys of power upon them in connection with their husbands?  I hold that a faithful wife has certain blessings, powers and rights, and is made partaker of certain gifts and blessings and promises with her husband, which she cannot be deprived of, except by transgression of the holy order of God.  They shall enjoy what God said they should.  And these signs shall follow them if they believe.

                Moses said, when some one told him that a certain man was prophesying in the camp, and the people thought he had no right to do so, Moses replied saying: "I would to God that all of the Lord's people were prophets."  So I say: I wish all the sisters were so faithful that they were healers of the sick, through the power of God.  Then would their children have a foundation to grow up from their youth in the fear and admonition of the Lord and in the power of His might.  Sister Eliza R. Snow Smith learned some of these things from the Prophet Joseph Smith; and as he was the organizer of the Church of Christ, so she went through the Territory organizing Relief Societies, and did a wonderful work.  She partook of the power of her distinguished husband.

                Sisters, may the Lord bless you.  Bishops, may the Lord bless us all and give us the spirit of liberality.  The more we do for the sisters, the more they will do for us; and so may the Spirit of the Lord bless us all with the feeling of liberality to all, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

THE SECRET OF UNITY

President George Q. Cannon, Utah Stake Conference, Provo, Utah County, Saturday, April 17th, 1897

                I have been very much interested in the remarks which have been made this morning and this afternoon, and have been greatly pleased to hear such good reports concerning the Stake, and the wards which have been represented.  It is very gratifying to hear of the condition of the Saints and of their disposition to perform their duties as members of the Church.  We have had instruction given to us concerning seeking the Spirit of the Lord and having it to be with us.  It is a cause of constant surprise to those who pay attention to the subject, that the Latter-day Saints are so united.  It has been one of the great objections urged against us at times and has caused people to fear us.  They have looked upon the union of the people and their willingness to be governed as almost a menace to the rest of the world, and have thought there was something very wrong in the influence that has been exercised and in the people being willing to be governed by the counsel of the leading men, because this is so contrary to the usual practice in the world.   It is very uncommon to find a large body of people so united and so willing to listen to the counsels and advice of their leading men; and, as I have said, it is looked upon by many as something dangerous, and many evils are supposed to result from such a combination.  They forget, or, at least, if they do not forget, they do not understand that if the people had evil designs and if the leading men were actuated by improper motives, that union would be impossible.  The union of the Latter-day Saints is only possible through doing right.  We would not be united if we had wrong objects in view or were prompted by wrong motives.  But the world do not believe that.  I repeat, however, that the only cause of the union of this people is the disposition to do right and to keep the commandments of God; and if the leading men of this Church had wrong objects in view and sought to accomplish them, their influence with the people would cease.  So that really the union of the Latter-day Saints is not a menace; it is not to be feared; we can do no harm to mankind by this union.  We are not bound together by improper ties, nor combined for any evil purpose.  A people scattered as widely as the Latter-day Saints are, and occupying such an extent of country, could not be held together by evil bonds.  It would be an impossibility for a few men, living, say, in Salt Lake City, to control two or three hundred thousand people and keep them united by the means that men ordinarily use for that purpose.  Therefore, as I say, if men understood the nature of the tie that binds the Latter-day Saints together, they would see that the union of the people is only possible under one condition, and that is, upon the principle of righteousness.  No man can have influence among this people to any extent who is a wicked man, or who has wicked ends in view.  Of course, we are all fallible; we are human beings, subject to all the frailties of humanity; but there must be a disposition among the leading men to keep the commandments of God and to teach righteous principles, or they could not succeed in holding this people together.

                It is of the utmost importance that we should be united.  If we are not united, we are not the Lord's.  The Lord has commanded us to be united, and He has placed the means of union within our reach.  Every unit of which this whole body is composed has access to the means of union; and when every unit avails itself of the opportunities which God has placed within reach, then we form a compact whole, and we assimilate like so many drops of water and become one.  It is the power of God that does this, not the power of man.  Man cannot do it.  We see man's incapability to do this exhibited in all organizations of which he is the author.  There is no power of human origin that can bind men to men for any length of time.  There are occasions, when some great exigency or peril arises, when people will cling together.  When nations are attacked, and when all their liberties and perhaps their lives are at stake, they will then move forward animated by one common impulse, and they will cling together with wonderful tenacity.  There are numerous instances of this kind in history.  We have seen it in our own day.  But apart from these great crises in the history of individuals and nations, there is no power among men that will unite and hold men together.  They will differ in a little while; they will separate.  We see this in the religious world.  As soon as men attempted to reform religion; as soon as they dissented from the mother church, and began to establish reformed religions, they began to differ, and they went on differing and separating until now the whole of Christendom is filled with churches, among which there is no union, notwithstanding they call themselves the churches of Christ.  They have not the secret of union with them.

                Now, the difference between this Church and other churches is this:  when men receive this Gospel, wherever they may be, however widely separated they may be, as soon as they are confirmed members of the Church they receive a spirit that fills them with that union, and when they are brought together from the ends of the earth, they feel alike and are drawn together.  True, they have their failings and their weaknesses; but they possess a spirit of union that no human being is able to impart unto his fellows.  It comes from God.  It is the power that reigns in heaven.  It is the power that makes heaven the glorious place that it is described to be by all who have any conception of it, in contradistinction to hell, the place of misery and torment.

                God has restored this secret through the power that He has bestowed.  It is possible through that power to effect these grand results.  It is outside of man's power.  It requires the power of God.  And this power of God had been manifested among the Latter-day Saints which is an evidence that it is God's work.  If we were not united, we would not be the people of God.  It is the true sign by which the people of God may be found.  I do not care what we may claim, or what our pretensions may be, we are not the people of God when we are not united.  Union is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  The Savior, in that memorable prayer of His, prayed to the Father that His disciples might be one, as He and the Father were one.  Imagine the oneness that prevails between God the Father and God the Son.  They are one and indivisible, so far as union is concerned.  We cannot conceive of the least difference existing between the Father and the Son.  Is it possible for men to attain to that union?  If it is not, then Jesus prayed in vain, and His prayer was a waste of words; but Jesus did not waste words in that way, and He prayed that they might be one as He and the Father were one.  From this we can imagine how close we ought to be together, and how necessary it is that we should be united.  We can perceive too, that it is not a sin, nor a menace to any human being or community, or nation, for us to be one, because if we are one as the Father and the Son are one, we could not be guilty of wrong-doing and remain one--we would inevitably divide and separate.

                When a household is united--the husband and wife and the children all one--then that family has a fore-taste of heaven.  Those who live in that condition approach near to the throne of God.  Enlarge that circle and extend that union from one family to another, until it embraces the whole community, and so far as they are concerned it may be said that the kingdom of God is come, and God is there, because God is love, and love begets this union.  So far as we do not live in this condition, so far are we removed from God.  There is no better test within our reach than this to judge as to the condition of an individual or a community.

                I know some people think this un-natural, and, in fact impossible.  They are especially opposed to it because, in order to have such a condition as this, there must be authority and power from God recognized in the community.   I cannot conceive of a condition of society like this that does not have an authority in it that is recognized as the authority of God.  Were it not so, it would be every man for himself.

                Now, the question is, is it a bad condition of society for one man or a number of men who are united, and who have authority from God, to be recognized in a community as authority, and their words to be recognized as words of weight, because of their being inspired of God?  Is a community in a dangerous condition with an authority of that kind, and which it recognizes?  This is an important question that we as Latter-day Saints have had to ask ourselves a great many times of late, because it has been openly avowed that such an authority in the midst of this people is a dangerous authority, and one that should not be countenanced or obeyed.  This has been told us time and again, until many of our own people, especially the young and inexperienced, have almost become convinced the statement is a correct one.  If it is correct, then how are we to bring to pass that which the Lord has promised?  How are the grand results to be achieved of which Prophets, and even poets who never pretended to be inspired, have written?  There is an almost universal desire among men for a better condition of things than exists now on the earth.  Every man that has had any desire for the welfare of his fellow man has dreamed of it; has indulged in hopes that by some means, incomprehensible perhaps to him, a change would be wrought in the affairs of the earth, and the evils under which mankind groan would be corrected.  There is no righteous man that ever lived that has not had this desire and this anticipation.  And by what means shall it be accomplished?  Shall God Himself come down from heaven among men?  He did once, in the person of His Son, and He was slain.  He has come down also through angelic messengers.  They could not be slain; but those whom they visited, and unto whom they imparted their power, have been slain.  The inhabitants of the earth have seemed determined that no man claiming the authority necessary to bring about a better condition of things should live upon the earth.  They have warred against every man of this kind, in almost every age, until they have been extirpated from the face of the earth.

                But God in these last days has again stretched forth His hand to accomplish His work.  God Himself has visited the earth, accompanied by His Son Jesus!  He has sent holy messengers from on high to restore the key that has been lost, the power and the authority that has been taken from the earth, by means of which these great changes and these glorious ends may be accomplished.  And no sooner were men ordained to receive this power than the evidences of its divine origin immediately appeared.  The spirit of union to which I have referred descended upon the people, producing a union unexampled in the earth, a union that had not been seen for centuries, which holy men had desired but had not been able to obtain.  What was it, my brethren and sisters, that brought this change?  It was the authority of the Son of God--the authority of the everlasting Priesthood.  It was that authority that transformed a mortal man, possessed of all the weaknesses common to mortality, into an agent of the Almighty, and gave him almighty power; for nothing short of the power of God would have been sufficient.  Angels who held the authority and power, by the laying on of hands endowed men with it.  These men were touched as it were, by the finger of God, and the powers were bestowed upon them that no mortal man possessed.  In that sense they became as gods in the midst of the people; for that which they did God confirmed and sealed, and their words were fulfilled to the very letter, so long as they confined themselves to this power.  Up to that time Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, had been a translator and a seer.  He had received revelations; but he had not power to give unto men the Holy Ghost.  He did not have the gift himself, although he was a seer and a revelator; and, of course, not having received it himself, he could not impart it to others.  And when the angels laid their hands upon his head, as I say, he became transformed into an agent of the Lord, an ambassador, fully empowered to act in the name of heaven, having authority to seal upon the heads of his fellow men, if they complied with the requisite conditions, the necessary blessing to make them the children of God.  Strange and marvelous, is it not? to think that a man endowed as he was, a man that had beheld the face of God, a man that had been ministered unto by angels, a man that had such great and precious gifts, never presumed to have authority that he did not have--the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.  But when he received the Melchizedek Priesthood, that he was able to seal that precious gift of the Holy Ghost upon the heads of those unto whom he administered.  All those unto whom he and his fellow Apostle administered received this gift.  And from that day to this it has spread.  Men of the most humble origin, unassuming, and without anything in their appearance to convince people that they were more than ordinary men, have gone forth carrying the message of salvation and promising the people, without a doubt ever entering their hearts that the promise might fail, that if they would repent of their sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized, their sins should be remitted, and if they had hands laid upon them they should receive the Holy Ghost.  How wonderful!  How God-like!  One man baptize another, and through the administration of that ordinance the sinner have his sins remitted!  Lay hands upon a man, and that man receive the Holy Ghost, that grand gift which was so mighty in the days of the ancient disciples!

                Now, this thing has been done in our day, and is being done.  By this power the nations of the earth are being warned, and the honest in heart are being gathered.  They are drawn to Zion by a magnet, if I may use that illustration,--a magnet that is irresistible--drawing them here from all lands, and everyone that receives it bearing witness that it is from God.  They testify that they have a spirit within them that they never had before, and that the Bible seems like a new book to them.  So in relation to other things:  they look upon everything pertaining to God in an entirely new light.  They testify that they know for themselves that this is the work of God.  They do not say they believe; they say they know.  Of course, there is a difference in individuals.  Some receive a stronger testimony than others.  Some are moved upon in a different manner to others.  Some are convinced from the very moment that they hear the voice of the servant of God.  I have known instances where they recognized men as servants of God before they even knew they were preachers.  Others have said, "I have seen you in a dream, and when I met you I knew you were a man of God."  Others are slow in receiving a testimony.  Still others are very cautious and do not, for fear of deception, open their hearts to believe all at once.  They perhaps want something unusual; they would like an angel to come and minister unto them--as though angels had nothing else to do; or they would like some great manifestation of power, not esteeming the presence of the Holy Ghost as a sufficient evidence.  We find this difference existing among the people.  But speaking generally, the Latter-day Saints have received a testimony concerning the Gospel.  They know it to be true.  They know it by every sense; in fact, it seems as though a new sense were developed within them.  It is not the sense of sight, not the sense of hearing, not the sense of touch, not the sense of taste.  It is outside, or inside I may say, of all the senses, more convincing than all of them combined, and something that they cannot explain, only they know it is there, a gift from God, which assures them that the Gospel is true.  They are convinced that it is so, and they cannot be persuaded otherwise, because the power and testimony they have is irresistible, and they know it is not from man.  And that sense remains with every Latter-day Saint so long as he or she is pure.  Here is another evidence that this is the work of God.  As long as men and women are pure, that sense to which I refer will always remain with them, because it is the Spirit of God, and it dwells only where purity  exists.  It will not dwell, as one of old said, in an unholy tabernacle.  Hence you see this remarkable thing in this Church:  men who have testified that they knew this was the Church of Christ have fallen away from it, and fought it.  Cases of this kind are almost too numerous to mention.  They are familiar to all the people.  Men in the humbler walks of life, men who have been preachers of the Gospel, men who have occupied leading positions in the Church, men who have been looked up to as guides, as prophets and apostles--men of every class, where they have lived impure lives and grieved the Spirit of God, have lost that sense to which I refer, and they have been left to depend upon their natural senses, resulting in their going into darkness.

                Union constitutes our great strength and our acceptance with God.  The Latter-day Saints cannot be united without purity.  They would be as weak as water if they were impure.  I want to say to you all this afternoon, as a warning, that it is impossible for you to remain in possession of the Spirit of God, which begets love and union, unless you are pure.  The moment you commit sin, the moment you violate a commandment of God, and do not repent of it, that moment the Spirit of God is grieved, and it begins to withdraw itself from you, and unless you repent it will withdraw itself entirely from you.  Is not this an extraordinary condition?  What a mighty work God is doing, and yet we scarcely believe it!  God is gathering out from the nations of the earth all who will listen to His voice, and making unto them great promises and giving unto them great gifts; then, when He has gathered them, sifting them, cleansing them, removing one by one the wicked and the impure.  Hidden from human sight are many of the sins of men; but God knows them.  His Spirit sees them.  He penetrates the secret recesses of all our hearts.  His eyes pierce us to the very centre.  He knows our every thought.  His Spirit, which is His ministering agent, understands these things.  It dwells with the pure.  It sustains the pure.  It comforts and builds up the pure.  But the impure it withdraws itself from, leaving them to walk in darkness.  Things which they understood are changed.  Darkness has taken the place of light; and as the Savior says, If the light that is within you becomes darkness how great is that darkness!  Men and women, when they get in this condition, wonder how they could have been operated upon to do as they did in former days.  The light has gone out of them; they are in the dark; they leave the Church; and their friends wonder what has caused such results.  Men and women who have been attached to the Church, and who have borne testimony concerning its truth, for some reason leave the Church.  Why?  God knows why.  The Spirit of God understands it.  He is aware of the sin that has produced that dreadful result, and the sinner will be brought to judgment.  Then his sin will be made plain and clear as the light of day.  For God does not withdraw himself from men and women without cause.

                In this way we shall have a pure Church sooner or later.  This is the only church that I know of in which these causes are operating and these results being produced.  There is no church in Christendom that is in the same position as this Church, because there is no church that has the power that this Church has.  There is no church aside from this, that is the true Church of Christ.  There are thousands of men and women who are honestly striving to follow Christ; but this is the only organization that possesses the authority which God conferred in ancient days through His Son Jesus Christ.  Hence we are held to a higher accountability.  More is required of us.  Our reward will be immeasurably greater than the reward of others who do not obey the ordinances of the Gospel; and our condemnation will be immeasurably greater if we, through sin and transgression, forfeit these blessing that God has given unto us.

                My brethren and sisters, I wish we could always think that we are dwelling in the presence of God; that He is nearer to us than we imagine; that His Spirit is in us, and that His power is over us.  When the veil is withdrawn, and we see the light as it is, we will be forced to acknowledge this, and we will be surprised that God has been so near to us in our mortality.  God is working with us to an extent that we cannot conceive of—at least, I cannot.  And the sinner cannot prosper.  He may prosper as far as earthly things are concerned; but he cannot prosper in the things of God.  The hypocrite cannot flourish.  His sins will be brought to light, and men will then understand that neither men nor women fall from grace, they do not become alienated from the Church and go into the dark, without a cause.  No matter how small the cause may be in the estimation of the sinner, you may know there is a cause for it.  The Spirit of God can be very easily grieved.  But there are some things that are worse than others.  One is to lift our voice against, or in any manner assail, the Priesthood of the Son of God.  You may think this a trifling thing.  You may say, "Why, who are these men that I should not speak about them?  I know they are fallible men; they are mortal; they are guilty of many weaknesses.  I do not see why I should respect them, or why they should be shielded from criticism, or why I should listen to their counsel."  Now, judged by man's standard, this may appear to be true.  There is not a man in the Church, from Wilford Woodruff down, that has anything overpowering about him, that we should render him any degree of obedience.  It is not that.  These are but the earthly vessels.  Joseph Smith was not outwardly transformed, neither were Peter, James and John, when they received the Priesthood of the Son of God.  Jesus Himself was not in a form to compel mankind to honor Him.  But while these men are but earthly vessels, it is the authority, it is the power, it is God--now do not be shocked at this--it is God that is within them that causes them to do these godly works.  Without God were in them, they could not baptize men for remission of sins, they could not lay on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost.  It is the spirit and power which God gives to all who receive His Priesthood that makes them in the sight of God so holy that they ought not to be spoken against, they ought not to be belittled, they ought not to be disobeyed by the people of God.

                Now, in saying this, I do not mean that men should be objects of worship.  God forbid!  No man should set himself up above his fellowmen.  If he did, God would be angry with him, and would smite him.  He has got to use the power and authority that he has in righteousness; not to build himself up, not to create influence for himself, but to use for the glory of God.  Every man that receives this power and authority God will show him from time to time his weakness and how dependent he is upon Him.  As the Lord said to Moroni, when the prophet feared lest the Gentiles should mock at his words, "Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; and if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble."  The Lord shows His servants their weaknesses.  They are made to feel how impotent they are without Him.  He will keep them constantly reminded of their dependence upon Him, conscious that they are poor, fallible creatures, and that their only strength is in the Lord.  If a man is blessed of the Spirit of the Lord, with great gifts and power, with visions and revelations, He will accompany these gifts and graces perhaps with weaknesses, in order that the man may be kept humble, and not be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and forget the source of his blessings.  We who look upon him may see him in his weaknesses, and say what a weak, poor man he is! and yet the Lord may have given him these weaknesses in order to keep him from being lifted up to his overthrow.  Any man that will live near to the Lord will be conscious of these weaknesses, and he will not be lifted up in pride, but will abase himself in the presence of God and of his brethren, and feel that he is unworthy of the blessings bestowed upon him.

                My brethren and sisters, let us endeavor to understand the day of our salvation.  Let us strive to comprehend the greatness of the work that God is doing.  Let us honor the authority He has restored from heaven for this grand and glorious purpose.  Let us continue faithful to the end, that eventually we may be saved and exalted in the kingdom of our God with our Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ, which I humbly pray for you all and myself, in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

E    D    I    T    O    R    I    A    L

The Youth of Zion:

Our Future—Our Hope

A report from the Salt Lake City area has traveled here, bringing the rumor that the youth there—especially the young women—have no desire to enter into the Principle of Celestial Plural Marriage, with expressive hopes it will be abandoned by the people.  Where we live, it also seems that apathy may have pervaded among our own youth, with similar sentiments echoed, “I don’t want to live plural marriage,” and, “When I’m eighteen, I’m outta this place!”  And, “I don’t have a testimony of the Gospel.”

What are the reasons for the Youth of Israel vocalizing their dissenting opinion? Is it a lack of belief?  Could it be embarrassment?  Peer pressure?  Jumping on the “bandwagon” of incredulity?  What is the source?  Is it one thing, or is it a combination of factors?  I have approached the Lord in prayer for our youth, and asked Him to reinforce positive values within them; and for them not to be ashamed of His Gospel and that they will have the desire to obtain testimonies of the Work of the Lord. 

I have wondered—could it be that the parents may not truly converted to the Fulness or some aspects of the Gospel, which prohibits their progression?  Could it be that mother and father are divided in fulfilling the laws of the Priesthood?  One can choose to allow emotions to govern oneself, or one can choose to be selfless, and embrace the laws that God has placed before us for our salvation and exaltation with joy and happiness.  Living the Gospel brings delight.  Fighting against the Lord and His Laws do not.

Perhaps some of the youth see the trials, tears and heartache associated with living the Principle.  This all reverts back to calling upon God to help us overcome our obstacles and assist us triumph over tribulation. It seems that releases from marriages among Fundamentalist peoples are as commonplace now, as in the world.  So when the going gets tough, do the ‘tough’ get going?  Doesn’t “for time and for all eternity” mean anything to Mormons anymore?

A sister, speaking in reference to the youth of Israel, once told another, “These girls have plural marriage shoved down their throats!”

The response was simple, “That is who we are…”

That is who we are!

We are a polygamous people.  I hope to see my sons enter into this law, of their own accord, one

day.  I hope to see my daughters choose a righteous man as their eternal companion one day and enter into this law and fulfill the Law of Sarah—and do this because they want to do so, because they know it is right—not solely because of my desires and expectations of them.

When brothers and sisters are vocal about their opinions against the principle or any other celestial law, who is there to hear these negative sentiments?  Our children.  Our youth hear these words, and being malleable, the youth incorporate our thoughts and ideas into their own lives—and this, by the very environment they live in!  Our actions as parents have a cause and effect within our children!

I offer some suggestions to these issues we experience:

1)      Get the Spirit of the Lord and keep it.

All of us could do better by keeping the Spirit of the Lord with us.  We are examples to the inhabitants of the earth.  I know I fall short in keeping the Spirit with me at all times and know I could use the improvement within my own life, however I’m certain each one of us could, too.  The Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to Brigham Young while the Saints were en route to Deseret.  He admonished Brother Brigham for the Saints to obtain the Spirit of the Lord and keep it.

2)      Obtain a testimony.

The beautiful thing about the passage of MORO 10:5, “And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things,” is that it is a literal—not a figurative—statement.  Whatever truth we desire to know of God, He will answer you.  The Prophet Moroni  gave us the formula of how one can obtain a testimony in the 10:4.

3)      Pray often for the Lord to intercede in our lives.

Can anyone one of us succeed in this life without Him and His intervention?  Our day-to-day lives are filled with temptation, and the devil will try all the harder to ‘bring down a Mormon.’  And why?  Because we really do have a lot the answers—more than any other religion upon the earth, and the devil and his angels know this, and that is why they wage such a mighty battle against the Saints of God and they always will.  “I need thee every hour, Most Gracious Lord…”

4)      Encourage the youth to obtain their own testimony and live by it.

You and I can offer more reassurance and motivation to our youth—the promise of Israel—to seek after the Lord for His will in their lives.  To gain a testimony and bare it often. 

5)      Stop and listen—are we truly hearing our children?

How many times have you and I been guilty of not listening to our children?  This is not asking, “Do you let your child govern you?”  But asking, “Did you take the time out today and chat with your son or your daughter?”  Some of the most memorable times in my own life were times spent chatting with my parents.  I had the assurance I could go to my father for any problem I experienced, because I trusted he always would give me good advice.  We, as parents, can offer the same guidance to our own children.

6)      Set the example by:

a)      Softening our hearts.

b)      Stop fighting against the Lord.

c)      Entering into the Principle.

d)      Keeping our covenants.

e)      Living every law of the Gospel.

When one hardens their heart, one fights against the Lord.  An Apostle of the Lord once said that the most important law of God is the one that we are not living.  We are a polygamous people, and we keep a portion of our covenants by entering into that celestial law.  We should be the defenders of righteous principles—not the nemeses.  Our children see the way we live the Gospel—how little or how much. 

7)      Sisters can be more supportive of their husbands

8)      Brethren should lead righteously, but firmly, and absolutely.

The above two suggestions require no additional comment.

9)      Take more of an initiative to teach the Gospel at home

Rather than rely on the Primary or Sunday School teachers to indoctrinate our children, why not have lessons for them—beyond Family Home Evening?  Small children could learn stories about the prophets of the Bible, Book of Mormon and Church history.  Or, for older children, initiate a Gospel discussion?  Instill within them, the ability to reason—to think for themselves.  Some of the best hours in my life were spent at the dinner table with my parents and brothers and sisters on Sunday nights after Church just talking and listening about the Gospel.  This also solidified the bonds between us as a family.

10)  Pray often with the family

11)   Study Scripture with the family

The above suggestions are synonymous.  When the child sees that the parents are united, this introduces a positive affirmation.  When the child observes that the humility and servitude of the parents before the Lord is genuine and unfeigned, this instills integrity and virtue.  When the children perceive the parents’ resolve and commitment to the Lord is absolute and unyielding, righteousness and principles of Godliness will be cultivated in those children’s lives.

12) Show our youth more love, tolerance and patience.

There are no limits to the love we can show our children—just as there is no limit to the love our Father in Heaven shows us—His children.

*              *              *

The purpose of this article is not to condemn, rebuke, or chastise anyone.  All of us could use repentance in our lives.  All of us. 

My only desire is to see our people continue to be participants in the Work of the Lord and see His Kingdom borne off triumphantly, for the Lord will accomplish His designs with or without us.  I pray that we all can be a part of that.

It is our responsibility as parents to see to it that our children are taught the TRUTH within our homes, and that their spiritual education continues to be supplemented in the auxiliary functions.  It is our duty to see that our children are taught what is righteous and what is good in this wicked age.  It is our charge to teach correct principles to our children.  And then, when the time comes, allow them to govern themselves, knowing with confidence, that we taught them to uphold virtue, to defend honor, to protect integrity, to guard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to preserve the Priesthood in its purity, along with all the laws the Church has abandoned and discarded by the wayside.

When I leave this existence, I want to depart with peace of mind, knowing that my children are firm and steadfast in their testimonies, like the valiant spirits I know them to be.  That they are willing to take up the sword, shield, and the armor of God, in the preservation of the Principles of His Kingdom.  That they will safeguard the Laws of His Realm, just as I have tried to do so through my example to them.  Just as the greatest example in my own life—my father—who stood up for correct principle, and exemplified courage in the face of adversity. 

As has been said before in this publication, “Our children are our greatest crop.”  They are the Hope of Israel—they are the future of this Work, and though the burden of their spiritual education falls upon our shoulders, the Lord has taught us that through Him our yoke will be light and our burden easy.

I have seen the spark of the Gospel within our own youth.  I have faith and confidence in the Lord that He will fan that ember as they mature, and from an ember to a flame that will grow to a holy conflagration and sweep across the land, carrying the Gospel to the ends of the earth, at their hands.  In twenty years I fully expect to see them submerged within the same endeavor as us—which is building up the Kingdom of God and preserving the ordinances of the Priesthood. (Truth Never Changes, 10:29)

May God’s blessings be upon you.

Qadosh L’Adonai

ANNOUNCEMENT

truth never changes is  being produced on a monthly basis.  This provides abundant opportunities for any author interested in submitting material for the e-magazine.  OPPOSITE VIEW-POINTS ARE ACCEPTED, PROVIDING THEY ARE IN GOOD TASTE.

We are committed to the perpetuation of the ordinances of the priesthood of god, and the preservation of the fulness of the gospel. 

We endeavor keeping an eye single to the glory of god, as we toil to build his kingdom and spread the gospel of jesus christ unto the nations of the earth.      —the editors—

Recommended Sites 4thefamily.us (Open chat & polygamy/Mormon doctrine discussions) fullnessradio.acrobat.com/fullness/ (Internet broadcast Wednesdays 8pm MST.  Discussion of deeper mysteries of the Kingdom of God.) allofthegospel.com  (An in-depth website offering extensive information about Mormon Fundamentalism, discourses, histories, et cetera.)

 

Holiness

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TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
Volume 13, Number 06
May Issue 2010